Nancy MacLean

# Democracy in Chains
‘In his first big gift to Buchanan’s program, Charles Koch signaled his desire for the work he funded to be conducted behind the backs of the majority. “Since we are greatly outnumbered,” Koch conceded to the assembled team, the movement could not win simply by persuasion. Instead, the cause’s insiders had to use their knowledge of “the rules of the game”-that game being how modern democratic governance works-to create winning strategies.”

Work behind the scenes on your writing by writing ahead of schedule. Do not share your writing plans until you are ready. People won’t care. Just keep plugging away at your daily writing commitments and make it a work of art like a painting. Make each work your own. Go with your feelings and senses when writing. Use wisdom when writing. Just like Buchanan used wisdom and stealth to accomplish his dreams to change the narrative during his day. Create a winning strategy for your writing and fine tune it for each work by adapting it to each work privately and quietly and make your move to submit your work when everything is written to your hearts content.

What this book taught me was to find my own truth in the political turmoil and focus on what I can do to enact change in my own small way for those who suffer from the same mental health conditions I do. Change the narrative by writing from your heart about historical issues that you are passionate about. Master issues about master control over your emotions and life and journal to process your emotions and feelings so your heart can be free as a bird soaring high. But the change and mastery starts with you. Just as it did with Buchanan in the 1950’s.

“Change starts with one individual. Mastery starts with one idea. “- ASN

“Remembering ruling a kingdom comes with skill of discerning and the ability to get along with those that disagree with you. Find common ground with those that oppose you through listening deeply and instinctively and work behind the scenes one on one to make each relationship the greatest it can be for you both in spite of the dissatisfaction across party lines.”- ASN… (meer)

The fact that this book came under such a fierce political attack by the institutions it critiques should speak to its value. MacLean does a good job winding through the life of Buchanan while always drawing things back to modern day impacts. The only drawback is that unlike Dark Money this one is written with a much clearer moral voice to it, criticizing blatantly undemocratic actions and casting a clear judgment on historical figures. That said, the book is over 50 pages of bibliography with many direct quotes, so having read it it's hard to argue she misrepresents anything.

Also the final chapter is really good at tying everything together, specifically with the line "The libertarian cause .... was never really about freedom as most people would define it. It was about the promotion of crippling division among the people so as to end any interference with what those who held vast power over others believe should be their prerogatives"… (meer)

Compulsively readable and written with a sense of urgency...for good reason. Libertarian billionaires like Charles Koch seem to be well on their way to transforming our democracy into an oligarchy. Decades of eroding citizen's trust in our government and gutting education while filling the judiciary with those trained on James Buchanan's economic theories is ensuring that the few control the many. Turns out our Constitution and democratic system are still serving the needs of the elite white property owners at the expense of everyone else. It is both shocking and depressing.… (meer)