Dark Money: how a secretive group of billionaires is trying to buy political control in the US

I was fortunate to study both Western & Eastern bloc Economics and Politics at Oxford 1971 to 1975 and to practice as an Economist (and Environmental Analyst) for Lucas Industries in the late 1970s, before turning away from Economics to Management Development - as the former had no respect or interest in Environment or Climate Change -and the latter was slightly open to development of sustainability-based Environmental Management. Jane Mayer, imv, correctly suggests that 'The late 1960s and the early 1970s were in fact a daunting time for corporate America and for those living off great corporate fortunes.' (p 74) and 'Income in America during the mid 1970s was as equally distributed as at any time in the country's history.' (p 75). If you turned your back in the late 1970s, as I did, to focus on pioneering and developing sustainability-based Environmental Management, you might possibly, as I regret I did, continue to think that the post-War economic and political settlements in favor of regulated capitalism in the UK and probably the US had continued, albeit there were some weird and disturbing noises off-stage. Naomi Klein gave a sense of 'something very bad this way came' in her expose of Milton Friedman's leadership of Chicago University's Economics faculty - and his development of a cadre of economists to revive world-wide the tenets of 19th century totally uncontrolled monopoly capitalism, in her 'Shock Doctrine' in 2007. While horrendous, astonishing and enlightening and recommended to colleagues and students, this did not really help me understand nearly as much as the much more recent work including by George Monbiot, Naomi Klein in her 'This Changes Everything' and Nancy MacLean in her 2017 'Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America' and now in Jane Mayer's 'Dark Money'. Taken together, these allows us to see what was previously invisible - the vast, secret, multi-faceted, several decade counter-revolution from the extreme Right, much of which dates back to Austrian economists Frederick Hayek and von Mises' setting up of the Mount Pelerin society immediately post-WW2 - to re-shape government and societal agendas and cultures - which they have done very successfully. Jane Mayer subtitled Dark Money 'How a secretive group of billionaires is trying to buy political control in the US'. She considerably extends Nancy Maclean's gripping expose of the seemingly Koch-funded life-time academic project of James Buchanan, to develop creative means of turning back the clock on politics and economics to the pre-War and 19th century unmanaged free-market. monopolistic capitalism eras. It looks like the apparently deliberately undisclosed Mt. Pelerin/ Hayek/ Mises/ Friedman/ Buchanan multi-faceted, imv dangerously anti-environmental and anti-Climate Change projects and much more, where they have not been subject to democratic scrutiny ... have been relatively successful. Jane Mayer 's new book (2016 in the US) provides considerable help in understanding the whole arc of the post Second World War era. Through no fault of their own, she helps understand how it has probably been mis-taken by the majorities in the electorates on either side of the Atlantic until about this second decade of this century. She not only helps expose some of the reasons for the failure to get to grips with both environmental and Climate Change science and risks, but she helps expose further the recharging of monopoly capitalism over the last probably five decades. She helps make sense of the fairly newly mentioned 'not 1% but 0.1%' as being the nature of the elites who are being alleged to be pulling the strings - a perception that these authors help one to understand. Jane, Naomi, Nancy Maclean and George Monbiot even by what they alone have researched and written - have brought into the daylight what some deep pockets seem to have been backing since shortly after Hayek and Mises began what some have described as a then seemingly impossible task. Taking up arms against 'liberal' economics and politics, which seemed to have totally triumphed after the second World War and the preceding Great Crash. While there may have been some real material benefits for the 'ordinary working man' in say the Thatcher/ Reagan period, the costs of the hidden Counter-revolution since have, in my understanding, been difficult to even begin to understand, and I think will increase in perceived price as ecological and climate damage impacts further and the damage to the common culture democratic societies is increasingly perceived. Mayer and publisher Scribe quote Naomi Klein on her front cover, seemingly appropriately: 'Utterly brilliant and chilling.'

Think this is essential reading. V well written.

I agree with one of the earlier recommendations this book reveals a truly scary truth about the extent of how a few corrupt individuals have used their money to infect our governments and manipulate the educational establishments to further their ambitions and interests. Although this book is about American avarice I have no doubt that this exists in the UK as well. It is obvious that people have been manipulated worldwide through education into thinking that capitalism will service their needs. The book is well researched and well written, I have no hesitation in wholeheartedly recommending it.

