Filthy Rich Politicians

From one of America’s sharpest conservative journalists is this searing, thought-provoking and hilarious takedown of the ruling class running amok in Washington.

These are your elected officials. Some are slyly taking advantage of the system. They are hoping no one is savvy enough to notice. But Matt Lewis has. And this is what he’s learned.

Today’s politicians are an unsavory lot—a hybrid of plutocrats and hypocrites. And it’s worse (and more laughable) than you can imagine. Lewis will introduce you to a crop of latte liberals, ivy league populists, insider traders, trust-fund babies, and swamp creatures as he exposes how truly ludicrous money in politics has gotten.

In Filthy Rich Politicians, Lewis embarks on an investigative deep dive into the ridiculous state of modern American democracy—a system where the rich get elected and the elected get rich. One of the brightest conservative writers of his generation, Lewis doesn’t just complain: he articulates how Americans can achieve accountability from their elected leaders through radically commonsense reforms. But many of these ruling-class elites have a vested financial interest in rejecting the reforms so desperately needed to rebuild Americans’ trust in the institutions that once made our nation great.

This is not an “eat the rich” kind of book, and it is not for those who want to stoke class warfare, topple the whole regime, and burn it all to the ground. This is a must-read book for thoughtful readers who yearn for transparency and will commit to holding their elected leaders accountable to those they are supposed to represent—we the people.

The reforms spelled out in this book would incentivize good behavior in our leaders, stymie corruption, and prevent politicians from using the system (and our taxpayer dollars) to feather their filthy rich nests.

It is only by taking these steps to reform the system that we can rebuild trust in our institutions and preserve American democracy for future generations. There really is no richer inheritance we could leave them.

• "Political books aren’t supposed to be funny. Funny books aren’t supposed to be political. How Matt Lewis has managed to write a book about politics that’s both funny and wise is a puzzle that can only be solved by reading it—which you should do, preferably before next election day."
  Andrew Ferguson, contributing writer at The Atlantic and author of Crazy U: One Dad's Crash Course in Getting His Kid into College
• "Matt is one of the few people who could have told this story in a way that anyone can hear it. While he is relentless in exposing how politics has become both fueled by and an engine for extreme wealth, he is never bitter, angry, or cruel."
  Batya Ungar-Sargon, author of Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy
• "How our class of politicians got so rich, and what should be done about it, are questions that have long deserved the thoughtful attention Matt Lewis gives them. You’ll howl—but you’ll also learn."
  Ramesh Ponnuru, editor of National Review
• "The most important crisis in American political life is the massive breach between the country's tiny ruling class and everyone else. In Filthy Rich Politicians, Matt Lewis adeptly unites his personal experiences, user-friendly prose and ample data to provide an indispensable diagnosis of how and why this happened, along with solutions which are both provocative and thought-provoking."
  Glenn Greenwald, journalist, author, host of System Update, and cofounder of The Intercept