[Mb-civic] For Democrats, a Troubling Culture Gap - Washington Post

[William Swiggard]

For Democrats, a Troubling Culture Gap

By Dan Balz
Wednesday, August 10, 2005; Page A08

Dissatisfaction over the war in Iraq, the economy and rising health care 
costs might spell trouble for Republicans, but a study by Democratic 
strategists warns that their party's failure to connect with voters on 
cultural issues could prevent Democratic candidates from reaping gains 
in upcoming national elections.

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.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/09/AR2005080901334.html

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