Ready to unearth how the world's wealthiest individuals shape American politics? Want to delve into the fascinating dynamics of power, wealth, and influence? Are you interested in understanding how the likes of Richard Mellon Scaife, Charles Koch, and David Koch have used their fortunes to mold the political landscape of the United States? Begin your journey into the depths of American politics through the lens of its wealthiest influencers.

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

The fiercely libertarian Koch family, led by patriarch Fred Koch, amassed its fortune through lucrative business relationships with the regimes of dictators Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler. 

Fred Koch, an inveterate tinkerer and innovator, developed an improved process for extracting gasoline from crude oil in 1927, but was ostracized from the American oil industry due to perceived threats to major oil companies. Consequently, Koch took his refining method abroad, providing pivotal assistance to the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany in building their oil industries.

The four Koch sons, Frederick, Charles, David, and William, were born into immense wealth but were reared under their father's stern discipline and a strong work ethic. Charles, the second-born, emerged as the dominant force among the siblings, imbued with the anti-government ethos instilled by his father. After Fred Koch's death in 1967, Charles ascended to the helm of the family business, renamed Koch Industries.

Charles and his brother David used their vast wealth to underwrite hard-line libertarian politics in America, including the Libertarian Party's 1980 presidential campaign. 

Despite the campaign's failure, the Koch brothers pivoted to influencing policy through funding of academia and think tanks, aiming to reshape America's political landscape with their brand of radical libertarianism. Their philanthropic endeavors, often anonymous, sought to cast the American government as an enemy and to promote the unfettered accumulation of private wealth as the nation's ultimate goal. 

The Koch brothers' influence on American politics has been profound, with their wealth serving as the scaffolding for an ideological machine that seeks to undo not just the social reforms of the 20th century, but also the foundational principles of democracy itself. Their story is a testament to the power of wealth in shaping the political narratives and policies of a nation.

Did the Koch Brothers Use Their Fortune to Reshape American Politics with Radical Libertarianism?

Richard Mellon Scaife, scion of a wealthy Pittsburgh family, was a private and enigmatic figure who used his fortune to influence American politics. Inspired by the military strategist Hannibal, Scaife founded a private organization in 1964 that became the first step in a concerted effort to shape American politics with conservative ideas. Over his lifetime, Scaife spent over $1 billion on philanthropy, with $620 million aimed at influencing American public affairs. 

However, Scaife was also a deeply troubled man, estranged from family members and rarely engaged with the institutions he funded. A memoir penned in 2009, years before his death and diagnosis with cancer, revealed his motivations and his role in building the conservative movement in America. 

Scaife's political influence was born out of a group of influential conservatives who saw American civilization under threat from progressivism. This group, which Scaife was part of, decided that America must not follow the path of Carthage, a wealthy civilization that fell due to the passivity of its ruling class. This belief led to the formation of the League to Save Carthage, an informal network of influential conservatives determined to prevent America's downfall. 

In 1964, this group formally established the Carthage Foundation. Despite the defeat of their political representative, Barry Goldwater, the group was determined to challenge the liberal dominance of the time. 

Scaife's financial backing was instrumental in supporting conservative think tanks and political organizations. This was in line with the Powell Memorandum, a blueprint for conservatives to reclaim American politics. 

Scaife's funding helped launch the careers of conservative social critics and economists, and his involvement in the Arkansas Project, an investigation into President Clinton's marital infidelities, demonstrated the far-reaching impact a single wealthy individual could have on national affairs.

Despite his personal failings and troubled life, Scaife's influence on American politics cannot be underestimated. His fortune and determination to shape the country's political landscape made him a pivotal figure in the rise of the modern conservative movement.

Hannibal's Heir: Richard Mellon Scaife and the Billion-Dollar Influence on American Politics

In the 1960s, multimillionaire industrialist John M. Olin was deeply troubled by the state of American higher education. He was particularly concerned by the uprising at his alma mater, Cornell University, where student protests led to the establishment of an independent black studies program. Olin believed the university was bending to radical leftist ideas and was determined to push back. 

Over the next few decades, he directed his substantial wealth towards an ambitious offensive aimed at shifting the political alignment of American higher education to the right. Olin's foundation targeted the country's most elite schools, including Ivy League institutions, seeking to influence the next generation of power holders.

The John M. Olin Foundation spent about half of its total assets of $370 million promoting conservative ideas on campuses across the country. This campaign was part of a broader conservative push to counter perceived left-wing dominance in academia and the media.

The Olin Foundation and several other private foundations funded the creation of a conservative counter-intelligentsia, which aimed to challenge liberal ideas and control the reins of government. 

However, the Olin Foundation's intervention in academia was not without controversy. Critics argued that it undermined academic independence and integrity. They pointed to the foundation's focus on funding scholars who agreed with its political agenda and its efforts to introduce conservative ideas into university curriculums.

