How do we get more white males to vote Democratic?

[spooky3]

I don't mean to be a sexist or racist, but polls, for what they are worth, continue to show that men are more likely than women, and whites are more likely than other racial groups, to vote Republican.

I know about Arlie Hothschild's theorizing on blue collar white males' reasons for their voting patterns (we already had a thread on DU about it), but I'm interested in your thoughts, and if there are any political scientists or sociologists out there who have studied this, it would be especially nice to hear about your research.

What can we do to turn this around?

[Bread and Circus]

1. Nominate Clark.

[bowens43]

73. You mean become more like them?

no thank you. There is no place for a military authoritarian in a civilian government.

[Cnemius]

2. We could start by ceasing to call them oppressive pieces of shit.

Blaming a group for most of society's ills generally does not go a long way in gaining their confidence or votes.

[BeyondGeography]

7. Righteous post, Cnemius!

Welcome aboard!

[Skittles]

9. huh

read Stupid White Men

[wingnut]

10. Ya think?

You beat me to it.

[rumguy]

16. kinda like how Trent Lott blamed the blacks for "all those troubles

through all these years"?

Is that kinda what you mean?

HUH? Answer me!

[wingnut]

18. great idea

if Lott can do it, then let's do it too!

[rumguy]

23. No - Lott and his ilk are the ones doing the blaming

we JUST TELL THEM THE TRUTH AND THEY THINK IT'S HELL!!

ha ha!

[Cnemius]

24. EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Look at where Lott is today

for doing the kind of shit being done in this thread. He is disgraced and all but powerless in the Senate. Come next election, he might be gone.

[rumguy]

33. Lott violated the repukes CARDINAL RULE!

You keep your racist comments behind closed doors and amidst fellow haters and rasicsts only! these days pukes fuck 'em through policy, or say by throwing out their right to vote in FLA by labelling law abiding citizens as felons - THAT HAPPENED AND YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT THAT REPUGNANT, DISGUSTING FACT!

[Cnemius]

36. So your solution is that we should be hostile to all white men

and screw the idea of trying to get their votes. Brilliant strategy.

[rumguy]

41. A brutally false dichotomy!

this is a tactic I hear all the time on hate radio. In fact, it's their primary tactic. They throw out an issue and state their idea of what should be done, and then state a completely irrational idea that is supposed to represent the dem. party/liberal idea.

No one is saying being hostile to all white men! God, wake up man! Look who all but two of our candidates are - WHITE MEN!!

Clinton - WHITE MAN!

Are we hostile to them??

I'm white, I don't want to advocate open hostility towards myself.

I only want dumbasses like Lott to wake the fuck up!!!

God, don't throw down such lame false dichotomys and expect to get anywhere with rational thinking people!

[Cnemius]

52. You're the one who made an angry response to my suggestion

we stop lumping all white men together as perpetrators of evil.
I could only assume since you so vigorously challenged my post that you disagreed. If that isn't true, then why did you challenge my post?

[rumguy]

54. "lumping all white men together as perpetrators of evil""

WTF? Wait, let me say that again - WTF?

No one here is advocating that. God man, look at our candidates!!!

What the hell's your beef anyway????

YOU'RE THE ONE WHO STARTED THIS WITH YOUR FIRST POST!!! go back and read it...

[mouse7]

70. No... we stop catering to "stupid white guys" as a group

Formulate policy for people as a whole. As a result, if the stupid white guys start yelling about attacking their place in society, to hell with them.

[bearfartinthewoods]

80. lott is gone because bush wanted him gone,,we just helped

him bring in his own team.

[Hippo_Tron]

71. Chair of the rules committee isn't powerless...

I mean you get to lead discussions on who's allowed to enter the senate floor.
:eyes:

[BeyondGeography]

3. Nominate Clark

[Skittles]

4. get 'em a penis enhancer that works

:7

[Cnemius]

12. Oh boy, comments like that will rake in the votes

See, this is the kind of shit I'm talking about. Would you say that about, say, black men, then ask for their votes?

[Name removed]

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[Cnemius]

34. So you're saying because some white men were oppressive

in the past, we should treat all white men today like they are evil pieces of trash today? That sure sounds like a winning strategy. I bet they will rush to support a candidate who says that.

