Art Pope Influence: Rachel Maddow And Jane Mayer Discuss One Multimillionaire's Major Political Influence In North Carolina (VIDEO)

Jane Mayer, staff writer for The New Yorker, sat down for an interview Monday night on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show." Mayer and Maddow discussed conservative multimillionaire Art Pope, who has recently had a major financial influence on North Carolina politics. Mayer's report about Pope, "State For Sale," appears in the most recent issue of The New Yorker.

Maddow prefaced the interview with Mayer by explaining that Barack Obama and Joe Biden won North Carolina in 2008 by the "slimmest of margins." She went on to say that "Republicans in North Carolina are doing everything they can to change the voting rules in that state so a victory like the one Obama got there in 2008 can never happen again."

Pope, Maddow said, was linked to "three-quarters of all the independent money" that helped elect a Republican-controlled legislature in the state. "He targeted 22 races, he got a Republican into office in 18 of those 22 races. One guy, three-quarters of the outside money in the entire election, one guy," said Maddow.

Mayer, who interviewed Pope for her article, described to Maddow the man and his influence:

"In many ways he is the one man who is single-handedly bankrolling a kind of a conservative takeover of the state. At least that's how the Democrats see it down there. It's a state that as you said is just completely key to Barack Obama's reelection, and it's a state that is traditionally neither completely red nor blue, it's kind of a purple state, but it went blue in 2008, and basically the Republican party took one look at it and thought they've got to make sure that it doesn't go that way again in 2012. So there's been a lot of very careful and smart thinking going into the state and a ton of money."

Pope "has kind of an empire of discount stores and is a long-time far right activist," said Mayer.

She went on to explain that Pope "has a vision of America that requires kind of turning back the tide of history to before the New Deal basically. And he will say it has nothing to do with his business interests, but it does include things like opposition to the minimum wage law," as well as "opposition to most taxes, and to all kinds of government services." Mayer continued, "his political vision dovetails with his self-interest, but it goes beyond that I think really with him. He's something of a kind of an ideological purist and a zealot to some extent."

After describing Pope's political history of having served multiple terms in the state legislature, as well as having failed in a run for statewide office, Mayer said, "in a way you can see him as a frustrated politician whose ideas did not sell at the ballot box, and when he didn't really get power that way, you can see that he funded an empire of, kind of a conservative opinion machine, and poured money into political races."

Mayer summed up Pope's causes as aligning with "the Republican party, and small government, almost you know anti-government, and low taxes."

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Comments

[LovelyGirl]

04:21 PM on 10/04/2011

What I notice is that the lamestream media refuses to cover this story. What's up with that? I guess the big boys upstairs haven't given them permission to cover it.

[mtldp]

01:09 PM on 10/04/2011

Hm, I'm torn as far as comparing Pope with a Soros, as some commenters are doing. On the surface it seems a fair thing to say "no billionaire should wield so much power". True, but then Pope's influence on politics means the average person loses. Soros' influence means the average person would most likely benefit. Soros knows what a truly tyrannical government and economic system is. He grew up under them. So his political and social views tend to lean towards policies that would benefit the majority, not just himself and those in his billionaire class. It's like Dems vs Republicans. Yes, the Dems are corporatist, but they also try to enact policies that would benefit the average citizen. They would give X to the corporate elite, but then give Y to the poor, and Z to the middle class. Granted, they are wimps and back down once the Republicans start yelling at them, so they haven't been able to achieve many of these cross-social-class aims in quite some time. But if they were unchecked by the R's, we would see a more level playing field. Meanwhile, the R's just want the corporate elite to prosper and haven't put forth many policy positions that would directly benefit the average citizen.

[jondekonkeroo]

03:04 PM on 10/04/2011

soros' agendas have never included disenfranchisement or predation on the poorest in american society. They've never impeded the working and middle classes either, and they don't take from people with not enough money to give more to people with no need unmet already.

[mapaiko]

12:24 PM on 10/04/2011

Owned...what we are.

[umkcmoneyman]

12:21 PM on 10/04/2011

Its only okay when the unions, especially taxpayer public unions, and soros can donate millions to democrats

[Nunyabiz1]

12:53 PM on 10/04/2011

LOL, because that is the ONLY actual money democrats get.
3 Unions, thats it.

Meanwhile rethuglicains get 100s of millions from tons of corporations.
corporations that represent ONLY the top 5% of the public.

unions represent that other 95% of which YOU are in BTW

[democratsaint]

03:19 PM on 10/04/2011

unions represent the american people,he represents HIMSELF ,he is buying politcal favor at the expense of the american people,that used to be called bribery.we used to put people in jail for that. we used have laws. now its called freedom of speech.a bribe is a bribe. this is happening because 5 justices said that corporations are citizens.want to show where in the constitution that is?unions by the way exists because of the right to assemble,and the right to associate.corporations exists because of regulations.

[h jablome]

12:19 PM on 10/04/2011

yes, be very aware of art "soap on a rope" pope. he's slippery.

[Mr Hankey]

12:17 PM on 10/04/2011

We can't have this conversation until everyone: the right, the center, and the left agrees that BigMoney br!bery is wrong. I'm calling out the k0chBrothers AND Soros on this.
Let the average people decide.

