Is DU a good thermometer on overall Democratic Opinion

[Doun]

Is DU mainstream enough to determine the overall position of Democratic voters toward Obama and Clinton?

Or is DU more biased toward one candidate over the other?

Does the word "underground" denote it is more toward the far Left?

[Uben]

1. IMO

no, yes, yes

[CJCRANE]

2. DU is usually ahead of the curve.

Sometimes the rest catch up, sometimes they don't.

[Doun]

With the vast members at DU

I feel it would be wise for both Obama and Clinton Campaigns to listen to opinions on-line to make a judgment on issues.

On which issues has DU been ahead of the curve in the past??

[VeraAgnes]

21. Not even close.............It's just a message board.

Sorry to disappoint you.....you must continue your search for reality. Thank you for visiting our family.:smoke:

[Tellurian]

25. Well, considered a Far Left Leaning Message board..

with a score of never having won a presidential election.

[Alexander]

32. How does a message board win a presidential election?

Is that how it works in your fantasy world?

:shrug:

[Tellurian]

40. The support of a candidate by the majority on this board..

has never won a presidential election. To put it in simplistic terms; "DU has never picked the winner!"

[Hippo_Tron]

57. DU has existed for one election, 2004

And the website endorsed John Kerry, just like the entire Democratic Party did. So I really don't see your point here...

So yea DU is 0 for 1. Should we have endorsed Bush in 2004 so that we could have a winning record? :shrug:

[VeraAgnes]

33. Oh my................

:think: That is completely accurate! Very good point.

[Tellurian]

42. good to know some people on this board

are capable of rational thinking!.. :hi:

[smiley_glad_hands]

73. What's your score? eom

[Goblinmonger]

81. Why don't you leave

if we are too far left for your liking?

So DU is 0-1? Wow, nice sample size. How are you doing with your support of Hillary? We know you can put one in the loss column already this year.

[Gore1FL]

52. We were way ahead on Iraq.

as one example.

[Aramis]

70. How about Iran...?

[CJCRANE]

68. I'm talking about

the general consensus on DU, not individual opinions.

We were ahead of the curve on:

WMD in Iraq
Sectarian violence in Iraq
Abu Ghraib
NSAgate
Plamegate
Abramoffgate
Jessica Lynch story
Pat Tillman story
Stockwell (London) Tube shooting

etc. etc.

There are so much inside information and analyses on DU that are months if not years ahead of the MSM in getting to and promoting the facts.

[TahitiNut]

60. There is, in our society, a "second tier" of influence peddlers.

In every family, office, or neighborhood there are a very few bellwethers of opinion... people who are informed, opinionated, outspoken, and persuasive. Whether or not they're "liked" they're influential and tend to move the opinions of others with whom they're associated in compatible directions. It's "viral" and the transmission is by close contact. The longer-tenured DUers have a track record of "getting it right" ... and exerting an influence on their friends, family, and associates.

[Droopy]

3. No, no, yes, no

[BlooInBloo]

65. Why the thread continued beyond this post is beyond me.

[dbmk]

4. No, yes/no and yes

Online forums usually attracts the heavily opinionated that want to voice those opinions.
And that is hardly a trait that is normally attributed to the general electorate.

Clarifiation: DU as an entity is not biased. The user are in this case heavily favouring one candidate.

[JoFerret]

5. It's not very left these days

there have been a number of prominent and thoughtful radical regular posters in the past.

More of a hew to the center and elect Obama and hope for the best these days. At least in this forum where posters come for the daily hate.
It is not mainstream in that it is a representative slice of average democratic voters.
It is - probably - younger, maler, more affluent and with at least enough education to be sitting around typing on message boards. Many exceptions - of course - to all those generalizations.

[seaglass]

44. Yep, the people on the left have moved on to another board.

Except for a few.

[CJCRANE]

71. Surprisingly DU is more middle-aged

than you'd think, (from the polls and analyses I've seen).

