DU a different world than the rest of the country?

[AnnitaR]

It seem to me that it is. Every single poll I have seen on DU lately has favored Clark & Dean. They have much much larger numbers than Kerry or even Edwards.

Yet, here we are on another Tuesday night with John Kerry still the frontrunner.

Why such a huge contrast?

[mitchum]

1. You answered it in your subject line

[PVnRT]

2. DU is not America

Most of the people tend to be much more anti-establishment, and much more liberal than the general population. At least, they willingly call themselves liberal, and have not bought into the media spin that liberal = bad word.

[Rowdyboy]

3. You mean you think DU isn't representative?

How could that be? We are a unique point in time of centrists, liberals and leftists united and determined to end the administration of GWB. That should be enough.

[ACPS65]

4. DU is representative of extreme liberalism.

It is not an accurate, full portrayal of the Democrat party.

[Hoppin_Mad]

8. Pshaw ! If that were true DK would be the clear favorite here -nt-

[JohnKleeb]

28. He is..................at heart

Me thinks. Come on y'all know you want a kucinich presidency :evilgrin: just admit it. Well I know I do at least.

[ixion]

9. extreme liberalism

geez... you say that like it's a bad thing.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

27. I prefer to refer to us as

DIVERSE
Have a nice day :D

[BurtWorm]

5. It's possible that 10% of the delegate selection nationwide

doesn't compare with the sample we have here. It's also possible that DU is another planet.

[POed_Ex_Repub]

6. Simple.. confounding variables

DUers need to be

Internet literate (at least to the point where they can post on the site)

News Junkies (or you wouldn't understand half the forums)

Motivated - This isn't a site you go to unless you're fairly serious about politics, I wouldn't think we get many casual observers here.


While there are a considerable number of people who fit the above, there are also a considerable number that don't. Hence polling is always going to be skewed. But hey, nobody claimed these were scientific polls did they?

[Edge]

7. We're a lot different here...

we're more liberal than most of the country. Heck, I haven't seen so many Kucinich supporters than I do here at the DU.

[PretzelWarrior]

10. it's voting fraud--wait. that's an asinine thought.

maybe the rest of the country is more to the center than many on here want to believe.

I understand people have made their choice. but at some point soon we need to settle on a candidate and go for a guy and his political force to DESTROY the Bush claim on our house and bring our country back to the people.

[Cleita]

11. Because we haven't had our candidates picked for us

by the media. We represent the true Democratic vote.

[HazMat]

15. yeah, ok

you people weren't complaining when the media was coronating Dean.

[BruinAlum]

18. I get really tired of the insinuations from Dean supporters

that are the only true Democrats and that they somehow hold a monoploy on intelligence and being informed, and that if one supports Kerry or Edwards it's because they are idiots being led around by their noses by the media. Pretty presumtuous and insulting and I see this time and time again.

The truth is people who participate in primaries are usually better informed than those who only vote in the general election, and they do research the issues before they make their choice.

I think the voting public deserves a little more credit than you are giving them, and perhaps your candidate is responsible for his own undoing.

[bobbyboucher]

20. Keep thinking that.

As the left votes Green and the muddle of the roaders wonder how Bush won.

[BruinAlum]

22. And I won't have my vote extorted or blackmailed with threats from

people like you to vote Green to throw the election to Bush. I happen to think Kerry is the best candidate and I also think he can beat Bush. I DON'T think Dean can beat Bush. So far Dean hasn't even won a primary. So take your smarmy threats and try them on someone else.

[The Magistrate]

23. Well, Mr. Boucher

If that is your intention, acting deliberately to assist the most reactionary elements of our polity, the criminals of the '00 Coup, is a damned odd way to express commitment to leftist principles. An uncharitable person might be forgiven for the surmise that you wanted a victory by the far right, and could hardly be counted as a real supporter of progressive or left programs and values....

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[HazMat]

12. DU is much more left leaning, young and white

than the Dem Party as a whole.

It's no wonder why the support for Dean is as strong as it is here.