[Name removed]

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[Skittles]

42. OH ALRIGHT

*CENSORING MYSELF*

[Cnemius]

43. I hate to tell you this, Skippy, but Harris is a FEMALE

Jesus. LOL.

[rumguy]

48. God, you are lost...yeah she's female? So what? Who was she working for?

Are you saying that because she's a female she can't be racist?

[Cnemius]

55. And you were whining about 'false dichotomies'?

Jesus. LOL. You must be a listener of hate radio. LOL. LOL. LOL.

[Name removed]

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[rumguy]

58. You can't deal with factual reality of my argument.

So you try and use my tactics back on me, and fail...ha ha

[rumguy]

46. Read Post 41....

[oasis]

28. Anyone who can't take a joke is too far gone anyway. Let them stay

with the rigid right wingers.

[BeyondGeography]

32. Yeah, they've thought it through

We can be permanently outnumbered in the House and the Senate and never again occupy the White (Male) House. But we'll still have our principles, whatever they are.

[Leilani]

5. Nominate someone

who shows what a cowardly chickenhawk Shrub really is:

Nominate Clark.

[BobbyJay]

6. Nominate Clark

Nominate a General from the South

[rwheeler31]

8. Girls need to tell them

no matter how much $ they have they wear babe repellant

[mouse7]

11. To hell with white males

I am one, so I can say it.

"Going after white males" is more ugly code language for continuing to hold down minorities.

[wingnut]

15. you don't think

we could quit demonizing white males without oppressing other groups?

It is not a zero sum game, imho.

[Cnemius]

22. Yep. That formula will work

Suggestions like this are guaranteed to lose us elections. Let me educate you folks on a very basic rule of politics. "Never make any enemies you don't need to make". You fight only those it makes sense to fight. You fight bigots or you fight selfish people. But you do NOT single out large groups of people based on sex or race and disparage them. Besides being wrong and bigoted, it will get you your ass kicked in every election hence.

[Name removed]

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[Cnemius]

40. Thanks!

But I guess it is sort of a sad commentary when ordinary common sense can seem brilliant

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

49. Deleted message

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[Skittles]

65. I'LL SAY WHATEVER I F***ING WANT

I WAS BEING SERIOUS. I think too many idiot republicans have a small-penis complex. SO THERE.

[Cnemius]

75. The topic is 'white males'

Not Republicans. Your approach anlienates a whole group of could-be Democratic voters for no good reason - a pretty severe price to pay for bigotry, dontcha think? I am a white male Democrat and you are saying I have a small-penis complex. What if you were a black woman and I said we don't want your vote because you are a loud-mouthed big-ass complainer. It's really the same thing. Bigotry is bigotry plain and simple.

[mouse7]

66. Okay. Get Stone Cold Steve Austin's endorsement

You want white males? They are all watching the WWE.

Good fuckin' luck getting that demographic.

[spooky3]

68. Seriously, that is a demographic that Dem plans CAN help. How to get

through to them???

[mouse7]

69. It usually took them hitting rock-bottom or long-term therapy

You think I'm kidding?

I lived as a liberal in the South for almost 30 years. What you are talking about is changing the worldview a person's entire reality is based upon. All the mores and standards upon which they base their judgements and decisions.

Addiction is easier for those people to beat. At least there are physical symptoms involved with those that point to something very wrong happening to them physically.

It's going to take long term social engineering to fix what's wrong down there. Decades of effort.

[spooky3]

74. I'm not focusing on Southerners. I'm asking about w. males everywhere.

[Cnemius]

76. Precisely.

I took it as such, but it seems that a number in here take 'white males' to mean 'southern white republicans'. Bigotry at its worst.

[mouse7]

47. Nope. Aiming toward White males still aims away from minorities

Dems should be aiming the campaign at PEOPLE.

Not Whites, Not Blacks, Not Greens, Not Purples.

PEOPLE.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

37. no, it's not

You know what? I assume you are one of those middle class (maybe even rich) white males who has the white priviledge to look down at the "rednecks" and "white trash" who aren't as educated as you. Attitudes like yours are exactly how the rich use racism to divide and destroy regular working class Americans. Thanks for nothing.

[Name removed]

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[LiberalFighter]

13. It requires three things

Having the information available to show them the truth.

Having everyone getting the truth out enmass via "Letters to Editor" on a regular basis.

