The unspoken central political phenomenon of our time is the emergence of a ruling class which seeks to transform American society into a collectivist polity led by themselves. The best explication of this phenomenon I have seen, and one of the most fascinating political essays in a long time has been penned by Angelo M. Codevilla for The American Spectator. I cannot recommend this piece highly enough. Because it is quite long, it might make a good weekend read for those in the typical Friday rush.

...while most of the voters who call themselves Democrats say that Democratic officials represent them well, only a fourth of the voters who identify themselves as Republicans tell pollsters that Republican officeholders represent them well. Hence officeholders, Democrats and Republicans, gladden the hearts of some one-third of the electorate -- most Democratic voters, plus a few Republicans. This means that Democratic politicians are the ruling class's prime legitimate representatives and that because Republican politicians are supported by only a fourth of their voters while the rest vote for them reluctantly, most are aspirants for a junior role in the ruling class. In short, the ruling class has a party, the Democrats. But some two-thirds of Americans -- a few Democratic voters, most Republican voters, and all independents -- lack a vehicle in electoral politics.