AND I QUOTE / What Political Books Are Saying : THE POLITICS OF MEANING: Restoring Hope and Possibility in an Age of Cynicism,<i> By Michael Lerner (Addison-Wesley; $24; 339 pp.)</i>

“Society’s dominant discourse shapes not only its politics but the way people think about their personal lives and choices. Just as John F. Kennedy helped legitimize a discourse of idealism that gave impetus to the social movements of the 1960s, so Ronald Reagan managed to legitimize a discourse of selfishness and insensitivity that has had profound social consequences far beyond his administration’s legislative successes.

“Shifting society’s discourse--from one of selfishness and cynicism to one of idealism and caring--is the first and most important political goal of a politics of meaning in the next several decades.”

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Inspirational self-help meets political hard-ball: Conservatives stole God and liberals lost their way. So Americans yearn. Not for material self-interest but to escape the stress of fearing they are wasting their lives. Tikkun magazine editor Lerner says the solution lies not in the stale political center but in the quest of new policies that provide “meaning” to society and its diverse individuals. Such as: Cut the work week, spread jobs around, gain time for real family values.

SO WHY NOT? Borrowing from Lerner’s call, Hillary Clinton made the case for the politics of meaning. Her reward? National ridicule. It would seem that faith and imagination are trace elements no longer part of our political diet. Until they are, the cynics can chortle.