If any evidence were needed that white men still control the news media, just mark all the attention being paid this campaign season to the NASCAR dad — that archetypal white male said to be the key to any candidate's success.
Well, America is a richer, more diverse place than that, thank God.
In recent editions, we've done our own hand wringing over the Democratic Party's inability to connect with a majority of Southern white males. It's a worthy topic, but it tells only part of the story. This week we redress the balance and try to show a more inclusive path to the White House.
Donna Brazile, who helped Al Gore win the popular vote in 2000, points out that African-Americans are especially interested in economic issues such as health insurance, education, jobs and retirement security. Democrats usually take black votes for granted, but if they really want to win, they need to treat African-Americans as assets and full participants in a broad campaign for fairness and opportunity, she says.
Similarly, Steve Cobble and Joe Velasquez identify a new kind of swing voter — non-Cuban Latinos. Their population is growing in key southwestern states, as well as in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. Loyal Democrats in 2000, Latinos have the potential to turn several red states back to the blue column in 2004, especially if more of those who are citizens but not yet registered get mobilized to vote.
For 200 years, since the days of Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, the Democratic Party has been the vehicle for economic strivers, outsiders and ordinary folks — pioneers, immigrants, working stiffs, ethnic minorities and cultural creatives. Instead of trying to mimic the Republicans' appeal to narrow-minded constituencies, the Democrats should remember their heritage.
In our view, that's what it will take to win.
