{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Episode 274: Behind the Curtain: Unveiling the Arabella Network's Vast Influence on U.S. Politics","description":"In this episode of The Bill Walton Show, Bill wades into the murky waters of the Left\u2019s \u201cdark money\u201d manipulation of American politics with Scott Walter and Kristen Eastlick with the Capital Research Center.  We often use the phrase follow the money. Scott and Kristen are among the best at doing just that.  Centerpiece of the discussion is Scott\u2019s new book Arabella: The Dark Money Network of Leftist Billionaires Secretly Transforming America.     In it, he reveals the vast influence that the Arabella Network - by deploying billions of dollars - plays in American politics under the guise of progressive philanthropy.  To name just a few issues, Arabella has played a major role in battles over Supreme Court nominations, abortion, men in women\u2019s sports, school discipline, Medicare for All, environmental policies, fake local news outlets, and the \u201cZuck Bucks\u201d used to manipulate elections. Many believe that most of the attacks on American institutions by the Left are financed and organized in part by Arabella.   This episode\u2019s conversation gets into revealing detail about how this network operates as a "dark money\u201d brain trust with a for-profit manager (of course) at its epicenter, commanding several billion dollar nonprofit action groups. These funds in turn create hundreds of \u201cpop-up\u201d entities that appear suddenly, giving the appearance of huge popular groundswells, when in fact they\u2019re the creations of Arabella and other similarly deeply disguised operations on the Left.  Rather than being innocent grassroots outfits, they are the creation of their secretive dark money operations. The sheer quantity of money that has flowed through Arabella\u2019s channels is staggering.  In the 2020 election cycle, Arabella\u2019s nonprofits took in $2.4 billion, more than the fundraising of the Democratic and Republican National Committees combined.  In the 2022 election cycle, Arabella\u2019s fundraising rose to $3 billion. Arabella is a big part of the reason for the Left\u2019s stunning advantage in money and sophisticated political machinery that shapes our lives and elections. Scott and Kristen describe the \u201cthree rivers of money\u201d flowing into politics.     \u201cWith the first river of hard dollars, traditional political giving, the Left has an advantage, but it's slight,\u201d explains Scott. \u201cIn the second river, the independent expenditures, dark money and super PACs, the left has a little advantage, but it\u2019s also slight. But in the third river,\u201d and here Scott grows animated, \u201cwhere the Left\u2019s charitable public policy groups operate, it's not even close. It's over a 10 to one in the Left\u2019s favor and totals to over a $35 billion advantage. This is really the death star for the lefties.\u201d It\u2019s shocking to learn how Arabella has covertly developed the darkest of \u201cdark money\u201d networks. It\u2019s also shocking to learn who has been by far the largest single individual contributor to the abortion industry to the tune of $6+ billion.  (Revealed at the 18:36 minute mark)  In fact, the further you go in this episode, the more disturbing the political swamp and the people behind it reveal themselves to be.  If you really want to follow the money, start here. ","author_name":"The Bill Walton Show","author_url":"https:\/\/www.thebillwaltonshow.com","html":"