For a while, the consequences of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision seemed abstract, but the effects are quickly becoming more concrete. Just before the November midterm election, Koch Industries—the massive conglomerate owned by the libertarian Koch brothers—sent materials to its 50,000 employees advising them for whom they should vote. Mark Ames, one of the authors of The Nation’s exclusive report on this political intimidation, joined The Dylan Ratigan Show to discuss the new vulnerabilities workers face as the relationship between politicians and big corporations deepens.

The election packets explained to Koch Industries employees that their jobs could be in jeopardy if the proper candidates were not placed in power to cushion large corporations. Employees are actually being led to believe that lower wages are in their best interest, says Ames, and Citizens United has helped position the Koch brothers, some of the wealthiest men in the world, as American oligarchs.

—Sara Jerving