The presidential election should not have been a surprise.  After all, the Republican Party is being killed by the following social, political and cultural trends:

1.  The dramatic shift of the nation from being a republic to being an empire, a shift that began in the 19th century and continued under both Democrat and Republican administrations but most stupidly as of late by Republicans. History is of course littered with the corpses of nations that collapsed from the cost of empire.

2. The dramatic increase over the decades in single mothers, due to the increase in unmarried births and divorce.  Republicans can only appeal to women by giving them the same social-welfare benefits that Democrats give them.

3.  The dramatic increase over the decades in immigration from Latin America, with high percentages of the immigrants having high rates of unmarried births and low skills and education.  It is political suicide for Republicans to try to reverse this through the antics of buffoons like Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz.

4.  The dramatic leftward shift of the country's major institutions, especially the media, K-12 unionized schools, and universities, where, at great expense to their parents, children are immersed in statist notions about social justice, fairness, economics, and energy.  Stupidly, rich Republicans pay huge sums to send their children to prestigious universities that are the most leftist.

5.  The dramatic increase in the number of people dependent in some way on the government, including Republicans.  Over 60% of households now get all or part of their income from welfare, subsidies, entitlements, a government job, or a private sector job that depends on government regulations for its existence, such as tax accountants.

6.  The dramatic increase in corporatism, crony capitalism, mercantilism, socialism, subsidies, and central planning, especially central planning by the Federal Reserve--all of which have caused massive distortions, malinvestments, and the crowding out of the free market, most notably in medical care, housing, and higher education.   Of course, the politicians and bureaucrats and intelligentsia and rent seekers that caused these problems blame capitalism, not themselves; and of course, a brainwashed public believes them.

7.  The dramatic centralization of political and regulatory power in Washington, which makes people feel distant and powerless to influence public policy but makes it easy for special interests, especially public-sector unions, to influence policy against the interests of the polity.

8.  The dramatic shift of Southern evangelicals, jingoists, nationalists, and lowbrows from the Democrat Party to the Republican Party, thus pushing the GOP in a direction that turns off urban “sophisticates.”

Now, about half of Americans are socialists, and half, nationalists.  In that sense, the nation is National Socialist.

I’ve warned about these trends for 20 years, including in my former newspaper column; and as a result, was called a curmudgeon, pessimist, cynic, and names that can’t be printed here.  That I was prophetic doesn’t please me.  It makes me want to puke.

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Mencken’s Ghost is the nom de plume of an Arizona writer who can be reached at ccan2@aol.com.