[TexasObserver]

6. Golly gee, I was just passing by this place and thought, "wonder what goes on in DU?"

How does one get registered here without already knowing the answers to your questions?

[Skittles]

7. no

I'd hate to think the average so-called Democrat is behaving like the juvenile freaks in GD-P these days

[indimuse]

8. absolutely NOT!

.

[Hola]

9. No

It's not mainstream, hence the term 'Underground' Duh!

[opihimoimoi]

10. No...its open to the Public....many here are spies, trolls, and mischief makers

But, its still makes for good reading and a source of info....

[leftofcool]

11. Uh no.

[Rhiannon12866]

12. DU is one of the most informed sites on the web,

with members who are also incredibly generous and supportive to each other, you can always find both help and information here, and I'm not exaggerating. I've been a member since very early 2003, and a moderator, and have checked out other sites, but there is nothing like DU, for being informed, ahead of the curve, and there are all sorts of members, mostly progressive, but I've even run across a couple of Lieberman supporters here, LOL. And, yes, DU does reflect the general consensus of Obama vs. Hillary supporters, IMO. And DU is my home. :-)

[slackmaster]

13. Not by a long shot

:rofl:

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Mimosa]

24. Puh-leeze

I'm an Obama supporter and I try to be respectful to everyone. There are stubborn and rude people among any candidates supporters.

You used a vulgar word to demean all of Obama's supporters on DU. How nice is that?

[cboy4]

27. I think you get my point Mimosa.....I was referring to the

Obama assholes here.

If you're not an Obama asshole, then I wasn't referring to you.

You're in the clear.

See how easy that was to straighten out?

[Mimosa]

30. Well, we'll all be happy when this is over

And let it be soon. I don't intend to hang onto rancor.

[grantcart]

62. is there a list somewhere?

I always hate getting left out on any lists

[Tyler Durden]

76. You mean like the lists of Clinton Supporters....

To be harassed or TS'd being passed on PM among the Obama Obsessive a month or so back?

THAT was a real jewel.

[DrDan]

15. no no no - thank goodness mainstream party members

are not a rabid as those posting in this forum, particularly/

Thank goodness most Democrats are open, flexible, thinking, and mature. They might not be as far left as those posting here, but share many if not most of the values. They know the war is ruining our economy as well as wounding our society. They are willing to let others live their own lives and make their own decisions.

Thank God they are more considerate and more open to varying opinions.

[JohnnyLib2]

16. No.

[HuffleClaw]

17. not in the slightest does DU represent the voting public

more biased? just a teensy tad!

[MrModerate]

18. Averaged together, not an accurate thermometer at all . . .

It's largely political junkies, after all, while most Americans only focus on politics closer to elections (if at all). However, given the hundreds of thousands of members (probably 10% of whome are active), I'm sure you get a pretty good cross-section.

In terms of determining trends among dem voters, probably not so much.

[Stuart G]

19. Yes, Yes, Yes..

Taken as a whole. yes. So many of us are not into the discussion here in this part of the forum
... Some discuss in "Late News"..Some at "Discussion" , and some discuss in other parts of the form..
Check out the "Lounge"...Often they say how nasty it is here in "Primaries"

DU as a whole does reflect the party spectrum.

... DU-Primaries does not reflect the party spectrum

[Oleladylib]

20. NO, YES, NO

[Perry Logan]

22. Obviously not. Real voters prefer Hilary to Obama.

Gallup: Clinton leads McCain and Obama

Clinton leads McCain 49-45.
McCain leads Obama 47-45.

Rasmussen:

Clinton leads McCain by 3
McCain leads Obama by 2

Newsweek:

Clinton leads McCain 48-44
McCain and Obama tie 44-44
http://hillary1000.wordpress.com/2008/05/26/bill-clinton-has-never-seen-a-candidate-treated-so-disrespectfully-just-for-running/#more-572

[Marrah_G]

23. Not even close, No, Yes, No

[aquarius dawning]

26. No, not really.

[Iceburg]

28. Mainstream--NO!!! / Biased --YES /Denotes left -- Yes, but GDP behaves extreme right

DU GDP is as rabid and dark in thought as it gets. If this is where real Democrats live -- very few will want to be a party of this society.

