The trends in American policies and politics have spanned enough time that data can be collected.
“the preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.” – Salon
The trend has been occurring for so long that it is taken as a norm, but it actually runs counter to history because America was the county that was defined by rejecting privileged classes. Now it is seen as the leader in class conflict. The trend extends beyond America as in many nations there is a call for more social services even while policies are for more austerity. The current debate then is, are representative governments going to return to representing their populations, or have new policies re-established and entrenched privilege classes that are largely indistinguishable from historical royalty? The data suggests the latter, for now.
(Click on the photo for the link.)