P.S. It's a push-pull situation, re left/right and progressive/conservative. The dynamism of that seems to work, overall, in the US. I've lived long enough now to realize that it does swing back and forth and works overall. Change against anti-change. In the end, change usually wins, it just may take a while or be delayed.
Such as the current debate re social change in the US re the legitimizing of gay marriage. It will happen eventually, but it may take some time with a lot of back lashings before it does. In a capsule, that issue is actually a very good current events example of how social change happens in America. Probably students in high school are studying it right now. Marnie aka Doe If anyone wants to argue about gay marriage specifically, please take it elsewhere. Like to a political forum. I was just using it as an example.
