Reich argues that American democracy has been hollowed out by an oligarchic alliance of wealth and power, sustained by myths of meritocracy, free markets, and corporate responsibility. He traces how elites have captured institutions, manipulated public discourse, and used ideological cover to entrench inequality and political control. Reich’s central claim is that the system is not broken, it is working precisely as designed for those at the top. His call to action is clear: reclaim democratic agency through campaign finance reform, antitrust enforcement, and civic mobilisation to rebuild a system that serves the many, and not the few.