A Nation in Decline: Corruption, Greed, and Betrayal at the Highest Levels

Introduction: How did we Arrive at this Point?

The crisis of ethics in American politics has reached a breaking point. Corruption, dishonesty, and greed have become standard operating procedures for politicians on both sides of the aisle. The consequences of this ethical decay are devastating, affecting the economy, democracy, and the very fabric of American society.

Perhaps a symptom of Late Stage Capitalism, we find ourselves in a nation where the amount of money pouring into politicians’ campaign coffers is obscene. Money as the Supreme Court found is a form of free speech. Balderdash, it is a form of legalized bribery in which politics are compromised to protect the oligarchs rather than the voters that put the politician in office. In this post, I take a brief look at the consequences of this ethical breakdown.

1. Rampant Political Corruption: The crisis of ethics in American politics

The increasing influence of money in politics has led to rampant corruption. Super PACs and dark money organizations allow billionaires to buy elections, drowning out the voices of everyday Americans. The Citizens United decision (2010) exacerbated this issue by equating money with speech, ensuring that corporate interests dominate policy decisions (Mann & Ornstein, 2012).

By equating money with free speech the Supreme Court bypassed any ethical considerations. At the present moment, we can see the actions of Republican members of Congress refusing to meet in Town Hall discussions with their voters for fear of the anger of the typical voters in their districts. Being a member of Congress and accepting money from sources that have millions to throw at them is a corrosive force leading directly to the crisis of ethics in American politics.

2. Erosion of Public Trust

Public trust in government has plummeted. A 2023 Pew Research poll found that only 20% of Americans trust the federal government to do the right thing most of the time. Politicians continuously break promises, lie to their constituents, and manipulate facts to serve their agendas (Pew Research Center, 2023).

The Pew statistics paint a dreadful picture of the short-term survival of the American experiment with representative democracy as the voice of the voters is silenced by the money that is purchasing their loyalty through unregulated money in politics. There is no longer a reason for politicians to listen to the voices of their constituents as they pander for their votes. The only thing that counts are the corporate voices that emanate from institutions in which “Greed is Good” and selfishness is deemed a virtue. We can find this sentiment in Ayn Rand’s objectivist philosophy embraced by corporate leadership.

It explains income inequality as corporate top executives are paid in the millions while the average worker on their factory floor’s annual income is in the 5 figures and wages have remained static over the past 40 years.

3. Corporate Interests Superseding Public Welfare: The crisis of ethics in American politics

Corporations dictate policies that harm the average citizen. Pharmaceutical companies lobby against affordable healthcare, while oil giants weaken climate change policies. The 2008 financial crisis, driven by Wall Street greed and deregulation, led to economic devastation, yet the government bailed out banks while millions of Americans lost their homes (Taibbi, 2010).

This practice means that we ignore the Lakota People protesting over the building of a pipeline across their sacred landscape and how the Trump White House envisions drilling for oil on land in National Parks. It explains the lack of government interest in climate change, and so forth.

4. Using The Judicial System as a Political Weapon: The crisis of ethics in American politics

The Supreme Court and lower courts have been packed with ideologues who favor corporate power and the wealthy elite. The reversal of Roe v. Wade exemplifies how judicial appointments, rather than upholding justice, serve the interests of the most extreme political factions (Greenhouse, 2022).

President Trump called for the impeachment of Federal Judges, including some he appointed in his first term, who issued orders that hindered his chaotic approach to governing. The founders anticipated the potential for executive interference with the judiciary making impeachment and conviction a difficult if not impossible row to hoe. That does not deter the President from issuing statements that are in clear violation of the US Constitution.

5. The Crisis of Ethics in American Politics: The Death of Bipartisanship

Once a pillar of functional governance, bipartisanship has been obliterated by hyper-partisanship and obstructionism. Legislation that could improve lives, such as universal healthcare or student loan forgiveness, stalls in Congress due to political gamesmanship (Skocpol & Williamson, 2016).

I am old enough to remember how the pragmatics of politics meant that as Congress approached new legislation the major parties negotiated a law that neither side liked but both could live with. Compromise and independence from being lobbied by corporations that paid for their election meant that constituents mattered and what would be good for the nation. This is no longer the case.

6. The Crisis of Ethics in American Politics: The Rise of Authoritarian Tendencies

The ethical decline in American politics has created fertile ground for authoritarianism. Political leaders who ignore constitutional constraints, undermine institutions and normalize lies pave the way for fascist tendencies. Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election is a prime example of this existential threat (Snyder, 2017).

