Applebee's voting bloc
I guess the fact that I dine at fine establishments such as TGI Fridays, Applebee's and Olive Garden, that I am sort of oblivious to what I am surronded by in these restaurants sometimes. These places are "common people" establishments. They have decent affordable drinks and food that attract lower and middle class families.
I went to an Applebee's the Saturday before the election and sauntered up to the bar with a couple of friends. The conversation was lively and we engaged a couple of other patrons in a talk about politics. It was split about 50/50 Dem/Repub. The highlight was that even though we had some spirits in us, we were able to debate without it getting out of hand. In the end, I understood my Republican counterparts better and I hoped that they understood me and my positions better also.
President Clinton had that populist touch. Fmr. Senator Paul Wellstone had it too. When trying to get in touch with what went wrong this year, we need to look at the message. But we also need and want to know how it is being delivered. This is how we generate broader appeal without losing our foundations!