Listening to and reading all of the exit poll data tonight, it looks like everyone is once again missing the point. Obama is "losing" among white voters, but only because he is losing pretty big among white voters over the age of 65, and in particular among white women over the age of 65. Among white men over the age of 65 Clinton barely wins. And among white voters who aren't of retirement age? Obama wins outright.
The problem isn't race. Or at least, it isn't just race. Its far, far more complex than that.
Now what does that tell us about the fall election? It depends whether or not you think Democratic voters over the age of 65 - most of whom have voted Democratic for their entire lives - will realign themselves out of the Democratic Party. And if you do believe that, you need to explain why.
Also worth keeping in mind: the retirement age population as a percentage of the total population is much smaller than you might think. You could lose every voter over the age of 65 and still win the election in a massive landslide.
UPDATE: In case you missed it, now we be a good time to read Al Giordano's take on race in this election. Don't have time? Then just look at this graphic from earlier this week in the NYT:
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