Is this a "liberal moment"?

Or is it a "conservative slump"? What is the momentum of this moment, and where will it lead? Is it just a phase or will it usher in a new era? Leftward, Ho? - The L Word, in the New York Times of February 18, 2007, gives a good overview of theses questions.

Others, such as the sociologist Bill Domhoff, think of the midterm elections not as a success for liberals, but rather as a return to the status quo, with mainly "moderate conservatives" now being in charge again: What Happened in the 2006 Midterm Elections, November 2006.

Bruce Ackerman, professor of law and political science at Yale University, and author of Before the Next Attack: Preserving Civil Liberties in an Age of Terrorism (2006), calls it "an opening:"

"We’re at a moment where I think the disasters of the Bush administration’s domestic and foreign policies are being appreciated" (quoted in the Times article).

Much will depend on which kinds of progressives (more and more of which now dare to call themselves liberal again) will prevail, and how fast conservatives will be able to recover.