Democrats Sample the Merlot, But Find It's Not for Everyone

NEW YORK -- The Democratic National Committee has minted a catchy new phrase for some of its most faithful voters: merlot Democrats.

The phrase is intended to encompass Democratic voters who are affluent and secular in their cultural values, and not particularly anxious about "pocketbook" issues. A rather high percentage of these liberals apparently are oenophiles.

DNC Chairman Howard Dean has relied on the merlot description several times recently as he travels about the nation talking to Democrats. In mid-September, Dean spoke to some deep-pocketed Democrats from the island of Manhattan. Afterward, a Democrat wrote a memo sharing highlights from Dean's talk.

"The DNC has identified four critical segments of the U.S. electorate," this attendee wrote. "1. Merlot Democrats: We are the base."

Dean mentioned three other categories in this talk: "Patriotic Democrats," who often leave the party because of the Republican emphasis on moral values and the war on terrorism; "Regular Republicans," which is the other party's base; and "Backlash Republicans" who are troubled by the direction of the country and would, perhaps, vote Democratic.

No mention was made of other political subsets, such as "Dewar's Libertarians" and "Organic Syrah Greens."

Pollsters are much enraptured these days by catchy demographic categories. But some skeptics say choosing a French grape to describe the base of a party that has lost two straight presidential elections in part because of problems competing in middle America may lack a certain populist je ne sais quoi (meaning "I don't know what," for the French-impaired).

"Identifying with a French red grape is indicative of being out of touch with America," said Mitchell Moss, a professor at New York University who has advised both Republicans and Democrats. "At least pick something more American, like 'Gallo Hearty Burgundy Democrats.' "

Mention such criticism to the man who coined the phrase, DNC pollster Cornell Belcher, and he waves a yellow flag of caution. He said he never intended the merlot designation to apply exclusively to high-end Democrats.

"Merlot is something I made up late one night," Belcher said. "I don't want to get too caught up in the cuteness of the name."

Belcher said the point of his analysis was to examine how the Democrats could better appeal to a different, key group of voters: so-called faith-based Americans who make up a majority of the electorate. "A large segment of Americans are faith voters, who make sense of a great deal of their lives through the prism of religion," Belcher said.

As for merlot lovers? Belcher found that one-third possess postgraduate degrees and they rate concern about the federal deficit as a top-three issue. And perhaps like the grape itself, they tend to mature faster and are softer in texture (as described by http://www.cellarnotes.net ).