Excellent though this book is, I've had to stop reading it halfway through as the author shows how the climate-change debate was manipulated and distorted by a clique of self-interested fossil-fuel billionaires -- it becomes too depressing. The only thing wrong with the book is its subtitle 'How a secretive group of billionaires is trying to buy political control...'; this needs updating to '...have succeeded in buying political control', in that Trump's proposed administration of cranks, bigots, and billionaires have all emerged from or been supported by bodies created or funded by (in particular) the Koch brothers, the oil/gas/chemicals moguls who are the main focus of Meyer's investigation. Unfortunately they are far from the only ones -- the USA seems infested by the same breed of arrogant megalomaniacs, using their vast financial influence to further degrade an electorate a large part of which is already degraded intellectually, culturally, and ethically, and Meyer charts all of this from its beginnings up to the present. It really is a massively important book (and I will finish reading it when my stomach has recovered). What it doesn't offer is a solution, a way to prevent this kind of influence from turning what was a liberal democracy into a far-right oligarchy; and I can't see that there is one.

This is a fantastic book. And one of the things most noteworthy about it is when it was written, which is to say BEFORE the rise to victory of President-elect Donald Trump (who gets just one mention in the book). I'd like to say that I had some inkling of many of the issues covered by the author before reading this book. But I certainly had no idea about the breadth and depth of the potential problems. Here's a thought. The Glass-Steagall restraints on banking integration were finally abolished in 2000. Eight years later, there was a Global Financial Crisis. In 2010, the US Supreme Court decided the Citizens United case, opining along the way - in effect - that corporations are no different from people (and opening the way to 'really big' money). Six years later, Donald Trump was elected President. I wonder what else we might draw from the analogy. 'Whatever it takes', for example?

I’ve not read the book yet but I’m not sure having the cover taped together would constitute as “good condition”

An exceptionally impressive piece of investigative journalism. If you are interested in the political machinations of the US electoral system, campaign-finance, and the deleterious impact of the billionaire class in funneling tons of money to reshape the social and political fabric of America, this is the book for you. It is dense, and often delves into the minutiae of different methods of influencing political elections, particularly during the Obama years. It is not for everyone, but this is a stellar achievement of high journalistic integrity.

Just about every page of this book brought a jaw-dropping moment. I just had a hazy knowledge of the Kochs but this very clear explanantion of their aims, motives and actions really helped me to understand the terrible state of politics and governement in the US and why Obama, with his reasonable and inclusive approach just wasnt allowed to work. Jane Mayer is so brave to comeuct the research and then to write in a dispassionate way. It led me to read some of her articles including her explanation of the Trump phenomenon. I wish she would do the same for Brexit!

As good as expected!!! Awesome dossier and very clear exposition. Facts and keys!! Not dissapointed at all. Good book. Fact

米国の政治は、たった二人の男（コーク兄弟）に牛耳られている実態を暴露した勇気ある女性ジャーナリストの渾身の調査報道である。あのブッシュファミリーがまともに見えるほど、下劣、強欲、卑劣にして、悪名高い公害企業を経営する悪質資本家が、米国社会の隅々にまで金権政治の網を張り巡らせ、偽情報（フェイクニューズ）を拡散し、当時のオバマ大統領や反公害運動家を執拗に痛めつけ、さらには、合法的に最高裁判事を買収して政治献金規制を撤廃させ、それによってさらに政治支配を強化して、ついに、連邦及び各州の政治をほぼ掌握する段階にまで達しており、行き過ぎた規制緩和と福祉予算の異常な削減によって、経済の不安定化を招き、相次ぐ経済崩壊の危機を全世界に振りまいているのである。トランプ政権は、これらの活動の結果として蔓延するフェイクニューズによって必然的に誕生したものである。

I am only about a quarter of the way through this book, but recommend it highly. It is clearly an important book, especially in the current political climate, to which it gives a convincing history and context.

There is a lot of detail on how dark money has entered US politics . a lot of it on the conservative side. It is scary that a few people dominate and define who gets elected.

Although this book covers much of the same territory as "Invisible Hands" it's focus on the funding efforts of the radical rich add considerably to our understanding of today's political environment. it is essential reading for people who want to better understand the backgrounds of the members of the Trump administration.