Know Your Enemy

Koch'd Out

Episode Summary

In honor of David Koch's passing, Matt and Sam delve into the world of right-wing money. How did ultra-wealthy families like the Kochs, Scaifes, Olins, and Bradleys use their fortunes to reshape American politics?

Episode Notes

With the help of Jane Mayer's essential 2016 book, Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right, your hosts explore the world of right-wing philanthropy and the institutions—from centers at universities to think tanks in Washington, DC—it has funded. What emerges is a startling history of how a small group of incredibly rich families used novel techniques to shelter their wealth from taxation and fund a right-wing takeover of American politics.

Other sources cited and consulted:

• Theda Skocpol, "Who Owns the GOP?" (a critical review of Mayer in Dissent)
• Theda Skocpol and Vanessa Williamson, The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism
• Amanda Hollis-Brusky and Calvin Terbeek, "The Federalist Society Says It’s Not an Advocacy Organization. These Documents Show Otherwise." Politico
• Mark Schmidt "The Legend of the Powell Memo," The American Prospect
• Honoré de Balzac, Eugénie Grandet (1833)