Isn't this part of what the 99% stand for? Call out ALL of the wealthiest who buy elections, laws and candidates. There needs to be a law against this. It's not good for the majority of the population who do not have the money to have an equal voice.

[MSaxe]

12:16 PM on 10/04/2011

Go to www.getmoneyout.com

[MSaxe]

12:13 PM on 10/04/2011

All the big money players are on the march to finalize the takeover of the USA and dominate the world markets. They got their marching order with Citizens United.

They are preparing to wage the last battle in the Class War that began in 1980 in November 2012.

[eelo2]

12:09 PM on 10/04/2011

She could really help her looks if she would get rid of her manly haircut

[Paperless Tiger]

12:17 PM on 10/04/2011

Tough.

[Nunyabiz1]

12:55 PM on 10/04/2011

Here she is with long blond hair.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/08/rachel-maddows-yearbook-p_n_640093.html

[eelo2]

12:01 PM on 10/04/2011

Where is Rachel when it come to the multimillions that george Soros has and does use to impact elections?
Where is she on the way Obama has used tax dollars to payoff political supporters?
Rachel will always be an amplifier of democratic talking points and nothing more.

[MSaxe]

12:14 PM on 10/04/2011

Were you asleep when Cheney directed government dollars to Halliburton and friends?

[democratsaint]

03:26 PM on 10/04/2011

where were you when bush illegally wiretapped americans,when he used torture,when he got us in iraq,when he raised spending from 1.9t to 3.3t +500 b for his wars.where were the 'fiscal' cons then?where were the cons when the bush tax cuts failed to increase revenue or create jobs,and still have done either?you had 6 year in which the right controlled the gvt and the end result was the worse recession in history,this is bush recession,bush economic failure. this disaster is the reusult of YOUR policies,you approved this crap. now you want everyone else but YOU to pay to fix it.
it was funny how the right whined about the money obama raised,it is usally he right who raises huge amounts but you people dont say a word about it,but look obama he out raised us that not fair. whine whine whine,that is all the right is now the party of whiners.

[Harpotoo]

11:58 AM on 10/04/2011

Really gets into your Dem craw that we Reps in NC were able because of OBAMA to take the STATE Legislature away from you Dems after 100 years! Art Pope didn't do that, the VOTERS of NC did!

[Oniweeki]

12:28 PM on 10/04/2011

I'm sure his money had nothing to do with.

[Nunyabiz1]

12:56 PM on 10/04/2011

Had nothing to do with Obama, had to do with lying and cheating on elections.

[FiscalConservative2012]

11:50 AM on 10/04/2011

Funny, nobody on the left seems to take issue with Obama wanting to raise a BILLION DOLLARS for his 2012 campaign. And before you reply with the "oh its just everyday Joes giving $5", take a breather. How many "everyday Joes" are attending his $50k a plate fundraisers??

[Mr Hankey]

12:05 PM on 10/04/2011

You haven't heard anyone on the left disagree with it? Let me be the first you've encountered.
And while your at it, check out this guy:
http://www.buddyroemer.com/issues/

I assume you tend to vote Repub, so why isn't anyone on your side talking about this guy? Why is PArry, Mittens and Cain in the spot-light?

[Nutri1Max]

12:10 PM on 10/04/2011

So you are perfectly OK with ONE person buying your state legislature because he happens to align with *your* beliefs? If this had been ONE rich Democrat, everyone would be up in arms. If you truly believe in democratic principles, then you should want a true representative government. If you don't like the way the poor people, minorities and students vote, take the time to persuade them. Don't make it more difficult to vote.

[StuzyNC]

11:49 AM on 10/04/2011

Its sad. I lost a good US representative to be replaced by a tea party candidate. Lots of out-of-state money brought in to win and by the slimmest of margins. But a win is a win. No policy or legislative experience and votes with the Tea Party like she was placed to do. Our state legislature has gone crazy since republicans took over for the first time in 100 years. And is pushing nothing but national republican social and election agendas. With almost no public input we now have a ballot measure to amend our state constitution to define marriage as a man and a woman. An amendment! That should only be for the up most reasons.

Glad for this to be coming out as the election year looms. I am crossing my fingers this gets out to many people here in NC.

[Candide33]

11:46 AM on 10/04/2011

http://youtu.be/8GBAsFwPglw

Paul Weyrich, "father" of the right-wing movement and co-founder of the Heritage Foundation, Moral Majority and various other groups tells his flock that he doesn't want people to vote. He complains that fellow Christians have "Goo-Goo Syndrome": Good Government. Classic clip from 1980. This guy still gives weekly strategy sessions to Republicans nowadays. The entire dialog from the clip:

[lthor]

05:31 PM on 10/04/2011

Am currentley reading "Blinded by the Right"-David Brock. I am trying to understand how a party can be so distructive to Democracy. It is a truely sobering, eye opening.
It my be fairly old but not irrelevent. They follow a script and they are playing it out.

[scottishboy]

11:45 AM on 10/04/2011

Hey, is this really George Soros.