A New Political Atmosphere in America

The general consensus that there has been a significant change in political mood, a shift toward liberalism, seems correct. It is, of course, extremely welcome, offering new possibilities for people of our persuasion; though we should take care to make necessary qualifications as to what liberalism means in present-day America.

1) No single explanation will completely account for the Democratic victory and the defeat of many reactionary candidates. But one formula may help: the image of well-being and assurance that has dominated American society these past ten or fifteen years —an image resulting from conscious fakery on the political summit and somnolent malaise at the base of a mass society—has been shattered. Samuel Lubell has put this accurately:

One finds a deep uneasiness. This uneasiness has a curious quality. It is not fretting over something that already has happened. Mainly, it reflects an anxiety over impending disaster, a sense that as a n...

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