Democrats and White People

[erpowers]

Recently, I read an opinion article that claimed that all of the recent Democratic Presidents have not been able to get a majority of the white vote. Why do democrats have such a hard time getting whites to vote for them? What can and/or should be done to get more whites to for democrats? Should getting white people to vote for the democratic party be a goal?

[sangh0]

1. Foolish

1) Don't believe everything you read

2) Try to understand what you read. Dems do well with white WOMEN. They don't do as well with white MEN.

[beanball]

16. The absent of white men .

The democratic party lost most of the southern white vote after Nixon offered them a deal they couldn't refuse,he promised to go slow or stop new civil rights legislation.The formerly solid southern democrat became republicans,the party of Lincoln became the party of Lott and Newt.

[rucky]

2. Democrats need to run more white males n/t

[StClone]

5. LOL

Good on for this Freepishly naive take on Dems.

[yardwork]

3. Welcome to DU. Do you have a source or link for this supposed fact?

It doesn't sound right to me. It also sounds a little bit like race-baiting, which I'm sure you did not intend.

If you give us a source or a link we can take a look at the data and have a productive conversation.

[erpowers]

6. It was in my local paper

It was an opinion piece in my local paper in Opelousas, LA. The name of the paper is The Daily World. I do not remember the name of the person who wrote the piece. This was a real opinion in the local paper.

[yardwork]

10. I don't doubt that it was a real opinion, or your sincerity in posting it.

I just doubt the fact itself. I wonder where the opinion-writer got his facts

"White" people (I hate that term. Am I white? I am not. I am medium-tan colored. The only truly white people I've ever seen are albino, and one of them was African-American. Am I northern European? I am not. I was born in the United States, as were many of my ancestors, some of whom were born here before it was the United States. Some of them were born here long before it was the U.S., if you get my meaning. Other of my ancestors were probably born in Indonesia. In any case, every single one of my ancestors is descended from a woman who lived in Africa about a hundred thousand years ago....but I digress.....)

White people make up the majority of voters in the U.S. I don't think any candidate could win the presidency without a majority of the "white" vote, but even if somebody did, so what?

If it is true, the fact that people with paler skins are more likely to be morans doesn't reflect very well on people with paler skins. That's all it means to me.

[bluestateguy]

4. I want that conservative white vote

That well to do, evangelical Christian white southerner who drives an SUV, lives in an exclusive gated community and belongs to restricted country clubs. That's the kind of person I want voting Democratic.

[gpandas]

7. you almost got me bluestateguy

[Bandit]

8. Kick all the Blacks and Latinos out and the whities will come flocking

:shrug: It is about me me me me me me me mine mine mine and no way I want my money going to some colored folks on welfare. Spend my money on bombs to kill people with not supportin' them coloreds.

[bluestateguy]

11. You are not far off the mark

Especially in the south, the perception of the Democratic Party as the "black party" sends white folks flocking to the Republican side. For example, in Mississippi blacks voted 96% for Gore in 2000, to only 3% for Bush; Mississippi whites were for Bush by 82%-17%. Unlike us, the Republicans are unashamed of writing off whole segments of voters as an electoral strategy. They simply write off blacks, liberals, and gays, while making token efforts to win about 1/3 of the Hispanic vote. We need to learn to do that with regard to white male conservatives and white Christian fundamentalist conservatives. The Democratic Party simply is not for them. We have nothing to say to them or to offer them, and the other party represents their interests quite well anyway.

[redqueen]

13. *sigh*

What in the hell is wrong with people?

:(

I agree with you, by the way, regarding white male and Xtian Fundie conservatives.

[Karenina]

17. They are RACIST

and deeply invested in WHITE SUPREMACY. THAT is MORE IMPORTANT to them than what would be in their OWN, VERY PERSONAL best interests. It's just another little part of what the RoTW sees as American insanity.

[moondust]

27. A big reason why they hated Clinton so much.

They thought he was handing their money and entitlements over to the coloreds and poor folk. It may have only been a dime but they go ape shit paranoid when it's a measly nickel. They despised Clinton for giving minorities a seat at the table.

[sandnsea]

9. Why do white males need their own party?

How come when I asked this question last summer, the entire board jumped down my throat? (Well, not the entire board, but ALOT of people)

[Vladimir]

22. Meaning?

don't really understand the question... I take it you don't understand why white males 'need' their own party?

