I hear the term “the base” and “the Democratic base” quite a lot around here at tGOS.
Yet I am never sure precisely what it is that people are talking about when “the base” is spoken of (usually in anger about something else).
I do have a personal preference for precise definitions or, at the very least, a “working definition” of terms being bandied about...even if I am often guilty of bandying about vague terms.
So...I’m going to throw the question out there...what constitutes the “Democratic voting base?”
African American voters? Absolutely, yes.
Latino voters? All but Cuban Americans living in Florida, I guess.
White-working class voters? I think that a certain percentage of WWC voters in the traditional “Big 10” states (as opposed to a vaguer term like “the Midwest”) is necessary.
Women voters? That’s a trickier question, I think...unmarried women, yes, for sure.
“Younger” voters? Younger voters usually are a significant contribution to Democratic wins.
New England voters? Yes.
As are West Coast voters.
Jewish voters? 75% of Jews vote for the Democratic candidate as a rule but is that a significant voting block other than in Florida and parts of NYC?
I guess there are many different ingredients to what constitutes “the Democratic base”; I simply named a few of the ingredients that I can think of off of the top of my head.
I’d simply like to hear other opinions on the topic so I can be more sure that we are on the same or similar pages when we use the same terminology.