The Raising Kaine Community in Numbers

By: Lowell
Published On: 6/18/2007 7:14:09 PM

Over the past 10 days or so, we've been running a poll on the RK community's political views.  The results are interesting, and definitely not the stereotype that the right wing would like to pretend we are.  True, the highest vote-getter in the poll was "liberal Democrat," with 51 out of 167 votes.  So, yes, we have a strong liberal contingent here at Raising Kaine, as would be expected at a partisan political blog.  I wonder what the comparable numbers would be for leading Republican blogs in Virginia.  My guess is that they'd be overwhelmingly right-wing Republican.

In contrast, here at RK, we have a significant diversity of viewpoints.  Although liberals constitute a plurality at 30.5%, we also have a strong contingent of moderate Democrats, Jim Webb populists, and TR/RFK progressives.  Combined, those latter three categories account for 51% of the RK community. There's even a smattering (13% combined) of moderate Republicans, conservative Democrats, conservative Republicans and Libertarians.

In sum, RK is a diverse community, mainly but not only of Democrats.  It's got liberals, moderates, conservatives, populists and progressives.  Obviously, this poll wasn't scientific, but my guess is that it's a pretty good reflection of the types of people we've got coming here.  My only surprise out of this poll was that there weren't more "Jim Webb populists" and "TR/RFK progressives." 

How about you, what's your perception of the RK community's political leanings?  Is the Virginia Democratic blogosphere different from the national progressive blogosphere, and if so, why?

Comments



RK is definitely to the right (JPTERP - 6/18/2007 10:59:26 PM)
of DailyKos. 

I don't think the guns rights issue is much of a big deal here; folks tend to be more aligned with foreign policy realists and less isolationist than I sense at a place like DailyKos.  The New York Times is not pilloried here as a "conservative" newspaper.  Even the Washington Post gets pretty mild treatment here compared to DailyKos (although its editorial page is certainly ripe for the semi-regular ripping).

There is clearly overlap between DailyKos and RaisingKaine in terms of attitude and outlook--especially as it relates to the current state of the Other party and this administration--but one telling bellweather for gauging differences between the two sites was in the response here to Mudcat's Swampland blog about "elitists" versus that at DK.  Fewer ruffled feathers here.  Maybe it was the Webb campaign connection, or the fact that many here have a clearer sense about where Mudcat is coming from, but I suspect it's also a reflection of some of the difference in attitudes between the two sites as well. 



I had a hard time deciding (Jambon - 6/19/2007 12:42:58 AM)
which bracket I fit into.  I thought about voting for "Jim Webb populist" but I'm slightly to the left of Webb on some social issues so I just voted "liberal democrat".  I probably would have voted for "liberal populist" or "progressive populist" had it been an option.

 



Same Point with Me (Matt H - 6/19/2007 8:59:23 AM)
I'd like to be considered a "populist" first, but I think that "liberal democrat" encompasses populism to a certain extent, when you weed out the faux, anti-labor, elitist liberals.


I would argue that "populism" can be (Lowell - 6/19/2007 9:36:38 AM)
liberal or conservative. Basically, it cuts across the usual ideological divides.  Thus, Pat Buchanan and Ralph Nader are both "populists," coming from very different ideological perspectives in terms of traditional left/right.  Perhaps that's part of the reason Jim Webb said "the old labels of liberal and conservative no longer apply?"


Same here (Hugo Estrada - 6/19/2007 1:23:17 AM)
I feel that I am a liberal, TR/RFK progressive-Jim Webb Populist. :) I ended up voting liberal because that is the term that is more clearly defined than the other two ones.


the "Thomas Paine Patriot" version of this poll (Jambon - 6/19/2007 1:27:53 AM)
sorry, but I just couldn't resist:

Politically I Am A

*George Burke/Gerry Connolly/Linda Smyth Progressive Patriot
*Harris Miller/FDR Populist
*Webb/Reagan/Goldwater Republican
*Not Larry Sabato Communist
*Raising Kaine Stalinist

*snark snark*



very, very LIBERAL! (martha - 6/19/2007 5:53:08 AM)
Even though most of the people who comment here are from Northern VA and Richmond I really enjoy reading this blog.It is so interesting to see what is going on elsewhere.

  I live in Lynchburg but I grew up in Roanoke. Both cities are so very different from NOVA or Richmond but there is a large group of pragmatic and  liberal, commited Dems in both Lynchburg and Roanoke...especially Lynchburg, believe it or not.

Our city chair is very progressive and attended Sorensen. We work hard in this city to elect DEMS and make our voices heard above the religous rhetoric shouted from Thomas Rd. ( Falwell) and other, even more conservative churches around here.