The pundit class and the press generally were caught flat-footed about the success of Donald Trump, and before that, they bashed the Tea Party as racist and mean-spirited for wanting a restoration of Constitutional government, national sovereignty and other traditional values.

Donald Trump was not the first person to notice that the globalized economy of elite trade deals and open borders has not fulfilled its promise of more prosperity for all, but he has been one of the loudest. So his candidacy has reminded citizens that their economic struggles to survive are at least partially the result of government policies that favor the elites.

One example: America is no longer a majority middle-class nation, according to a 2015 Pew Research study:

The Rasmussen pollsters have recently produced some interesting surveys to reflect the Americans growing understanding that the government is actually acting agains their economic interests. One poll found that more than two-thirds of voters think government colludes with business against the people, which is a shocking opinion really. It reflects the belief that we now live in an oligarchy, not under a representative government. No wonder Trump’s pledge to kick out the corruption has found an audience.

Most Think Government, Big Business Work Together Against America, Rasmussen Reports, July 06, 2016 Most voters feel government and big business are a deadly combination. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 68% of Likely U.S. Voters think government and big business often work together in ways that hurt consumers and investors. Seventeen percent (17%) do not, but just as many (15%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Another poll found that Americans “strongly agree” with returning manufacturing to the this nation and were willing to pay more for US-produced consumer goods, although no numbers were included.

Finally, below is a survey about trade. Voters largely believe globalist trade deals have been bad for the country, but the pols don’t care what the citizens think.

The elites don’t change course because they have accrued so much political power that they can do what they please to enrich themselves. If Hillary Clinton is elected president, the family will probably become billionaires by the time she leaves office. Remember that she claimed they were “dead broke” when Bill left the presidency, but now the couple is worth $111 million.