IMHO, Vatican II was distorted into something those who were already corrupted could use to disguise their motives and rationalize ignoring Rome and basic Church Doctrines. A large portion of the US leadership longed to build the equivalent of a US Anglican Church and they seized on V II as their vehicle. A great many people in the pews wanted to be just like their Protestant neighbors instead standing out by having fish sticks on Friday and such. And a large percentage of the clergy put more faith in psychology or socialism than in Christ. Combine those things and it was no problem for the Anglican wannabe US leadership to sell "the Spirit of Vatican II".
Vatican II was distorted into an excuse for doing the same thing Protestants have always periodically done in this country. American Protestants in the thirties didn't want to stand out the way Fundamentalists, traditional Baptists, and traditional Methodists did, so they adapted. They accepted contraception, stopped condemning usury, dancing, popular music, and unchaperoned dating. They adapted again in the seventies, and yet again in the nineties. They're due for another round of adaptation to the surrounding society as we speak and you're seeing that in the mega churches. US Protestants would be further down the tubes now were it not for WWII effectively causing them to skip a round of adaptation
Catholics who had always relied on their priest rather than their own study and knowledge of the Faith went along and shook their heads. I know relatives of mine who are Catholic were like that. They couldn't explain why they were Catholic rather than something else very well, but they never wavered in their faith even while they were upset with the way things were changing.
Fulton Sheen was warning about this stuff well before Vatican II. V II is a convenient date to use as a dividing line, but the real problem is that a significant percentage within the Church were already looking for an excuse cease to be Catholic in anything but name when Vatican II took place.
Of course, I've only been Catholic since Easter 2012 so I rely on what I spent nearly a decade digging through and rely on that and news stories I dig up from years gone by. Not on personal experience so I'm sure things look a lot different to me than to those who were fortunate enough be cradle Catholics.
Excellent take. And the irony of Anglican-wannabes when you look at today’s Episcopal Church, which was so incredibly powerful thru the 70s and even into the 80’s.
Congratulations on your joining the Church! That’s a big decision, hard reached, for anyone.