Our eyes have not deceived us, the RNC is white, male and corpulent.
Of all these differences, the contrast in racial and ethnic demographics is perhaps most visible to viewers of the conventions, being held this year on consecutive weeks. The Republican gathering has more white delegates than in 2004, and more men as well.
According to polls of delegates conducted by The New York Times and CBS News, 93 percent of the Republican delegates are white (compared with 85 percent in 2004 and 89 percent in 2000), while 5 percent are Hispanic and 2 percent are black. The Democratic delegate pool in Denver, according to the survey, was 65 percent white, 23 percent black and 11 percent Hispanic, roughly the same as at other recent Democratic conventions.
The poll also found that men accounted for 68 percent of Republican delegates (compared with 57 percent in 2004) and about half the Democratic delegates.
[From Political Memo – Two Conventions With No Shortage of Contrasts – NYTimes.com]
The stately New York Times is too gentile to mention the other main difference, and the biggest cause of laughter in my focus group: Republicans attempting to dance, and failing. Yikes.