Do you think DUers serve as a representative sample of Democrats

[American Tragedy]

throughout America? Can the views of the thousands who post on this site be considered an accurate reflection of the Democratic base?

[lynintenn]

1. NO

As a red state democrat our views still trend moderate.
DU is a liberal site.

[NJ_Lib]

2. Absolutely...

From talking to people out there, I notice it's half and half, just like here...

Some think we should move on with our lives, and some feel this election was a fixer...

Also, it really depends which area of the county you're in... Being in NJ, there are many Democrats here but not too many liberals.... Just like DU, it is a mixture of everything....

[Ninga]

4. Of course, without question for those who are Democrats.

[MADem]

3. Pretty much

The views here range from moderate to liberal, with the odd conservative Dem as well. The people here are probably more computer savvy than the total population, more gregarious, and probably a bit more passionate and angry about what is happening in our country...

[JI7]

5. no

[meganmonkey]

6. I hope so

this site has given me hope that someday I might be able to call myself a democrat. Which, in our 2-party system, is the only way to beat the repukes. At least for the time being.
Yes, it is a broad umbrella, and there are many points of view here. But overall it is much more progressive here than I previously pictured 'democrats' being. I really hope the national party goes this way instead of the 'right' way. Lots of people like me would be hard-pressed to keep voting Dem if it is decided that moving toward the middle is the only way to win. They will lose as many votes as they gain. imho.

[cosmik debris]

7. I doubt it

In TX the base has a large African and Hispanic component, as well as more recent immigrant (Viet Nam) influence. I don't see much of that in DU. I may be wrong, but from my point of view it sounds like a bunch of middle class white liberals telling each other how bad things are. Not that they are wrong, but they are not representative.

viva la raza

[Cha]

23. I wish we had more Blacks and Hispanics.

I know we have a lot of passionate people who believe in the Democratic Principles of our Country. And hate the neo fascists.

SNIP~
So without any further ado, here is “my” short list of Democratic principles. Each item is preceded by the phrase, Democrats believe the U.S. government should . . .

1. ensure that every individual is able to practice his or her civil and constitutional rights.

2. maintain a balanced (or surplus) budget.

3. ensure market competition without allowing dominant groups of people or organizations to develop a monopoly over certain resources or rights.

4. protect consumer demand by ensuring that every individual/household has access to income and financial resources.

5. actively engender human and social capital for all U.S. residents via public educational institutions


More at..
http://www.braydenking.com/weblog/archives/000043.html

[cosmik debris]

26. I can't tell your skin color

But I would gather that you are rather pale. (Pardon my generalization)

My experience is that people of color do not talk in such high minded terms. They want to know what the Dems will do about the unemployment rate in the Black community or the drop out rate among Hispanic students, or what will happen to working mothers who need child care so that they can hold down two jobs. I don't see these types of issues brought up too often in this forum. That's why is made my comment about white liberals telling each other how bad it is.

It seems to me that this forum is completely out of touch with the Democratic base in TX. We are talking pie in the sky and they are hungry on earth.

viva la raza

[Cha]

28. Yeah, I'm White.

But, # 4 says it all about about unemployment and Working Mothers needing child care.

These are among the issues we care about..Important ones.

Either the poor people voted against themselves, didn't vote, or bush stole their votes.

[cosmik debris]

30. Me too (White, that is)

My point is that you use elevated language and generalize around the point. We as Democrats need to start saying thing like "We will guarantee low cost child care for the working poor" "We will target job training for Black workers" We will guarantee ESL tutors for all Hispanic students in danger of dropping out." Let's address problems not principles. We don't want to feed the stereotype of effete intellectual snobs.

viva la raza

[evilqueen]

34. careful there

You cannot tell the color of a person's skin by how they write on the internet. For two years I spoke to this woman on IRC before she told me she was African-American, and I'd had no clue prior to her telling me that. I also know of a few bloggers who are African-American and their writing is just as "high-minded" (your term) as anyone in these forums.

But see, that's the great thing about the internet... we can't tell, we can't be influenced by our preconceived notions of what one group or another is like if we don't know which group we would normally put them into. This whole pigeon-holing / stereotyping thing is bullshit and it doesn't work online... and I think that's a good thing.

[choicevoice]

8. We represent the politically engaged portion of the party

I think if the bush pResidency remains in power our ranks may rise. I do think we represent a wide range from moderate to progressive here, so in that respect I think so. The only democrats not represented here are the apathetic ones.

[paulk]

9. no

this site is to the left of the majority of Democrats. It's not representative of the Democratic base, even though many members would like it to be.

[lynintenn]

14. I agree with your post

denial

[Kammer]

22. Agree

You are right on.

[Cuban_Liberal]

10. No.

DU is far more 'left' than most Democrats are.

[DebJ]

12. especially the Florida Dems who voted for * and voting more

"Republican" every year! Ha!
My conclusion is that they are so dumb, they don't even know what Democrats or Republicans stand for.

