The panelists saw the failure of the Democratic Party in Florida to engage the African-American voters as an example of the party's failure nationwide to properly represent minority communities. Edley spoke of the Democratic Party's fear of "racializing" issues.
"The Democratic Party is afraid that by focusing on issues of race, they will alienate mainstream swing voters," Edley said.
The panalists criticized the majority of Democratic congressmen, repeatedly referring to them as "quivering wimps".
"Their natural instinctual response is going to be superficial," Edley said of Democratic congressmen. "They don't have deep wells of intellectual capital."
In the case of the Florida election, this meant that both Democratic and Republican politicians limited the focus of debate to the failure of voting machines. Issues of race were not confronted by politicians of either party.
"I worry that politicians are not inclined towards genuine reform," Guinier said.
The panelists suggested solutions for amending the voting process. Edley suggested same-day voter registration, performance standards in the voting process and resources allocated for education.
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