Tuesday, July 29, 2003
From the Washington Post on the state of the Democratic Party:
Poll Finds Democrats Lack Crucial Support to Beat Bush
Party Must Strongly Reposition Itself to Regain White Male Voters' Support, DLC Advised
By Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 29, 2003; Page A03
PHILADELPHIA, July 28 -- Dramatic erosion in support among white men has left the Democrats in a highly vulnerable position and unless the party strongly repositions itself, President Bush will be virtually impossible to beat in 2004, according to a new poll commissioned for the centrist Democratic Leadership Council (DLC).
The gloomy prognosis came despite evidence in the poll and in the assessments of Democratic elected officials attending the DLC's "national conversation" here that the economy alone makes Bush vulnerable for reelection. But Mark J. Penn, who conducted the poll, said that the party's image has regressed since former president Bill Clinton left office and that those weaknesses put Democrats in a weakened position.
Penn said his polling indicates that since Clinton left office in 2001, more Americans believe Democrats are the party of big government and higher taxes and he said Bush's handling of the war on terrorism has opened up a huge gap with Democrats on who is more trusted on issues of national security.
"If Democrats can't close the security gap, then they can't be competitive in the next election," said Penn, who polled for Clinton in his second term and who is the pollster for the presidential campaign of Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.).
The poll showed Bush's vulnerabilities. Fewer than half of those surveyed (48 percent) think he deserves to be reelected and 53 percent said the economy is heading in the wrong direction.
But Penn said Democrats must make a concerted effort to appeal to white voters, particularly men and married women, to make the 2004 race competitive. He said just 22 percent of white men identified with the Democratic Party in his poll, and he said younger men are even more strongly Republican in their leanings.
Penn's poll was used by DLC leaders to press their argument that Democrats must embrace the kind of centrist policies espoused by Clinton to avoid a humiliating defeat in 2004, and they used the two-day conference to continue a debate over the direction of the party that has intensified in recent months.
DLC leaders have criticized former Vermont governor Howard Dean, whose antiwar rhetoric fueled his rise to prominence in the Democratic presidential race, and today, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), the DLC chairman, warned that the party is "at risk of being taken over by the far left." The choice for Democrats, Bayh said, is, "Do we want to vent or do we want to govern?"
But not all of those in attendance agreed with the Dean bashing. Washington state Rep. Laura Ruderman decried the battles between party centrists and liberals, and told the audience, "I don't think we can be successful if we go down that rat hole."
Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell went out of his way to praise Dean's record as governor and said he had "great respect" for Dean. Rendell also challenged the findings of Penn, who claimed Democrats were at a 50-year low ebb. Citing the election of Democratic governors in 2002 in states such as Michigan, Illinois, Kansas, Arkansas and Pennsylvania, Rendell said, "I think the talent bank is beginning to be replenished."
Rendell appeared with six other Democratic governors: Arizona's Janet Napolitano, Kansas's Kathleen Sebelius, Michigan's Jennifer Granholm, New Jersey's James McGreevey, New Mexico's Bill Richardson and Virginia's Mark Warner. They said that Bush has broken his promises to fund homeland security and his education accountability bill in their states but expressed frustration that Democrats have been unsuccessful in making a case against the president on these issues or the economy.
Poll Finds Democrats Lack Crucial Support to Beat Bush
Party Must Strongly Reposition Itself to Regain White Male Voters' Support, DLC Advised
By Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 29, 2003; Page A03
PHILADELPHIA, July 28 -- Dramatic erosion in support among white men has left the Democrats in a highly vulnerable position and unless the party strongly repositions itself, President Bush will be virtually impossible to beat in 2004, according to a new poll commissioned for the centrist Democratic Leadership Council (DLC).
The gloomy prognosis came despite evidence in the poll and in the assessments of Democratic elected officials attending the DLC's "national conversation" here that the economy alone makes Bush vulnerable for reelection. But Mark J. Penn, who conducted the poll, said that the party's image has regressed since former president Bill Clinton left office and that those weaknesses put Democrats in a weakened position.
Penn said his polling indicates that since Clinton left office in 2001, more Americans believe Democrats are the party of big government and higher taxes and he said Bush's handling of the war on terrorism has opened up a huge gap with Democrats on who is more trusted on issues of national security.
"If Democrats can't close the security gap, then they can't be competitive in the next election," said Penn, who polled for Clinton in his second term and who is the pollster for the presidential campaign of Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.).
The poll showed Bush's vulnerabilities. Fewer than half of those surveyed (48 percent) think he deserves to be reelected and 53 percent said the economy is heading in the wrong direction.
But Penn said Democrats must make a concerted effort to appeal to white voters, particularly men and married women, to make the 2004 race competitive. He said just 22 percent of white men identified with the Democratic Party in his poll, and he said younger men are even more strongly Republican in their leanings.
Penn's poll was used by DLC leaders to press their argument that Democrats must embrace the kind of centrist policies espoused by Clinton to avoid a humiliating defeat in 2004, and they used the two-day conference to continue a debate over the direction of the party that has intensified in recent months.
DLC leaders have criticized former Vermont governor Howard Dean, whose antiwar rhetoric fueled his rise to prominence in the Democratic presidential race, and today, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), the DLC chairman, warned that the party is "at risk of being taken over by the far left." The choice for Democrats, Bayh said, is, "Do we want to vent or do we want to govern?"
But not all of those in attendance agreed with the Dean bashing. Washington state Rep. Laura Ruderman decried the battles between party centrists and liberals, and told the audience, "I don't think we can be successful if we go down that rat hole."
Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell went out of his way to praise Dean's record as governor and said he had "great respect" for Dean. Rendell also challenged the findings of Penn, who claimed Democrats were at a 50-year low ebb. Citing the election of Democratic governors in 2002 in states such as Michigan, Illinois, Kansas, Arkansas and Pennsylvania, Rendell said, "I think the talent bank is beginning to be replenished."
Rendell appeared with six other Democratic governors: Arizona's Janet Napolitano, Kansas's Kathleen Sebelius, Michigan's Jennifer Granholm, New Jersey's James McGreevey, New Mexico's Bill Richardson and Virginia's Mark Warner. They said that Bush has broken his promises to fund homeland security and his education accountability bill in their states but expressed frustration that Democrats have been unsuccessful in making a case against the president on these issues or the economy.
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