From the Washington Post:
Democrats have expressed bewilderment over Republican gains among lower-income, less-educated voters, saying they are voting against their economic self-interest by supporting Republican candidates. But the new Democracy Corps study concludes that cultural issues trump economic issues by a wide margin for many of these voters -- giving the GOP a significant electoral advantage.
The study is based on focus groups of rural voters in Wisconsin and Arkansas and disaffected supporters of President Bush in Colorado and Kentucky. The good news for Democrats: All the groups expressed dissatisfaction with the direction of the country and with the leadership of the president and the GOP-controlled Congress.
Then came the bad news: "As powerful as the concern over these issues is, the introduction of cultural themes -- specifically gay marriage, abortion, the importance of the traditional family unit and the role of religion in public life -- quickly renders them almost irrelevant in terms of electoral politics at the national level," the study said.
More on the extend.
My first reaction is this: No Compromise. In order to win over this segment of the voting population, I refuse to engage in
- Gay bashing
- Pandering to the idea that "traditional families" are somehow better than other families
- Pretending that a woman's body is not her own
- Valuing religion above reason in the public square.
There. I've said it.
So, if we don't give in to these prejudices, how do we reach these voters?