The Race Question: "Obama Effect" Or Lasting Political Realignment
Posted Nov 28, 2008 at 3:23 PM
Derek Fields,
Caldwell,
New Jersey
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. I am not a demographer, but my sense is that the overall non-white population has been growing relative to the white population. 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. 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.
