Campaign slogans used to sell the future. In 1960, John F. Kennedy promised Americans a “New Frontier”. Bill Clinton chose Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop” as his anthem. Tony Blair swept into Downing Street to D:Ream’s “Things Can Only Get Better”. Gerhard Schröder promised Germans he would not do everything differently, but many things better. These were statements of faith: the future would be an improvement on the present, and democratic politics was the vehicle that would take you there.

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