America's socio-political sea change

John Podhoretz -- yes, John Podhoretz -- makes the case that the tremendous rise in support for the Democrats in recent polls reflects a steady, ongoing shift toward social liberalism among the American people -- a trend only temporarily interrupted by the September 11 attack.

It's a view bolstered by this survey of attitudes among young people (ages 18-30), which shows that this age cohort, by even larger margins than the rest of the population, rejects Republican politicians and Republican positions on most issues. Economic interests are cited as most important, with the young strongly favoring a larger and more active government, but the gap is wide in pretty much every major area. Even the one exception is interesting: young people have a relatively favorable view of Rudy Giuliani, who, though a Republican, is liberal on social issues.