"I just want my fair share--which is all of it."

"I just want my fair share--which is all of it."
- Charles Koch, quoted in Jane Mayer, Dark Money

I'm not sure reading this right after Trump got elected was the right decision. As I write this Betsy DeVos (sister of Eric Prince, daughter of billionaire Edgar Prince, daughter-in-law to Amway founder Richard DeVos) just got picked to be Trump's Secretary of Education. Let it sink in for a minute. We just had a billionaire nominate another billionaire for a seat at the political table.

It is really starting to feel a bit like we are living in a Plutocracy. Jane Mayer's brilliantly researched book into the Koch political machine (and other closely related political organizations) has only exacerbated this feeling.

The sad part is how many people I personally know that are somehow connected to this Dark Money web. I have friends that have worked for various Koch groups, other friends who have taught "leadership" courses in Koch-funded university courses. I have old professors who now do research at the Mercatus Center at George Mason, etc.. Hell, I have more than a dozen friends in common with Sean Noble, the AZ political operator largely created with initially setting up much of the Koch network. In some ways, this book almost reads as much a biography of Noble's rise and fall as it does the Koch brother's rise.

I give the book five stars, but almost want to remove a star because it just makes me mad and sad. I'm sad that so many people I like seem to operate as mercenaries for the Koch brothers interests and their extreme vision of our future. I'm sad because with the election of Donald Trump (even though Trump at one level isn't a part of the Koch network, he might further enable it since he shares many of the same interests as his fellow GOP billionaires) I see this extreme plutocracy getting worse not better.

I remember reading a couple years ago about how our country was evolving into a plutocracy. I felt at the time, that might be a bit extreme. After the last couple elections and after reading this book, I feel a bit naïve. We are living in a nation that is designed to largely serve the interests of its richest 1%. It isn't evolving. The kleptocracy egg has hatched.

109 people found this helpful

Fact attack

This clever and revealing book exposes the extent to which a few mega-rich families in the United States cynically manipulate and control the political machinery in order to increase their profits. Their overriding goal is to minimise the role of government. This involves reducing taxes and encouraging free, unregulated trade. In their ideal world, social welfare programmes would be eradicated or stripped to the bare minimum, and there would be no environmental regulations placing restrictions on polluting industries. For example, they invest a lot of money in spreading seeds of doubt about global warming being caused by carbon dioxide emissions.

What’s good about this book is that it succeeds in presenting mountains of evidence of this manipulative activity, which has gone on for decades and is continually increasing in intensity. Huge sums of money are spent in subtle and strategic Machiavellian ploys to achieve these goals. It will leave you in no doubt that America is controlled, or at least heavily influenced by, unscrupulous, greedy, selfish elites who care only about money, power and perpetuating their dynasties.

What’s bad about this book, aside from the fact that it is depressing and leaves you feeling powerless, is that it is just a succession of facts, one after the other. It’s really hard to maintain concentration because it is like listening to a shopping list of 247 items. They may be accurate, they may be damning, they may represent extensive investigation and research by the author, but these things alone do not an entertaining listen make – and this is nothing to do with the inadequacies of the narrator – she is very good.

I stuck with it out of a sense of the worthiness of the material – the world does need to know that this is happening – but it was hard work and my concentration strayed frequently. I feel bad saying this because it’s an important work and I don’t want to discourage people from listening, but it isn’t a lot of fun.

109 people found this helpful

Hated this book!

Don't get me wrong: the information and flow of the book we're great! The details about those behind all this dark money were disgusting. VERY important book. Read it, learn, and weep for our country.

89 people found this helpful

How Much is Enough?

It takes some bravery to read this because it's so comforting to hold onto our belief in the American myth. And most of us still cling to that belief that We are a "government of the people, by the people, for the people, [that] shall not perish from the earth." We don't just vote then wear those little "I Voted" stickers because we forgot to peel them off our jackets when we left the booths. Probably more than anything I've read in years, this book worked my head over and left me both enlightened and emotionally spent. Jane Mayer traces the history of two brothers and the fortune that they would use to commandeer the government of this nation and restructure it for their personal gains. She does so with integrity of information and great journalistic talent.

After an unsuccessful bid for President of the United States of America, and spending enormous amounts of money from their inherited fortune, David Koch and his brother Charles set out to buy political power. With an impressive history of the Koch brothers, and an insight from years of researching and following their actions, Mayer lays out the path of their ambitious machinations toward a bleak destination for America, the like-wise billionaire allies and cabals willing to back the brothers, and the perpetration of colleges, think-tanks, religious groups, and "middle-Americans." Bullies with a bankroll, Charles and David (not the fruit basket gift kings) attack with the vigor of greedy monsters without conscience, discarding facts to meet their own goals, discrediting anyone that got in their way, parsing and twisting laws. As angry as you can get at this kind of deception and corruption, it's still harder to realize we peons don't mean squat to these people that don't let the facts get in the way of their views -- that our environment and future don't mean squat to them. [*The Koch's recorded environmental violations alone, noted in this book, are ridiculously blatant middle-fingers up to the citizens of this country.]

