A Politics in America?

It’s not the populist moment yet—not because the elements aren’t there, but in large part because the Democrats don’t know how to put them together. The 1990 election results point to a voter revolt in which neither the left nor the right can take great comfort. Still, the terms of debate are starting to shift in a populist direction. Democrats may no longer know how to make a populist speech, but by the end of October, the least of them were quoting Kevin Phillips.