Liberals have been remarkably successful in transforming America’s culture from within, dominating the media, universities, and the entertainment industry, where so many ideas originate. Elites have adopted new values of government dependency, the universalization of victimhood, instant gratification, political correctness, and group identity well before mainstream America. To be sure, we are not merely passive recipients; but families, busy paying bills and raising kids, are not immune to the relentless proselytization. Just as previous eras’ kids had their parents’ values reinforced from not-so-subtle television shows, movies, and celebrities, today’s children are similarly influenced by today’s popular culture.

Diversity and tolerance (for all except those who disagree with the liberal elites) are becoming the most sacred values in today’s more secular society. Nobody is arguing for their opposite, but values originally designed to protect the minority view have instead become tools with which to bludgeon into conformity all who hold dissenting views. Conservatives are no longer to be tolerated, much less debated with — all in the name of tolerance. The quickest way to silence those who have illiberal views on gay marriage, transgender bathrooms, or quotas is to simply label them bigots. Case closed.

A lifetime ago, during a very different Clinton presidential campaign, the candidate engineered a confrontation with Sister Souljah, and by extension Jesse Jackson, to prove he was not too liberal for mainstream voters. Today Hillary Clinton will have to manufacture a very different kind of moment to prove to the Black Lives Matter crowd that she is sufficiently attuned to their group grievances. The shift within the Clinton family is hardly surprising; they are masters at adapting to the times. What is noteworthy is how much has changed, both within the Democratic party and in the country as a whole. The Clintons are not to blame for this transformation; they merely serve as the weathervane, showing us the direction in which the cultural winds are blowing.