Elon Musk and the Rise of the Alt-Oligarchy
The power wielded by Donald Trump’s renegade band of billionaires should concern any democrat.
The US is increasingly a country ruled by oligarchs who pour cascading levels of funds into the competing parties. In 2024, election spending was two-to-three times what it was two decades ago in real terms.
To see historic parallels, you have to go back to the Gilded Age in the late 19th century, where great money men and monopolists lorded over the political class, particularly in the Republican Party. This golden age of oligarchy was eventually dimmed by progressive reform and, later, by the New Deal. Today, according to Jacobin, some 40 per cent of all political contributions once again come from the top one per cent of the top one per cent.
Ever since the US Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling, which essentially blocked any real attempt to control campaign spending, the situation has worsened. This has generally benefitted Democrats, which is perhaps surprising given the GOP’s traditional ties to the ultra-rich. Wall Street and big-spending oligarchs like Bill and Melinda Gates, Reid Hoffman and Marc Benioff helped Kamala Harris raise well over $1.5 billion, the highest figure in history, for her losing campaign.
Politics
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Liberal Democracy Reexamined: Leo Strauss on Alexis de Tocqueville
This article explores Leo Strauss’s thoughts on Alexis de Tocqueville in his 1954 “Natural Right” course transcript.
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Long Distance Migration as a Two-Step Sorting Process: The Resettlement of Californians in Texas
Here we press the question of whether the well-documented stream of migrants relocating from California to Texas has been sufficient to alter the political complexion of the destination state.
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Who's That Knocking? A Study of the Strategic Choices Facing Large-Scale Grassroots Canvassing Efforts
Although there is a consensus that personalized forms of campaign outreach are more likely to be effective at either mobilizing or even persuading voters, there remains uncertainty about how campaigns should implement get-out-the-vote (GOTV) programs, especially at a truly expansive scale.
Decadent Ideology, Decaying Fraternity
Richard Reinsch reviews Prosperity and Torment in France by Chantal Delsol.
DC and LA Failures Play Into Trump’s Hands
Although clearly violating America’s long-standing federalist principles, Trump’s incursions are being justified by the incompetence of most blue-city leaders.
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Building a Politics of Deliberation in the Tarheel State
The high price of destructive dialogue and the value of constructive engagement are among the few matters about which the coauthors of this article agree.
Can Cass Sunstein Save Liberalism?
Sunstein's analysis of liberalism fails to reach the live arguments about liberalism’s viability in a diverse and democratic republic.
