In 1969 Kevin Phillips’ “The Emerging Republican Majority” explained how the Nixon era that would affect the next generation of American politics. In 2004, John Judis and Ruy Tiexiera—slightly prematurely—described the demographics and politics that would reverse the Nixon-Reagan-Bush eras in “The Emerging Democratic Majority.”

Examining the depth and breadth of the 2006 elections, I suggested that the new majority had emerged and we were embarking on a more progressive course. Nov.4 confirmed it.

With full due given to an exceptional candidate and masterly campaign, the winds of change were at their backs. If Obama’s presidency is successful in the least, it portends a Democratic majority for generations to come.

I see five major reasons: 1) Americans definitively overcame political prejudices based on racial and cultural divides to unite and vote on shared economic interests; 2) a majority recognized that government is no longer the enemy but can provide solutions to massive problems; 3) immigration and a growing Latino population play a major role in turning red places blue; 4) the nation’s suburbs are growing increasingly diverse and more moderate, and 5) the youth vote will long be with us.

Expanding on each point:

1. Americans with common economic interests have been successfully kept at odds by various power structures’ selling the idea that race and cultural questions such as abortion, immigration, evolution and homosexuality should be the predominant voting issues. In the old South, poor whites and poor blacks had more in common than poor whites had with the Bourbon power structures, but fear of “the other” long kept them apart—with a little help from the KKK. Clearly we have not yet “solved” America’s racial problems nor abolished all cultural divides—Sarah Palin worked hard trying to fire them up—but the wall has now been breached. Good morning Appalachia. What’s still the matter with Kansas?

2. Ronald Reagan did a great job peddling the notion that government is the problem, not the solution. The Bushes and self-confessed “Eisenhower Republican” Bill Clinton promulgated the idea—all the while increasing the size of government (don’t tell anybody). Suddenly, a free market, unfettered by regulation, coupled with a crippled, expensive heath-care delivery system cause unprecedented economic, social and physical pain. Alan Greenspan admits error. GOP treasury secretary turns Social Democrat. Major federal interventions begin—more to come. A voting majority supports governmental solution$. Farewell Milton Friedman. Paul Krugman phone home!

3. One day Republicans may realize their war on immigration was hemlock—though, ironically, George Bush and John McCain had sane, progressive legislative approaches to the issue. Their party rejected them and forced McCain to disown his own bills. This reversed the strong inroads Bush made into the Latino vote in 2004—Obama won at least 67 percent, flipping New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada. Arizona is next. Furthermore, Latino and immigrant populations played decisive roles in congressional races in many other parts of the nation—flipping at least three suburban-Chicago seats in recent years. Immigrant votes were important throughout Iowa, Minnesota and elsewhere, building Democratic majorities—despite the fact that their registration and turnout remain below average. Consider: If every eligible Latino, the nation’s largest minority, registered and voted proportionately to African Americans, we might never see another Republican president.

4. A move to the suburbs was once upwardly mobile, wherein folks took on the Republican coloration of their neighbors. But through the years, for many reasons, the moves became lateral and families retained their urban Democratic roots. Business and industry moved to suburbia and exurbia, attracting blue- and white-collar employees from everywhere, in and out of the USA. Suburbia began to change its coloration from red to purple to shades of blue. Hard-line right-wing issues such as banning abortion stopped selling in many areas. Democrats began winning offices here and there, then more and more. The new suburbia, from northern Virginia to the outskirts of Las Vegas and most points between is moderate to liberal, splitting tickets like Lincoln split logs. Places such as Evanston IL, once the rock-ribbed home of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union are hopelessly Democratic. More to come.

5. Ah, youth! The 18-30 group went better than two-to-one for Obama. Those under voting age seem equally inspired—to say nothing of oldsters above 30. Again, assuming his administration is somewhat successful in delivering on a couple of promises, people hang on to their youthful politics for years. It happened in the Roosevelt era and in the Reagan era. Younger people were key to Obama’s victory and newer waves will follow suit.

It would be nice to stay alive another 20 years to see this prediction come true. But then, we Democrats often find ways of screwing things up just when they start to look good.