According to a recent voter analysis published in the New York Times, Democrats have many reasons to rejoice. Not only did they recently win control of Congress and thousands of offices on the state and local level, the data suggest a trend that may make them the dominant political force for quite some time. Although the Right tasted some victories on the gay marriage issue and Affirmative Action, Democrats appear to be appealing increasingly to the people who will control elections in the future.

Eighty-nine percent of the African-American vote went for the Democrats. Blacks are apparently continuing to vote for government favors and preferences. Moreover, there is evidence, such as the nearly 70% out of wedlock birth rate, suggesting that many blacks feel more comfortable with the flexible moral directions espoused by Democrats. (Read Juan Williams on what he calls “the culture of failure.”) African-American political and intellectual leaders are virtually unanimous in backing the Democratic Party, and there is probably nothing the GOP can do to reverse this position. Has the veneration of Martin Luther King, Jr. or the presence of Colin Powell, Condoleeza Rice, and Clarence Thomas in the highest ranks of government impressed anyone in the black community?

Eighty-eight percent of Jewish voters came out for the Democrats. While their numbers are small, their influence, of course, is considerable. Unwavering support for Israel by the GOP has made no dent in this historic commitment to the Left.

Seventy-five percent of the “gay, lesbian, or bisexual” vote went to Democrats. We may expect to see more sympathetic legislation by Democratic judges and legislators, challenging the traditional family and a whole range of historic moral principles. There is no way most conservatives could accommodate this minority to win their votes. (Which is one of several reasons why Rudy Giuliani will have difficulty securing the presidential nomination in 2008.)

Seventy percent of Hispanics voted for Democrats. Their numbers are growing at such a rate, of course, that they may dominate the politics of several states in the future. Despite President Bush’s highly sympathetic attitude toward Hispanics, Republicans are correctly associated with efforts to quell illegal immigration. As Hispanics become more prosperous, they may move toward the GOP, but that is mere speculation. Fifty two percent of people of all colors with annual incomes between $75,000 and $99,999 went for the Democrats, and the wealthy (over $100,000) split almost evenly between the parties.

Sixty-one percent of young people, ages 18 to 29, voted Democratic. (They were highly influential in securing Democratic gains in Wisconsin.) While the Left would contend that this reflects higher educational attainment, it also surely reflects the leftist indoctrination experienced in the classroom from kindergarten through graduate school. The GOP will face hard times in the future if it fails to demand more objectivity and balance from teachers and professors. Young people also live in a media world, and the line coming through the loudest is invariably compatible with Democratic politics and morals. True, people often become more conservative and sensible as they grow older, have families, and assume mortgages, but 54% of voters ages 30 to 59 went for the Democrats in this election, and 52% of seniors followed suit.

Fifty-six percent of Catholics voted for Democrats. So much for the fervent appeals of orthodox clergy to honor life from conception and those who support it.

The booming West Coast (56%), the powerful and influential East Coast (64%) and the Midwest (53%) voted Democratic. In California, the Republican governor won reelection only by creating a coalition with Democrats, which is another way of saying that his GOP principles are negotiable.

In Wisconsin, which barely went for Kerry in 2004 and has been called a “purple” state, Democrats won the race for Senator and Governor, took over the State Senate, and made large gains in the Assembly. A one-sided media in the major population areas of the state surely had an impact. The influential Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has virtually abandoned any pretence of objectivity, attacking President Bush and the GOP with an intensity that is almost amusing.

At least for the near future, Democrats appear to be in excellent shape. Owning the nation’s schools, the major media, and the minorities makes a huge difference, and population trends are highly encouraging. Still, with victory they are now forced to be something more than obstructionists, and their policies may not prove as popular as the public anticipates.

In any case, Republicans must regroup, reexamine their economic, political, military, and moral principles, and develop strategies for a comeback. It will not be easy. The prospect of a Clinton-Obama ticket grows larger. And perhaps that in itself will provide the impetus to come together and go to work.