Progress?

We may be seeing a few signs of progress.

New Realism. Only the politicians are still talking about getting things back to the way they were. Even with them, it is beginning to sink in that the People are Really Mad. You can get away with a lot when nobody's paying attention, not so much when they are. People are on the cusp of paying attention, and they don't like what they see so far.

Nationalization of the Banks. Even POTUS is publicly discussing the Swedish alternative for dealing with the financial crisis. He's giving the American people the choice of a Japanese or a Swedish outcome. He notes we have a different political culture and society than Sweden, but the last time I checked, the U.S. didn't look much like Japan, either. So, we'll be finding our own way, but with a due regard for the experience of others.

Socialism. Right now the social agenda of the new administration is completely on hold. Be interesting to see if health care reform gets lost in the shuffle. But if the public mood continues to shift, there will be a new focus of the strands in American culture that emphasizes collective effort, community action, fairness and equality, rather than those celebrating the free market efficiency, meritocratic individualism and personal freedom for anyone who is not a free-thinking pervert of color.