@sozobe,
Quote:This conversation started with why Lash and Finn would consider various demographics to be in the Democrats' "pocket" -- why those demographics tended to vote for Democrats in the most recent election. (Because they want stuff?
These groups, including immigrants and ethnic minorities, have pretty much been in the Democrat's "pockets" for a very very long time--they helped keep FDR in office. The Democrats were the prime force in civil rights advances since the Kennedy/Johnson era. What's new about any of this?
As a life-long Democrat, I can personally say it has nothing to do with wanting "stuff"--there is nothing, in the way of a "hand-out", I've, fortunately, ever needed, or wanted, from the government. That does not mean I don't want the government to provide help to those among us who are less fortunate, because I see that as an obligation of insuring the "general welfare" of our people. I don't want poor children sitting in classrooms so hungry that they can't concentrate on their work--I want school breakfast and lunch programs provided to those children. Similarly, programs like Head Start also give pre-school children below the poverty level needed lunches, health and medical screenings, observations for signs of possible abuse or neglect, and, often a chance to begin learning English--all of which are significant positive inputs into these children's lives, and all of which go beyond the purely educational goal of that program. And it seems that the Democratic party is the main defender and supporter of these sorts of programs on a federal level.
I'm a Democrat because that's the party that shares my views, and priorities, and philosophy of government, most closely, and it's also the party that speaks most directly to my concerns as a middle-class citizen, and as a woman. And I think that others, who tend to vote Democrat, probably feel the same way.
It's certainly no mystery to me why black Americans would overwhelmingly vote for our first African American President--in both his elections. Why wouldn't they welcome this historic opportunity to vote for him--particularly since they tend to vote Democratic anyway. They simply seemed to have turned out in greater numbers than usual, and used their strength and voice at the ballot box. I don't see that as voting for him because they wanted more "stuff". I think a lot of racial pride went into being able to cast those votes for him.
I don't know that the Democrats have really acquired any new constituencies in recent years. I think that the numbers in the Republicans old constituencies, on which they traditionally relied--the wealthy, white men, seniors, the more fundamentalist religious, socially conservative groups--have been dwindling to a point where it's becoming difficult for them to win a national election.
The Democrats knew where their support was, and they concentrated on voter registration, and getting out the vote, and it worked.
