Author Jane Mayer on How the Koch Brothers Could Influence the Election
In Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right, investigative journalist Jane Mayer takes a close look at the Koch brothers and the broader network of wealthy, conservative donors working to reshape America into their image.
Mayer recently spoke to Rolling Stone about how this network has changed American society, and — below — she delves into the issue of money in politics, and specifically what effect the Kochs could have on this year’s high-stakes presidential election.
The two big winners in the New Hampshire primary were Bernie Sanders, whose campaign donations have averaged just $27 (as he’s fond of pointing out), and Donald Trump, who’s largely self-funding his campaign. What does that say about this campaign cycle?
I think what we’re seeing is a national outpouring of outrage and disgust that 400 or so of the richest people in America are trying to pick our next leader for us. Whatever your politics are, whether they’re left or right, people really don’t appreciate having a handful of the richest people in the country decide everything for us. The one thing Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump have in common is that both are railing about the corruption of the American political process, and both are saying, “I am not bought by anyone else.” And that message is really resonating with voters.
It’s an irony, because the super-rich donors have in some ways created the backlash that’s eating them alive at this point. That said, at the end of the day, we’re a long way away from Election Day, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the usual order somehow restores itself, and the big money wins. We’ll see.
Of course, with Trump, his model is very different from Bernie Sanders’. Bernie Sanders is funded by tiny donations from not particularly wealthy people, whereas Donald Trump is a billionaire, running as a billionaire. And so, on the Republican side, you kind of have a choice between the billionaire who owns himself, and the candidates who are owned by the other billionaires. It’s a somewhat oligarchic choice.