8:15 am — TCM — Meet John Doe Not one of Frank Capra's best takes
on social idealism, but it definitely has its moments — and Barbara Stanwyck, what more do you really need?
In the light of this analysis, then, my own scenario is cautiously hopeful, depending
on (1) whether a creative minority of dreamers and doers with visions of a new life - fulfilling
social order really emerges in strength, (2) the alliances that can be worked out with blacks, the poor, and other minorities now excluded from major
social benefits, (3) the extent to which the populist
idealism of the lower middle classes and working people generally favoring the extension of rights and equality to the «little man» everywhere wins out over the reactionary fears and prejudices which establishment elites and opportunist politicians are all too willing to exploit, and (4) what takes place at the center of the political spectrum itself under the pressure of events and in response to challenges to the established system from militant seekers of change.