Who has the best shot of pulling in non-voters?

[JackRiddler]

Vote. And then tell us WHY.

[dorktv]

1. Dean...already is doing it.

[HFishbine]

19. Ditto

Yep.

[Capn Sunshine]

32. Roger that

easily 30% of any Meetup crowd is composed of outside the current narrow spectrum.

[Skwmom]

36. He has repeatedly stated how many new voters he is

bringing on board. Is there any support for this statement? Also, are the new voters in red or blue states? I've noticed that a lot of Dean's campaign is based on trying to repeat a statement often enough that people take if for fact. (Hmmm.. sound familiar?) Plus the NAACP is pushing voter registration, as well as supporters of other candidates.

[xJlM]

38. All those confederate flag guys?

Yeah, right. And he was the only candidate to vote against the IWR too, wasn't he?

[IranianDemocrat]

2. Clark or Dean NOT KUCINICH.

I don't know what the guy who voted for Kucinich was thinking.

[tinanator]

39. what exactly is your problem with Kucinich?

What are YOU thinking? Wait, should I really GAS?

[Kamika]

3. I vote : The Undertaker

Or some famous Nascar driver

[JackRiddler]

6. obviously...

you should vote the tenth choice. Please do.

[Kamika]

10. i did

*cough*

[Zynx]

4. Dean or Clark

Outsiders such as them always draw large numbers of non-voters. Clinton did it, Carter did it, and as much as I hate to say it, Reagan did it.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

15. Facts Are Stubborn Things

Voter Participation declined in 1976 (Carter) and 1980 (Reagan)....


Voter participation increased in 92 but we did have a third party candidate who spent approximately $70,000,000.00 and garnered damn near twenty percent of the popular vote....


http://www.multied.com/elections/1980.html


Furthermore the literature suggests that the attitudes of non voters differ little from the attitudes of voters.... Non voters are very well represented by those who vote....

http://www.igs.berkeley.edu/publications/par/July1999/HightonWolfinger.html

Instead of engaging in the quioxitic exercise of chasing an electorate that doesn't exist maybe we should try to win a plurality or majority of the one that does...

[JackRiddler]

17. Voter participation

Went up in 2000.

Who from the two big parties has ever chased, though?

Who has ever addressed non-voters or their reasons?

Besides saying: "non-voters, please vote for me"?

Who has ever addressed what motivates non-voters?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

18. I Suggest You Read The Study....

There is very little difference in attitudes between voters and non voters....

An anedote to prove a larger point....

My business colleague and I were driving down AIA in Daytona Beach... I jokingkly told him we should go to the Boot Hill Saloon where hard core bikers go or folks that like to watch them go... Hells Angels and Outlaw types.... He demurred... I said I'd rather hang with those guys than a bunch of Republicans at a fern bar....

He said most of the bikers are prolly Republican if they vote... He's prolly right...

Read Hunter Thompson's work on the Hell's Angels to see how reactionary some working class folks are.... Heck, they even petitioned Nixon to send a contingent of Hells' Angels to Viet Nam

What makes you think non voters are more progressive than voters... As somebody who has worked as a bouncer and bartender to pay my way through college I have encountered working class attitudes that would make your hair stand on end...

[JackRiddler]

27. Don't think it, didn't say it...

<i>What makes you think non voters are more progressive than voters.</i>

What makes you think I think that?

I think regardless of their views, the majority of non-voters are more apolitical than voters. Which is to say, no telling how they'd be if they were politicized, or if it's even possible to politicize them.

I do believe a significant minority of non-voters subscribe to the opinion that "they're all bums," and (my anecdotal evidence is as good as yours) their inchoate politics tend more to the progressive, anti-statist side (i.e., the candidate likeliest to pick these up would be a libertarian secularist with humor, preferably at a time of war or crisis. Sounds like Dean v. Bush to me.)

What makes you think there aren't votes to be won (selectively) within a group that makes up half the population?

Answer me this: why do Republicans prefer low turn out?

Also this: even if what you say is true, there must be ways to appeal to the progressive non-voters (as opposed to the ones you describe).

Also note this: Huge black registration and turnout drive in Florida in 2000. Lots of new voters. Worked well, Gore won (before having it stolen).

I know it's bad of me, but I probably won't get around to reading this study you mention. Sorry. I might, if you tell me how it deals with the following dilemma: Ever since I found out that an average of 70 percent of all respondents to all opinion polls HANG UP THE PHONE or otherwise do not complete the survey (and are thus not counted), I no longer trust any so-called representative studies. Studies get the people willing to talk - or else the people the studier wants to get. People who hang up (or refuse to participate) are obviously of a different personality than those who dutifully answer every question. If you pay people to be in a study, you're still only going to get the demographic who need the money.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

31. I Agree With You And I Think The Author Would Agree With You

that turnout is crucial in c-l-o-s-e elections....


For instance in my state of Florida African Americans comprise 14% of the state's population yet they represented 16% of the electorate in 00....Think about that.... That's impressive...

Without this turnout Bush wouldn't have had to steal the election...

But don't forget when you mobilize your base your opponent is doing the same thing...


There are myriad problems with polling especially with the proliferation of fax machines. answering machines, caller id, cell phones, unresponsive people, et cetera but it's still the best tool we have for measuring folks opinions....

