Trends

Going back to political trends, I think this is a credible assessment from the liberal Center for American Progress -- and it addresses long-term issues that aren't being addressed or even acknowledged by American conservatives.

Today, more than two-thirds of Americans rate a "progressive" approach to politics favorably, a 25-point increase in favorability over the last five years, with gains coming primarily from those who were previously unaware of the term. "Progressive" now equals "conservative" in terms of overall public favorability (67 percent, respectively). The continuing strength of the conservative brand--if not all of its constitutive ideas--reflects the long-term success of the conservative movement over decades. Despite electoral setbacks and larger proportions of Americans now adhering to progressive ideas about governance and society, the conservative worldview remains appealing to many Americans and creates important cleavages in the electorate, particularly on key cultural and national security beliefs....

But unless and until conservatives recognize the depth of affinity between President Obama's ideological approach and that of the American electorate, conservative ideas likely will remain in secondary status... Notably, the ideological areas of greatest consensus among Americans are all key priorities and investment targets of President Obama: renewable energy; education, science, and infrastructure; universal health care; financial support for the least well-off; public interest regulations; and reductions in inequality financed by increased taxes on the wealthy...

[P]rogressive attitudes about government and economics are particularly strong among those under the age of 30, suggesting the potential for further strengthening of progressivism within the electorate.

I know it may be hard for some of you to buy that Americans worry about the poor or about income inequality, but you again have to go back to the polling that shows that even the majority of America's wealthy are willing to pay higher taxes in order to address the issues mentioned above.

And this piece above doesn't even give much attention to an emerging culture of environmental stewardship among the millennials, which is boring or anathema to today's conservatives and libertarians. Again, these kids may change drastically in ten years, but given the shake-up of the economy and their short-term prospects, they may go on to create a radically different culture than that of their more conservative parents.