process tracing, case studies and, 55
boundary control strategy, 115– 17, 115 t,
progressive taxes: income and estate taxes
116 t; and expectations on boundary
as, 27– 28; multimillionaires’ lack of
control, 111– 13
enthusiasm for, 40
religious issues, 77. See also abortion, same-
prominence of billionaires. See visibility of
sex marriage, social issues
billionaires
Renaissance Technologies hedge fund, 12
Pruitt, Scott, oil and gas donors to and resis-
Republican billionaires, boundary control
tance of to pollution regulation, 108
and, 113
public choice theory, libertarian variant
Republican Governors Association, contri-
of, 71
butions by billionaires to, 103
public financing of elections, 140
Republican Party: billionaires’ contribu-
public opinion: billionaires’ actions in op-
tions to, 43 t, 82; billionaires’ contribu-
position to, 44– 45; billionaires’ closer
tions to as affecting conservative policies
alignment with on social issues, 78; dis-
on abortion and same- sex marriage, 97–
agreement of with multimillionaires on
98; control of state governorships and
economic policies, 135– 36; disagreement
legislatures by, 106; populist challeng-
with as motivating billionaires’ silence,
ers within, 104– 5; role of in redrawing
133– 34; as favoring lower levels of im-
congressional district boundaries, 106;
migration, 86; on immigration, 92– 94,
and tax cuts for the wealthy, 52
93 t; on Social Security, 30, 39
research methods. See case studies; coding
public policy, billionaires’ impact on, 50. See
methods; keywords, methods used in
also political influence of billionaires
billionaires research; web- scraping
public records, in the study of billionaires,
techniques
4
retraining programs, disagreement of
public school spending, disagreement of
multimillionaires with most Americans
multimillionaires with most Americans
concerning, 136
concerning, 136
revenue enhancement, as search term, 35
public sector workers, billionaires’ successes
Ricketts, Pete, role of in Nebraska legisla-
at cutting pensions and unionization
ture, 173– 74n11
of, 106
risk taking, incentives for, 24
Rockefeller, David, Sr., longevity of, 15
quiet politics by billionaires, problems
Ross, Wilbur, 1
caused by, 97– 99
Rothschild, Jacob, x
quotations from billionaires, unearthing, 37
Rove, Karl, and American Crossroads, 119
Rowling, Robert: absence of measurement
random numbers, source of, 167n3
error concerning, 123– 24; background
random walk, iterated searches as, 34
and source of wealth of, 122– 23; benefits
“Rangers,” 42, 164n58
gained by from use of boundary control
index
217
strategy, 124; boundary control case study
semi- stealthy billionaires on immigration
on, 122– 24; contributions to Rick Perry
policy, 78, 81, 92– 97
by, 123– 24; national- level political contri-
Senate: democratizing apportionment in,
butions by, 123; state- and municipal- level
140; “get a senator” strategy in, 50
political contributions by, 123; as typical
SESA study of multimillionaires, xi, 30, 42–
boundary controller, 122, 124; as typical
43, 135– 37, 157n12, 171n12, 173n45; gaps
case on boundary control predictors, 118;
between multimillionaires’ and general
and University of Texas, 123– 24
public’s preferences in, 40; inferences
Russell Sage Foundation, x
concerning billionaires from, 30– 31; as
Russia, GDP of, compared with total wealth
precursor of billionaires study, ix– x. See
of US billionaires, 10
also multimillionaires
Ryan, Paul, agenda of, 44
Sethi, Neerja, 17
shareholder power, Carl Icahn and, 67– 68
same- sex marriage: absence of stealth poli-
sharing of billionaires’ wealth, 24, 139
tics by billionaires on, 88; big contribu-
Shriram, Ram, 17
tion by Jeff Bezos to referendum on, 82;
silence on politics by billionaires: on
billionaires’ political actions on, 82, 83 t;
abortion, immigration, and same- sex
billionaires’ support of referenda on,
marriage, 131; as concealing unpopular
108– 9; intense emotions concerning, 77;
stands, 134; deliberate nature of, 98,
intensity of debates on, 84; keywords
131– 32; negative effect of on political ac-
used in web searches for, 155; number
countability, 99; possible reasons for, 31,
and direction of statements on by indi-
132– 34; on public policy, 7; reluctance
vidual billionaires, 151– 54; prediction of
to disagree with most Americans as
number of statements and actions on by
motivation for, 39– 40, 133– 34; on social
billionaires’ wealth and visibility, 88– 91,
issues, 83– 84, 84 t; on tax and Social
89 t, 91 t; predominately favorable state-
Security policy, 38– 39, 130– 31
ments by billionaires on, 85, 85 t; speaking
Simmons, Harold: absence of measure-
out and wealth as predictors of political
