'Citizen Koch' and the Oligarchic Slide

Jacob Silverman
June 2, 2014

It takes about $99,000 to buy a Democratic congressman. That’s one of the grim factoids we learn in Citizen Koch, the new documentary from directors Tia Lessin and Carl Deal. That particular insight comes from James Bopp, who would know pay from payola; the conservative boffin has acted as a lawyer and advisor for a range of influential organizations, from the Republican Governors Association to Citizens United.

In the film’s impassioned telling, we owe the existence of this institutionalized corruption to Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the 2010 Supreme Court case during which, in a five-to-four decision, the Court struck down any bans on corporate and union spending on behalf of candidates.