The socialist tradition has a suitable term: "class traitor".

The ruling class is ruling, in substantial parts because they are better at cooperating than other classes (and are good at seeding discord in other classes). One aspect of ruling class cooperation is ruthlessly punishing their own class traitors.

I suspect that is part of what the whole saga is about.

In a sea of partisan squabble, you've said something truly worthy of thought. This has analogs in everything from organized crime to the interactions of genes.

That's interesting. What are some other examples of ruling-class traitors getting punished?

P.S. I hate having to add a disclaimer like this, but: I'm genuinely interested.

I don't have an example of one getting punished, but I do recall this book, Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt: https://www.amazon.com/Traitor-His-Class-Privileged-Presiden...

Insider trading prosecutions are usually examples of either this phenomenon or the related effort to keep upstarts out of the executive class. Only certain people may steal from investors in public firms.

Elites relative to whom? Clinton has decades in the top echelons of power besides being married to an ex-POTUS so I guess it is hard to be more elite on a global scale.

Trump might be elite compared to the average Joe on the street but he has no political history comparable to Clinton.

And the biggest issue of all: Trump seems to be the best candidate to avoid WW III.

At times I've suspected this entire cacophony of anti-Trump vitriol was just a ploy to convince the plebes that he isn't one of TPTB... What would really change under Trump? Coke and Pepsi taste the same to me.

How can you be sure that Trump is lying about every single thing he says? Every position he claims to hold would be a massive change. Most of Clinton's positions are "everything is pretty good, just need a few tweaks".

Change: no WW III. Seems good enough of a difference to me.

It would take a very principled person to resist the various appeals of the military-industrial complex. Trump is not that person. All it will take is a couple of ex-generals making the rounds on Sunday morning saying, "if Trump weren't such a pussy he'd be bombing the Syrians already!"

The guy who "will end ISIS very, very quickly", and might just use nukes to do it?

http://fortune.com/2016/03/23/trump-nuclear-weapons-isis/

Putin's Warning Against Electing Hillary Clinton:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4gTt7Y1agU

Thanks! I always appreciate an unbiased source like Putin to clear up matters of US politics.