Yesterday the FBI Director detailed the many crimes perpetrated by the Hillary Clinton Gang at the State Department. My expectation has always been that this investigation would peter out over the summer, as that would be best for Team Clinton and Team Obama. The press could then bury it and be counted on to marginalize anyone who dared mention it. This is a familiar pattern in American politics. Plus there is the whole “Arkancide” issue where opponents of the Clintons die under mysterious circumstances.

Instead of watching it on television, I went to twitter and followed along as media people tweeted their impressions. The interesting thing was that the first wave of tweets were all about the hundreds of rather clear violations of the law that had been in the press for months. Then there was a wave of tweets along the lines of “my goodness, I think the FBI is going to announce an indictment.” Even liberals were struck by the weight of the evidence and the tone of the presentation.

Then there was a wave of gasps when he said he would not be calling for Clinton to be charged with the crimes he just listed. Even over twitter, you could feel the disconnect as people tried to wrap their heads around the bizarre contradictions. The man just detailed a mountain of crimes and then pivots around and says that no one would ever be indicted for these crimes. Yesterday was one of those times when even the most grizzled cynic was astonished at the craven cynicism on display.

History is full of events we look back upon as turning points. In some cases, the people involved in the events were unaware of their significance. The Marian Reforms changed the course of Roman history, but the people at the time had no idea what was coming as a result. They seemed like much needed reforms in response to previous military disasters. Having politicians raise volunteer armies and then lead them against enemies was simply not working. No one imagined that these reforms would result in Sulla’s march on Rome.

The events of the last week or so, around Independence Day no less, feel like a big moment, like something has changed in the country. It started with Bill Clinton showing up for a private meeting with the Attorney General. That was followed by a long weekend interrogation of Hillary Clinton by the FBI. Then we have the Attorney General hinting that Clinton would not be charged and the President suddenly deciding to campaign with her. Yesterday the FBI detailed a long list of crimes and then says they will not seek charges.

At one level, it seems like the people in charge are rubbing our noses in the fact they are beyond the reach of the public. They are no longer going to pretend to be citizens of a republic, beholden to the voters. They are above the law and the proof of that is one of their own has committed hundreds of crimes and will not be required to step aside, much less be prosecuted. The law is for the Dirt People and it will be enforced by the Cloud People, but the Cloud People will do as they please.

There is another way to look at it. That is, the ruling class has lost control of the reigns and they can no longer police themselves. Hillary Clinton has no business being president. It is absurd even without the massive corruption and criminality. Hillary’s crowning achievement was marrying Bill Clinton 50 years ago. Even a deeply corrupt and incompetent ruling class should be able to filter out the likes of Hillary Clinton. The fact that they cannot bring themselves to flush her from the system when they have an iron clad criminal case against her is ominous.

There is another angle here. The whole “Arkanside” thing is a fun gag, but it does appear that the ruling class is playing much tougher with one another. Judge Roberts was either blackmailed or threatened into reversing his opinion on ObamaCare. That is incandescently obvious. FBI Director Comey’s erratic performance yesterday suggests there is more here than just a man suddenly changing his mind about law enforcement. He has prosecuted many others for these exact same crimes.

A lesson of history is that when ruling elites become unstable, they become thuggish. Rivals are no longer content to play by the agreed upon rules with the winners and losers showing grace to the other. Instead, politics becomes a blood-sport, where there are no limits on what one can do to win. The men who assassinated Julius Caesar probably did not think murder was a great idea. It is just that it was better than all the others. They convinced themselves they had no choice because that was the only way to win.

There is a byproduct to this. The ruling class loses the moral authority to rule. Once the ruling elite stops abiding by the laws, their only reason to rule is force. That is not just an internal reality within the ruling elite; it is a reality within society as a whole. If Hillary Clinton were to become President, only fools would continue to abide by the laws. It would be a war of all against all within the ruling class and eventually, within society. The last few centuries of the Roman Empire featured endless warfare and revolts for this reason.

America is not the Roman Empire and this is not the Iron Age. It is entirely possible that yesterday will be the point at which the American ruling class recoils at the madness they face. There has not been the series of victory laps in the liberal media we tend to see when Democrats pull a fast one on the public. The old school liberals have been down on Clinton for a long time and this only confirms their opinions. The ship does not always slam into the iceberg. A Thug-ocracy is not inevitable.

That is not the way to bet, however.