What aggravates me most about the Dean movement (and to some extent Clark movement) is their arrogance and elitism: they assume everyone is on the Internet. The truth of the matter is a lot of minorities, poor and elderly folks don't have a computer or access to the Internet. Then, to add to it, the Dean/Clark movements are shocked when they find that America is nothing like DU or the Internet. :eyes:

[bobbyboucher]

21. Thanks for speaking for minorities

as you sell them out to the right with your unspined voting.

Bush/Cheney 04!

[The Magistrate]

25. You, Mr. Boucher

Have above declared above in No. 20 your own desire for an electoral triumph by the criminals of the '00 Coup, and so are in no position whatever to accuse anyone of selling out anyone or anything to the right. The course of action you urge will hand victory to the most reactionary elements of our polity, and you know that. A thoroughgoing Leninist would have no difficulty asserting a person who did as you propose was a mere agent provocatuer in fascist pay....

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[genius]

13. The Dean supporters are over-represented here.

Haven't you noticed? By the way, congratulations on Clark's victory in OK.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

14. Where are all the Sharpton and (ex)Lieberman supporters?

Something is off here.

[JCMach1]

16. The difference is almost everyone here is ABB

That is a little different than the electorate at large.

They are looking for other qualities in a leader.

Also, to a large degree opinion in the U.S. is still molded by the media. DU has always been built around the idea of deconstructing the media's message.

[vision]

17. Maybe because we know who the candidates are?

Here in MO most of the people I talk to don't know who Clark, Kucinich and Sharpton are. If they know Dean it is because the media has dwelt on the "scream" in Iowa. Kerry and Edwards and Lieberman are higher profile than the others because they are Senators.

So why did Kerry beat the other two senators in MO? IMO it is a number of things.
1) More positive media exposure, I heard one lady say that she liked Kerry because he "got Bush good" when he defended vets and attacked Bush trying to cut vetern benefits. Of course Clark has done this all along also and so have most of the others but Kerry is the one that is given the positive press about it.

2) Kerry had more elected and past elected office holders come out in support of him the past week. If you don't know the candidates you may be likely to follow the advise of those whom you have elected in the past.

3) I know the Kansas City Star editorial board came out in favor of Kerry and put down the rest, thier second choice was Lieberman. This could have influenced some I would think.

4) The commercials that Kerry played in MO were exceptional in that they emphasized his time in Vietnam and experience. This plays well with many people.

5) Sadley Lieberman is not exciting and for many here in MO him being Jewish is not seen as something possitive.

6) Edwards did come on strong but he did not have enough money to constrast with the media buying that Kerry did. Plus IMO I can see some thinking that he is "too young", he isn't but he is youthful looking and handsome so it makes him seem younger than he is.

I think that Clark and Dean for ones missed the boat here. MO had the largest delegate count today and yet it was ignored for the most part.

[Old and In the Way]

19. Sad But True

:-)

But watching CNN tonight, the focus groups of Democrats all seem to be on the same wavelength about the ultimate purpose: BEAT BUSH


Kerry just feels right to a majority of mainstream Democrats. He is a known entity that they trust. He has a progressive record, but they see him as a Presidential caliber leader.

Dems da facts....I'm obviously a pro-Kerry supporter, but I'd have gotten on board with anyone of them that fired up the majority.

I liked Clark's words tonight- "There's no better party, no more committed party, than the Democratic Party..." He's a good man and I hope he'll be part of the next administration, fighting for democracy and taking back our country after we win in November.

[bornskeptic]

24. People go where they feel welcome.

Why should Kerry people stay here when there are many other message boards where they feel welcome? Even on DU, I'm sure the Kerry support is much stronger than on GD2004. This has turned into a Clark supporter/Dean supporter mutual admiration society, so of course most of the people who stick around here share the same attitudes.

[vision]

26. As somebody without internet access during the day

coming here it seems the opposite recently at least. I see all kinds of Kerry threads. And Join Kerry now threads, Dean cannot win threads, etc. Maybe it is just when I am able to pop in but DU IMO by the active threads seems pretty Kerry friendly to me.

[moondust]

29. IWR.

This more than anything else explains your observations.