Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right

by Jane Mayer,
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, February 7, 2016

In the late 1980s, Richard Fink, the principal political aide of Charles Koch, laid out a blueprint for a takeover of American politics. The first phase required investments in intellectuals and think tanks to produce ideas and turn them into marketable policy initiatives. The next phase involved subsidizing “grass-roots” citizen groups that would elect politicians primed to enact the policies — and along with “special interest” lobbyists, keep the pressure on them and government agencies.