Liberalism=Totalitarianism?

[Big Papa Goat]

For the most part, you were on the right track with capitalism causing the formation of an elite, but I disagree with you on a few points there. For one part, the elite that is created by capitalism is concerned with business. To that end, they may influence the government (as they already do) to their economic advantage. This would have an undermining effect on democracy, but rather than resulting in a totalitarian regime, it would more likely lead to something of a plutocracy-democracy hybrid.

Civic indifference, and the increasing trend towards "bread and circuises" from increasingly powerful corporations will reduce mass political involvement even further, until the United States becomes democratic in name only, and ruled largely by an oligarchy of politically active elitists, and powerful wealthy corporations.

This is, of course a worst case scenario, and even if it did occur, it would be much closer to authoritarianism, or perhaps tyranny than actual totalitarianism, which would not rise in this situation, since the government would likely be accountable, if not to the people, but then to the other forces that hold the real power in the nation.