Economist James Buchanan played a landmark role in building the ideological and institutional framework by which the wealthy have been trying, for a while, to destroy democracy — so that they can rule uncontrolled. They have been trying not just to change the policies but to change the rules by which the policies are made. But to do that, they had to build a long-term infrastructure to develop their values, educate influentials about them, and enact them politically.
...partnered with Koch, Buchanan’s outpost at George Mason University was able to connect libertarian economists with right-wing political actors and supporters of corporations like Shell Oil, Exxon, Ford, IBM, Chase Manhattan Bank, and General Motors. Together they could push economic ideas to public through media, promote new curricula for economics education, and court politicians in nearby Washington, D.C.
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Yet at this very moment, the Kochs’ State Policy Network and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a group that connects corporate agents to conservative lawmakers to produce legislation, are involved in projects that the Trump-obsessed media hardly notices, like pumping money into state judicial races.
It’s long been known that conservatives have wisely and patiently invested in these kinds of efforts over decades, and that they are reaping the fruits of their efforts now.
The question is what progressives are doing on their side to overcome these efforts. What institutions are thinking long-term about how to get progressive ideas into media and government, and are connecting interest groups and backers with politicians? Where are the far-sighted progressive think tanks? Where are the wealthy progressive people funding these efforts?