Democrats' prospects bleakest in 70 years, pollster says

PHILADELPHIA - The Democratic Party is approaching the 2004 elections in its weakest position since Franklin Roosevelt forged the enduring Democratic coalition 70 years ago, a prominent pollster warned Monday.


The party still has solid support from the core of Roosevelt's coalition - union members, minorities and the working poor - said pollster Mark Penn. It also enjoys solid support from gays and Hispanics, the nation's fastest-growing minority.


But less than one-third of Americans now consider themselves Democrats, down from 49 percent at their peak in 1958. And Democrats lag well behind Republicans among other growing groups of voters whose loyalties swing back and forth between parties and who hold the key to close elections - including suburbanites, professionals and middle-class families with children. That leaves the party in a poor position to build the new coalition it needs to beat President Bush and build an enduring majority in an evenly divided country.

"In terms of the percentage of voters who identify themselves as Democrats, the Democratic Party is currently in its weakest position since the dawn of the New Deal," Penn told a gathering of the Democratic Leadership Council, a group of centrist Democrats. "Exciting the Democratic base alone will not bring enough voters into the Democratic fold."

Penn, who was President Clinton's pollster, revealed his findings at a time when centrists are again battling liberals for dominance within the Democratic Party. Centrists fear that catering to the party's base with anti-war talk and "big government" proposals for health care will turn off other voters.

Already, said DLC founder Al From, the party is reviving an unwelcome image as the pre-Clinton party of "tax-and-spend" big government, weak on defense and captive to special interests. That image cost the party three straight presidential elections in the 1980s, From said.

"The Democratic Party is in danger of being taken over by the far left," said Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., chairman of the DLC.

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/columnists/steven_thomma/6403957.htm

God I can't stand Al and gang!

Joe Lieberman!

/sarcasm

they lost us all three houses! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED AL!!!

identifying themselves as independant these days. It does not mean they will not vote for a democratic candidate.

Right after the selection, the NY Times did a demographic analysis which showed who voted for whom. It contradicts what this poll is saying. It said the most likely republican voter was either affluent or poor and of low educational attainment.

As a matter of fact, I think I'll see if I can find that article and post snips of it here.



Cher

The DLC is in on the New World Order thing. It's their job to create a false choice for those of us who still think we live in a Democracy. I almost hate them more than PNAC....maybe worse. At least PNAC openly states their intentions.

arguement, the Dems can counter that the Repukes have created the biggest deficit in history to line the pockets of the rich. The key to the race is to not listen to these polsters, who have been bought already by a media controlled by the right wing. Get out and organize voters-register new ones-make sure everyone goes to the polls!

...this is Plan B of their mission to scare us all away from supporting Dean--and Kucinich,as well.

I wrote them today and said they'd get no money or other support from me.

what about Judis and the other guy who explained why we are looking at an Emerging Democratic Majority?

Their take on the electorate would indicate that the dem base is not just unions, poor, and minorities. What about educated people who can read and see what is going on with Bush?

What about the 800 thousand on the internet who have registered with move on?

are they all minorities, the poor, and union members?

In my own experience, the people I know who are more highly educated also tend to be more liberal.

and what in the hell is a democrat doing talking about dems as the party of special interests?????!!!!???

who the heck is playing to the richest 10% of the population, giving contracts with no bids to the company where he was a CEO and from whom he is still receiving money??

who wanted to allow 45% control of a market by ONE owner via the FCC regs?

who choses the pharmaceutical CEO over every single person in the U.S. who needs prescription drugs...or who MAY need them?

If these people are democrats, they sure are good at hiding it.

I am so disgusted with the pigs who call themselves "centrist."

They are no more centrist than Bush is compassionate and convservative. He's not a conservative, he's a totalitarian crook who makes Baby Doc look like he had ethics.

Searched for that article and can't find it. I've wanted that article somany times since I saw it. Will keep trying and post back if I can find it.


Cher

...bogus crap at http://www.ndol.org/cobrand/contact_us.cfm.

Here is what I wrote:

As a registered Democratic voter for the last 14 years, I have a few comments regarding the strategy the DLC under Al From has been proposing for the 2004 elections. It is absurd to operate from the assumption that the reason Democrats are losing is that "swing" voters perceive the party as beholden to special interests and representing high spending. When have we ever had an administration as beholden to corporate interests as the Bush administration (I need not even mention the current budget deficit)? Unless what is meant by "special interests" are civil rights groups, unions and minorities. I represent none of these "minority" groups--I am white, middle class and well educated and I and voters like me are on the verge of turning away from the party. I have many friends and colleagues who have said that if Lieberman gets the nomination, they will not bother to vote. For every person the Democratic party loses to the Green Party there are 10 who stop voting or register as Independent.

I strongly urge the DLC to support a progressive candidate to turn back the radical and dangerous policies of the Bush administration. Our democracy and the welfare of the American people has never been at greater risk. If the DLC continues to ignore this by pulling the party further to the right, I will no longer be able to call myself a Democrat.


***Those B#$tard$!

"big government" proposals for health care will turn off other voters.
...
captive to special interests.

So opposing the special interests of HMO and insurance parasites is "being captive to special interests". :dunce:

...and surprise surprise to see who is pushing the most incoherent propaganda here. :-)

Dean '04

If politicians give those that don't vote a reason to do so, then they will vote. Maybe that is the difference between Dean and the others in the field. Dean inspires and leads by example.