What exactly constitutes "the needs of white voters"?
White grievance politics, which is something that Trump and Republicans have excelled at, the type of things Democrats campaign on does not benefit white people, and even if it did, the problem is that it benefits other people they despise, so that's just as bad from their perspective, hence many of them chose to cut their noses to spite their faces.
Look at the shyt going on now with healthcare, SNAP, Section 8, etc, despite them being the main beneficiaries of these programs, they're willing to suffer if it means preventing other people from benefiting.
To be a White, male or female, Democrat is to be open and welcoming to change, y'know new ideas, new perspectives, new faces if you get what I'm saying, and those who are willing are few; the truth is that most White people are not open to changing the tide, and that's why we are here now. On the surface, it may seem like it's all about policy, but in reality, in the back of their minds, it's much deeper and complex.
Dems are never going to win the bulk of rural/Middle America voters because people in those sections of America are afraid of change that challenges or impacts their whiteness. So appealing to them is a waste of time and further alienates the main base.