General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: What must it have been like to be a Democrat after the 1984 election? [View all]Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)People who voted for Nixon and Reagan were not 'centrists' nor 'independents' nor 'moderates' they were, as the candidates they voted for in droves, Conservatives. The appeal of Reagan to these voters was his Right Wing religion, his Anti Choice views, his pronounced racism and his extreme bigotry toward LGBT people.
Clinton did not win by reaching out to the middle, he won by attracting liberal voters, African Americans, LGBT, Latino, the youth vote and women. A very familiar path to victory for the Obama generation...Clinton, 83% of the African American vote, 61% of Latinos, 8o% of the Jewish vote.
Bill's first election was also the very first in which the LGBT voters were organized and part of the coalition inside the Democratic Party. He was the first to mention LGBT people at all.