Clinton is no dummy, and I think his new theme is not just a stupid idea, but the result of research. I think it's a shrewd move. Every president since Carter in 1976 has been elected on the basis of the economy. Financial security has proven to be more important to the average american than freedom, election after election. In short, freedom isn't really an issue of national importance anymore, though some of us still value it deeply.
Security is the issue that gathers the crowds and wins the votes.
The America of 200 years ago was founded on the idea of freedom under God. That doesn't mean unrestrained freedom, but freedom within a given moral code. It did not mean you were free to loot your neighbor or sell your daughter as a prostitute. Now in a state ruled by this paradigm of freedom, there are always questions about how far those freedoms go. Today, however, there has been a paradigm shift in our society.