Book Review: Jane Mayer's "Dark Money"

In 2010, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in a highly controversial case raising the question of if corporations and their union counterparts had First Amendment rights equal to that of individuals under the Constitution. This case, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, had the potential to overturn Progressive era limitations on corporations' and unions' political contributions to candidates of their choice. When the 5-4 ruling in favor of Citizens United came down the news pipeline, it shocked the American political system. Why? Virtually unlimited spending was now allowed by wealthy groups on each side of the political spectrum as long as political contributions were given to groups not directly affiliated with candidates (i.e. political action committees or PACs). How did this come to be? Jane Mayer uncovers the story behind the Citizens United case and its embedded context within a hugely polarized political system in her 2016 book Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right.

{I'll begin with a disclaimer on my summary and analysis of Mayer's book by saying that while both Republicans and Democrats have hugely wealthy donors at their disposal ready to influence election outcomes, the Republicans have used their wealth more to their advantage.}

The story of Citizens United goes back at least a half century. Mayer traces the historical development of a sophisticated network of organizations and institutions largely financed by ultraconservative and ultra-rich donors like the infamous Koch brothers that injected previously fringe libertarian ideas concerning the need for government whose only function would be to provide for the protection of property rights into mainstream discourse at the scholarly and everyday levels. This complex network was largely a mix of charitable foundations and  501(c)4 and 501(c)6 organizations (social welfare groups and business leagues, respectively) that allowed donors both anonymity and tax deductions in their contributions (often from foundations) to these ostensibly nonpartisan groups that pervaded national discussions with previously fringe ideologies.

The peddling of a comprehensive strategy of ultimately stripping government of its power to tax and regulate business (i.e. environmental protection measures like the Clean Air Act to minimize industrial sources of pollution) was disguised as a freedom crusade, given credibility by cloaking these self-serving ideals in a mantle of patriotism. While money is definitely a huge force in politics these days since the watershed Citizens United case, Mayer shows that ideology is more formidable in its ability to affect citizens' thinking (read: voting) on critical issues like business regulation in the long-term. The synergy behind money and ideas thus serves as an amplifier for ideology, allowing it to reach larger audiences, critical in any campaign to change public thinking and thus put into place representatives more likely to contribute toward favorable short and long-term legislative outcomes. For industrial giants like Koch Industries, this includes legislation that limits government's ability to mitigate the effects of everything from dangerous speculative practices in the financial sector to fighting industrial greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change.

Outside of the scary implications Citizens United has for the democratic process in the United States, Mayer's book is doubly scary in her showing that the rich could (and at least with the Republicans, did) supplant traditional political party structures with their own monetary and other political infrastructure (and making it look like their ideology and preferred legislative outcomes are backed by the public). The fact that these ultra-rich (or 1%) could create their own de facto political parties to drown out the voices of traditional parties (which largely are supposed to represent the interests of the little guy) should give people, no matter their party or ideological affiliation, pause.

While it would be interesting to see a similar investigation into like networks on the left as well as the right, Mayer's book is illuminating and thought provoking overall, forcing readers to ask tough questions about the current state of our democracy. Can it still be called a democracy? Or has the U.S. begun to slide towards a plutocracy (i.e. government by the rich and for the rich)? Mayer leaves these questions up to the reader to decide, but ultimately makes a convincing argument for the fact that all is not lost if citizens fight back and can rekindle a flagging sense of civic duty and participation in governmental affairs.



Works Cited:

Mayer, Jane. (2016). Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right. New York: Penguin Random House LLC.