The Cold War is history, the New Economy is rekindling mass upward mobility, and the social upheavals of past decades are subsiding.
Some commentators fret that peace and prosperity have drained U.S. politics of drama.
Perhaps because Washington actually did some things right in the last decade. Most Washington insiders, however, disparage quality of life concerns as fleeting or even frivolous. Just wait until the next recession or international crisis, they say, and no one will be talking about sprawl or snarled traffic anymore, but about real pocketbook and security issues. But it would be a huge political mistake for progressives to ignore or trivialize the quality of life agenda. In fact, these issues are likely to remain front and center because they reflect big and irreversible changes in American life.