Perhaps Trump exposed the divide to the upper class, but I’m quite sure the rest of the population was quite aware of their inability to access or influence government long before the GOP’s meltdown.

Apparently, political memory is far too short. In 1774, a group of upper-class, English-educated, extremely influential gentlemen sat around griping about losing too much profit because of Britain’s war debt. In my mind I see an 18th century version of corporate board rooms and accounting firms around tax time. How can we avoid paying these pesky taxes, which will inherently reduce our profit margin (although not to the point of lowering our actual wealth)? In 1774, these gentlemen went around the 13 colonies, rounding up support for their cause among their fellow elites; plantation owners, industry-types, bankers, etc. (sound familiar?). When they phrased their rhetoric in ways the “average Joe” could sympathize, their efforts culminated in the War of Independence. I personally love how the war came to be remembered as a “revolution”, when nothing really changed for 90% of the population…

In today’s world, replace the elite drawing rooms and war preparations with tax havens. The modern elites now ARE the “ruling” party, so they do not have to go to war. Instead, they create dummy corporations, lobby their cronies both on the Hill and in their local districts, and influence the very legislation that enables them to continue maintaining their profit margins (and thus their bonuses). Many people think this is a new phenomenon, when in reality it is simply the reintroduction of the earliest American financial and political system.

The “golden age” of the mid-20th century was an aberration, not the norm. The end of WWII created a new path for American wealth — investing overseas. Those living in America proper benefited from the debts incurred in Europe and Asia during the war. And let’s not forget the protests of the Civil Rights Movement, the rise of unions, and the Womens’ Movement, which forced the government to act on a broad scale as a social equalizer, mainly in access to education and some form of health care. Johnson’s “Great Society” lasted just until the waning years of the Cold War, when the international cash cow began to dry up.

Trump came along at a time of increasing economic uncertainty among the “losers” in that Great Society. As Trump’s popularity rose, the elites began scratching their heads with their dumbfounded expressions, muttering “how could this happen? how could people be so stupid?…”, while the dispossessed and disillusioned souls with their righteous expressions were muttering “how did they not see this happening? how could they be so stupid?…”