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.
There's a Perception Gap With the U.S. Economy
As we approach another election cycle, it’s worth asking: what’s real, what’s political theater, and what does it all mean if Democrats regain control of the House?
International Law Is Holding Democracies Back
The United States should use this moment to argue for a different approach to the rules of war.
Trump purged America’s Leftist toxins. Now hubris will be his downfall
From ending DEI madness and net zero to securing the border, he’ll leave the US stronger. But his excesses are inciting a Left-wing backlash
California’s wealth tax tests the limits of progressive politics
Until the country finds a way to convince the average American that extreme wealth does not come at their expense, both the oligarchs and the heavily Democratic professional classes risk experiencing serious tax raids unseen for decades.
The Venezuela Symposium
Eight Latin American contributors discuss Venezuela's future and its wider consequences for the region.
Venezuela Post-Maduro
Indeed, for many, the Venezuelan situation seemed to have no other way out, since everything had already been tried without success. It was about time.