Despite these criticisms, the Olin Foundation and its allies persisted in their efforts to reshape American higher education. By the time the foundation spent itself out of existence in 2005, it had helped mold a new generation of conservative graduates and professors and had made significant inroads into the country's most prestigious universities.

Did Multimillionaire John M. Olin Successfully Shift the Political Tilt of American Higher Education?

Charles Koch, alongside his brother David Koch, have been pivotal figures in the creation and funding of the libertarian movement. Their goal has been to create a political force that fights for less government interference, lower taxes and less regulation. They have used 'modern sales and motivational techniques' to form a private political sales force, which on the surface appears as a grassroots movement, but is in fact funded by several of America's biggest businesses, including the Kochs themselves. 

A key strategy has been to use 'Astroturf' groups, which appear to be grassroots organizations, but are in fact established and funded by corporate sponsors. One of these, Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE), has been critical in mobilizing voters behind the Kochs' agenda. CSE, for instance, pushed to abolish progressive taxes in favor of a flat tax and to “privatize” many government programs, including Social Security. 

The Kochs have also used their influence to shape the narrative around key policy areas. During Obama's presidency, they played a significant role in stirring opposition to the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. They funded campaigns against the Act, organized rallies and used their network of donors to apply pressure on key policymakers. 

However, the Kochs' influence is not just seen in these high-profile campaigns. They have also funded a wide range of think tanks, advocacy groups and academic institutions that promote free-market ideas. These organizations, in turn, produce research, organize events and shape public debate in a way that aligns with the Kochs' libertarian philosophy. 

In addition to their political activities, the Kochs also run Koch Industries, one of the largest privately held companies in the United States. Their business interests range from oil and gas to paper products and ranching. Their vast wealth, combined with their political influence, make the Kochs some of the most powerful figures in American politics.

Master Puppeteers: The Koch Brothers' Influence on American Politics and Economy

In the months leading up to the 2008 presidential election, Michael Mann, a professor at Penn State University and a leading figure in climate change research, felt optimistic about the future of climate action. Both Republican and Democratic presidential nominees had acknowledged the importance of addressing global warming. 

However, Mann was unaware of the impending backlash from forces stirring the Tea Party, who would soon channel public outrage against scientific experts like himself.

In 1999, Mann had co-authored a study that outlined the past millennium's temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere, revealing a sharp upward spike, like the blade of a hockey stick, in the 20th century. This "hockey stick graph" became a powerful symbol in the climate debate. 

By 2008, Mann and most experts had concluded that human actions, primarily the burning of fossil fuels, were endangering the planet's climate. Despite this consensus, the fossil fuel industry and its allies began a series of vitriolic attacks on climate science and scientists, including Mann, threatening to derail climate legislation and alter the course of Obama's presidency.

As Obama took office, he pledged to pass a "cap and trade" bill that would force the fossil fuel industry to pay for its pollution, rather than treating it as someone else's problem. However, the ferocious opposition from moneyed interests and politicians led by the fossil fuel industry proved to be a significant challenge. They channelled the public's anger towards climate science and scientists, and effectively turned public opinion against action on climate change.

In 2009, an anonymous hacker released thousands of internal emails from the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit, including Mann's. These emails were taken out of context to suggest a willingness to falsify data to support the idea of global warming. This alleged scandal, dubbed "Climategate", was a significant blow to the climate change movement. 

Despite Mann and other climate scientists being exonerated in independent investigations, the damage to public belief in climate change had been done.

Ultimately, the climate legislation that Obama attempted to pass was stymied by the influence of special interests. The fossil fuel industry and its allies had effectively halted significant action on climate change, despite the growing scientific consensus on its dangers. 

Did the Fossil Fuel Industry Derail Obama's Climate Legislation and Manipulate Public Opinion?

David Koch, the billionaire known for his philanthropy and his contributions to the American Ballet Theatre, found himself in the spotlight of New York's high society in 2010. 

A self-proclaimed admirer of classical ballet, Koch had been quietly investing large sums of money into the theatre and other cultural institutions. However, his philanthropy was not just a passion for the arts, it was a strategic move to gain respectability and influence in the public sphere.

Koch was also a significant political donor, but his contributions were largely kept secret. He and his brother Charles, through their network of wealthy conservative activists, were instrumental in the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in the Citizens United case in 2010. This controversial ruling overturned a century of restrictions on corporations and unions spending in elections, effectively equating money with speech and allowing wealthy individuals and corporations to spend their fortunes influencing politics.

This decision paved the way for a new era of “dark money” in politics, where the true sources of campaign funds could be hidden from the public. Koch’s network used this new freedom to create a political machine that challenged the two major political parties, funding attack ads and influencing elections. The Koch network’s influence was so pervasive that it was even able to swing local state legislature races, effectively gerrymandering districts in their favor.

