For The Dems, "Fired Up" Won't Cut It (fight for the center votes)

[MurikanDemocrat]

This article is about the perceived success of the front loaded primary schedule and the record-breaking turnouts in many of the primaries this far showing an outpouring of voters committed to removing Bush from the White house in November.

But there are some interesting comments in this article about the ever coveted fight for the votes in the center - or the swing votes.

Commentary: For The Dems, "Fired Up" Won't Cut It

<snip>

NARROW CENTER. Even so, the enthusiasm of Democrats who have chosen to participate illustrates just how committed the party's core is to winning in November. In fact, partisans of both stripes are making up their minds earlier than ever before. An Associated Press/Ipsos poll conducted Feb. 2-4 found that just 18% of voters are still in doubt, 37% will definitely back Bush, and 43% say they're certain to vote Democratic. Thomas Riehle, president of Ipsos U.S. Public Affairs, says that the undecided voter pool usually doesn't shrink to 18% until after Labor Day. "But we are seeing it before President's Day," he says. "Both sides are fired up."


The result is the most deeply divided electorate political observers can recall -- and a much narrower center to fight over. "Politics at the national level has become more polarized, and there are fewer and fewer swing voters," says Andrew Hernandez, a political scientist at St. Mary's University. Democratic pollster Stanley B. Greenberg, who conducted 15 national surveys for his new book, The Two Americas: Our Current Political Deadlock and How to Break It, argues that each party can reliably depend on 46% of the vote, leaving just 8% up for grabs.

<snip>

All that will matter as the two parties target these small swing groups. "Every decision you make is important," says Bush pollster Dowd. "In a race that is basically dead even, moving one (demographic) group one-half of a percent, or targeting the right states, becomes much more important."

<snip>

Given the intensity of feelings about George Bush, both negative and positive, pollsters are predicting the longest lines at the polls since 1992, when 61% of eligible voters turned out to give Bush's father the boot. That's why both parties will be going all out to win over the all-important but rapidly shrinking center.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/bw/20040217/bs_bw/b3871035

[BayCityProgressive]

1. I am glad

the "center" is shrinking. It means people are becoming more politically involved even if they don't agree with me. it means people aren't waiting for the last second to vote based on looks or something stupid like that. People now realize politics effect their lives, which is a good thing for democracy.

[Nederland]

2. Fight for the Center

Despite what a large number of people here at DU believe, this election will turn on who can best appeal to the center.

[Mistress Quickly]

3. I like to call them the "mushy middle"

[Nederland]

5. Not necessarily

Granted, most of them are mushy. However, I think a fair number simply hold views that are consistent with either party.

[MurikanDemocrat]

4. The election turns on the center, not on the fringe

Exactly my point.;-)

[MurikanDemocrat]

6. thought there would be more interest in this