Charles Pierce, Esquire's political writer, has the right diagnosis: the "prion disease," as he calls it, first infected the Republican party with Ronald Reagan's supply-side ideology.  Really, everything followed from that.  There were indeed years of relative prosperity, owing at least partially to right-wing policy victories (which continued right on into the Clinton years--remember that he was a "New Democrat").  But that prosperity kept slipping more and more out of balance as policies were more and more dictated by the financial "industry."  Geo. W. Bush was generally clueless, and started a needless war to boot.  Obama talked a good game but, partly because of Republican obstructionism and partly because of his own habits of caution, didn't achieve any major economic realignment.  So here we are, ratfcked, as Pierce puts it.  Yes, we have to hope Hillary wins.  But the malefactors of great wealth are still on top, where they will remain until they see some heads on pikes.