Billionaires who become politicians tend to "lean to the right ideologically," according to the research.

More than 11% of the world’s more than 2,000 billionaires have run for election or become politicians, according to a study highlighting the growing power and influence of the super-wealthy.

While billionaires have had mixed success at the ballot box in the U.S., billionaires around the world have a “strong track record” of winning elections and “lean to the Right ideologically,” said the study, which is by three professors at Northwestern University.

“Billionaire politicians are a shockingly common phenomenon,” the study said. “The concentration of massive wealth in the hands of a tiny elite has understandably caused many observers to worry that the ‘super-rich have super-sized political influence.’”

  • @masquenoxEnglish
    3•1 year ago

    Oh? And what power is that?

    • @MindSkipperBro12English
      23•1 year ago

      People don’t care what the rulers do if they’re well fed and entertained with distractions.

      • enkersEnglish
        15•1 year ago

        Yeah, the annual inflation rate reached 3500% in France before the start of the revolution. Things have to start looking pretty destitute before people are willing to put their own lives at risk. When they’re faced with potential starvation, though, eating cake starts to sound pretty good.

      • @masquenoxEnglish
        0•1 year ago

        I wouldn’t put too much stock in that… the internet itself has proven that no matter the distractions, better-informed people will always have a habit of caring about stuff the elites don’t want them to care about. And that’s just a very recent example.

        • R0cket_M00seEnglish
          2•1 year ago

          Even if we are assuming those who consider themselves well informed actually are, which is a joke unto itself, as most people are capable of and already are victims of misinformation regardless of what side you’re on (believe it or not propaganda exists for both the left and the right) it’s just not realistic to think they’re a sizable enough chunk to do anything of value.

          • @masquenoxEnglish
            0•1 year ago

            propaganda exists for both the left and the right

            If you equate the miniscule amounts of narrative that can be called “leftist” with a straight face with the gargantuan pro-status quo right-wing propaganda machines that sucks up next-to uncountable amounts energy and treasure it simply means you, yourself, must be counted as one of those that aren’t all that well informed.

            it’s just not realistic to think they’re a sizable enough chunk to do anything of value.

            And you know this… how?