In the wake of the Citizens United decision, the 2010 midterm elections saw a massive influx of dark money, much of it funneled through groups with innocuous names like Americans for Prosperity. These groups, backed by the Kochs and other wealthy donors, spent millions on attack ads and political campaigns. The Democrats were caught off guard and suffered huge losses in the House of Representatives and in state legislatures across the country.

The influence of the Kochs and their network has been profound. Their strategic use of philanthropy and dark money has given them unprecedented power over American politics. This secretive influence over the democratic process is concerning for those who believe in transparency and accountability in politics.


From Ballet to Ballots: Unmasking David Koch's Philanthropy and Political Power Play

In 2011, the influence of ultraconservative billionaires like David Koch began to take hold in US politics. Koch's donor network had spent at least $130.7 million on winning a Republican majority, putting Congress under new, and arguably more private, management. Koch's political adjutant, Tim Phillips, was the president of Americans for Prosperity and had a significant influence on the congressional committees that affected Koch Industries' bottom line.

Koch's public presence signified a transformation in the political landscape. The Koch brothers had gone from being outsiders in Washington politics to becoming the heart of GOP power. Their influence was seen in the appointment of industry advocates to key committees, their funding of political campaigns, and their sway over legislative decisions, particularly around environmental issues.

However, the Koch brothers' increasing visibility also attracted public scrutiny and criticism. This led to a series of aggressive public relations tactics from the brothers and their team, including launching personal attacks against reporters who criticized them. 

One of these reporters was Jane Mayer, who faced baseless accusations of plagiarism from conservative news site The Daily Caller. The allegations were eventually dropped, but the incident highlighted the lengths the Koch brothers would go to protect their political interests.

The Koch brothers' influence extended beyond their public confrontations. They played a significant role in the 2011 debt ceiling crisis, funding campaigns and influencing political decisions that led to significant cuts in government spending. These cuts disproportionately affected programs for the poor, leading to criticism that the Kochs were promoting an agenda that favored the wealthy at the expense of the less well-off.

Did the Koch Brothers' Billion-Dollar Influence Reshape US Politics in 2011?

In the 2012 election campaign, billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch planned to heavily influence the outcome through limitless political spending, following the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. They organized a seminar in Beaver Creek, Colorado, aimed at addressing “threats to American free enterprise and prosperity.”

The seminar was attended by around 300 participants, including major donors and influential figures. Their plans were disrupted when a reporter for Mother Jones, Brad Friedman, obtained an audio recording of the proceedings and published a transcript, revealing their strategies and discussions.

The Kochs had been trying to persuade Paul Ryan to run for the White House, but their efforts were unsuccessful. They began to look for alternatives, such as Mitt Romney and Chris Christie. Despite their efforts, the choice of a strong Republican candidate for the presidential election was far from assured.

The Koch brothers and their operatives also established a new method of masking their political contributions. They created a “business league” named the Association for American Innovation (AAI) which allowed donations to be classified as “membership dues” and to some extent deducted as business expenses. This further safeguarded the secrecy of their operations.

The Koch network spent at least $407 million on the election campaign, nearly all of it anonymously. This was more than the total spent by John McCain on his 2008 presidential bid, and more than the combined contributions to the two presidential campaigns made by over 5 million Americans.

The Kochs' influence extended to various policy areas and even led to controversies over voter fraud allegations. Their funding and support of groups like True the Vote resulted in legislative initiatives aimed at requiring voters to produce official photo IDs in many states.

Despite their significant financial input, the Koch brothers did not succeed in determining the outcome of the election. Their preferred candidate, Mitt Romney, lost the election to Barack Obama. However, their influence on the political landscape and the discourse within the Republican Party was undeniable. They had effectively created their own private political party, and their wealth had significantly influenced the nature of American democracy.


Koch Brothers' Secret Power Play: Unmasking the Billionaires' Influence on the 2012 Elections

In North Carolina, Republicans were celebrating the triumph of big money at the state level despite Obama's reelection. The REDMAP plan had allowed Republicans to redraw the boundaries of congressional districts in the state, securing their control despite receiving fewer votes than Democrats. North Carolina was a test kitchen for the Koch machine's model states, with significant spending taking place to help conservatives take power.

One key figure in this process was Tom Hofeller, a master of gerrymandering, who was hired by a dark-money group to create the largest number of safe seats possible for Republicans. Alongside him was Art Pope, a multimillionaire and top political donor, who became a frequent adviser and key player in the redistricting project.

The redistricting led to a majority of Republican representatives despite a larger number of votes for Democrats, effectively resegregating the state into congressional districts. The state's supreme court, with a Republican majority, upheld the redistricting plan, which had been criticized for being racially discriminatory.