Try to keep it to the issues and not the political party. I know that it is mostly the fault of Republicans. But we need to show the voters the truth on the issues and let those voters figure it out for themselves that the Republican leadership is wrong.

[Warpy]

14. We might start by

...pointing out the truth of the collusion between the Pentagon and arms manufacturers to keep padding each others pockets by gouging taxpayers to pay for TRILLIONS of dollars worth (?) of weapons that might have made sense if the Cold War had turned hot, but which make NO SENSE AT ALL in the world we have today. Tell them the Pentagon is still buying and/or storing everything from obsolete cotton surgical gowns with string ties to bloated battleships for sea battles which are most unlikely to happen and which are nothing but nice, slow targets for submarines. Tell them that 40% of their paycheck is going to pay for this crap, including half their social security tax. Tell them that these bastards are in bed with each other, and that if we could rein them in, he might be able to earn enough money to feed, clothe and house his family with enough left over to pay for universal health insurance and a new truck every 3 years instead of every 10.

That's how to do it.

[mitchum]

20. Excellent advice, Warpy

[Atman]

17. Titty bars and NASCAR

But ya might could skip the NASCAR.

[stickdog]

19. 1) Save our schools. 2) Reinstitute the draft for all males 25-50.

3) Nominate someone who comes across tough and independent like Dean.

[wingnut]

27. Reinstitute the draft ?

Chuck Rangel tried that. It's not going anywhere.

More than that, it's immoral.

[stickdog]

53. Why is it immoral? I don't like it (except as a sobering threat), but

Chickenhawks are far more immoral.

[Name removed]

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[BringEmOn]

50. That's the Republican Neocon Facist platform in a nutshell

let 'em go.

[arewethereyet]

51. ask John Edwards

he wants more middle class tax breaks exactly for this reason.

These guys, guys like me, are the ones who frequently are the ones trying to figure out how to pay the bills and seeing that take home get smaller, hurts and when it gets bigger, even if only a little, it feels better.

They all know that taxes get wasted but try offering to waste a little less.

And don't screw with the military.

Simple.

[MikeG]

26. What did Bill Clinton do? He got elected twice in spite of them.

[wingnut]

29. not in spite

He did not demonize them as a group, and had the decency to speak up against "kill whitey day".

[BeyondGeography]

35. The Sister Souljah moment

lest we forget.

[Cheswick2.0]

31. Ross Perot

That is how Clinton won.

[BeyondGeography]

39. And Old Man Bush

staring at his watch toward the end of the Town Hall debate. Lest we forget.

[Brian_Expat]

44. You show white men. . .

that black men, gay people, women, immigrants, etc. are not the anti-Christ. And you make sure that the Republican efforts to divide us on race, religion, etc. are repudiated.

[many a good man]

56. Its simple. Here's how.

Eliminate wedge issues (identity politics, guns) and come out with a radical populist agenda that can promise them good jobs with benefits with which they can support their families.

Note: Democrats have won a majority of the white male vote only once since FDR. That was in '64 following the assassination of JFK.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

60. Torches and Pitchforks has given the only suggestion

that will actually work.

White men get worked up about guns and fighting crooks and terrorists like that because they feel anxiety and a lack of control in their economic lives.

However, for the most part, the factors behind their economic problems seem too vague and complicated and hard to change, so they project their economic anxieties into a preoccupation with fighting crime and terrorists.

Deep down, they know that our society and economy are screwed up.

Promoting talk of "kicking ass," whether the refererence is to the asses of criminals or foreigners, is the modern day equivalent of the medieval lord of the manor telling the oppressed peasants that their problems are due to witches.

The medieval peasants fell for it and participated eagerly in the witch hunts, but when it was all over, they were still starving and worked half to death. The working class white male falls for the "kick ass" meme, but when all the asses are kicked, his job is still insecure and doesn't pay enough.

As the economy has worsed over the past three decades, white male culture has become more overtly aggressive and crude. That's not a coincidence.

[rumguy]

61. Yes, I'll second that thought...great post

they need to be "weaned" off the false dichotomies that they've been spoon fed by the hate mongers on Faux and AM radio...

[arewethereyet]

67. you mean like Edwards is doing !

now we're talking !

[YNGW]

59. Nominate Anna Kournikova

nc

[IndianaGreen]

62. Ban abortions, push women back in the kitchen, murder gays

I don't give a rip about these "white males" which are nothing but Republican-voting white men with a tremendous inferiority complex because their dicks are so small. They already have Bush as their macho hero. We don't need them!

