VOLUME 2004, No. 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS

EDITOR'S NOTE
by Peter Ross Range

Cover Story

THE COMEBACK PARTY
by Al From and Bruce Reed
The New Democrat ticket of Kerry and Edwards has the chance to build a new governing majority for years to come. Plus:

• SMART HEALTH CARE REFORM by David B. Kendall


• NATIONAL SERVICE by Marc Porter Magee


• KERRYNOMICS by Paul Weinstein Jr.


• FINISHING EDUCATION REFORM by Andrew J. Rotherham

Politics 2004

SWING VOTERS
by Mark Gersh
Seniors in Florida, the under-30 set in Pennsylvania, and independents in Oregon are just a few groups of potential swing voters that Kerry could fold into a winning coalition. A comparison of Clinton's successful 1996 campaign and Gore's near miss in 2000 reveals many others.

A PROGRESSIVE GROWTH STRATEGY
by Will Marshall and Robert Kuttner
The spectacular success of Clintonomics in the '90s and the abject failure of Bushonomics in the '00s has produced an unprecented Democratic consensus on economic policy.

BREACH OF CONTRACT
by Ed Kilgore
In 1994, Newt Gingrich and the Republican Party sold America a bill of goods called the Contract with America. Here's how it looks 10 years later.

CLOSING THE NATIONAL SECURITY GAP
by Will Marshall
Kerry can unite his party's hawks and doves, and establish a U.S. foreign policy based on the tough-minded internationalism of Truman and Kennedy, updated for the post-Cold War world. Plus:

• DISTORTING THE RECORD by Steven J. Nider

IDEAS WE LIKE
Joe Lieberman - John McCain
Budgetary truth

Book Excerpt

BILL CLINTON, NEW DEMOCRAT
by Bill Clinton

Columns

Political Memo by Al From Uniting, not dividing

The Vital Center by Bruce Reed So last year

The Politics of Ideas by Will Marshall A perfect fiscal storm

What Works by Sen. Tom Carper Teacher incentives

Cultural Politics by Peter Ross Range Moore is less

Culture & Politics

PAST AS PRETEXT
by Ed Kilgore

BUSH ON TRIAL
by Eben Gilfenbaum

HISTORY BY CATEGORIES
by Fred Siegel

RETURN OF THE LONG BOOM
by Robert D. Atkinson

GRADING TEACHERS
by Andrew Rotherham