The Republicans' takeover of North Carolina's government led to a conservative overhaul of the state's tax code and budget. Taxes were slashed for corporations and the wealthy, while benefits and services for the middle class and poor were cut. The state government also rejected the expanded Medicaid coverage offered under the Affordable Care Act, denying free healthcare to 500,000 uninsured low-income residents.

At the same time, the state's public education system faced severe cuts, and the university system was targeted for ideological warfare. The John Locke Foundation sponsored the North Carolina History Project, which aimed to reorient the state's teaching of its history by diminishing the roles of social movements and government while celebrating the "personal creation of wealth."

Despite widespread pushback and criticism, Art Pope and other conservative leaders maintained their commitment to their ideological mission. They were part of a larger network of conservative non-profit organizations, funded by wealthy donors and corporations, that were influencing politics at the state level across the country. This network included the American Legislative Exchange Council, which produced model legislation that state legislators often introduced as their own.

This conservative revolution at the state level was largely funded by multinational corporations and a small group of very wealthy individuals. Their influence was felt not only in politics but also in the media, with the creation of conservative "news" services that promoted their legislative priorities.

The shutdown of the federal government in 2013, orchestrated by Mark Meadows, a Republican freshman congressman from a gerrymandered district in North Carolina, was a clear example of the outsized influence of these radical conservatives. Despite widespread public disapproval, the government shutdown showed the power and reach of the radicalized donor base in the Republican Party.

Did Big Money and Gerrymandering Engineer the Republican Takeover in North Carolina?

In 2013, at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, the heads of Washington's most influential conservative think tanks gathered to discuss the election of 2012, what went wrong and how they could succeed in the future. Arthur Brooks, the president of the American Enterprise Institute, highlighted that conservatives had an empathy problem, as only a third of the public agreed that Republicans cared about them. 

After this revelation, the Koch brothers decided to launch a public relations campaign to rebrand themselves as champions of the other "99 percent." They aimed to convince the public that they were moral and good, that they cared about fairness and helping the vulnerable. 

Despite some skepticism about the sincerity of their message, the Kochs persisted. They formed partnerships with unlikely allies, such as the United Negro College Fund and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, to demonstrate their commitment to solving problems and fostering a positive vision for America. 

Even as they worked to reshape their image, the Kochs continued to exert significant influence over the Republican Party. By 2014, their network had poured over $100 million into competitive House and Senate races. By 2015, their influence reached beyond just the political sphere, with nearly 5,000 scholars in over 400 colleges and universities across the country promoting their ideology. 

As they prepared for the 2016 elections, the Kochs set a fundraising goal of $889 million. Despite their enormous wealth, Charles Koch insisted that their political activities were not motivated by a desire to increase their fortunes, but by a commitment to "increase well-being in society." However, some critics argued that their vast financial resources and influence posed a threat to democratic processes.


Rebranding the Koch Brothers: A Conservative Empathy Campaign

The Koch family, led by Fred Chase Koch, built their fortune through business relationships with some historical dictatorships and an innovative method for gasoline extraction. 

Fred Koch's sons, particularly Charles, inherited their father's wealth and anti-government ethos. They used their wealth to influence U.S. politics, funding campaigns for the Libertarian Party, and reshaping America’s political landscape with their brand of radical libertarianism. They have been instrumental in promoting the idea of the American government as an enemy and advocating for the accumulation of private wealth as a national goal.

Richard Mellon Scaife, another influential figure, used his fortune to shape American politics with conservative ideas. Despite being a deeply troubled individual, he was instrumental in building the conservative movement in America. 

Scaife believed that American civilization was under threat from progressivism. This belief led to the formation of the League to Save Carthage, which aimed to prevent America's downfall. Scaife's financial backing was pivotal in supporting conservative think tanks and political organizations. His involvement in the Arkansas Project demonstrated the far-reaching impact a single wealthy individual could have on national affairs.

Another multimillionaire industrialist, John M. Olin, was concerned about the state of American higher education and aimed to shift its political alignment to the right. His foundation focused on promoting conservative ideas in elite schools across the country. Despite criticisms of undermining academic independence and integrity, the foundation persisted in its efforts to reshape American higher education.

The Koch brothers planned to heavily influence the 2012 election campaign through limitless political spending. Despite their significant financial input, they did not succeed in determining the outcome of the election. However, their influence on the political landscape and the discourse within the Republican Party was undeniable.

In North Carolina, Republicans secured control of the state with the help of the REDMAP plan, which allowed them to redraw the boundaries of congressional districts. The Republican takeover led to a conservative overhaul of the state's tax code and budget. This was part of a larger trend of wealthy donors and corporations influencing politics at the state level across the country, leading to significant political polarization.

Home

Trending Books

News & Mags

Relax

Curated

Collections

Key Ideas & Notes

Insights

Highlights & Bookmarks

Listening History