Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson are declaring their bids for President of the United States. Coming soon, Mike Huckabee and Rick Perry will do the same. Bobby Jindal will most likely also announce. (I expect to see them all at the RedState Gathering, by the way)

For those keeping score at home, that is one old corrupt white woman against a female former CEO of a Fortune 500 company, a brain surgeon who is black, a former TV host and governor, the longest serving Governor of Texas, the Indian-American Governor of Louisiana, and we already have a doctor turned Senator, two Hispanic Senators, and we are waiting on the former Governor of Florida who speaks Spanish and is married to a lovely lady from Mexico, not to mention the very successful Governor of Wisconsin. There may be more.

Sure it is a crowded field, but while the media has been genuflecting to Hillary Clinton and patting themselves on the back that we finally have a black President, they have been distracted from what is happening in the GOP.

While the establishment, to be sure, is a party of old white mostly men, the base of the party has shifted pretty significantly. It was the base of the party that backed [mc_name name=’Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’R000595′ ] against the establishment’s pick of Charlie Crist. It was the base of the party that backed Nikki Haley against a bunch of old white guys in South Carolina. It was the base of the party that pushed forward Mia Love and Allen West and [mc_name name=’Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’S001184′ ]. It was the base of the party that pushed forward [mc_name name=’Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’C001098′ ]. It is now the base of the party rallying to people like Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson.

The GOP has more statewide elected hispanic officials in its ranks than the Democrats and more Hispanic members of Congress. It has more Indian-Americans elected to statewide office than the Democrats, one of whom will be a contender for 2016.

Unlike the Democrats, these people have won based on their ideas and character. There is no affirmative action policy within the ranks of the GOP or diversity quotas setting the numbers for delegates to the national convention. A merit based party has, through the merit and quality of its candidates, diversified on its own. Mia Love, Allen West, and [mc_name name=’Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’S001184′ ] did not win seats in the House of Representatives due to racially gerrymandered districts.

The Democrats continue to play the race card and play the gender card. While they are playing cards, the GOP is pushing forward a very deep bench for Governors Mansions and now the Presidency.

Carly Fiorina, Ben Carson, [mc_name name=’Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’C001098′ ], [mc_name name=’Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’R000595′ ], [mc_name name=’Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’P000603′ ], Bobby Jindal, Mike Huckabee, Rick Perry, Scott Walker, and Jeb Bush will be sized up by the Republican voters based on their ideas, character, and qualifications. Their skin color, ethnic origin, and gender will not play a role.

That is as it should be and is as the country should be. Meanwhile, the Democrats are left with a corrupt, aged white woman of a bygone era telling the nation that to go forward they must go backward and that gender (but not age) should matter for reasons that really don’t.

I like the Republicans’ chances in 2016.