Could Indiana Go Blue?

That's the title of an interesting article in Newsweek. The article provides an overview to polling data, demographic shifts, and economic influences that have put the Hoosier State within the grasp of the Land of Lincolner. The Republicans clearly see Indiana in play, because they're buying airtime there. Even so, the article concludes:

McCain may have been right not to invest in Indiana. Why? Because it's near-impossible to imagine Obama winning Indiana without winning its eastern neighbor, Ohio, as well. The Buckeye State and the Hoosier State are identical demographically, but the former's politics are far more centrist--meaning that it's far more likely to vote Democratic. And if Obama wins Ohio's 20 electoral votes, he'll almost certainly win the White House--with or without Indiana. In the end, then, an Obama victory in Indiana may not change the outcome of the election. But it would certainly change our image of a swing state. And that could have repercussions long after Election Day 2008.

Personally, I would like Obama to be close to 400 in the Electoral College. A national repudiation of the last eight years would be good for the country and good for democracy.