ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the political language and rhetoric; how different actors explain and legitimate the transition from the 'old' to the 'new'. It provides an interpretation of some conceptual and historical preconditions that have helped develop the 'morally conscious' new paradigm. The chapter discusses the 'political past', or presenting politically purposeful accounts of the social and political events of recent decades. It presumes that it is typical for critical thought to rewrite the past of political thought and action, and that theoretical and political claims are often validated by invoking these practical interpretations of the past. The chapter demonstrates a certain linkage between the 'political theory' and 'political practice' in these American debates. It considers as a particularly interesting example of political language because of its clear reference to historical time. Questions about morality, community, identity seem to have taken priority over 'old' disputes about developing the welfare state, reducing class tension, or pursuing an ethnically or sexually emancipated society.
