By inspection of returns or by simple statistical calculations it is possible to turn up such hot spots on a local level. The practical result was a dent in Dukakis's chances in California. In its post-election stories, the Los Angeles Times noted the absence of a big Democratic majority in Los Angeles, but went no further than to blame Dukakis volunteers. It is important to probe to the right level. As it happened, The Hartford Courant was one newspaper that gave substantial attention to electoral geography in its 1988coverage, especially on the Democratic failure in the industrial districts of the Naugatuck River valley.
All generalizations derived from election returns are, of course, merely hypotheses.
They require the substantiation that can come only from reporting. Throughout 1992, newspapers, radio, and television have demonstrated refreshingly that they can talk to voters by dropping in to coffee shops and other public places. In general, this journalism has demonstrated that voters have had much more to say, and have said it better, than would be suspected from the polls' versions of their opinions. Extending the practice of dropping in to the days after the election is a unique opportunity. Not only could it add a fresh dimension to post-election analysis, but it could add to the record testimony that would otherwise soon be lost.