Reply #12: the base is to varied to define

[wyldwolf]

1. By a margin of more that 2 to 1, both DNC members AND rank and file Democrats want the party to take a more moderate approach to issues.

"These attitudes contrast sharply with the opinions of both Democratic officials and rank-and-file Democrats. A Gallup poll of Democratic National Committee members (in February 2005) showed that, by more than two-to-one (52%-23%) the DNC members want the party to become more moderate, rather than more liberal. That view is shared by Democrats nationally; in a January survey, Gallup found that 59% of Democrats wanted the party to take a more moderate course."

http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?PageID=933

2. Unmarried Women are Now a Key Element of the Democratic Base

http://www.emergingdemocraticmajorityweblog.com/donkeyrising/archives/000971.php

3. The base is very conflicted on issues. Democrats get most of the black vote and the gay vote but African Americans are more strongly opposed to gay marriage on average than are white Democratic voters. The Democratic party gets the votes of Teacher's Unions based on the party's official opposition to school vouchers. However, black and hispanic voters are more likely to favor school choice (The lasr numbers I saw had 70% of African Americans in favor of vouchers). Blue collar union workers vote for Democrats on average yet many of them are religions and oppose gay marriage and abortion.

The paradox of what constitutes the Democratic base is ponderous. But anyone who claims that the base is "this small group" or that "anti-something or another" group is clearly dreaming.

I'll refer you to a piece by William Pitt that appeared on DU:

Do you think you are part of the Democratic base?

I hear a lot of stuff on DU about anti-war left-wing types being the base, and Kerry better not piss us off, or Kerry better court us, or Kerry has already pissed us off, so screw you guys, I'm going home.

I hate to break it to you, but anti-war left-wing types are not the base of the Democratic party.

Union members are the base of the party, particularly in the northeast and Pacific northwest. Women are the base of the party, particularly in the northeast, far west, and portions of the midwest. African Americans are the base of the party all across the country.

Anti-war left-wing types are the single most unreliable voter group in America. Unless you are simon-pure, you are unworthy of support from that group. As no politician in 21st Century America (with a snowball's chance of winning a national election) is simon-pure, they are not likely to bust their asses to get anti-war left-wing support.

Anti-war left-wing support, by the way, is buried by the aforementioned real base. Yes, anti-war left-wing support can swing an election, but because of the aforementioned unreliability problem - anti-war left-wing voters will bolt at the first sign of impurity, even in a tight race (See: 2000) - it is too often a hopeless exercise to try and court that group with any real vigor. The real base outnumbers anti-war left-wing types 10-1. That's where the focus goes.

So all you anti-war left-wing folks should probably stop referring to yourselves as the base of the Democratic party. Don't feel bad; I'm a anti-war left-wing type, too, and so I'm out of the fun as well. We were close to being the base, but blew up in 1968 because we couldn't stand it anymore. The party looked at us and said, "OOOOkay...let's look elsewhere."

Point?

Stop waiting for the party to court you. They won't. Either roll up your sleeves and help clean out the Aegean stables, or bolt and do exactly what the party expects you to do...which is why they don't think of you as any kind of base.

We can clean this house. We have to win first, and for a lot of good people that makes for an ugly, maddening choice, but we can clean this house. Then we'll be the base.