California Dems Fret Over Their Not-So-Popular Core Issues

Symptomatic of the national Democratic Party platform as well:

The question for Democratic legislators is whether they're going to tarnish their party brand name in California by chasing two unpopular goals: same-sex marriage and driver's licenses for illegal immigrants.

Both issues are easily grasped by voters, riling conservatives and making many moderates uncomfortable.

They're of particular interest after the presidential election, when the Republican red tide continued to spread across the American heartland and into California's interior.

For many voters, the Democratic brand name has become increasingly synonymous with the label "liberal." If not for the fear of liberalism, why would nearly 61 million Americans — including 5.5 million Californians, 44% of the state's electorate — vote to reelect a president who had so mismanaged both a war and the national treasury?

...

Some Democratic lawmakers realize they must be careful not to fall into the same trap of fighting futilely for causes that offend voters.

...

"Republicans are defined as trying to create jobs and balance the budget while we're defined as the party of gay marriage and illegal immigrants," Canciamilla says. "It's a tremendous mistake. If we're going to be taken seriously, we have to be dealing with more important issues."

There's an idea, huh?

posted by Ace at 03:41 PM

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