Douthat on Race and Politics

Ross Douthat writes political columns for The New York Times that, at least sometimes, are not hostile to the GOP. In this column he writes about the extent to which the two major parties are coming to represent voters of different races.

Douthat is uncomfortable writing about this trend, as am I. And yet he makes a good point that Democrats have made a definite pitch to non-white voters; he writes:

Democrats haven’t just been passive players in the recent racial polarization of the parties: Rather, they’ve embraced and furthered the trend, as a necessary part of making their new presidential-level coalition of the ascendant. 

Republicans can hardly be blamed for making a pitch to working-class white voters. These are people left behind by the Democratic party which once claimed their loyalty.

Can you foresee American political parties becoming aligned with our various "tribes," as is so often the case in developing nations?