This is hard to swallow information, especially so close to the elections. I thought about the words of Gerald Lieberman's, as if he'd just put down this book: "Elections are held to delude the populace into believing that they are participating in government." (It's at least reassuring that Koch lost in 1980.) An interesting and important read if you want to step out of the dark. Mayer, by shedding some light on these termites, gives me some hope that we aren't completely fuched by the Kochs and their self-minded cronies.

61 people found this helpful

The Truth And Nothing But The Truth

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would recommend this book to friends and family. I would do so because every Americans needs to learn how "Dark Money" is corrupting our once great nation.

What does Kirsten Potter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her smooth presentation enhanced the whole listening experience.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

Discovering that Charles and David Koch are actually some of the worst people on this planet.

Any additional comments?

I hope those that take the time to read/listen to this book remember what they learned before voting on Election Day. If they do, hopefully they will reject any candidate controlled by self-centered, greedy, extremist.

50 people found this helpful

Scarier than Pet Cemetary

Would you listen to Dark Money again? Why?

I don't know...it scares me. I listen to this for at least an hour per day while at the gym.It doesn't keep me awake, too long, at night but everyday I get another dose of why I fear for this country. It is clearly controlled by the wealthiest among us for their own purposes. Every day I learn of another reason why.

What did you like best about this story?

It's non-fiction. Interesting question, what did you like best? Let's see, that this proves the country was bought by the mega-wealthy? No, that's not a 'best' item. That it is a call-to-arms for everyone other than the 0.1% to tell our elected officials, especially in Congress, what it will take to keep them in office.

Have you listened to any of Kirsten Potter’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I haven't but I am willing to see what else she'll read to me.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me fear for this country's future. With Citizens United there is a real risk to democracy as we were taught in school, a very real risk.

47 people found this helpful

What an Eye Opener!!

I don't know if I've ever read any book that makes me feel this much disgust toward the 1% of the richest families and our so-called elected officials. I don't know whether I want to quit voting and be like the sheep in our country, or become an activist for voting.

Jane Mayer describes how a few of the wealthiest families...mostly heirs to their fortunes, consider it their absolute right to use their considerable wealth to shape and change public opinion toward their own personal goals. I was absolutely amazed at some of the back stories of the many issues that came up in the last two presidential elections and before. The Reverend Wright-Obama scandal was completely formed, narrated and paid for by these families. The Mosque at Ground Zero was another. I am appalled that we, as a nation, fall for and believe this stuff. But when our daily news is part of their communication machine, it's no wonder.

Some of the names involved are the Koch brothers, Scaife, and Olin families as well as many, many more.

A must read for anyone interested in what our US democracy has become.

32 people found this helpful

Every American should read

Confirms much we have heard through the years but the situation is much more pervasive than most realize. How very sad for our democracy! The 1% want to control it all--and at this point almost do.

29 people found this helpful

Lots of bias, little hard data.

This book is a biased history of the impact of conservative Libertarians on politics from pre-WWII to the present. I thought there would be financial data but there are very few numbers to justify the claims made in this book. There are also a number of personal attacks, which I found distasteful. The author seems to lack interest in attempting to understand the mindset of her subjects and seems to be more interested in showing how evil and/or stupid they are. I was disappointed because I was expecting a well referenced financial analysis and instead I got a very long op-ed. The book is well written with elevated sentence structure, and the narration is excellent. It's not the worst book I've listened to, but don't come here looking for unbiased facts or any revolutionary new information.

28 people found this helpful

Hateful political hit job by leftist journalist

Beginning with progressive Republican president Richard Nixon the US has moved leftward during 1969 until president Obama left office in 2017 with the eight year Reagan administration being a temporary deceleration of the leftward movement.

During the last three presidential elections combined Democrats doubled the Republicans spending. In 2008 Democrats outspent Republicans more than 3 to 1.

The most recent Fortune list of the richest 400 US citizens clearly shows that of those involved in political funding Democrats outnumber those funding Republicans by more than 2 to 1 and Democrats in the 400 have wealth greater than 3 to 1 compared to Republicans on the list.

Every political funding mechanism described by the author was started by Democrats and copied by Republicans. Dark money was a Democrat invention and they continue to be the bigger abusers. Taking advantage of 501(3)c and 501(c)4 to raise huge amounts of dark money was started by Democrats and they are still the pros at it while Republicans remain neophytes.

There is so much that is incorrect, and even deeply dishonest, in this book. Yet, in reading the reviews here and at Amazon most listeners and readers obviously believe it is true. It is not! It is a dishonest and one sided.

23 people found this helpful