Summary Of Jane Mayer's Dark Money

In her recent book, Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right, Jane Mayer pens a scathing critique of the multibillionaires who have been attempting to use their obscene amounts of wealth to buy the elections from the American people. The novel details the ascent of the Koch brothers, Charles and David, and their network of followers from oil tycoons in the 1970s to the massive political donors of modern day. Mayer argues that the brothers’ upbringing in Kansas by their authoritarian father, Fred, and demure mother, Mary, created in them a deep hatred of authority and a vision of the world built on economic freedom and pure market capitalism. Ironically, the brothers, especially Charles, rule over

She lays out the myriad of ways in which the brothers have transformed the United States into an oligarchy since 2010’s Citizens United Supreme Court ruling. Mayer also details the impact that the Koch network has had on social programs – such as influencing state governors and legislators to not accept the expansion of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act – causing millions of the poorest Americans to go without health insurance. This kind of blatant disregard for the most vulnerable in our society speaks ill of the Koch brothers’ network. Their concern for the well-being of this country’s poorest is truly admirable, which will surely endear them to whatever entity waits for them beyond this life after they are gone. Mayer also implicates the Koch brothers and their allies as being one of the causes of the 2013 national government shutdown, which prevented millions of Americans from using government-run services, like the Head Start Program, which provides food and medical funding for low-income children. The Koch network, clearly, has Americans best interests at heart. These wealthy brothers have no idea what it is like to be an average American, and their ideas only advance their own