It’s way before Obama. People forget that Gingrich broke Congress. Reagan dragged the last of the racists out of the Democratic Party and empowered the religious right. Nixon was insane and McCarthy was worse. Barry Goldwater Of all people was terrified of the conservative Christians taking over the Republican Party. People hate to say it’s partisan… But it’s partisan. Conservative religion almost by definition cannot function in a democracy, and they took over the Republican Party. At that point, democracy was no longer functional and America was a dead country walking.