Clearly Democracy and Capitalism were the winning combination. But we sometimes forget that Democracy is an ongoing process of re-inventing itself. 100 years ago when the league was formed, Big seemed like the winning formula - Big federal government, big municipal governments in cities. We looked to these institutions to do things for us that we couldn't do for ourselves. But today everybody is cynical about Big government.
Surveys show that people feel the biggest problem in our country today is the government itself.
The popular media has taught us to be suspicious, often with good reason. But as a result, to be cynical is to seem sophisticated, and so we have become disdainful of politics and politicians. But when we get to the regional level, something different is happening. Gates says he sees cities who want to retain and even celebrate thier own individuality, their culture, their heritage, while still working together to plan the future of their region. He sees regional media taking on more of an advocacy role, rather than just taking pot-shots at local and regional efforts, and he sees people willing to get involved and work together, people who trust each other much more than they trust their elected officials at the state or Federal level.