Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton laughs at a remark by Vice President Joe Biden as they wait for the start of a press statement by President Barack Obama and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the Oval Office Aug. 18, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
Victor Davis Hanson in NRO writes about the big liberal donors who sent cash infusions totaling about $500 million into Senate races “to destroy Republican incumbents and retake the Senate.”
In the end, they may have failed to change many of the outcomes, but did they really fail?
Democrats dispelled the fossilized notion that “dark money” is dangerous to politics. They are now the party of the ultra-rich, at war with the middle classes, whom they write off as clingers, deplorables, dregs, and chumps.
In that context, the staggering amounts of money were a valuable marker. The liberal mega-rich are warning politicians that from now on, they will try to bury populist conservatives with so much oppositional cash that they would be wise to keep a low profile.
Winning is not the only aim of lavish liberal campaign funding. Deterring future opponents by warning them to be moderate or go bankrupt is another motivation.
