Four big questions of the presidential election

[struggle4progress]

Who wins, and where, will give clues about the nation's feelings on race, the role of government and the hold of partisanship.
By Peter Wallsten and Janet Hook
November 2, 2008

... "Fifteen years ago, it would have been inconceivable for many people to think about a black person as president of the United States. It required this demographic change of younger people with more liberal attitudes coming to the fore," said Reynolds Farley, a University of Michigan sociologist who studies interactions among races ...

McCain's running mate Sarah Palin apologized for describing small towns as "pro-America areas of this great nation" -- a comment widely read as saying other areas are unpatriotic. Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole, in traditionally conservative North Carolina, may have lost ground after labeling her opponent as "godless" ...

More than anything, surveys indicate, people want competence, after living through a Bush administration that even many Republicans say bungled the war in Iraq, the response to Hurricane Katrina and the economy. "I voted for Bush, and I can't believe it," said Jerry Mills, a welder in Ohio who fears he will lose his home to foreclosure. "I don't want to admit to it. I'm not happy with where he put us" ...

Those are signs that the U.S. electorate is changing to one that is more racially diverse, younger -- and possibly more friendly to Democrats ...

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-questions2-2008nov02,0,5414455.story