This week the Democrats had their chance to deliver on their promises. Nearly a third of all delegates to the Democrat convention are union members, while only 4 percent of Republican delegates were. But union members are hardly representative of the American working public, and the union bureaucrats who make up a hefty portion of the Democratic delegates are even less so. Only about 14 percent of all U.S. workers belong to unions, a number that has been declining for decades. Union endorsements for a candidate usually mean more votes from union members come November.
Democrats seem to have the edge here, at least in numbers.
Almost 1 in 5 Democratic delegates is African American, compared with only 4 percent of Republican delegates. But blacks represent only 2 percent of Republican voters overall but 19 percent of all Democratic voters. Black GOP delegates, therefore, represented twice their proportion of all Republican voters, while Democrats were simply on par. What's more, the much-maligned cavalcade of black, Hispanic and women speakers at the Republican convention were actually more diverse in their backgrounds, professions and life experiences than the Democratic speakers appear to be. Virtually all of the high-profile minorities at the Democratic convention are politicians or advocacy group heads.