There are about 400 posters here in GDP that are either:

a) awaiting parole
b) Unrestrained Free Republic travellers
c) Rove/Limbaugh plants sewing seeds of division
d) Keith Obermann devotees passing on his irrational hate
d) All of the above

My best guess is that of the 400 posters, less than 2% of them are women (which fits with any or all of the a, b,c,d population theories :-)

Of course the possibility exists that many of these posters are actual Obama supporters: If the posters here are truly part of Obama's netroots campaign then I can only conclude from examining the breadth of comments from other sites that Obama has made a profound strategic error in executing such divisive tactics. IMHO, regardless of who the nominee is, expect the ranks of card carrying Independents to grow in proportion the hatred sewn in "the undergrounds" during these primaries.

[TexasObserver]

29. DU is against Hillary because DU favors DEMOCRATIC ideals, and she lacks them.

This places DU in the majority of Democrats, who have also rejected Hillary's DINO ways.

In that sense, DU is MORE MAINSTREAM Democratic than Hillary and her brigade. The majority of Democrats choose Obama. The majority of DUers choose Obama.

[EnviroBat]

84. Again with this "Hillary" person...? Hillary Who?

:shrug:

[rug]

31. I dunno. How accurate is a rectal thermometer?

[VeraAgnes]

34. More accurate than an oral or ear readings.

The rectum is very close to core body temperature.

Stick it in the liver and you win a prize at the State Fair.

[EnviroBat]

83. And twice as fun...

[rox63]

35. No, not officially, and yes

DU is in no way representative of mainstream Democratic voters. DU and its admins have not officially endorsed a candidate. But there are probably more Obama supporters than Clinton supporters among currently active members. And yes, DU skews somewhat to the left of the Democratic Party mainstream.

[OHdem10]

36. Not at all. Hillary Hatred here is not reflected at all in how voters

see things.

She could not be winning primaries if the country thinks as DU.

The first thing people pick up here is Du Advocates for Obama
and second Hillary Hatred is a sport here.

[Exilednight]

37. No .....

I lurked for a long time before posting, but DU is far from mainstream.

I don't believe the board to be biased, they're just reading the tea leaves. Most that support Obama - and let's be honest, he will be the nominee - supported another candidate who has since been knocked out. Personally I was hoping for a Richardson, Edwards, or Kucinich at the top of the ticket and Obama as a good possibility for VP.

I think DU pulls a large swath across across the political left spectrum. Some people are liberal-conservative, some are moderate, some are progressive, and some are far leaning left.

The problem with any online community is that a small vocal minority usually ends up taking control and drowning out several voices.

[TZ]

38. Nope

I have a relative who does work for Pew research and I can tell you, this site is way FAAAR to the left of mainsteam, even mainstream democrats.

[MethuenProgressive]

39. No. The two candidates are about 50-50 in voter support. But here, it's 95-5.

DemocraticUnderground 3.0 will rename itself ObamacraticUnderground.

[NorthCarolina]

41. If you're saavy enouth to identify BS from the Repug trolls on this site

then yes, I think it can be an indicator of Democratic opinion.

As far as DU being "biased" towards one candidate or another explain to me how that can even be a consideration? DU doesn't tell the posters what to say when they post, so any perceived "bias" towards one candidate or another is really only reflective of the support that candidate does or does not have amongst visitors to the site. If you remove the obvious Republican trolls masquerading as Democrats from the equation, I think you get a pretty good flavor of which candidate is legitimately more or less popular.

[Warren Stupidity]

43. Only if you enjoy rectal thermometers.

[Aloha Spirit]

63. perfect.

