I'm channeling Thomas Frank here (can you "channel" someone who's still
alive?), but I think the Democrats' problem, which the Republicans have
ridden to success since Nixon, is they have forgotten who they
represent.

Successful politics, in a democracy, is not as much
about what you stand for, but more who you
stand with.

Think about it: who has
become the Republican base? What are the economic circumstances of the
average, say, Rush Limbaugh listener? Who sends those little checks
most faithfully to the various right-wing religious hucksters out
there? I'm asking seriously: who are these people?

The somewhat tragic answer is, "lots of former Democrats".

Let me set up a little Socratic thingie to show you what I'm talking about.

***

Me: But Soc, ol' buddy, you're talking about The Repub's deluded base,
here. You know, the people agitating for tax cuts for their boss's
boss's boss? What possible use could they be to the Democrats?

Socrates: I can see I'm outmatched here, and must bow to your superior wisdom in
this matter. I just have one or two questions, and I was hoping you
could enlighten my ignorance.

Me: Sure, Soc. Shoot.

Socrates: Who are these people you call the 'base' of the Republican Party?

Me: Oh, you know...working stiffs...people in our society
who are more or less powerless. People with stagnant wages, maybe just
a high school education, who have little or no power in the workplace
or the rest of society, and feel some vicarious empowerment when they
hear Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity "speaking up for them".

Socrates: He speaks for them, does he?

Me: Well, of course. You know, against the dirty, heathen
Liberals who want to turn all their wives into hairy-legged,
baby-killing lesbians, or something?

Socrates (aghast): The Liberals want to do that?

Me: Are you serious?? No, of course not!

Socrates:
Well, that's a relief. I just wonder then: why are they not voting for
Democrats? They used to, in huge numbers, as I recall...

Me: I already told you - The Republicans have the wool pulled over their eyes.

Socrates:
Ah, exactly so: I can see what you mean now. But I still don't
understand: why did they stop voting for Democrats? I remember quite a
long period when people like that voted overwhelmingly for Democrats,
every single election, starting in 1932.

Me: Well, you know, that was a different time, then...

Socrates: Really? And how was it different?

Me:
Well, to begin with, there was the Great Depression, which threw
everyone out of work. The Republican response was: let charity take
care of the indigent, and let The Market right itself. The Democrats
had specific, concrete plans to help the people who were hurting...and
so the Republicans just got killed in the '32 elections...

Socrates: Ah, so the Republicans learned their lesson, and sing a different tune, now?

Me:
Of course they...you know, come to think of it, no. They are pretty
much saying and doing the same things now as they did then.

Socrates:
Then I'm still confused - why are all those poor farmers and
minimum-wage earners and economically hurting people now voting for
Republicans?

Me: I already told you - the Republicans are appealing to their fears and prejudices!

Socrates:
Hmmm...if those folks voted Democratic, do you think the Democrats
might do better in elections?

Me: I'm sure we would, but we don't want those people.
Socrates: Because...?

Me: Do I have to tell you again?? The Republicans have them all tied up in fear and prejudice.

Socrates:
I see. Let me ask you: Have you ever experienced feelings of fear, and
even prejudice, within yourself?

Me (thinking): Oh, sure. It's probably a universal human experience to some extent.

Socrates: Did you enjoy it?

Me: Well, no, it pretty much...sucked. What's your point?

Socrates:
Do you think the people who now are caught up in the Republicans' fear
mongering and pandering to prejudices are enjoying the experience - I
mean, really, deeply enjoying it??

Me: Um, probably not...

Socrates: Then why do they allow the Republicans to keep doing it?

Me: You lost me.

Socrates:
As we've established already, not only are they powerless, but their
prejudices and fears are only adding to their misery. Isn't that true?

Me:
I've never thought of it that way, but yes, I guess you're right. What
the heck is wrong with them?

Socrates:
Do you remember the impassioned speech given at the 2004 Democratic
National Convention - the one everyone remembers - where the speaker
eloquently called for huge amounts of assistance for struggling family
farmers, a living wage for all American workers, card-check legislation
to help workers get some power in the workplace, and shooting barbs at
the Republican rich, "lolling obscenely in their Opera Boxes"?

Me: Um...(thinking)...No, actually I don't.

Socrates:
Neither do I. Do you want to help people who are trapped in economic
stagnation, and are being exploited with fear and prejudice?

Me: Well, yeah, that's a large part of the reason I'm a Democrat.

Socrates: Well, how can you help them?

Me: Like I said, they are pretty much beyond help...

Socrates (now genuinely shocked): You don't really believe that, do you?

Me: Well, what can we do for those people?

Socrates:
"Those people"? Didn't you describe them yourself as, "Working
stiffs...people in our society who are more or less powerless. People
with stagnant wages, maybe just a high school education, who have
little or no power in the workplace or the rest of society?"

Me: Yes, that's right: the Republican Base.

Socrates:
We also went over how the Democrats gained a large and enduring
majority in the past by coming up with specific, concrete plans to help
people who were hurting, did we not?

Me (dawning
realization): Uh, yes, I guess so. (Suddenly troubled)
But Soc, what about the social issues - abortion and so on?

Socrates: What about them?.

Me: Ok, now I'm really lost.

Socrates:
How much does gay marriage or the legal status of abortion actually
increase the misery of their lives, in the course of living out their
daily existence?

Me: Actually, on a day-to-day basis? Probably not much. Not much at all, really.

Socrates:
And how much does the fact that they are, in your words, "people in our
society who are more or less powerless...with stagnant wages, maybe
just a high school education, who have little or no power in the
workplace or the rest of society" make their lives harder, on a daily
basis?

Me: I imagine it's a constant, grinding bummer.

Socrates:
So, if you offered a whole list of ways to help them with those
concrete, constantly-lived, ever-present miseries - in fact, if you
organized your campaign around those issues, and hit the talking points
constantly - do you imagine they might just consider voting for your
candidates?