America is a politically divided nation. For all the outcomes of the 2008 election, it wasn’t a true redrawing of the political map. Some states, which were and continue to change demographically, were primed to become full-fledged swing states, and a strong Democratic candidate in a change election brought them to his side.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=107983