I was saying that for the past few years based on my observations of Baltimore politics. To make a long story short, traditional identity politics have much less pull among voters, especially blacks, than it used to - having something substantive to say or simply offering a positive role model matters more, see for example my recent letter to editor http://www.citypaper.com/news/story.asp?id=11091
On an unrelated topic, I am going off to Ethiopia today (Addis Ababa) to a UN sponsored event (nothing political, just aiming to improve statistical reporting in Africa) and should be back next week (that is, if no war or other disturbances break out).
Wojtek