What is the 'base' of the Democratic Party?

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

Poor people?

Middle class liberals in MA and CA?

Blue collar workers?



What is the "base" of the Republican Party, for that matter?

[wli]

1. perhaps time for a survey?

I'm not sure how to construct them for these purposes, though. Rove-style micro-segment marketing (yes, I know I said Rove) may be in order.

[seabeyond]

2. not me.....lol

and if we insist on
required parenting class
required prenatal care
no smoking in cars
outlaw spanking
registering people with animals?
and all the other hokey things i have seen here of late, well.....

i will still have to support dems cause the right is bad. but. i wont be happy

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

3. I honestly don't know the answer to this question.

It certainly doesn't appear to be poor people, at least the way DLC leadership considers it. I think an important change during the Clinton years was the shift towards emphasis on the middle class exclusively.

Most political rhetoric these days addresses the middle class, little if any seems to mention the poor.

I think Dems have fallen into the Repub game of being afraid to invoke class warfare.

It seems to me politics really IS about class warfare though. And the Repubs are winning the war, for the upper class.

The Dems need to point out to poor Americans that this is in FACT class warfare. A war that they are losing big time, and the rich are winning. And the Dems need to be on the side of the poor, unequivocally.

[seabeyond]

6. i think they went away from poor because labeled welfare queen

take from the rich and give to the poor. and clinton policy certainly established that. i think by the time kerry ran, we were seeing what happens when you dont take care of the poor. the next on the rung is middle class. but no i dont think we went to the poor to get the vote.

[Kalish]

12. hear hear

it's wierd what some liberals will support.

[Mythsaje]

15. Leftist totalitarianism

is as bad as the alternative. These ideas suck too.

[moof]

4. The " Democratic Party " has no base, it is a facade kept in place to

allow slaves to think they have a say in their destiny.

[sintax]

17. Accurate n/t

[omega minimo]

5. Those who know the difference b/w a commonwealth & common criminals

:kick:

[omega minimo]

16. No, really

:patriot:

[DanCa]

7. I think its.........

The republican base is the religious right. I think our base is anyone else.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

8. It most certainly is NOT 'everyone else'. Fundies vs. Everyone Else =

Landslide victories for Dems, fake votes or not.

[DanCa]

9. No our base defends america from enemies both foriegn and domestic

yeah i like that better.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

10. Does this definition help define who to go after in a national campaign?

[Lannes]

11. Used to be alot more union members/manufacturing base

But with the right turning us into one big service economy and the outsourcing of good jobs.I think whats left is a loose coalition of various groups.Im sure there are some surveys out there that would give a better indication of what it is.

[Ksec]

13. working people

Blue and white collar. Labor.

[xray s]

14. the Democratic Party has no base

they have successfully smashed it to pieces

[journalist3072]

18. African-Americans

I would have to say that African-Americans are the Democratic Party's most loyal base; it's most loyal constituency.

However, I think those of us who are African-American need to challenge the Democratic Party to speak out more on the issues that are currently plaguing our community, such as the unemployment rate, etc.

And I am proud that the Congressional Black Caucus, in my opinion, is the true conscience of the Democratic Party. They will stand up and fight when no one else will (like challenging the Florida and Ohio electors in 2001 and 2005).