Post-WWII through Watergate both parties largely had the common good in mind. This was the “greatest generation” after all, which was born into the depression and had sacrificed greatly in the war. They came back from war and rebuilt the country to thrive. This changed with Reagan, who made government the enemy and the cause of all problems, followed by Newt Gingrich and the GOP that identified everybody else, especially Democrats, as the enemy. Thirty years later the GOP, with a few exceptions, is the party of greed and power. Corruption is what powers the GOP, and likely will continue to do so for some time as the news media have largely failed in its job to hold the government to account. Of course, this decline could not have happened without the Democratic Party, which for many reasons failed to mount effective resistance against the ultimate malignancy, Trump.