Being a Massachusetts Democrats is an asset not a liability

[Tony_FLADEM]

let me explain.

A lot of white voters in this country vote against the Democratic party because they perceive the party as being too favorable and accomidating to minorities.

If you look at the population of Massachusetts it has a low minority population -- most of the citizens of the state are white caucasion.

I think the demographics of Massachusetts will lessen whites desire to vote against Kerry for the reason stated above. I'm not saying Kerry will win the south or even get a majority of white voters.

I'm just saying politically it's not as bad to be from Massachusetts as most people perceive.

[JI7]

1. is this a joke ?

[Mairead]

2. Let's hope so.

[Tony_FLADEM]

3. Republicans think John Kerry will be easy to beat because

he is a "Massachuetts Liberal" I'm simply stating that the demographics of Massachusetts makes it more difficult for the Republicans to use racial wedge politics like they usually do.

If you look at 1960 this is ONE reason John Kennedy did so well in the south.

[JI7]

4. jfk did well in the south because he got lbj

lyndon johnson a southerner on the ticket. what you say makes no sense because the south has a large black population but being from the south helped bill clinton with white male voters.

[Tony_FLADEM]

6. Yes -- LBJ on the ticket was ONE of the reasons Kennedy did well

in the south. The other reason was because whites looked at the composition of his state and did not feel threatened. Yes - Clinton won in the south and the south has alot of black voters. Clinton did well in the south because he is from this region -- keep in mind though I am talking about John Kerry a north easterner. the conventional wisdom that someone from new england is automatically doomed in the south is simply wrong because the racial composition of people in New England -- do not afford the Republicans the opportunity to use race in the south. They beat Dukakis in 1988 because of Willie Horton and because Dukakis was Greek. They don't have those weapons to use against John Kerry.

[JI7]

7. there are many minorities in massachusettes

and john kerry's grandfather was jewish. so taking what you say kerry could get beat because of that just as dukakis was because he is greek. and aren't greeks white ?

[carpetbagger]

8. 1960 was another time.

White southerners hadn't jumped ship in significant numbers. Remember that up until the final weeks of the campaign the black vote was still split between Nixon and Kennedy, and it was only Kennedy's personal involvement in getting King out of jail that probably pushed it.

The southern vote was still dominated by populist, New Deal era politics. The Great Depression made democrats for life out of that entire generation that lived through it.

Personally, I'd like to see us get a little more agressive in using the term "Texas Republican". It really is a dirty word.

[WillyBrandt]

5. Maybe it makes sense theoretically

But I don't think it will have any play practically.

And there are plenty of minorities in Mass. It's not Vermont, Maine, or some reaches of Connecticut.

[Bombtrack]

10. Kennedy split the south when the south was a swing/historically dem region

And he was basically a centrist democrat. And John Kerry is just not John Kennedy.

[Bombtrack]

9. Uh, most citizens of EVERY state other than California are white caucasion

And it is one of the 2 or 3 worst states a democratic nominee could come from in a national election. And I was born and raised in it. It carries with it a stigma, and it has nothing to do with how many minorities it has, which is probably the same as or close to the national average.

Ted Kennedy, the big dig, taxachusetts, dukakis, it's far from preferable

[cally]

11. Interesting point

I don't think it will resonate in the country, though. What will resonate is the freedom trail and the early revolution sites. If we play this right, Dems will seem like the early patriots. I know that is the intention.

I love Boston. You can trace the immigrant populations through Boston. Irish, Italian, Jewish, Jamaican, etc, etc. I think if we honor the history, we will win.

[sandnsea]

19. Completely agree

I thought Kerry made a huge mistake not announcing in front of the Constitution. They should really make a huge issue of MA and Boston's early patriots and the history of this country. With Teresa having PA connections, they could tie in the Liberty Bell and all of that. Plus her as a modern immigrant. It's the exact right time to do it and they're the right couple to do it too.

[MAlibdem]

12. uh, boston is a minority majority city

that is, more than half its population is minority.

lots of hispanic and haitian and cape verdian immigrants.

[JI7]

13. south asian

also. so it's not just minority, but many recent immigrants also.but the state is known for irish, italian, jewish etc immigrants earlier in our nations period. it's actually diverse in many ways.

[DemPoliticalJunkie]

14. It doesn't hurt his chances with me. I like it.

[DaveSZ]

15. The fact that he's from Mass

will probably hurt more than help Kerry.

If we had a Southerner, I think we could win, but it's going to be tough as it stands.

It's doable though.

[CoupdEtat2000]

16. What is so important about Southerner?

Gore won without the south. so can Kerry

[Bombtrack]

17. But he made Bush work just as hard for moderate southern states

and largely rural states for that matter, as Bush did for other swingstates to a large degree. That will be quite different with a Massachusetts liberal, than a perceived Clintonite Tennesseean.

Every dollar amd day Bush had to spend in Tennessee and Arkansas and most of all Florida, Bush couldn't spend in Pennsylvania and Iowa and New Mexico

[CoupdEtat2000]

18. I see your point

I go with the theory of challenging all states that were within 5% either way Blue or Red. i read that I don't know where long ago and I agree with it. That would include all swing states and all contestible states that might swing the other direction for this election and save Blue states that were won by a slim margin.

[Bombtrack]

20. There's basically a concensus of what the swingstates are

among the professional politics community.

Blue swing states are (from biggest to smallest)

PA, MI, MN, WI, IO, OR, NM, and maybe ME

the red one's, from biggest to smallest, are

FL, OH, MO, AZ, CO, WV, NV, maybe AR, and NH