The radicalization of the Republican Party has dragged the country's political center of gravity sharply to the right, with only weak resistance mounted by the Democrats. The Citizens United ruling is playing out exactly as they had feared, unleashing a carpet bombing of the electoral process with "money of mass destruction" launched by a handful of billionaires whose lives and worldviews seem like even more of a caricature of callousness and greed than Gordon Gekko. Even if Obama survives the money blitzkrieg, it will undoubtedly drive the outcome in countless Congressional and state races.

In addition to historically liberal causes such as minority rights, middle-class jobs and environmental protection, today's liberals are beside themselves over our likely reaching the point of no return on the climate crisis. Meanwhile, the Republican Party holds the country hostage, doubles down on the same energy formula that has brought us to the brink in the first place, and mocks the majority of the population that believes in, well, science.

While there are multiple villains in the Republican Empire, the one person who has done more damage to American democracy in the last 30 years, and has the greatest potential to do further long-term damage, continues to fly largely under the radar.  The closest thing America has had in modern times to a real life Darth Vader was not Dick Cheney, but Karl Rove, his marshmallow physicality and lack of helmet notwithstanding.