[sandnsea]

25. It's reality

White males think they need their own political party. Most of the time, when it's brought up, people won't acknowledge it or dicuss it. Some will get downright combative about it. But it's still true. That's all.

[Vladimir]

26. I am not sure that is what

white males think in general... but then I don't live in the US. I certainly don't think they need one - but then you can probably guess as much.

What do you think?

[sandnsea]

28. Well, in the US

they think they do. The minorities and the women are taking over, doncha' know.

[Vladimir]

31. Well then they are idiots n/t

[Alerter_]

29. good point

The Republican party has succeeded in becoming the White Male party, and most White Males in American are worse off because of it. How has the GOP suckered them for 40 years?

[erpowers]

12. If You Would Like to See the Article

For anyone who wants to find the article, you can access it by going to Lexis Nexus and tying "Bush" "Black voters". If you cannot get to Lexis Nexus you can also find in at Gannet New Service. The title of the article is "Bush Falls Short in Effort to Woo Black Voters". It was written by Richard Benedetto on May 14, 2004. Here is some of the article:

How important is the black vote to Republican presidential candidates? It is not pivotal. Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, and Bush himself all won with around 10 percent of black support.


But for Democrats, maintaining 90 percent of the black vote is vital. The last two Democrats who won the presidency, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, did not get a majority of the white vote. It was the overwhelmingly Democratic black vote that made the difference.


If Republicans were able to reduce that percentage from 90 percent to 85 percent, the results for Democrats could be disastrous.


But it's not likely to happen this time. In January, Bush was booed by activists when he visited the grave of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in Atlanta -- one more sign that his efforts to win more black votes are not working.

[charlie]

14. It's here

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/benedetto/2004-05-14-benedetto_x.htm

[Bandit]

15. Just remember it won't be all that much longer and Whites will no longer

be the Majority. IMHO the Republicans are setting themselves up for a tremendous fall unless of course they can make felons out of most of the colored folk and institute BBV. Why do you think Crack cocaine was invented? Not just to make money for the contras, that's for sure.

[H2O Man]

18. It's a valid question.

The person who noted democrats win the female white vote, and republicans tend to win the male white vote, puts it into a more focused and correct light. And it was indeed the 1968 Nixon campaign that tilted the shift. We have very well schooled people on here, and we don't have to react negatively to this most interesting question.

Two things: first, I come from a family with "mixed" racial and ethnic heritage. And so I tend to listen carefully to some of the "funny" things my white male friends say. None of them would identify themselves as "racist," (or they would hardly be my associates!) but many have some curious little hang-ups. And some mis-conceptions. Listen: I worked in a Mental Health Clinic from the 1980s to 2002. Hardly a racist den of KKK members. But my co-workers were shocked to hear what my brown-skinned relatives experience. A nephew recently went to pick up a pizza two blocks away from his home; police held him and a brown-skinned friend for over 3 hours on suspicion .... until they could "prove" their identity. Unreal.

Second, in his second presidential campaign, the Rev. Jesse Jackson did more - MUCH MORE - to convince the male white voters that the democratic party represented them, than any 20 other democrats. The reason is self-evident. Jesse told the truth.

[Alerter_]

19. this is an important question, but DU can't handle it

I don't think. The white people on DU (that majority) can't deal with this issue right now.

[Andromeda]

20. I think it's white blue collar men ..

who tend to vote Republican more than other groups. The more educated the person, man or women, black or white, the more they tend to vote Democratic.

[Yupster]

21. Last Democratic candidate to get a majority of the total vote

was Jimmy Carter in 1976. He got 50.1 %.

Since he got probably 85 % of the African-American vote, there's no way he got a majority of the white vote. I'd guess the last Democratic candidate to get a majority of the white vote was LBJ in 64.

However, the Democratic candidate does not eed to get a majority of the white vote to win. If you get 90 % of the 10-12 % of African-American votes, you only need about 42 % of the remaining 90 % to win.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

23. Remind them that being white does not make them a member of the ruling

class...one would think it would be enough given that CEO's salaries have risen 27% while the cost of their healthcare is the only thing that has kept pace with THAT hike.

