Sorry Women, Blacks, Latinos, and Young People—You Don't Count
Jamelle Bouie  A group of real Americans protest President
Obama.  It goes without question that, if President Obama wins
reelection, he will have done so with one of the most diverse
coalitions ever assembled by a major party nominee. He will have
won large majorities of women, young people, African Americans,
Latinos and Asian Americans.    A broad mandate this is not.
To a large degree, white Americans—and white men, in
particular—are still treated as the “default” voter, for whom
politicians must focus their appeals. When Mitt Romney held a
rally with coal workers in Ohio, he was trying to “broaden his
appeal.” When President Obama focuses on immigration and
reproductive health—core issues for Latinos and women—he’s
“pandering.” The alternative view—that white men are a special
interest whose voting is out of sync with the rest of the
country—is rarely entertained, despite the fact that it is
closer to the truth.  In any case, a vote is a