[Name removed]

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[mermaid]

63. Duct Tape

Remember all that plastic sheeting and duct tape we are all supposed to have handy? A little of that across the mouths of the Repukes so that they have to shut up might do the trick, but, beyond that...no clue.

[Name removed]

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[Iverson]

72. better K-12 education, funding

A high school diploma is no guarantee that a person is a critical thinker. Frankly, a college degree isn't either.

The ability to question dogma will result in less indoctrination. While that happens on both sides, the Republican model of unquestioning obedience is at greater danger from critical thinking.

[HFishbine]

79. 28%

The percentage of white males who voted for Bush in 2000 was 28% of the total vote. As a white male, I suggest that we stick to our principles and not worry about that minority.

[spooky3]

84. I agree that the wingnut vote is hopeless

regardless of the demographics and CERTAINLY not worth compromising important principles over. However, at least some part of that 28% is comprised of guys whose values really do not line up with *'s. Why do they not see that the Dems are better for them as well as being fairer to everyone else? And if the 2004 election is not fixed, only a tiny proportion of that 28% needs to shift in order for the Dems to win. So I'm not talking about selling out in order to convert them all. I'm just trying to understand why so many don't seem to like or hear what the Dems are saying and what we can do about it.

[KaraokeKarlton]

81. One 4 letter word keeps white men turning to the GOP

Guns.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

82. How does that explain my Republican brother

who has never owned a gun in his life?

In his case, I see it as disappointment with how his life has turned out, projected on to "liberals" with the encouragement of talk radio.

[spooky3]

85. yep, my parents also are Repubs but never owned a gun

My dad is a sweet rather innocent guy. They are not rich, are fundy-religious and very financial-security conscious (Depression babies), so are concerned by anyone they think will raise their taxes. My mom opposed the Vietnam war but otherwise has always been "conservative." They don't hate gays. Maybe they are beyond hope for Dems to reach (although maybe they will as they become more concerned about Social Security, skyrocketing Fed. debt). I wasn't really thinking of my dad when starting this thread, but certainly he's an example, like Lydia's, of how the stereotype does not apply,

[rucky]

83. I Think We Need More White Male Candidates

just kidding.

[TexasSissy]

86. LOL LOL!

[TexasSissy]

87. My brother is a white southern male who votes Republican.

So I will share my view on why he votes that way.

He lives in southern Louisiana, which has a serious environmental problem. My brother even commented that Bush Sr.'s idea of a clean air act was a joke, and he went on to make more specific comments about it. My brother earns a very good living, but is not "la de dah upper class."

Of his four sisters, I am the one he is closest with and has more in common with. Yet I am Democrat (some would say centrist Dem.).

So how is it that he came to be a Republican? He and I don't discuss politics much, so the following is just my take on it.

1. He was denied a promotion that went to a lesser qualified black man (his statement). My brother thought it was a quota or affirmative action thing. Because of the way his company works, and the people in his geographical area keep their jobs forever, that was his last chance for a promotion. He will retire at his current job level, and no higher. It negatively impacted the remainder of his life, as well as his retirement. He is bitter about this, but never really talks about it. So he's not predisposed to vote for anyone who backs affirmative action. (He's not against minorities having equal opportunity. I mean, he's not a bigot or anything.)

2. He's a macho kinda guy, in a way. The Dems are kinda, well, wimpy, from a Republican's viewpoint. My brother is not a hunter, but has guns, likes cars, used to get into fights in his teens...typical macho guy stuff. He's big on how things look, so if he voted Dem., he probably would never tell the other guys.

3. Most of the white males in that area vote Repub., so he wouldn't want to be different. There would have to be a compelling reason for him to go out on a limb and be different from the other guys.

4. He obviously views the Republicans as being more advantageous to him money-wise. Money speaks volumes. If he thought Democrats were better for him in the money area, there's little doubt in my mind that he'd vote that way. But Repubs back big companies, and a big company gives him a paycheck. (I think he belongs to a union, which protects his worker rights, as opposed to the government protecting his rights, so he doesn't have to be concerned about that.)

Note: My brother neither owns a pickup truck nor has a confederate flag on his vehicle (or in his house or otherwise in his possession).