I think you need to acknowledge two ideas around decline. They may be declining in morality and relying more on lies, but that does not mean they are not still wildly powerful--a level of influence disproportional to their actual voting population. So don't start popping the champagne yet; we are a long, long way from their "ideological bankruptcy" having no sway on our public policies and resulting quality of life. The answer that I think is more important, and that I fear to hear, is when will they stop having this power over the nation and its direction.