The writer says "The portrait of America for the past three decades or more has basically looked the same. And I have never been in that portrait."
Well, he's getting close to understanding the truth. But he needs to realize it's not just the last three decades....but the last twenty decades! He's out of touch with America because he's never understood what Americas was built on!
Yew said it!!
I think the writer is more right than you about length of time. I think America began to drift toward Socialism when Europe did (early part of 20th Century, definitely between World Wars). 30 or so years ago Goldwater's Revolution began and took root with Ronald Reagan who gave it wings. I date the beginning of the Reagan Revolution about the same time as the writer does, when there was a gentle to rolling to (now) sweeping shift back to the ideals of our founding fathers. In the respect that we're moving back to them, you are right. In the respect that the country had moved well away from them, the writer is correct.
MHO.