I ran across this 1967 remark by Pat Moynihan in a speech to the Americans for Democratic Action: “Liberals must divest themselves of the notion that the nation — and especially the cities — can be run from Washington . . . The old-time Tories had a point when they said you can’t change human nature — for good or ill — with a bill-signing ceremony in the Rose Garden.”
Swap out “car companies” for “cities” and it would apply perfectly today. Is there any successor to Pat among liberal Democrats today? With the partial exception of Lieberman (mostly on foreign policy), the field looks barren.