Comment by verdverm

doubtful if you ask me, most (from both sides) are in cahoots

If you haven't seen my recommendation (since we cross paths here frequently and have general alignment), I think you would really like...

What Happened to Liberal Democracy - Daron Acemoglu

The Tyranny of Meritocracy - Michael Sandel

I'm still working my way through them, but they both have amazing analyses of how we got to where we are, and ideas for how we get out of it