ment error concerning, 120; advocacy of
actions in favor of, 91– 92, 92 t; web-
small federal government by, 119; and
scraping techniques concerning, 79– 80
attack ads on Democrats, 119; assertion
San Francisco/San Jose, billionaires residing
that Barack Obama was a socialist by,
in, 18
119; background of, 118– 19; boundary
Sanders, Bernie, 74
control case study of, 118– 21; buyout
Sang, Jin Cook, 17
fortune and position on Forbes list, 13;
Santo Domingo, Alejandro and Andres, 17
as extreme high case on boundary con-
Santo Domingo, Julio Mario, 17
trol predictors, 118; multiple benefits to
Satter, Muneer, contribution to Rahm
from boundary control strategy, 120– 21;
Emanuel by, 103
national political contributions by, 119–
Scaife, Richard Mellon, 3
20; neat fit of with boundary control
Schattschneider, E. E., on scope of political
theory, 120; securing permit for radioac-
conflict, 101
tive waste disposal, 120– 21; state- level
Schwartzman, Steven, merger- and-
political contributions by, 119– 20
acquisition fortune of, 22
Simons, James, 12; mathematical- model-
scope of political conflict, 101
search terms: concerning social issues,
Singer, Paul, and LGBT rights, 173n50
79– 80, 155; concerning taxes and Social
skilled workers, billionaires’ support for
Security, 33– 36, 148
immigration of, 85, 85 t
self- fulfillment, as incentive, 24
Skocpol, Theda, 3; on AFP campaign infra-
self- made wealth, 19– 20
structure, 104; study of Koch brothers’
semantic field, 34– 35, 80
political activities by, 72
218
index
Snapchat, 16; achievements of, 138
Alliance, 104; as extreme low case
social costs, boundary control and, 112– 13
on boundary control predictors, 118;
social issues: billionaires as liberals or lib-
finance- based fortune of, 12, 22; as im-
ertarians on, 80– 83; billionaires’ closer
migrant success, 17; limits to economic
alignment with public opinion on, 78;
liberalism of, 178n104; one statement on
billionaires’ consistency between speech
Social Security by, 39; opposition of to
and action on, 78, 81; billionaires’ low
Iraq invasion and Bush foreign policy,
priority on, 87; boycotts concerning, 78;
122; philanthropy of, 12; predicted not
infrequency of billionaires’ statements
to engage in boundary control, 121; pro-
concerning, 83– 87, 84 t; intense emotions
Democratic political activities of, 12,
and divisiveness concerning, 77– 78; key-
122; shorting of the British pound by,
words used in web searches concerning,
122; size of fortune of, 2
155; number and direction of statements
South Africa, immigrant billionaires from, 18
and actions on by individual billionaires,
Southeast Asia, economic “tigers” of, 21
151– 54; reasons for billionaires’ silence
Southwest Airlines, 58
concerning, 78, 83
SpaceX, 17
social safety net, as search term, 34
Spiegel, Evan, achievements of, 138
Social Security: administrative costs of,
Stasch, Julia, x
29; billionaires’ political actions on:
state and local elections, less money spent
44t, 44; campaign to privatize, 39, 52;
on, 102
comprehensive search terms concerning,
state and local governments: billionaires’
39; contrast between billionaires’ word
special favors from, 100; extensive policy
and actions on, 133; disagreement of
responsibilities of, 100; implementation
multimillionaires with most Americans
of federal policies by, 101; importance
concerning, 136; economic inequal-
of, 100– 101; total spending by, 100;
ity and, 30; elderly poverty rate and,
wealthy- friendly policies in, 100
29– 30; gaps between billionaires and
state and local policy: billionaires’ impact
the general public on, 132– 33; “grand
on, 105, 106– 9
bargains” to cut, 52; importance of,
state and local politics: billionaires’ activity
26, 29– 30; intensity of debates on, 84;
between elections, 105– 6; billionaires
keywords used in web searches for, 148;
as big fish in, 101– 2; boundary control
multimillionaires’ openness to cuts in,
strategy in: 109– 25; dominant political
40; number and direction of statements
parties in, 102– 3; low visibility of, 101
on by individual billionaires, 148– 50;
state attorneys general, conservative donors
payroll tax and, 28– 29; prominence of
cultivation of, 108
in news and debates, 39; public opinion
State Policy Network, 10
concerning privatization of, 163– 64n47;
states’ rights, boundary control and, 110
public opposition to cuts in guaranteed
status, as incentive, 24
benefits from, 30, 39; Republican agenda
stealth politics: absence of on abortion
of reducing guaranteed benefits from,
and same- sex marriage, 88; boundary
44; silence by billionaires on, 38– 40, 39 t,
control as a case of, 124– 25; definition
130; structure and benefits of, 29– 30; as
of, 7; and democracy, 7; John Menard Jr.
