Democrats Need to Reach Out to New Voters
A commentary by the Publisher of FAIRisFAIR.org

Some people are starting to say that the 2004 election was some sort of mandate for George W. Bush and that the country is turning away from its history of progressive ideals towards a cold, bleak conservative future. They say the Democrats are out of touch with America; that ideas of liberalism, compassion and social responsibility are passé. These people think that the Democrats need to become more like the Republicans in order to win elections. They couldn't be more wrong.

The reality is that Bush only won by 2.5% of the vote; and 2.5% of the vote does not a landslide make. The 2004 election left the country more divided than ever and people all across America have begun to solidify their party identity. More and more, people are becoming unwilling to vote for a candidate who isn't a member of their party or doesn't subscribe to their precise beliefs. So it would be futile for the Democrats to alienate their base by trying to remake themselves into carbon copies of Republican candidates. But even more important, Democrats don't need to do that in order to win votes.

There's a vast untapped resource of eligible voters who, for one reason or another, don't vote. Even though the 2004 Presidential election saw the highest voter turnout since 1968, it was still only 60.7% of eligible voters¹. That leaves a large block of people who didn't vote. Perhaps they don't vote because the parties seem too much alike. Perhaps it's because they don't think their vote makes a difference. Perhaps they feel the candidates aren't speaking to them. These are the voters the Democrats need to go after.

With the country as closely divided as it is, one person's vote counts more than ever before. The Democratic party needs to stand up for the progressive issues they are supposed to believe in. They need to show why they is different from the Republican party on the issues that matter to everyone: issues like health care, education and protecting the environment. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are programs that were created by Democratic presidents and they are wildly popular. The Democratic party is supposed to be the party of the ordinary American – and they could make a difference in the lives of every American if they would just reach out to the 39.3% of eligible non-voters.

The Democrats need to shake the idea that the only way to win is by sounding like Republicans. The Republican party stopped being the party of Lincoln long ago. It's now the party of Herbert Hoover; the party of Nixon; the party of Reagan. Likewise, the Democratic party has come to represent the ideals of compassion, liberalism and fiscal responsibility. These are common sense values that so many polls indicate most Americans share. These beliefs should be the foundation for the Democratic future, not relics of the past. They represent America's great promise to its people – a promise the Democrats should work hard to keep.

The electorate in America is far from a zero-sum game. There is a huge untapped well of support in voters who just haven't been reached yet. The Democrats need to work hard to reach out to those voters. They need to continue to push a strong message for the future: that hope will conquer fear; that fellowship is better than isolation; that America works better when everyone succeeds. It's America's only hope.