The gradual corruption and demise of the liberal class has occurred without much comment. For decades it was a modest curb against the worst excesses of power. Once the pillars of this class, the Democratic Party, the unions, and the liberal church, collapsed, the poor, the working class, and even the middle class no longer had a defender, thus creating a vacuum that is increasingly filled by opportunists and charlatans. The electoral process, flooded with money, is heavily influenced by corporations. The Supreme Court votes for the powerful. Dismayed citizens, fed a media diet of bread and circuses, lose their jobs, savings, homes and dignity thus becoming easy prey for demagogues who scapegoat and blame others for the problems facing the country.

Chris Hedges is an award-winning journalist who has covered wars in the Balkans, the Middle East and Central America. He writes a weekly column for Truthdig.com and is a senior fellow at The Nation Institute. He is the author of American Fascists, Empire of Illusion, and Death of the Liberal Class.