[stray cat]

45. No. Just like the right wing sites generally don't represent average republican voters

[NeedleCast]

46. DU Is Generally Not a Good Thermostat

Emotions on the interwebs are generally much more inflated than they are in real life (read: People say shit here they never would in the real world).

[Doun]

47. Overview of everyones opinion

3 out of 4 members say DU is not representative of the Democratic mainstream

3 out of 4 members say DU is biased toward Obama

And an even split on whether it is or isn't far left

[CJCRANE]

79. I view DU as a

combination left wing fight club/think tank/focus group/neighborhood bar.

If you have a thick skin, flameproof suit and sense of humor then you'll get on here.

[FlaGranny]

48. No it isn't.

The problem with DU is that most people here are much more informed than the general population. We investigate past the soundbites that they hear on the TV.

[rove karl rove]

61. yes more interest in politics

here than in the general population - they are more the democrats for a day.

[QC]

49. No. n/t

[KSinTX]

50. Yes.

If your entire DU experience lies in GD and GD-P, I suspect you might find otherwise. But there are gardeners, vegans, economists and a very cool lounge where I've met people with very good souls, insightful posts (beyond the one-line flamebait) and a great sense of humor.

Edit: Forget about those smileys! Aw heck, here's one anyway :P

[Catherina]

51. It sure looks like it is (Yes, Yes, No)

It took the rest of the country more time to get here but the netroots did its work and things changed.

My vote is Yes, Yes, No

[Marrah_G]

69. You realize half of Dems voted for Clinton right?

Seriously though, DU has never been a mirror of the general democratic party population.

I don't mean to sound snarky, but alot of people get caught up in DU and don't realize that it is not an indicator of the general population. If it were then the Dem party would be FAR more to the left and DK would be the nominee.

[purji]

75. you mean less than half.n/t

[Marrah_G]

80. No, I mean half, or more then half

Take out the indis and former repugs. All the polls have put registered Democrats as being slightly more for Hillary.

[purji]

82. If you don't count caucus states.n/t

[Catherina]

86. It probably depends where you're looking at it from

Don't worry, you don't sound snarky. I think Clinton got the benefit of name recognition votes. I didn't even vote in my Primaries because between Clinton and Obama, I couldn't see enough of a difference and thought Obama was too unknown. I even advised my friends to vote for Clinton. If the vote had been a few weeks later, you couldn't have kept me away from the polls and it would have been for Obama. The buyers remorse in CA is something terrible right now. I've kicked myself so hard, I have no shins left.

The opinions I encounter in real life are pretty much the same ones I see here, minus the grudge vitriol. I don't think most people here realize how political things are out on the streets, at least with young people. It's impossible to be apolitical when your friends are dying in the Middle East and our future is being jeopardized like this.

Back in 2001 when I first started reading this site, I thought it was very far to the Left. In 2004, I thought it was more to the Left than most people in the country too but in 2004 something weird happened and a lot of moderates joined DU. The first wave was to support General Clark then a second wave came with loyal Dems who wanted to support the Dem nominee. I think things evened up at that point. If DU wasn't a close mirror of the general population, Clinton would have this thing sewn up. They totally misunderstimated the feeling on the street and the power of the netroots.

I don't think DU is that Left anymore. I can point you to several other forums that are much more to the Left including a few that splintered off from this board because they thought this place went too far to the right. That makes me feel me DU is just about right for an even representation. Even more representative than a place like KOS. Four years I would have agreed with you, now not so much.

As far as DK goes, I don't think there are really that many DK supporters here. There are many fervent supporters but most people seem to just tolerate, ridicule, or dismiss him by casting more strategic votes.

I grant you that if I lived in Middle America, I probably wouldn't find this place very representative. If I lived in a Red state, I'd probably think DUers were far out whackos. :hi:

[cbayer]

53. Of course it is. Isn't that obvious?

Isn't it obvious that 85% of the general Democratic electorate favors Obama and that a large group of those people think Clinton is an evil idiot with no moral compass?

