I found this map, which has been making the rounds, rather striking. It shows where the country shifted more republican relative to 2004:

http://www.dailykos.com/images/user/28416/map2.jpg

Here's why I find it striking. Compare that map with this one:

http://i35.tinypic.com/1o6d5f.jpg
(original source: http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/jan/05_0055.htm)

The second map depicts what those familiar with the South often refer to as the "black belt", which is (unsurprisingly) bluer in the first map. But then what the red-shaded areas on the first map seem to depict is what might be called the southern "white belt".

This stands in rather stark contrast to other mostly rural, mostly white areas of the country such as North Dakota or Indiana. The latter, if you don't know this already, has a history of being a northern stronghold of the KKK. Obviously, not so much anymore. Elsewhere, however, Obama was decidedly not regarded as a viable candidate.