Elections

We’ve gotten our hearts broken before. Clinton, many of us hoped, was really a closet progressive who somehow also attracted moderates. His fellow southern governor, Jimmy Carter, looked to be a fine reformer for the post-Watergate era. But both presidents left legacies more conservative than liberal. Both were anti-party men. Both failed to use their […]

As George W. commandeers the political center, Gore and Bradley may find more compelling voices as liberals.

Did he inhale? Did he duck the draft? Whom does he remind you of?

T he past two years have humbled both liberals and conservatives-or should have. The 1992 election, liberals hoped, would set in motion a new cycle of progressivism. It didn’t. After the 1994 election, the new conservative leaders of Congress expected to stage a revolution. They didn’t. First President Clinton failed to secure the bolder aspects […]

The centrist politics of the election produced a shrunken electorate and mandate. Are there fresh sources of progressive energy at the grass roots?

Poor people are typically democracy’s missing persons. But the patterns of low-income voting show what really motivates the voters on election day.