A Guide to the Democratic Herd Centrist Coalition

“Blue Dog” moderates notwithstanding (the designation predates 2000’s famous

T HE voters of the Republican Party have been fractious,

with cultural conservatives vying with antitax and
antispending blocs for the president’s attentions.
How to read this chart:
FOUR BROAD COALITIONS within the
red-blue political coloring), the blocs shown here in red most closely approach the
G.O.P. They are largely alone in their belief that the Iraq war was not a mistake.

But the G.O.P. is a portrait of unity compared with the Democratic Party are grouped by color.
Democratic electorate. Democrats have been called a COMPETITIVENESS BLOC Also “New Democrats.” BLUE DOG BLOC More conservative
BLOCS WITHIN COALITIONS and their
collection of interest groups. Rather than the donkey, relative dominance are represented by Support free trade and market-based growth as on cultural issues. Working class
perhaps the cat, notoriously resistant to herding, would the size of individual donkey symbols. solution to poverty, inequality; corporate America is and populist on economic issues.
make a better symbol. O.K. Socially progressive; smitten with technology.
Here is an attempt to portray the major coalitions MAJOR COMMON INTERESTS among VOTERSRural Southern and
and blocs among Democrats, based on the views of several blocs are listed where donkeys overlap VOTERS Middle class, Midwestern moderates.
political experts, notably the nonpartisan analyst Stuart (darker shades). These are only white-collar workers.
some of the leading areas of MAJOR FIGURE Rep. Harold Ford Jr.
Rothenberg. A companion diagram of the G.O.P., first
published last year, is available at nytimes.com agreement; many other common MAJOR FIGURE of Tennessee
/weekinreview. BILL MARSH interests are not shown. Gov. Bill
Richardson
DEFENSE,
of New CULTURAL
SOCIAL Mexico ISSUES
MODERATE DEFENSE
BLOC SPENDING

OPPOSITION TO WAR: A GALVANIZING ISSUE Includes ex-Republicans unhappy

A September New York Times/CBS News poll found with G.O.P. cultural stands.
that 76 percent of Democrats believe that the Iraq war REAGAN
was a mistake — those who appear inside this gray VOTERS Northern and West Coast DEMOCRATS BLOC
border. For example, Liberal Elite Bloc is solidly against suburbanites, college educated The few who still
the war, the Competitiveness Bloc is divided on the women, post-grad professionals. vote Democratic
question and Reagan Democrats tend to support it. MAJOR FIGURE Sen. Barack are socially
FAIRNESS BLOC ENVIRONMENT; Obama of Illinois. conservative and
Want to see wealth OPPOSITION TO pro-military.
and power spread to more RIGHT-WING
SOCIAL AGENDA VOTERS White
Americans. More social EQUAL OPPORTUNITY,
HEALTH CARE, EDUCATION
ethnics and
spending; for affirmative action, Catholics,
abortion rights, gay rights. especially in
Northern cities.
LIBERAL VOTERS Single and working MAJOR FIGURES
ELITE BLOC MAJOR FIGURE
women, gays, Jews, liberal Sens. Barbara
None
Includes academics, main line Protestant church- Boxer of Calif.
entrepeneurs, Holly- goers, environmentalists, and Edward
ACTIVIST
BLOC wood stars. young people, “New Kennedy of
Bloggers; antiwar, MAJOR FIGURE
Labor” (service-
oriented; pro-
Mass.; Rep.
Nancy Pelosi
Social Justice Coalition
COMPETENT
antiglobalization George Soros GOVERNMENT immigrant). of Calif. Major portion of core Democratic voters.
protesters; students. ACTIVISM AFFIRMATIVE Ideological and issue-driven: economic
ON BEHALF OF
SOCIAL JUSTICE;
ACTION; fairness, environmental activism and social
MAJOR FIGURES INCREASING tolerance. Often younger, more cosmopoli-
ENVIRONMENT WAGES
Daily Kos blog, tan and socially more liberal than those in
Dennis Kucinich. the Old Line Coalition, except for some
minority voters.

New Left Coalition COMPETENT

GOVERNMENT,
The smallest coalition, but the AFFORDABLE MINORITY BLOC More conservative
loudest and growing fast. Helped HEALTH CARE, Blacks (quite loyal than others in Social
PENSION PROTECTION to the party) and Justice Coalition on
Ned Lamont win the senate
primary in Connecticut. Hispanics (less so). some social issues
Young, ideological and (abortion, gay rights).
idealist. Contemptuous MAJOR FIGURES
of Bush and G.O.P; Rep. Maxine Waters
critical of Democratic of Calif., Al Sharpton,
party for perceived Jesse Jackson.
contentment with status BLUE COLLAR BLOC This group includes working class voters who
quo. Antiestablishment, are not faring well economically (excluding renegade Reagan
anticorporate, anti- Democrats). Pro-labor; antiwar, but not anti-military.
bureaucratic; angry at VOTING BLOC Old-line organized labor, middle and lower class
what they see as workers who may see immigrants as competition.
misguided use of
American military power. MAJOR FIGURE John J. Sweeney, PRESERVING
A.F.L.-C.I.O. president SOCIAL SECURITY;
IDOL Paul Wellstone, the INCREASING WAGES
late Minnesota senator.

VOTERS Party
stalwarts who
see issues in PRESERVING
class terms; MEDICARE,
SOCIAL Old Line Coalition
YELLOW DOG BLOC Extremely loyal; pro-little guy. OLDER VOTER BLOC
SECURITY
intense dislike of the G.O.P. Dedicated, reliable The rest of the core: bedrock Democrats whose aims
Nickname originated in 1920’s with party supporters. have remained consistent over many years. Support
the saying, “I'd vote for a yellow MAJOR FIGURE Furious over complex the continuation of New Deal agenda and government
dog if he ran on the Democratic Rep. Sherrod Medicare drug plan commitments. Differ with the Social Justice Coalition:
ticket!” (The nickname “Blue Dog Brown of Ohio and efforts to privatize Many are older; some church groups don’t support
Democrats” is a takeoff.) Social Security. liberal social causes like gay rights.

MORE PARTISAN Generally, the closer a group is to the outer edges of this chart, the more or less loyal it is to the Democratic Party. LESS PARTISAN

Sources: Stuart Rothenberg and Nathan L. Gonzales, The Rothenberg Political Report; The Cook Political Report; Celinda Lake; Andrew Kohut, Pew Research Center; David Bositis The New York Times