[American Tragedy]

18. Those individuals don't count

How a person is registered is irrelevant in my opinion. For the purposes of this thread, I am operationally defining a Democrat as someone who generally votes for Democratic candidates and supports the current ideals of the Democratic party. Some progressive independents who don't necessarily identify themselves with the national party could also be considered part of this base.

[leftofthedial]

11. I think DU used to be further "left" (whatever that means anymore)

than the entire body of Democrats. I think about the time of the primaries, many new members joined DU and shifted the overall group toward the center.

I think some of the more outspoken DU members might be slightly more progressive than the average Democrat, but the average DU memeber is now very close to the average Democrat.

I do think we are collectively more activist and more engaged than the average Democrat. This is part of the problem. Democrats are far more likely to tune in politics only during campaign season.

[MaineDem]

13. Nope (nt)

[The Wielding Truth]

15. Yes. I think all Dems see the same view..

They don't have the time to talk on line or they don't know we are here, but I really think that we are speaking for them. We see new people everyday here on DU. They are out there.

[Sushi-Lover]

16. No way.

A representative sample of Democrats is like (well if they are Dems)your Grandma, retired armchair naturalist, and Aunt Betty, homemaker, married to Uncle Jim, the trucker, and so on. None of which have ever even looked up something political on the 'internets'. Or, at least, thats been my experience.

[QC]

17. No. DUers are much more affluent than most Democrats,

according to the occasional income surveys people have done here. In the last one, the overwhelming majority made over $50k a year, which is well above the national average. A surprising share was above $100k. (Interestingly, and revealingly, that is the only income demographic in which Nader broke the 1% barrier.)

That relative affluence shapes a lot of the agenda here, whether people will admit it or not. The truth is, when it comes to working class issues, many people at DU are about as radical as the Charleston Junior League. Oh sure, they can talk about Mumia all day, but try to get them to show some concern for Appalachian coal miners or the guy who works down at Jiffy Lube and you'll often get a very sanctimonious lecture on how such people are reactionaries and "my party" should not try to accomodate people like that.

[American Tragedy]

19. Interesting point

What you are seeing is the swelling frustration of affluent liberals, including myself, to working class people who seem to knowingly vote against their own economic interests.

I personally have argued in favor of a steeply progressive income tax, which would elevate the burden on people like me, to people who are in a position to directly benefit from such a plan yet reject it.

My stance on the issue has never changed, but I have come to question whether it is even possible to gain such individuals' votes.

[Cha]

24. It's nice to be among such well

off Dems then..I fear my income would bring that way down.

The poorer people are out trying to earn a living..I admire the ones who have more money and are working hard to make this Country a Democracy.

[5thGenDemocrat]

27. Or it could be that DUers are just bullshitting you about their income

Most people fudge about how much money they make. I know I do. I always felt that my income and my sex life are nobody else's business.
Mom said "it isn't polite to look through keyholes, or listen in on phone calls or read other people's mail."
John
Oh, and I suspect DU is slightly left of dead center inasmuch as the Democratic party goes -- but representative enough nonetheless. I am a blue-collar Catholic, small urban, free cheese, racial equality and peace and justice for all kind of Democrat.
Where that puts me on the "Dem-O-Meter" is anybody's guess. But I feel comfortable enough here most of the time. And I always vote Dem.

[Dem2theMax]

35. I wish...

As I realize I have to find a new home for my parrot because I can no longer pay for his care. sigh. It's like giving away my child.

I'm one of the poor folk on disability and barely making it. If I didn't have family to live with, I'd be on the street.

[Kahuna]

20. Obviously not.

nt

[CJCRANE]

21. From my observations

I would say that DU is ahead of the curve, i.e. many things that have started here as "fringe" issues/conspiracy theories have actually entered the mainstream as accepted truths in left of centre politics (e.g. many DUers knew 2 years ago that there were no WMD in Iraq).

I joined DU because I initially thought it was democratic with a small "d", i.e. giving a voice to people who don't have one (which it does in a way with the smattering of greens, independants, international DUers etc who post here).

[Clarkie1]

25. No - because of the internet filter. We are the techno-hip wing :-)

[Reality Not Tin Foil]

29. No. Not even close.

Way far left.

But, it serves another purpose...VERY dedicated partisans. Always a good thing!!

[oscar-something]

31. not really

[muse]

32. No, but rather a representation of the activist left wing and

technologically literate, progressive wing. Certainly there are moderates on DU, but it trends towards the left. I like the way that differences in opinions are allowed. I posted frequently on the kerry blog and that wasn't always the case on there.

[WilliamPitt]

33. Tough question

DU is two groups: The people who post, and the people who read. In my opinion, the people who post do not, for the most part, represent a good sample of the party. We are the left side of things, probably because we crunch so much data every day. That makes us twofold diferent: I don't think the party is as left as we are - haven't been since McGovern got destroyed by Nixon - and I also think most Democrats don't base their opinions on as much data as we do. The fact that this is an internet community with a river of information coming through separates us from the main. Just my opinion, and I don't feel bothered by this. We fulfill a necessary role.

[bitchkitty]

36. I think that Democratic constituents are largely

the same in that they are more concerned with social issues than are Republicans.

It's the Democratic leaders who are out of step with America, not us.