Nice Summary, Charles. It seems to me that the USA really needs to build a new democracy.

I would add that the inability to deal appropriately with Mr. Clinton in 1998 also has an impact on where we are today. Remember the political punishment exerted on Garry Hart in 1984 for a lessor "crime."

Political labels are hard to pin down. We have a general understanding for terms like "left" or "conservative", but there are so many variations. Wiki articles on these terms usually have so much hair splitting that only academics can find useful.