Dark Money how a secretive group of billionaires is trying to buy political control in the US
Reviews
Such a well researched insightful look into the foundations of financing politics. Deeply frightening.
Took a while to read because I could only stomach so much. Just full of revolting stories about the worst humanity has to offer.
This book has proven that the Republican party is no more. It is simple a front for the ultra rich to buy our government so that they can run it in the way they see fit. They want to attack the poor and enrich themselves. This book also showed how wrong the supreme court was in their handling of Citizens United. They single-handedly turned our democracy into an oligarchy. Systematically investigated, Jane Mayer reveals the true colors of the Republican party and how they have fallen into depravity.
Like many Americans, I find it hard to comprehend what has happened to my country. This book reveals more than I expected. Although I was familiar with the "vast right-wing conspiracy," I had no idea that the the tentacles of the "Kochtopus" wrap around the hearts and minds of so many Americans. This is a page turner, the writing is remarkable, fluid, and the book reads fast. When people talk about it being hard to read, they're talking about how troubling the subject matter is. If you read one book in the next five years, this should be it.
A depressing book about the long con that’s been played on 99% of the American people by the super-rich, often descendants of robber barons. I often wonder why the Democrats can’t seem to get a succinct and powerful message across. And the reason is clear: when Democrats have money they tend to put it toward programs that help people, encourage voting, and generally support democracy. The incredible millions of dollars raised annually by the Koch brothers and others of their ilk have been deployed FOR DECADES in ways that undermine democracy, twist words around to their aims, and twist arms of politicians to help them further avoid taxes. Yet while they profess to abhor all forms of government (and especially environmental regulations), they are quick to accept industry subsidies for coal etc. A truly despicable group of humans that has brought us close to ruination as a nation under the guise of “improving well being” and buying support for their nefarious business interests.
A depressing book about the long con that’s been played on 99% of the American people by the super-rich, often descendants of robber barons. I often wonder why the Democrats can’t seem to get a succinct and powerful message across. And the reason is clear: when Democrats have money they tend to put it toward programs that help people, encourage voting, and generally support democracy. The incredible millions of dollars raised annually by the Koch brothers and others of their ilk have been deployed FOR DECADES in ways that undermine democracy, twist words around to their aims, and twist arms of politicians to help them further avoid taxes. Yet while they profess to abhor all forms of government (and especially environmental regulations), they are quick to accept industry subsidies for coal etc. A truly despicable group of humans that has brought us close to ruination as a nation under the guise of “improving well being” and buying support for their nefarious business interests.
A great exploration of how money from the Koch brothers has influenced politics and the mechanisms they've used. Clever uses of money, super PACs, and a bunch of nonprofit organizations to pour untraceable, yet evidently large amounts of money into causes they care about as libertarians: less government, less taxes, less regulation. They want to get rid of the EPA, etc. Generally, they want to be free to seek profit. They have donated hundreds of millions of dollars and raised even more from other billionaires. They've been disciplined about using that money to influence election results around the US, convincing voters through misleading statements that universal healthcare is bad for them, that regulations hurt then, and lower taxes are good. They've spent a fortune developing and refining tactics and have become very good at it.
“They said they were driven by principle, but their positions dovetailed seamlessly with their personal financial interests.” Since the Supremes Court’s Citizens United ruling in 2010, which legalized unlimited corporate political spending, the money spent by individuals with hopes of swaying elections has exploded. Legendary journalist Jane Mayer’s book may be over four years old—pre-dating Trump even—but it’s as relevant as ever, and as disconcerting as any book I’ve read. Largely focusing on the Koch brothers, Mayer details the rise of the billionaires who pour their fortunes into making libertarian ideas not only mainstream, but the law of the land. The Kochs, in particular, basically do whatever they can to reach a state of the lowest possible taxes and the least possible regulation. (I moved Kochland higher on my list after reading this book.) Each page is more infuriating as the reader learns about how the richest people in the world fiddled with campaign finance law and evaded non-profit tax codes, only to see the bank vault doors blown open with that 2010 court decision. Campaigns, even well down the ballot from the presidency, are basically billionaires going to battle. While Mayer mostly focuses on the funding of the right, there are Democrat-supporting billionaires doing this too. Money rules politics in America, period. And it’s not going to end anytime soon. If you feel like leaning in to the anger of the moment, Dark Money may be up your alley. It’s a gripping, expertly written and reported, albeit exasperating, read.
Basically extremely rich people and businesses are taking over the US by "donating" in their political interests, including: subverting climate change science, taxing the poor rather than the rich, and infiltrating the academia world to teach students their way of thinking.
