In this issue, we turn our attention to that part of America that has suffered the most—the bottom 40 percent. We have assembled the brightest thinkers in the asset-building field to envision a new economic agenda for low- and middle-income households. Our symposium breaks new ground in looking beyond traditional anti-poverty programs and foregrounding the importance of savings and assets.

Next: Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein, two of Washington’s most esteemed thinkers, take a look ahead to the election—and beyond. William Galston, one of our editorial committee members, has an important essay on establishing a system for long-term care of the elderly. And Kent Greenfield, law professor at Boston College, offers a bold new way for progressives to challenge the baleful influence of Citizens United.

Finally: Ron Brownstein on LBJ and Obama. Michelle Goldberg on the rise of women. David M. Kennedy on Michael Sandel. Joshua Kurlantzick on Aung San Suu Kyi. Ben Adler on how our cities (and suburbs) are changing. And Sharon Lerner on why French mothers have it better.

We have put together a package called “Decision 2024” in which we ask a very simple but interesting question: In 12 years, what will our parties and politics look like? Nine distinguished contributors take us up on the challenge, among them David Frum, Christine Todd Whitman, Ruy Teixeira, Felicia Wong, and Kevin Drum.

Also in the issue: Peter Orszag, former White House budget director, charts a path to avoid the looming budget armageddon. E.J. Dionne, our esteemed editorial chairman, makes the case for why progressives need to pay as much attention to history as conservatives do. Adam Sheingate, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, takes a look at our food-safety system and argues for fundamental reform.

The issue also features an impressive lineup in our reviews and responses sections: Thomas B. Edsall on the conservative ascendancy. James Kwak on why some nations fail and others succeed. Kim Phillips-Fein on the extinction of the moderate Republican. Will Marshall on Bill Clinton’s communitarian legacy. Eric Rauchway on two new histories of liberals and radicals.

This issue’s installment in our “First Principles” series takes the problem on directly with excellent pieces by James Kloppenberg, Carmen Sirianni, and Eric Liu. Their essays make a persuasive case for the centrality of citizenship to the progressive agenda.

Also in the issue: Heather Gerken of Yale Law School calls on progressives to rethink their skepticism of federalism. Michael Lind and Lauren Damme offer a new idea to improve eldercare and create jobs at the same time. And Ethan Porter and David Kendall propose a new idea that will make it easier for citizens to see what benefits they draw from the government—and, by extension, why we should care about government in the first place.

The issue also features an impressive lineup in our reviews and responses sections: David Rieff on progressive interventionism. Larry Bartels on the politics of austerity. Michael Dobbs on the fall of the USSR. Daniel T. Rodgers on libertarianism and the Tea Party. Chris Lehmann on using Darwin to explain the economy. Hussein Ibish on the Arab Spring.

In this issue, Duke University law professor and distinguished author Jedediah Purdy looks at the Roberts Court—and finds much to worry about. Purdy argues that we are in a new era of economic libertarianism on the Court. But how we got here—through which legal theories and constructions—gives Purdy’s piece its force and originality, and drops some clues about how the Court might find on health reform.

Also in the issue: Jared Bernstein, fresh from his stint as Vice President Biden’s chief economic adviser, tackles a subject that’s on Washington’s mind: the debt. But that obsession has been outsized and misplaced—indeed, debt can be a good thing, Bernstein argues. His take on this important subject should be required reading for all of Washington.

The issue also features the return of our First Principles series. We asked five important thinkers to lay out progressive principles on foreign policy: Charles Kupchan on grand strategy, Rosa Brooks on democracy promotion, Tom Perriello on humanitarian intervention, Rachel Kleinfeld on public diplomacy, and Bruce Jentleson on adjusting to a “Copernican” world. And there’s more: Mark Schmitt on third parties. Andrew Exum on the soldier’s life. Tara McKelvey on top secret America. Christopher Byrd on Alfred Kazin.