BF2S Forums Statism

I've been reading a rather fantastic history of Prussia titled Iron Kingdom. The focus of the last few chapters has been on the unification of Germany under Prussia and the rise of the liberal class. What I find most interesting about it is the way in which statism came to the fore as adopted Liberal philosophy, much of whose thought was based on the writings of Hegel.

The premise behind statism in Germany was simply a reaction against the ancient provincial politics in which hereditary fuedal lords still held sway at the local level. Statism was meant to generate a cohesive national polity in order to strip the rights of the those provincial lords, as well as the king, and to replace them with a more democratic form of government.

Now, this would be something that I applaud as it is largely what the United States did when it broke free from England. We as Americans have always had a natural repulsion to heredity and nepotism. What I fail to understand is why this Continental branch of philosophy was transported to America and why it took root. Why has statism flourished to such a large degree among Americas liberals? The States themselves are neither hereditary powers, nor are they undemocratic. They each elect their assemblies, senates and governors via universal suffrage.

What the democrats represent today is a ridiculous misrepresentation of their philosophical heritage. Why has no one ever stepped up and said 'Hey guys, we're misrepresenting what we are supposed to stand for, maybe we should change tack'? Just one of the many reasons I despise our national parties and the policies they represent.