[Clark Can WIN]

16. I just don't buy the "outsider" argument

for Dean. How long has he been a politician now?

[Cooley Hurd]

5. Especially Dean...

Remember Carter in 1976? Our govt is in chaos just like it was then. The outsider will win, and Dean is perceived as an outsider...

[dorktv]

11. But Dean is less likely to be that nice.

Carter is a nice guy and that is why he was so ineffective...got to kick patootie sometimes.

[Kahuna]

7. Dean does. While making "voters" stay home.

Kinda makes it a wash, doesn't it? :eyes:

[Zynx]

8. What do you mean by that?

[JackRiddler]

9. cheap kick

w

[Kahuna]

24. It takes an attractive centrist candidate to get out..

the regular voting base. I don't see Dean getting out the centrist base. THAT's what I mean by that.

[xultar]

12. I'm a Clark supporter but,

Even though Clark energized me a young professional black woman into the mix I think Dean has a better chance of pulling in white young professionals and college students. So I voted for Dean in this poll.

[Kahuna]

25. Polls show that Clark leads with young voters..

Dean's young supporters are just louder.

[xultar]

41. That is very nice to hear...

I also think that Clark will lead with the ladies cuz he is sooooo
Dashing!

[Pastiche423]

13. Dean

As said above, Dean has been attracting people in huge amounts that have never been involved w/political campaigns before.

[Clark Can WIN]

14. Actually I would say Kucinch first

Because he seems to attract a large number of a certain kind of previously "why bother?" kind of people. Unfortunately many of them will return to the "why bother" column when he drops out or loses the nomination.

Clark second because he is not a politician and people are sick of politicians. The Clark candidacy gives those people something to come out for.

[WillyBrandt]

20. What Clark does/What Dean does

I think Clark will bring in new voters, since he can communicate his anxieties about the nation's fate in an appealing package. Dean does some of this too, but I think Clark is better.

Where Dean is great--and is the first Democrat in a LONG time to do this--is bringing in NEW POLITICAL ACTIVISTS. Donors, canvassers, phone-callers, the like. In some ways, I think Dean brought me in, even though I went for Clark!

(Clark does this too, but so far Dean is doing this better, and Dean led the way for Clark and all the others.)

[He loved Big Brother]

21. Dean, because I believe

he, more so than other candidates, energizes the youth vote. This demogrphic culd decide entire elections. Once candidates realize they can win much easier with a broad base of young supporters, I think they'd save themselves a lot of useless pandering to other demographics. We're passionate, and since each generation is more progressive than the last, you'd think this would be a basic piece of strategy automatically included in most Dem campaigns for any office. We are are looking for an ear that will listen to us and say the things we have been thinking since that fateful day in December of 2000. Dean got the show on the road early as well, which is in his favor.

Kucinich is also very good at rallying younger progressives, but his campaign is either poorly managed or he has been too busy upholding fundemental tenants of liberty and justice as Congressman to get his message out as well as Dean has.

[Padraig18]

22. Dean or Clark.

Why? Because they already are.

[CMT]

23. I think Dean

from what I've seen at Meetups he gets a lot of people who either haven't voted in several years becuz they gave up on the system or new voters entirely.

[elperromagico]

26. Dean, with Clark running second

Dean is motivating people to become involved through grassroots initiatives; Clark is running because of a grassroots initiative.

Put these two men on a ticket together! Clark/Dean, Dean/Clark--- the order isn't the thing.

[GoneOffShore]

28. Dean's demographic

according to a good friend, who is a Republican consultant, is angry white males in their 30's. He's apparently not viewed as sympathetic by women and blacks. In fact, both groups consider him to be supercilious.
This comes out of focus groups, so I'm taking it with a grain of salt.
And, yes, I know and like a Republican. I only wish I could persuade him to work for the Democrats. But he keeps telling me the money is better on the other side.

[Pastiche423]

30. Let your friend

keep thinking that to his detriment.

Apparently, he has not seen the massive amounts of women that attend Dean's events, serve as hosts at his thousands of meet up, are on his staff and campaign for him.

[Zorra]

29. Kucinich

if he can get enough exposure. Once people who are alienated from the voting process because all candidates seem alike see that his platform actually means possible, positive change they will get out and vote for Dennis.

[JackRiddler]

33. kick

x

[JackRiddler]

37. kick again...

want to see 300 votes here. Come on you non-voters.

[Fish Eye]

34. and do not forget

many people do not vote because they see the polititians as rip off artists...kucinich is so far removed from that moniker that all a non voter would haev to do is see him speak ....they would turn out to vote for him!!!

Kucinich...is the real thing!!

[birdman]

35. You mean all those mon-voters have pining away for...

a candidate who proposes a Department of Peace and
protection from space-based mind control weapons ?

[Clark Can WIN]

43. snicker

he's reaaly harmless so I don't like to pile on but that was kinda funny. I do wish he, AS & CMB & JL would drop out & give the other candidates more meaninful exposure at the debates.

[robsul82]

40. Dean. It's been happening across the nation.

That's obvious.

Later.

RJS

[Padraig18]

42. The concensus at DU is pretty clear

80% (as of 11:13 a.m., CST) think it's Dean and Clark.

Dean/Clark in '04? Clark/Dean in '04? :hi: