Amid the debate over immigration reform and media predictions that the Republican Party will never again win a national election due to demographic shifts in the country, correspondent Tom Costello appeared on Friday's NBC Today to eagerly promote a new study: "You know, by 2043, just three decades from now, the Census Bureau says whites will be a minority....a changing complexion that will have huge, social, political and economic implications for the entire country."
Costello remarked: "Far from the 50s, a new kaleidoscope of color....For the year ending July 2012, the Asian population expanded by 530,000 people, African Americans added 560,000, and the Hispanic population grew by the most, 1.1 million people. Non-Hispanic whites, long the dominant demographic group in the country, added only 175,000 people to their ranks, and for the first time, deaths, by a slim margin, out-paced births for whites..."
William H. Frey of the liberal-leaning Brookings Institution announced that growing minority populations would be the only hope for the survival of such government programs: "And they've got to be ready to make their mark because as these older white people retire, they're all we got."
Costello highlighted a town in Iowa where students "have the option to take half their classes in Spanish." He then touted: "Virginia Senator Tim Kaine this week gave a nod to his Hispanic constituents by speaking their language on the Senate floor."
On Tuesday's Today, the hosts gushed over the Democratic lawmaker's speech being a "first" and gave him "high marks for his Spanish."
Concluding his Friday report, Costello proclaimed: "A multi-racial mosaic that is already here. In fact, the population of the U.S. for children under the age of 5 is almost already majority minority."
At no point did Costello raise the problem of illegal immigration or the challenge of assimilation while reporting the Census estimates.
Here is a full transcript of the June 14 segment:
7:17AM ET
MATT LAUER: New census estimates are revealing an historic shift in America this morning. NBC's Tom Costello is down in Washington to break this all down for us. Tom, good morning to you.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: The United States of Change; Census: White Majority Gone In 30 Years]
TOM COSTELLO: Hey, Matt, good morning. You know, by 2043, just three decades from now, the Census Bureau says whites will be a minority. But these new numbers only confirm what we've all already seen on the streets, a changing complexion that will have huge, social, political and economic implications for the entire country. And the fastest growing ethnic group may not be what you expect.
Far from the 50s, a new kaleidoscope of color. Just how is the face of America changing? Think of the country like a maternity ward, with each baby representing 50,000 people added to a racial group once you take away the deaths. For the year ending July 2012, the Asian population expanded by 530,000 people, African Americans added 560,000, and the Hispanic population grew by the most, 1.1 million people.
Non-Hispanic whites, long the dominant demographic group in the country, added only 175,000 people to their ranks, and for the first time, deaths, by a slim margin, out-paced births for whites, who saw their gains coming completely from immigration. In just 30 years, explosions in Hispanic and Asian growth will make whites a minority and the implications are huge for programs like Social Security and Medicare.
WILLIAM H. FREY [BROOKINGS INSTITUTION]: And they've got to be ready to make their mark because as these older white people retire, they're all we got.
COSTELLO: Take tiny West Liberty, Iowa. In a state who's Hispanic population is only 5%, students here have the option to take half their classes in Spanish. The town's meat packing plant means 52% of it's 4,000 residents are Hispanic. Virginia Senator Tim Kaine this week gave a nod to his Hispanic constituents by speaking their language on the Senate floor.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: We need mixtures, we need variety. And that's how we build culture.
COSTELLO: A multi-racial mosaic that is already here. In fact, the population of the U.S. for children under the age of 5 is almost already majority minority. That means that the class entering kindergarten this fall is 49.9% minority. Matt, back to you.
LAUER: Alright. Tom Costello in Washington for us. Tom, thank you very much.
