Very interesting report put out by Pew on the Deaniacs.
http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=240
Basically confirmed that Deaniacs (like this blog) were whiter, richer, more educated, more secular, more dovish, than not even your typical Democrat, but even your Democratic convention delegates. only 1 black person was interviewed as part of the data. rather sad.
92% of Dean activists white. 40% having a graduate degree. an astounding 46% earning over $75,000 (vs. 18% of Democrats). almost 40% citing no religion. So i guess the stereotypes were true, and there is a reason why the GOP's line about "liberal, pointy-headed intellectual, volvo-driving elitists who don't share your values and faith" resonates with people.
There is an eye-opening 50-point gap between Deaniacs who favor gay marriage and Democratic voters. Almost 70% of Deaniacs believe churches should stay out of politics (a reflection again of white secular bias). Meanwhile 51% of Democratic voters think churches should play a role in politics and express their views (among African Americans, i bet that number would be in the 90s). i'd say the 51% are closer to mainstream opinion.
I point out this data to question the notion that this "blog" is anymore democratic or representative of "the people", much less your average Dem. We are out of touch in many ways, out of the mainstream and out of sync with even the base of the party. (that the right eagerly and rightly seizes on). that's fine with me. you need those people on the fringes always pushing to make the radical the accepted. (At one time, integration was an "extremist" position. a generation from now, gay marriage will become as commonsense as integration.). at the same time, as someone who is into practical electoral analysis, and wanting to WIN, we should keep in mind the biases of the blogosphere and how we really can't claim to be "of the people" with our demographics (anymore than Dubya can).