Uncovering the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right: An Exploration of Dark Money's Hidden History

TomR: A must read to see how top 1% rich cut down their tax bills, shows how the billionaires get a free ride while the rest of us are taxed to the hilt and how they control their so called 'independent' think tanks and buy off politicians who are only too willing to help them achieve their goals.
I highly recommend this book, it lifts the curtain!!!

United Kingdom on Dec 19, 2023

Arjun: Jane Mayer ha hecho un trabajo increíble en este libro, el nivel de investigación y de periodismo de investigación es simplemente irreal. Este libro realmente cambió mi visión de la política estadounidense y fue el primer libro que explica la razón por la que Trump ganó en los Estados Unidos. Es un libro muy bien investigado que explica el movimiento republicano para ganar poder usando el dinero que se remonta a mediados de 1900. Explica cómo el dinero de los ricos donantes republicanos, especialmente los hermanos Koch, han influido lentamente en la política estadounidense. Finalmente, conduciendo a la elección de Trump y quiénes eran los verdaderos actores que manipulaban al público, operando desde la sombra. Ella explica la cantidad de trabajo de base que se llevó a cabo para traer este cambio y cuánto tiempo y esfuerzo tomó. Realmente tuvo un gran impacto en mi comprensión de la política estadounidense. Definitivamente lo recomendaría a cualquiera que esté interesado en la política internacional y en el periodismo de investigación.

Spain on Aug 02, 2022

Coutinho, edson vieira: excelente

Brazil on Aug 09, 2018

Anna v. D.: This thoroughly researched book provides us with a compelling - and uncanny - explanation of how politics in the United States deteriorated into a state of hyper-polarization, producing almost irreconcilable rifts among the electorate and thus giving rise to political radicalism and the denouncement of compromise and constructive dialogue. Jane Mayer's book describes meticulously how a handful of heirs to vast industrial empires with amounts of cash at their disposal that outstrips entire state budgets of minor countries together with ultra-conservatives shaped a political movement that, under the guise of "philanthropy" began setting up tax-privileged foundations. These foundations in turn aim at subverting academia and political decision-making to steer public opinion by financing scholars and thinkers in return for research that ennobles their donors'egotistical agendas with academic terminology and "findings". The uncanny alliance forged between ultra-conservatives, foremost at the fringes of the GOP, and a minority of "libertarian" billionaires gave rise to an historically unparalleled political monster unchecked by the consitution and its democratic institutions and which...

Germany on Oct 17, 2017

Freh: Market societies unrestrained by government inevitably experience relentlessly increasing inequality. The wealthy beneficiaries of inequality then have the resources to perpetuate and enhance this unfortunate cycle by capturing government and public opinion. In Dark Money, Jane Mayer shows how this cycle is made worse by a system that allows unlimited funding of campaigns, lobbying, and propaganda by dark money that maintains secrecy and avoids taxes. Thus the superrich are able to maintain public postures of high-minded innocence while secretly providing massive financing for programs that further increase inequality by favoring their interests at the expense of everyone else.

The dark money that is a key component of this process is money funneled through nonprofit organizations that can receive unlimited donations from corporations and individuals and spend funds to influence elections but are not required to disclose their donors. The main vehicles for this process are tax-free, nonprofit private 501 (c) foundations which were originally said to be for charity, social welfare, and education but not for politics. Super PACs like Karl Rove’s American Crossroads and...

United States on Jul 28, 2017

Grüezi: we hoped that the MurdKoch gang didn't exist
that all the scary signs we saw were just "bad luck"
jane mayer proved it exist ,not just a bad nightmare
thanks
(but no thanks)

France on Dec 23, 2016

Peter R. Whitis, MD: Dark Money by Jane Mayer

Ms. Mayer has written a non-fiction murder story. A story that is being told everyday in our mainstream media and on the inter-net. It is a story of murder of political institutions (Congress, the GOP, Supreme Court) of academic institutions (universities and law schools seduced by grants and research monies) of the democratic approach to resolving conflict by compromise (organized disruption of public meetings), of the government of the United States (“government is the problem not the solution”) of science (deliberate lies and covering up of anthropomorphic climate changes), Machiavellian gerrymandering of voting districts, false claims of voter fraud when the biggest fraud was the gerrymandered districts. The list of “murders “ is long. The criminals unpunished, in many cases rewarded. The “Kochtopus” has been growing for years and is now poised to consume whatever remains of the “last best hope on Earth.”

And, now that they have been exposed, the secrecy that they revered for years is no longer effective, the Kochs and their billionaire brethren have worked up a new brand. Disconcerted by the revelations of their huge...

United States on Mar 03, 2016