Another contributor to the crisis of ethics in American politics was instituted by President Ronald Reagan when his administration put an end to the Fairness Doctrine which guaranteed equal time for politicians running for office on publicly licensed broadcast media. Coupled with lifting the ban on ownership of multiple outlets in the same region or allowing for the consolidation of broadcast media in a small cadre of entertainment corporations creating echo chambers for corporate greed and opening the door for creating news rather than reporting factual events.

7. Weaponization of Disinformation: The Crisis of Ethics in American Politics

Politicians and media outlets intentionally spread falsehoods to manipulate public perception. Conspiracies like election fraud claims and COVID-19 misinformation erode democracy and endanger public health (Benkler, Faris, & Roberts, 2018).

Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister is reported to have said, ‘Tell a lie often enough the lie becomes the truth.’ This is the practice of autocrats everywhere they erupt in the world. We see this with the so-called news stations that no longer report news, they editorialize and call it news. Perhaps the biggest offender is Fox News or Clear Channel as both feed their viewers and listeners a version of events twisting what they call reporting into misinformation. This is a divisive practice that eschews any potential for compromise. It is an us vs them approach to life.

The Italian political philosopher Georgio Agamben writes about the State of Exception in which societies create multiple classes in which rulers appear both outside and above the law. Additionally, these societies create scapegoats whose lives are constantly at risk as state-sponsored killing without consequences is supported. The scapegoat community is neither above nor outside the law, they are exempted from participating in the law. And then there are the rest of us for whom silence is demanded.

Conclusion: How Do We Resist the Oncoming Fascist Agenda?

The ethical crisis in American politics is not an accident—it is a deliberate strategy used to consolidate power among the few. Citizens must push back by demanding accountability, supporting independent journalism, and voting against corrupt politicians. If unchecked, this ethical collapse will lead to authoritarian rule. Will the American people fight back before it’s too late? I am not optimistic!

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Sources Cited

Benkler, Y., Faris, R., & Roberts, H. (2018). Network Propaganda: Manipulation, Disinformation, and Radicalization in American Politics. Oxford University Press.

Greenhouse, L. (2022). Justice on the Brink: The Death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Rise of Amy Coney Barrett, and Twelve Months That Transformed the Supreme Court. Random House.

Mann, T. E., & Ornstein, N. J. (2012). It’s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism. Basic Books.

Pew Research Center. (2023). Public trust in government remains low. Retrieved from www.pewresearch.org

Skocpol, T., & Williamson, V. (2016). The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism. Oxford University Press.

Snyder, T. (2017). On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. Tim Duggan Books.

Taibbi, M. (2010). Griftopia: Bubble Machines, Vampire Squids, and the Long Con That Is Breaking America. Spiegel & Grau.

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Suggestions for Further Reading

Blumenthal, S. (2020). The Permanent Crisis of American Democracy. Yale University Press. An in-depth analysis of how political corruption threatens democratic institutions.

Chomsky, N. (2017). Requiem for the American Dream. Seven Stories Press. Explores how economic elites have manipulated democracy for their own benefit.

Giroux, H. A. (2014). The Violence of Organized Forgetting: Thinking Beyond America’s Disimagination Machine. City Lights Publishers. Discusses how media and politics shape public consciousness.

Hacker, J. S., & Pierson, P. (2010). Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class. Simon & Schuster. A must-read on how politicians serve corporate America at the expense of working citizens.

Levitsky, S., & Ziblatt, D. (2018). How Democracies Die. Crown. Examines the warning signs of democratic backsliding.

Mayer, J. (2016). Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right. Doubleday. Investigates how billionaires influence American politics.

McChesney, R. W. (2016). Rich Media, Poor Democracy: Communication Politics in Dubious Times. The New Press. A look at how corporate media weakens democracy.

Stiglitz, J. (2019). People, Power, and Profits: Progressive Capitalism for an Age of Discontent. W.W. Norton & Company. Offers solutions to reclaim economic and political power from the elite.

West, C. (2004). Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism. Penguin Books. Explores moral and ethical decay in American governance.

Wolin, S. (2008). Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism. Princeton University Press. Explains how corporate interests control American politics.

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Disclaimer: All images on this page and throughout the blog are AI-generated and serve solely to illustrate the arguments presented in each post. These images do not depict real people or events but are intended to enhance the discussion. No offense is intended, nor do we aim to single out any individuals through the use of these images.

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