The liberal class plays a vital role in a democracy. It
gives moral legitimacy to the state. It makes limited forms
of dissent and incremental change possible. The liberal
class posits itself as the conscience of the nation. It
permits us, through its appeal to public virtues and the
public good, to define ourselves as a good and noble people.
Most importantly, on behalf of the power elite the liberal
class serves as bulwarks against radical movements by
offering a safety valve for popular frustrations and
discontentment by discrediting those who talk of profound
structural change. Once this class loses its social and
political role then the delicate fabric of a democracy
breaks down and the liberal class, along with the values it
espouses, becomes an object of ridicule and hatred. The door
that has been opened to proto-fascists has been opened by a
bankrupt liberalism
The Death of the Liberal Class examines the failure of the
liberal class to confront the rise of the corporate state
and the consequences of a liberalism that has become
profoundly bankrupted. Hedges argues there are five pillars
of the liberal establishment – the press, liberal religious
institutions, labor unions, universities and the Democratic
Party— and that each of these institutions, more concerned
with status and privilege than justice and progress, sold
out the constituents they represented. In doing so, the
liberal class has become irrelevant to society at large and
ultimately the corporate power elite they once served.
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