[CalebHayes]

24. We should not worry about it... it will all work in our favor this way...

This country will not be "white" forever. In fact whites will be the minority here pretty soon. The best way to handle this "strategically" would be to nominate as many minorities as possible that way, we can capture the minority vote, when it becomes the majority vote.

[Catherine Vincent]

30. The non-thinking white males (and females) get the attitude that

the minorities vote for Democrats. "So I'm goanna vote Republican!". Another reason is that Democrats are for social programs and try and help the common man. Republicans don't like that. With Republicans, it's "Every Man for Himself"..."I got mine, get your own!"

[meow2u3]

34. So it's up to us to change that false perception

We need to start an ad campaign--using leaflets and posters--to convince working-class whites, who should be our largest constituency--to vote Democratic because they'll benefit economically.

We can co-opt social conservative issues, e.g., family values, and couch it in a way that conveys the message that a financially secure family is one that stays together. Republicans will destroy their security, thus risking a family breakup, but Democrats have a plan for keeping families together by ensuring job security.


We can put it this way: Job security is a family value.

[BiggJawn]

32. To answer your question....

" Should getting white people to vote for the democratic party be a goal?"

I'd have to say "no".

Getting ALL people to vote Democratic should be our goal.You start playing to narrow groups, you leave yourself wide open to criticism from the ReTHUGs, and that's exactly what they want.

[theboss]

33. It's white men we do poorly with.

I don't want to look up the numbers, but I know they are out there.

[Az]

35. Liberals/Progressive support changing societies

The basis of the liberal/progressive position is that we can improve the society and discern hidden prejudices that we once were unaware of. While arguably moral this position can result in social discomfort for some.

As the intellectual leading edge of the progressive movement discerns new forms of intolerance it disemenates this view to those open to change. Those who are disposed to this notion readily absorb the idea and seek to rid themself of these predjudices.

Following this are the more centerist members of society. They can accept the changing flow of moral ethos in the society if not enthusiastically embracing it. But behind them are those who do not readily accept change. For a variety of reasons (religion, bias, fear, etc) they do not accept the change in societal values and resist it. The further you go into this contingent the stronger the resistance.

As society progresses the leading edge loses its hold on the trailing portions. The issues become more and more removed from peoples lives. The progressive arm takes on more obscure and difficult to understand issues. When the resistance of the right combines with the lack of certainty of the middle eventually enough resistance builds up to cause a rejection of the progressive attitudes and a call for returning to older values can sweep the bulk of the society.

As the bulk of white society is not a direct victim of most of the intolerance that progressive ideas contend with the arguments have to appeal to their sense of fairness. When the balance falters and the regressive proponents begin to rise up the first to abandon support of the progressive ideals will be those least effected by the loss of those ideals.

[Trajan]

36. Burden of the 'white man' ...

GOTTA keep dem 'darkies' on the straight and narrow ...

Oh ... dem darkies .... get it ? ...

</sarcasm>

Amazingly .... inexplicably .... I am a white democrat ....

ALWAYS been a white democrat ...

Funny no evidence is provided: except your post, of course ...

This IS evidence enough to proof your theory: right ? ...

Er ....

Maybe not ...

Better verify this first ....

[John_H]

37. Interesting question

Though the data has to be looked at closely. The "inability" to achieve a majority of white males looks worse than it is. Most of the gap is accounted for by huge GOp white male leads in the south and among the rich in the North. Here's why:

1) Guns. The majority of gun owners, and thus the majority of people exposed to relentless and well funded NRA propaganda, are white males.

2)Tax cuts. Even though white males, particularly small business owners and southern working class white males, get a much better deal from the Dems, the Rethugs have succeeded in makeing a lot of people believe that they are the part of lower taxes. In 21st century america ther is unfortunately still a huge gender gap in business ownership and white males disproportionately get those big tax cuts for the top 1 percent the GOP loves to dole out.

3)Defense. I suspect Chimp has fucked this up, but we white males have to be honest: we tend to think explosions and the apparata that cause them are cool. The prevelent (if dying) military culture of the south contributes to the huge lead among whiter males in the South.

I think this is really a communications problem. Watch for Dems to be competetive among the military this year. We've also got to fight the notion that Dems want to take away anyone's gun (the problem here is that the few far lefters that do are really really loud about it) and that the fiscal responsibility that defines Dem economic policy is better for business and thus better for the stock holding rich.