Paul Krugman would like to welcome you to the “Real America.”
The New York Times columnist and Nobel Prize-winning economist wrote in an early Tuesday morning blog post that President Obama’s victory is a sign of a changing America that is no longer dominated by “non-urban white people.” (Only 39 percent of the white vote went to Obama this election, according to CNN.com.)
“[T]he real America trumped the 'real America,'” Krugman wrote. “The 2008 Obama coalition wasn’t a fluke; it was the country we are becoming."
Obama’s victory Tuesday night was the result of a diverse coalition of voters. The president scored near-record levels of support from Latino voters and high African-American voter turnout in Virginia -- an important swing state -- were key to Obama’s victory, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In addition, the majority of women voters chose Obama, creating a gender gap that was larger than during the 2008 election.
Krugman is not the only one to call attention to this point. The Huffington Post’s Howard Fineman notes Obama’s “victory signaled the irreversible triumph of a new, 21st-century America: multiracial, multi-ethnic, global in outlook and moving beyond centuries of racial, sexual, marital and religious tradition.”
And some of Obama’s critics even took note of the trend. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told CNBC in August that there weren’t enough “angry white guys” out there to ensure a Republican victory.
Graham may be right. And if Obama’s reelection is any indication, the country appears to be moving away from the more Palinesque view of “Real America.”
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