And of course there are all those polls that show that the vast majority of Democrats want Clinton to drop out.

Jeez :sarcasm:

[RichardRay]

54. Not even freaking close, Yes, for now. Hell No. (more)

No. I talk to a lot of people about politics. DU is an outlier. I read and post here mostly to get an idea of where one edge of the opinion space lies.

Yes, for now, but that's relatively recent.

No, very few people here have the slightest idea what it means to be far Left, and most of the ones that do aren't anymore.

[mountainvue]

55. No. n/t

[CreekDog]

56. activist Democratic opinion, yes

it is.

[Hippo_Tron]

58. Anybody who posts on a political message board isn't representative

And yes that includes the idiots over at Free Republic as well.

[paulk]

59. I would call it a barometer

and the answer is yes. If the majority here on DU believe something then it's probably not true.

[Beaverhausen]

64. absolutely not

[Major Hogwash]

66. Only if you're used to taking your temperature anally.

Because a lot of people posting here have their heads up their, oh forget it.

[nini]

67. No way

Most Democrats do not spend their time spewing flamebait on a message board meant to discuss real issues. DU used to be a place to come get real news the MSM wouldn't talk about and discuss it with a bit of intelligence.

Sadly, DU has become a dumping ground for hysteria, half truths, jumping to conclusions and flat out freeper-like behaviour.


Thankfully the average Democrat looks at the big picture and supports their candidate without having to trash the others. They will support the eventual nominee and move on with life.

IF this place is mainstream this country has bigger issues than the republicans and there is no hope left. Thankfully, I came to realize DU jumped the shark some time ago - too bad as it had been one of the best places on the internet to get an idea of what is really going on - no more sad to say.

[SeaLyons]

72. NOT

DU is a very distorted view. The race is 50/50, extremely close - yet on this board, it's nearly 98% Obama.

[Mike L]

74. DU is ultra-left. em

[2rth2pwr]

77. Hahahahahahahaha! LOL!

HEEheheeheehee hee


whew!

Thanks, I needed that.

[lisa58]

78. No, other people have lives.

[Independent-Voter]

85. No way. When's the last time anyone heard Kucsinich(sp) or Edward's name outside of DU?

The population as gives not a shit about either of those two guys, yet they pop up regularly on DU.

[TSIAS]

87. Keep things in perspective

I don't think that Hillaryis44 or other like sites are representative of most Clinton supporters.

I do find that people at DU are more argumentative than they might be in real life.

[Kaleva]

88. No

It is my opinion that a very large segment of thge DU population is far to the left of the mainstream Democrats.

[Blue-Jay]

89. It's a fuckin' message board.

[PBS Poll-435]

90. All of DU, close. GDP? It is an A-T-M rectal thermometer.

[lumberjack_jeff]

91. "is DU more biased"? Do bears shit in the woods?

DU has been co-opted as Obama Underground.

And no, it is not very reflective of general Democratic sentiment.

[Strawman]

92. Not a representative sample of the party imo

Opinion here leans toward left of the center of the Democratic party. Which is just fine by me. :)

But I wouldn't sample DU to gauge the opinions of rank and file Dems for something like a poll and expect it to accurately refelct the entire population of Democrats within any sort of reasonable margin of error. You might be able to say opnion here is representative of Democratic "activists".... maybe, but your average voter who identifies or leans Democratic, no.

[Mooney]

93. No.

DU is representative of DU.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

94. Oh God Not By A Long Shot. Lord Help Us If That Were True.

No... This place can be a hoot, and in certain forums and from certain posters much can be learned here, but mainstream opinion it is not. Not even close.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

95. Oh, And When A Majority Of DU'ers Support Kucinich As The Best Presidential Candidate,

then you just KNOW DU ain't anywhere close to being near the mainstream position of Democratic voters. That kinda sums it all up right there, don't it.