( CNN ) -- Let 's get real . The Republicans have a problem attracting African-American voters . And Cliven Bundy made it worse . Period . Not just because Bundy turned out to express racist views , but because of what he initially , falsely symbolized for some conservative Republicans : a humble , hard-working rancher who despises federal government overreach . The fact that armed militia turned up to protect Bundy 's cattle only made it worse , because it fit ever more neatly into the kind of extremist narrative that frightens many people , including many African-Americans . They do n't feel comfortable when conservatives , like Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas , call the nation 's first black President `` the most lawless President in the nation 's history . '' And they especially do n't care for the kind of inflammatory rhetoric that kind of characterization invites . Example : `` These are dangerous times because this is a lawless presidency and a pliant Congress . The President 's willingness to violate the Constitution publicly calls into question his fitness for office . And that deafening silence from Capitol Hill manifests a spineless refusal to preserve constitutional government . '' That was written by Andrew Napolitano , who works for Fox News . The same Fox News that repeatedly validated Bundy and the armed men who chased the feds from government-owned land . The Republican National Committee loves to blame the `` mainstream media '' for its woes , but if it actually criticized right-wing media when it is clearly in the wrong , it would have more credibility with the very constituents it strives to attract . The Rev . Tony Minor , who heads People For the American Way 's African American Ministers in Action , told me he does n't believe mainstream Republicans buy what Napolitano is selling , but says , `` what frightens me is when those Republicans who know those kind of statements are absurd , when they do n't speak against it , their silence betrays us from thinking there 's any hope of any partnership with them . '' In fairness , many conservatives did criticize Fox for its support of Cliven Bundy , but other Republicans , like Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada , called Bundy `` a patriot '' and only backed away from him when it became clear Bundy was racist . But when the Republican National Committee 's Sean Spicer appeared on my show , CNN 's `` Newsroom , '' on Friday , he chose to attack me for not sufficiently covering Democrats who make horribly offensive remarks . Except we were n't talking about Democrats , a party already backed by minority voters , but Republicans and their worthy efforts to attract a broader base . The GOP is fighting an uphill battle and it knows it . In 2012 , 93 % of African-Americans voted for Barack Obama . As Larry Sabato , political scientist from the University of Virginia says , `` Republicans belong to a party that desperately needs to deliver good news and appealing personalities to all minority voters . '' He adds , `` Every move that is viewed as an insult is going to make it difficult for the Republican Party to make up ground it needs to win . '' In other words , Cliven Bundy : bad , bad , bad . Marc Lamont Hill of HuffPost Live agrees . He says if you take away Bundy 's comments about slavery and focus on what he says about blacks and entitlements : `` In many ways what he 's saying is n't that different than mainstream Republican ideology and policy . Republicans in so many ways have codified those beliefs through policy or policy initiatives that are n't outliers -- that are part of the mainstream . '' Crystal Wright , a conservative Republican who edits the blog ConservativeBlackChick.com , says she is disgusted by the Bundy affair . She told me if the Republican plan to `` widen the tent '' included more than community outreach , Mr. Bundy might never have become a `` folk hero . '' `` What they ( Republicans ) need to do is stop looking at black people as this other kind of group , '' Wright said . `` We ( African-Americans ) need to be brought into the party at all levels . I think if they would include more minorities and women at the table for strategic discussions , you would n't have these kind of missteps because somebody would say , hey , guys , I do n't think we should embrace Mr. Bundy . Let 's do our homework here . '' Other black Republicans disagree with Wright . Tara Wall , who is a senior staff member for the RNC , took exception to Wright 's assessment of the Republican Party and to my asking Spicer to address Wright 's concerns and name some African-American senior staff members . Tara Wall : Media 's coverage of Bundy , race and GOP a disservice . Why is it beneath the dignity of the RNC to reveal the results of its much publicized `` autopsy '' of its defeat in 2012 or its subsequent plan to attract more African-Americans ? One of its stated goals is to `` ... improve on promoting African-American staff and candidates within the party . The GOP should utilize African-American elected officials as surrogates both in their communities and with the national media . At the staff level , the personnel should be visible and involved in senior political and budget decisions and not be limited to demographic outreach . '' Hello ! This is politics , not the closed-door deliberations of the Federal Reserve Board . Visibility is part of the game , and transparency is an increasing necessity for the American voter . So , let 's get real . The Republicans have a problem attracting African-American voters . And Cliven Bundy made it worse . Period .
Carol Costello says it 's not a secret that the GOP lacks strong African-American support . She says the party acknowledges that it needs to do better . Incidents like Cliven Bundy 's racist remarks set back the GOP effort , she says . Costello : " The Republican Party is going through some very difficult times right now