1 2 <p>I think that in order to really understand the impact of racial voting, we need to see not only the breakdown of the vote but a normalized view based on relative density in the population.&nbsp; I am not a demographer, but my sense is that the overall non-white population has been growing relative to the white population.&nbsp; If this is the case and if it is the case the Obama has created a more permanent Democratic affiliation in the non-white population, then this creates some basis for arguing that the Democratic majority is sustainable over a longer term than just one election.&nbsp; In other words, the more interesting racial question is whether this election was an "Obama-effect" that won't last beyond this election or this candidate or whether it is symptomatic of a general realignment of electoral power from whites to non-whites and whether that realignment favors the Democratic party.</p> Caldwell Derek Fields 33 2008-11-28T15:23:20-05:00 540 true 2008-11-28T15:23:20-05:00 2008-11-28T15:23:20-05:00