Heart be still, but America is in the early stages of what could be a major political shift. On issue after issue, from soaring crime to inflation to critical race theory, Democrats and the far left are being forced to play defense because their radical policies are failing.

Those policies moved to the forefront with Joe Biden’s election and the elevation of Sen. Bernie Sanders, a socialist, to budget chairman. The resulting social-justice and climate-change agenda would “totally transform America,” Biden promised.

But less than a year later, the results are disastrous. The effort to reshape the nation is clashing with reality — and reality is winning.

The outcome is far from certain, but developments make me an optimist. The green shoots of sanity are all around us and are verified by Biden’s collapsing poll numbers, and recent election results in Virginia and elsewhere.