00:00 Intro00:48 Edward Bernays01:45 Elites & Engineering Consent02:25 Bernays’ “Torches of Freedom” Campaign03:31 From Marketing to Politics: How it Works06:11 The Shift from Belief to identity07:06 The High Stakes of Identity Politics
Consumer (and Identity) Choice IS Freedom!
The Archeology of Consumer Identity
From Belief to Identity
From a System of Consumed Objects to a System of Identity Beliefs: (D) or (R) or (I)
The Government Accountability Institute (GAI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit investigative research organization. Its funding comes primarily from conservative, free-market philanthropic foundations and high-net-worth individual donors, operating mostly through "dark money" channels that obscure the identities of specific contributors.
Primary Funding Sources & BackersFinancial Profile
- The Mercer Family: The hedge-fund billionaire Robert Mercer and his daughter, Rebekah Mercer (who has served as the board chair), have historically been among the largest financial backers of the organization.
- DonorsTrust: The institute receives funding via DonorsTrust, a donor-advised fund that funnels contributions from anonymous right-of-center mega-donors.
- Other Philanthropic Groups: The organization's historical financial disclosures show grants from conservative foundations such as the Capital Research Center.
- Operating Budget: GAI typically operates on an annual budget in the low single-digit millions (averaging around $2 million to $4 million, though its revenue fluctuates depending on book and project releases).
- Tax Records: As a registered tax-exempt entity, the institute files Form 990 disclosures with the IRS, which can be reviewed on platforms like the ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
