Dark Money and the illusion of democracy
Until I read “Dark Money” by Jane Mayer, I only knew of the Koch brothers as a pair of billionaires meddling in politics. I didn’t realize their role in furthering an American oligarchy that has thrived for decades. I was not aware of how committed they are to organizing the billionaires of the donor class to get the maximum return on their substantial self-serving investments in politics.
What they have done through the collective action of the upper tenth of one percent of Americans is to render real democracy inoperative. They have groomed politicians and judges to infiltrate all levels of government and the judiciary to promote their social Darwinism that holds that the only role of government is to protect their wealth and their ability to amass more wealth and power. Our representative form of government now represents the very wealthy much more than the rest of us.
We seem surprised when our legislators ignore an overwhelming majority of their constituents and vote in concert to tilt our system in favor of a wealthy few. We have reached the point where democracy is an illusion that the donor class uses to keep government functioning but only in their best interests. Because so much of the wealth of the oligarchy is based upon the energy extraction industries and defense spending, the subversion of science and diplomacy are vital to their continued prosperity.
Short of committing genocide, perhaps through disabling health and welfare safety nets, they have no solution to changes in demographics but voter suppression and voter manipulation. Because they would not fare well in a real revolution, they carefully preserve the mechanism of democracy while dismantling the rule of law and turning citizen against citizen. Almost every issue in American politics takes on greater clarity when viewed through the prism of dark money.
They favor a strong police state so long as it addresses plebeian crimes and ignores the piracy of the oligarchs. Mass incarceration is a profitable way to diminish voter rolls and counter an increasingly diverse electorate.
Through right slanted media and Internet presence they have promoted the tribalism that keeps the majority from acting as one. Social issues have no real meaning to them other than their ability to divide us. After the 2012 election they realized the need to frame their causes as noble and altruistic. Abortion, gun rights, flag waving and religion have little personal meaning to most of the oligarchs but are valuable tools for keeping the majority from uniting against them.
I don’t want to suggest that the situation is hopeless but it has the potential to end democracy officially and permanently. The more wealth and power that shifts to the ultra rich the more they can cripple democratic institutions. Time is not in our favor. While Trump was likely not the preferred candidate of the oligarchy he is proving to be an effective tool for their cause. His cabinet reeks of greed and excess. His judicial appointees are hand picked by the Heritage Foundation, founded and funded by obscene wealth. They are winning but they have not yet won.
To preserve democracy, we must activate, educate and motivate the largest single voting bloc, non-voters. We also need to put aside non essential disagreements and focus on preserving democracy while our votes still count.
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