The crumbs that was the New Deal is because of major agitation by socialist and communist groups at that time. FDR enacted the New Deal to "save capitalism from itself." Back then, Labor had many avenues to wield influence and force. We have nothing near that now. Unions specifically, and Labor in general, are completely marginalized. So, any individual front, or even something as noticeable as Occupy, are going to get short thrift in our corporate owned media.
I think things are going to get a lot worse before we, as a class, develops its consciousness.
Looky there; I'm talking like a Marxist. 
In all seriousness, anarchists in general (with exceptions), never really put a premium on the material conditions being necessary for revolution (myself included). We generally think that either creating the new in the mold of the old (Mutualism; evolutionary), or igniting and propelling the masses by "propaganda of the deed; revolutionary) was/is sufficient to establish a socialist/anarchist society.
But the way we Americans just take everything the government tells us as gospel, I'm afraid material conditions may be a prerequisite.
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