Interesting article on CBSNews.com about how Bush is trying to court traditionally Democratic-leaning constituent groups such as Blacks and Hispanics by appointing new Cabinet members such as Condoleeza Rice as Secretary of State, Alberto Gonzalez as Attorney General, and most recently, Carlos Gutierrez as Secretary of Commerce. As the article notes,

Only about one out of ten black voters backed President Bush, according to exit polling. Yet Hispanic support was instrumental to Mr. Bush’s victory in early November. Improving by at least 10 percent compared to 2000, four out of ten Hispanic voters supported Mr. Bush’s bid for reelection.

“It’s been a significant outreach effort on the part of Bush and Rove,” said John Fortier, executive director of the Continuity of Government Commission at the American Enterprise Institute. “[With the Cabinet appointments] you have some symbolism for a group that is hopeful it is gaining in America.”

Democrats tend to be a little suspicious of course, pointing out that while Bush might place more people of color in highly visible leadership positions, his overall record on civil rights issues and other issues that are vitally important to communities of color still remain rather dubious.

However, from most accounts, it appears that the Democratic Party (or more specifically, John Kerry) lost some degree of support from Hispanics, Blacks, and Asian Americans in the 2004 election, compred with the 2000 elections. Is it a case that the Democrats took us for granted and are now paying the price?