Do Demographic Changes Point to a Democratic Future?
Experts Debate at AEI WASHINGTON, FEBRUARY 29, 2008 — Demography is, to a certain extent, destiny, and political changes are often foretold and explained by demographic transformations. Generational, religious, geographical, and socioeconomic changes offer key clues to the politics of tomorrow. Experts in demographics, politics, and public opinion spoke at a joint AEI/Brookings Institution conference on February 28 about how demographic shifts will affect the 2008 race and beyond. They concluded: • Almost all U.S. population growth to 2050 will be in metropolitan areas, especially inner and mature suburbs, which have been trending strongly Democratic. • Americans are increasingly sorting themselves geographically by affinity and ideology, creating “landslide communities.” • The key battlegrounds of the 2008 elections will be the fast-growing swing states, which are experiencing rapid immigration. • The white working class–once a mainstay of Democrats–is shrinking, and as it has decl
