Democracy in chains
by Nancy MacLean · first published 2017
56% recommend22% neutral22% critical
Why HN recommends it
Traces the links between Koch-funded donors, foundations, and the libertarian push to roll back the New Deal, showing how political money and ideas shaped US government.
Common criticism: Critics say its scholarship is flawed and reviewers have disputed its accuracy.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"An explosive expose of the right's relentless campaign to eliminate unions, suppress voting, privatize public education, and change the Constitution. "Perhaps the best explanation to date of the roots of the political divide that threatens to irrevocably alter American government." --Booklist (starred review) Behind today's headlines of billionaires taking over our government is a secretive political establishment with long, deep, and troubling roots. The capitalist radical right has been working not simply to change who rules, but to fundamentally alter the rules of democratic governance. Bu
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…civilized society, democracy and rule of law took centuries of work by progressives and government. Decades of propaganda by libertarians has set up an artificial divide between government and people. See 'Democracy in Chains' by Nancy Maclean. The government is you in a democracy, it's there to protect your and everyone else's interests, that what democracy and rule of law means. It's what guarantees a somewhat civilized…
on “Young Chinese are sick of working long hours” ↗…directory to systematically disassemble the power of government. I think the best assembly of linkages between Koch and various foundations and entities and how they're linked the that philosophy is the book "Democracy in Chains", by Nancy MacLean. This book is not without controversy, but much of the criticism is generated from the very same network of entities that is criticized by the book. https://www.chronicle.com/article/A-New-History-of-the-Right...…
on “Vitalik Buterin on Cryptoeconomics and Markets in Everything” ↗> How did we end up with such a gross lack of accountability? Have a read of Dark Money (Mayer) and/or Democracy in Chains (MacLean) to get a picture of the why and how.
on “Ohio Republicans close to imposing near-total ban on municipal broadband” ↗This is no accident. It’s the GOP’s reward for consistent efforts to roll back most of the progress done since The New Deal era. Nancy MacLean’s book Democracy in Chains explains it splendidly.
…civics. To really see the disconnect between the elite and folk understandings, I had to chew thru the podcasts Know Your Enemy, 5-4 "How the Supreme Court Sucks", and Strict Scrutiny. Also, the books Democracy in Chains and Dark Money connected a lot of the dots for me. Specifically, the connection between pro segregation, anti-civil rights, anti-labor reactionaries and the modern movement conservatives.
on “Learning The Elite Class” ↗> ...but they don't really persuade me. What measure of proof do you require? Democracy in Chains' primary source are a cache of documents from economist James Buchanan's think tank, architects of the reactionary movement's strategy. By their own words and actions, they intend to end democracy and…
on “Supreme Court Overturns Roe vs. Wade” ↗Yup. The books Democracy in Chains, Lobbying America, and Dark Money are three (of many, many) good intros to the conservative reaction to the The New Deal.
on “Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations” ↗…population doesn't live within my progressive, city living bubble, and just how much worse things are in some places. I don't think I'm alone here. Some other things I've heard that have reinforced this: Democracy in Chains: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30011020-democracy-in-ch... When the Welfare People Come: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29633687-when-the-welfar... [1]https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52444.Sundown_Towns?ac=1...
on “How black people still need to outwit racists in rural America” ↗James Buchanan's ideas and Koch money are the subject of Nancy MacLean's 2017 book "Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30011020-democracy-in-ch...
on “The Billionaire Behind Efforts to Kill the U.S. Postal Service [pdf]” ↗This is a very american centric perspective due to decades of propaganda by libertarians who want to set up an artificial divide between government and people. See 'Democracy in Chains' by Nancy Maclean. The government is you in a democracy, it's there to protect your and everyone else's interests, that what democracy and rule of law means. It's what guarantees a somewhat civilized…
on “Tech’s Two Philosophies” ↗…sense, it's what gives them an edge over the competition. The Cambridge Analytica dossier is of course a good way to find references. In terms of the why, and the who's paying, Dark Money (Mayer) and Democracy in Chains (MacLean) touch on it: psychographics is huge for anyone doing manipulation, not just commercial ads, also political ones. Probably even moreso.
on “If you think psychological science is bad, imagine how bad it was in 1999” ↗…Lobbying America https://www.amazon.com/dp/0691168016 the history of how Business Roundtable, Chamber of Commerce, et al reacted to The New Deal by transitioning from trade groups to political players. Democracy in Chains https://www.amazon.com/Democracy-Chains-History-Radical-Stea... shares (Nobel winning economist) James McGill Buchanan's role in bootstrapping the Southern flavored conservative movement (libertarian…
on “FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices” ↗…her offenses being substantially beyond the above. (I think it would have been fine to keep Jeong if they also kept Norton and Khan). - The New York Times published a completely uncritical review of Democracy in Chains, despite it's dishonest scholarship. Even NPR added an editor's note to their report on this book.
on “Letter in Response to Jan. 17 Article in The New York Times” ↗…accomplish this. Time will tell who will be left standing, the theocrats or the reactionaries. There are many exposés, books, articles, etc. Here are two of the more recent: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_in_Chains https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_money
on “Supreme Court Overturns Roe vs. Wade” ↗This article is based on an irredeemably flawed book ("Democracy in Chains"), which has been completely discredited by a series of prominent reviewers.[1][2] There are many more reviews which reveal the scope of fabrication in this book, but it suffices to say that the work…