Kochtopus

Mayer defines the Kochtopus as "the many-tentacled ideological machine" built by the Koch brothers and their enormous fortune (58). Essentially, the Kochtopus is the subject of Mayer's book. Her investigation into the billions of dollars propelling the far-right shift in the political system led her to the Kochs at almost every turn, Thus, while she avoids making the Koch brothers the main topic of her book, the scope and power of their influence in the conservative movement is unavoidable. The Kochtopus takes on many different names during Mayer's investigation, like the Koch network, the donor network, the donor class, or the Kochs' political machine. Throughout the book, Mayer may credit an idea or a political initiative to a group or individual, but always draws a clear line between the group or individual and the Kochtopus. Whether an initiative is funded by the Kochs themselves, a member of their...