What's New Is Old

In 1896, William McKinley defeated William Jennings Bryan for the presidency of the United States. Political scientists generally treat 1896 as a "realignment election." It put in place an electoral map that lasted until FDR and failed the Republicans only in 1912, when Teddy Roosevelt abandoned their ranks and ran as a third party candidate.

So, take a look here at the 1896 electoral map. Then, look here at Nate Silver's current projected map for 2008. Hmmmmm.