not quite but has it really ever been that alive?

They still exist. It is just that thosre who lack compassion and empathy gravitate to the right politically.

Republicans lack empathy and compassion.

A lifelong Democrat, I have compassion and empathy for others.

Since 2006 as a volunteer, I have helping low income, first generation students write essays for college entry and scholarships. One of my best success stories is Brenda, who won $269,445 in scholarships in 2016.

Last June, I took four students I previously mentored on a short hike around Icicle Gorge, WA. From the left:

1. Tammy plans to to become a neurosurgeon. She is a sophomore at the Univ. of Washington.

2. Me.

3. Elisabeth will become a pediatrician. Recently she graduated from Gonzaga University debt-free due to renewable scholarships, grants and work-study. While getting her bachelor degree, Elizabeth tutored and mentored minority elementary school students for two years.

Currently Elisabeth is volunteering in rural Oregon, helping minority hospice patients and their families for a year before applying to medical school.

4. Teresa is studying to become an accountant. An active volunteer and community leader, Teresa is an enthusiastic public speaker. She has been asked to run for public office as a Democrat.

I think they are not dead but certainly seem to be in hibernation at the moment, It is wrong to believe it is only in America that the politics of greed have taken hold. Western so called democratic countries are all much the same. At the moment right wing parties seem to be having a new popularity, it is the appeal of low taxes combined with the promise of cutting immigration that makes them appealing. The remedy is in the hands of the electorate, it always is. Of course when foreign powers and sinister forces work against the electorate to influence the results it becomes more difficult. If we lose trust and no longer believe our electoral system delivers the true wishes of the people, then that will cause a breakdown in civilised society and government as we know it. The resulting anarchy would be unthinkable.

Ayn Rand/libertarian/GOP is the politics of selfishness.