Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right

417 Pages·2012·2.28 MB·English

by  Jane Mayer

ALSO BY JANE MAYER
The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War
on American Ideals
Strange Justice: The Selling of Clarence Thomas
(with Jill Abramson)
Landslide: The Unmaking of the President, 1984–1988
(with Doyle McManus)

Copyright © 2016 by Jane Mayer All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Doubleday, a
division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York, and distributed in Canada by Random House of
Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Ltd., Toronto.
www.doubleday.com
DOUBLEDAY and the portrayal of an anchor with a dolphin are registered trademarks of Penguin Random
House LLC.
Cover design by John Fontana Cover illustrations: (seal) © George Nazlis Alamy; (money bag) In-Finity
Shutterstock Library of Congress Control Number: 2015957180
ISBN: 978-0-385-53559-5 (hardcover) ISBN: 978-0-38553560-1 (eBook) eBook ISBN 9780385535601
v4.1
a
FOR BILL HAMILTON:
Everyone needs an editor,
but not everyone is lucky enough to marry one.
Thank you for always being there with just the right words.
We must make our choice. We may have democracy, or we may
have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have
both.
—Louis Brandeis
CONTENTS
Cover
Also by Jane Mayer
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
Introduction: The Investors
PART ONE:
WEAPONIZING PHILANTHROPY: THE WAR OF IDEAS,
1970–2008
1 Radicals: A Koch Family History
2 The Hidden Hand: Richard Mellon Scaife
3 Beachheads: John M. Olin and the Bradley Brothers
4 The Koch Method: Free-Market Mayhem
5 The Kochtopus: Free-Market Machine
PART TWO:
SECRET SPONSORS: COVERT OPERATIONS,
2009–2010
6 Boots on the Ground
7 Tea Time
8 The Fossils
9 Money Is Speech: The Long Road to Citizens United
10 The Shellacking: Dark Money’s Midterm Debut, 2010
PART THREE:
PRIVATIZING POLITICS: TOTAL COMBAT,
2011–2014
11 The Spoils: Plundering Congress
12 Mother of All Wars: The 2012 Setback
13 The States: Gaining Ground
14 Selling the New Koch: A Better Battle Plan
Author’s Note
Notes
About the Author
INTRODUCTION
The Investors
On January 20, 2009, the eyes of the country were on Washington, where over a
million cheering celebrants crowded the National Mall to witness the
inauguration of the first African-American president. So many supporters
streamed in from all across the nation that for twenty-four hours they nearly
doubled Washington’s population. Inaugurations are always moving celebrations
of the most basic democratic process, the peaceful transfer of power, but this one
was especially euphoric. The country’s most famous and iconic musicians, from
the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, to the cellist Yo-Yo Ma, gave soaring
performances to mark the occasion. Celebrities and dignitaries pulled strings to
get seats. Excitement was so feverish that the Democratic political consultant
James Carville was predicting a long-term political realignment in which the
Democrats “will remain in power for the next forty years.”
But on the other side of the country during the last weekend in January 2009,
another kind of gathering was under way, of a group of activists who aimed to
do all they could to nullify the results of the recent election. In Indian Wells, a
California desert town on the outskirts of Palm Springs, one polished sports
utility vehicle after the next cruised down the long, palm-lined drive of the
Renaissance Esmeralda Resort and Spa. Stepping out onto the curb, as bellboys
darted for the luggage, were some of America’s most ardent conservatives, many
of whom represented the nation’s most powerfully entrenched business interests.
It would be hard to conjure a richer tableau of the good life than the one greeting
them. Overhead, the sky was a brilliant azure. In the distance, the foothills of the
Santa Rosa Mountains rose steeply from the Coachella Valley, creating a
stunning backdrop of ever-changing hues. Velvety green lawns stretched as far
as the eye could see, meandering toward a neighboring thirty-six-hole golf
course. Swimming pools, one with a man-made sandy beach, were surrounded
by chaises and intimate, curtained pavilions. As dusk fell, countless tea lights
and tiki torches magically lit the walkways and flower beds.