This may have been the last national election where white voters alone might have determined the outcome.

If demographics are indeed, destiny, the GOP must sit up and take notice.

Rich Baehr:

The Jewish vote does not matter. The hispanic vote does. Slippage among Jews may have helped romney by 80,000 in Florida, but that was wiped out by bigger gains among hispanics to carry the state.

Romney got killed 71-27 among Hispanics nationally. Their share of all the votes jumped from 8 to 10% (in Florida from 14% to 17%). 45% of all Obama votes were from minorities, a record by a big amount. Fewer than 10% of Romney's were.

Minorities are America's future. In the end it did not matter, but Rubio or Portman would have been better picks than Ryan. Rubio may be GOP's only hope in 2016. As I always say, the base for the GOP matters, but is a lot smaller than we think.

The party will either expand, or disappear. The GOP has given away 5 senate seats in two cycles - Delaware, Nevada, Colorado in 2010, Indiana and Missouri this time. In North Dakota, Romney won by 20%, and GOP could not win an open Senate seat. Incredible. Alan West is losing and will probably end up going down. Mia Love lost. Dold lost. All in all, a horrible night.

A basically decent man, lost by 2% to a a Chicago pol who destroyed him with $200 million of negative character attack ads.

The Hispanic share of the vote is only going to expand in 2016. When a candidate can count on 70%, 80%, 90% majorities from significant voting blocs like Hispanics, blacks, and other minorities, it makes the white vote (and especially the white male vote) less relevant to victory.

For decades, the GOP has counted on gaining large majorities of white voters to cobble together coalitions that led to victory. That doesn' appear to be good enough anymore, and Republicans simply must find a way to convince Hispanics, Asians, and other minorities that there is room in the party for them as well.