“For a decade, Democrats have heard promises that a durable electoral majority was just around the corner. It’s easy to construct such a majority on paper: Racial minorities and young voters (those born after 1978) turn out at record levels, working-class whites suppress their socially conservative leanings to vote their pocketbooks, and suburban professionals and their spouses vote together as unified blue households. Such a coalition could obliterate the aging, white, male, socially conservative Republican base that has dominated American politics for most of the past three decades. This majority, however, is like the carrot tied in front of the donkey’s nose — always just a few inches away.” (10/06/08)