Almost all of my friends are Democrats; all of them voted for Barack Obama in 2008. Ask them these days, as I have, if they plan to vote for Obama this November, and they’ll give you an “Oh shucks” sad smile, look down, look back up with guilty eyes and say “I’m disappointed.” I’m talking about a good number of intelligent, caring, middle-class Democrats who are a soft nudge away from casting their vote for Romney. All they need to know is that they’re not alone. In 1980, Carter treated Reagan as a ridiculous figure who, among other things, was...