ok, so who *is* the base of the party?

[ulysses]

And why are they so?

[KnightoftheRepublic]

1. Who knows?

I personally don't think we have a base. The democratic party's members are so diverse in their beliefs I can't see any one group that stands out.

[BamaLefty]

2. I Couldn't Agree More.

I think the minimum wage worker in Iowa should have just as much a say as John Kerry or Bill Clinton. I think that is what makes the Democratic Party great.

--For the people.

And its great that you are from Alabama! Sweet! You'll have to come post in our roll call... you have a PM.

[BamaLefty]

4. Crap.

You don't have enough posts to recieve PMs yet.

Anyhow, make sure that you drop by the Alabama forum here on DU. It's great to have another Alabama DUer. :hi:

[KnightoftheRepublic]

5. of course

I certainly shall.

[snowbear]

3. Honest Americans

People who care about America's future
People who care about Education
People who care about our environment
People who are Union Members
People who aren't Union Members
People who believe in the separation of Church and State
People who support our Troops
People who care about our children's future
People who care about our Social Security System
People of every race, sex, and religion

---- People who know that Mr. Bush is a rotten LIAR.

[jpgray]

6. I think the phrase has become increasingly meaningless

People only use it when making some rhetorical argument these days it seems, so it's colored by whoever is making the argument. But if asked, I would say organized labor, minorities, the intellectual middle/lower classes, and the selflessly empathic. And in this case, the old cliche that the base is taken for granted is pretty true.

[ulysses]

10. I'm pretty much agreed here.

(said as someone who's certainly used the phrase in the pursuit of an argument. ;-) )

[acmejack]

7. I am!

And you are, WE are! The people who give $20 bucks if/when they can. The folks who talk up progressive ideals. Your vote (in theory) counts just as much as any millionaires.

[Elidor]

8. The base is that group of us who, no matter how much we bitch,

Will continue to vote democratic, even when the party lets us down for the umpteenth time. And the party leadership knows this about us. I guess we're suckers.

[Igel]

9. My mother certainly is.

Has voted dem in every election she's voted in since before my brother was born in '48. The options, as far as she is concerned, is to vote (= vote dem) or stay home because there's nobody worth voting for.

[XemaSab]

11. I'll say it:

The intellectuals and the cultural elite.

There's a reason why most university professors are liberals, and there's a reason why the Vietnam protests were mostly centered around college campuses.

There's also a reason why our side aren't fundies and flag wavers, for the most part.

It's where our ideology comes from, and even the people here who don't have college degrees are smart and informed about the world around them.

[Dr Fate]

12. Folks who donate money and work on the campaigns. Period.

That is my definition, at least.

[ConservativeDemocrat]

13. That, and voting

The "base" of the Party is the part of the party that actually votes for the party's candidates every election. Party activists are part of the base, but not all of it.

Note that the base is not defined by ideology. There are plenty of centrists who are part of the "base", and plenty of far-left liberals who, while holding strong opinions, never seem to summon the energy to actually vote.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[Dr Fate]

14. Yes- those who vote Democrat in every election are the base too...

...

[ulysses]

15. so, let me ask you this.

I'm a lifelong liberal and a Democrat. I've voted in every election in which I was able to vote, except an occasional local vote when I was away in another state in college.

I turned 18 in December, 1986. Since then, I've voted for the Democrat in every election in which I've voted except two - the presidential votes in 1996 and 2000. (on edit: I voted Green those two times.)

Am I a part of the party base? If not, is someone who has voted for the Democrat every time, except twice when they voted for a Republican, still a part of the base?

[snowbear]

16. ulysses, aren't you part of the base?

:shrug:

Well. Aren't you?

I know I am.

And proudly so! :)

[ulysses]

17. I consider myself to be, yes.

There are those who would differ.

[snowbear]

18. Rock on U !!

Meanwhile... I can't even get the group over at the Hannity post to change the channel for 10 seconds to watch Dan Abrams kick Jeb Bush's ass! :shrug:

Damn.. at least I know there's two sane people here! :hug: :rofl:

[Dr Fate]

20. Not to be too confrontational, but I thought you voted 3rd party?

What "base" are you in?

[snowbear]

22. Hey.. maybe he changed bases?

:shrug:

[Dr Fate]

24. He explains in post #15. n/t

n/t

[ulysses]

25. we've talked about that.

:)

[Just Me]

19. "The People".

Now, there are Democrats that have become so entangled with corporate support that they no longer serve their base. However, as a general rule, it is the Democrats whose base is "the people" rather than "the corporacrats". Whereas, the Republicans serve the corporacrats because they are corporacrats. The Republicans base is elitist or extremist, literally. It wasn't always that way though.

[KnightoftheRepublic]

26. yep

Yeah, you're right. Politics, of course, have changed over the years, just as the people have changed. Back when the Republican party started in the 19th century, I guess most of us would have been members. It's sad to see that they've betrayed their roots so much.

[leftofthedial]

21. corporate lobbyists

because what they say goes

[WhollyHeretic]

23. Anyone who is not brain-dead

That's the republican's base.

I don't know if you can pick a particular group that is the base of the party, maybe a type of person most likely to be in the party. Those on the left are much more likely to be open-minded. I believe dems tend to act out of hope more than fear. Fear is what drives those on the right, that's why they have so much bigotry and hatred on the republican side.

[Frank Rose]

27. We are America, 90% anyway. We are

Jefferson and Roosevelt and Kennedy. We are also a farmer in Iowa, and a teamster in Tennessee and a professor in Florida. Most importantly, we are most of the people who don't vote in this country, they just don't know it yet. It's our job to reach out to them.
We are, because we get kicked in the teeth, and continue on the same path. We fight for causes that do not benefit us personally, but help mankind in general. We are outraged by poverty, and sickened by excess.
We are the base because we have a conscience. We love and live and try to leave this world a little less screwed up than we found it.
Like I said, we are 90% of the people, they just don't all know it yet.