Inverted Totalitarianism

 
Inverted totalitarianism  - is a system where economic powers like corporations exert subtle but substantial power over a system that superficially seems democratic. Over time, this theory predicts a sense of powerlessness and political apathy, continuing a slide away from political egalitarianism.

Sheldon Wolin coined the term in 2003 to describe what he saw as the emerging form of government of the United States. He said that the United States was turning into a managed democracy (similar to an illiberal democracy). He uses the term "inverted totalitarianism" to draw attention to the totalitarian aspects of such a system, while the term inverted helps to portray the many differences with classical totalitarianism.

Illiberal Democracy - While liberal democracies protect individual rights and freedoms, illiberal democracies do not. Elections in an illiberal democracy are often manipulated or rigged, being used to legitimize and consolidate the incumbent rather than to choose the country's leaders and policies.

So...  here's the question:  Do you believe/not believe this?

While our elections are not rigged, in the traditional sense, super wealthy Americans invest millions of dollars in the hopes of influencing the outcomes of these elections.

Both the Democrats and Republicans spend millions, it is not just one sided.

Additionally, these same wealthy people pay millions of dollars to both the House and the Senate members in order that they will vote their way on certain bills that will influence their invested capital.

Congress continues to allow these wealthy people to have offshore bank accounts that are not subject to US taxes.

What is a totalitarian form of Government?

Totalitarianism is a political system and a form of government that prohibits opposition political parties, disregards and outlaws the political claims of individual and group opposition to the state, and controls the public sphere and the private sphere of society. In the field of political science, totalitarianism is the extreme form of authoritarianism, wherein all socio-political power is held by a dictator, who also controls the national politics and the peoples of the nation with continual propaganda campaigns that are broadcast by state-controlled and by friendly private mass communications media.

The USA DOES NOT HAVE a totalitarian government...

This to me means that inverted totalitarianism is not really applicable to the USA...

HOWEVER...

Illiberal Democracy does seem to apply to the USA in all democratically elected positions.