target for budget cutters, 30
as exemplar of, 65; Koch brothers and,
Soon- Shiong, Patrick, 17; achievements of,
46– 47; reform of, 141– 43; Sheldon Adel-
138
son and, 46– 47; statistical patterns and,
Soros Fund Management, 122
48– 50; summary of evidence concerning,
Soros, George: absence of measurement
129– 34; on taxes and Social Security, 25–
error concerning, 122; age of, 16; back-
53. See also stealth politics theory
ground of, 121– 22; boundary control
stealth politics theory, 30– 32; Carl Icahn as
case study on, 121– 22; and Democracy
a challenge to, 69– 70; confirmation of
index
219
by case studies, 74– 75; Icahn case and
Tea Party movement: Koch brothers and
reflections about assumptions of, 75
AFP funding of, 72
Stripe, 16
tech variable, 95
student loan debts, 137
technology entrepreneurs, as liberal on im-
study of billionaires, 10; limitations of, 126–
migration policy, 96
28; origins of, ix– x
technology firms: billionaires’ involve-
Sun, David, 17
ment in as predictor of statements in
Supreme Court decisions and dark money,
favor of immigration, 95– 96, 95 t; as
50
fastest- growing source of billionaires’
Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF), exclu-
wealth, 19, 21; as receptive to high- skill
sion of Forbes 400 by, 33
immigration, 94; youthful amassers of
Survey of Economically Successful Ameri-
fortunes from, 15– 16
cans and the Common Good. See SESA
Tennessee: billionaires’ policy impact in, 107;
study of multimillionaires
state control over transit projects in, 107
survivors, Social Security benefits for, 30
Tepper, David, hedge fund fortune of, 22
Susquehanna International Group, contri-
terrorism, anxieties about immigration
butions by to Democratic mayor, 103
and, 94
Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, 119
Tesla, 17
Texas Commission on Environmental Qual-
Taiwan, immigrant billionaires from, 18
ity, 120– 21
Taj Mahal casino, 67
Texas Republican Party, 120
Tana Exploration, 123
Texas Tribune campaign finance database,
tax increases, as search term, 35
120; disappearance of from public view,
tax policy: billionaires’ near- silence con-
177n87
cerning, 38, 39
t, 40, 130– 31; importance
Thiel, Peter, 17
of, 26– 29; and inequality, 27; more
think tanks: how to deal with private money
frequent speech on by centrist billion-
and, 142; Koch brothers’ funding of, 72;
aires on, 38; number and direction of
unreported funding of, 5– 6
statements on by individual billionaires,
topological properties of conceptual net-
148– 50; web searches for 148
works, 34
taxes: avoidance of and estate tax, 28; on
Trans World Airlines (TWA), Icahn take-
billionaires, argument for raising, 139;
over of, 66
on billionaires, ethical and economic
TRT Holdings: 123– 24
arguments concerning, 24; billionaires’
Trump, Donald: Carl Icahn and, 67– 68; con-
political actions on, 44– 46, 44 t; choices
tributions by billionaires to, 2; divergent
among, 27; fairness of, 28– 29; and
claims of size of fortune by, 13; omission
fiscal policy, 27; intensity of debates
of from top- 100 billionaires study, 13;
on, 84; predictors of directionality of
populist revolts and 2016 campaign of,
billionaires’ statements on, 41 t, 41– 42;
138; regressive tax cuts and, 27; role of
predictors of number of billionaires’
immigration in 2016 campaign of, 94;
statements on, 40– 41, 40 t; pro- wealthy
support of by Robert Mercer and Steve
cuts in, 27, 52; rates on Forbes 400 vs.
Bannon, 104; wealth of and claimed in-
their receptionists and cleaning ladies,
sulation from donors, 1; wealthy- friendly
59; rates of in other OECD countries
appointments and policies of, 1, 179n11
compared with US, 160– 61n4, 161n5;
Tu, John, 17
regressive, 28– 29; Republican Party and,
turnout, increasing the representativeness
52; stealth politics on, 25– 53; Warren
of, 140
Buffett on raising rates on the wealthy,
21st Century Fox, 12
58– 59
typical cases, usefulness of in case studies,
Taylor, John, and family, 12
118
220
index
Uber, 16; achievements of, 138
waste management industry, heavy regula-
undocumented workers, 80
tion of at state and locals and high
unequal democracy, 99
public costs of, 119
United Airlines, 58
Watchdog.org, 105
unpopular policy stands, as reason for bil-
wealth, declining marginal value of, 32, 41;
lionaires’ silence, 31– 32
of individual billionaires, list of, 145–
USX (United States Steel holding company),
47; industrialization and, 19; inheritance
Billionaires and Stealth Politics Page 35