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

by Jane Mayer

As the operatives linked forces online, they set a date for the first national Tea Party protests, February 27. That day, more than a dozen protests were held in cities across the country. The organizers claimed 30,000 participants, but the crowds in many places were still sparse. But on April 15, when there was a second series of “Tax Day” Tea Party rallies across the country, the numbers had increased tenfold, to 300,000. The Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute, and Americans for Prosperity provided speakers, talking points, press releases, transportation, and other logistical support. Lee Fang, a blogger for the progressive Web site ThinkProgress, was among the first to question whether the movement was organic or synthetic “Astroturf.” He noted that Americans for Prosperity was suddenly planning protests “coast to coast,” while FreedomWorks seemed to have taken over a local rally in Florida. Not everyone liked the top-down control of the protests. “Americans for Prosperity annoyed some of the Tea Partiers,” recalls the libertarian blogger Ralph Benko. “These people drove up, opened the door, put T-shirts on them, then took pictures and sent them to Charles [Koch] saying, ‘See? We’re doing great things with your money.’