--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Disenchanted with the direction of modern…" description: "\"“Disenchanted with the direction of modern America, they launched an ambitious, privately financed war of ideas to radically change the country. They d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/626/jane-mayer-1031_gilded-age_disenchanted-with-the-direction-of-moder_3019354.jpg" --- # Disenchanted with the direction of modern America, they… ![“Disenchanted with the direction of modern America, they launched an ambitious, privately financed war of ideas to radically change the country. They didn’t want to merely win elections; they wanted to change how Americans thought. Their ambitions were grandiose—to “save” America as they saw it, at…” quote by Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/626/jane-mayer-1031_gilded-age_disenchanted-with-the-direction-of-moder_3019354.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/626/jane-mayer-1031_gilded-age_disenchanted-with-the-direction-of-moder_3019354.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/626/jane-mayer-1031_gilded-age_disenchanted-with-the-direction-of-moder_3019354.jpg) > ““Disenchanted with the direction of modern America, they launched an ambitious, privately financed war of ideas to radically change the country. They didn’t want to merely win elections; they wanted to change how Americans thought. Their ambitions were grandiose—to “save” America as they saw it, at every level, by turning the clock back to the Gilded Age before the advent of the Progressive Era.”” [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A group of wealthy donors funded a cultural war to reshape American politics and values, aiming to revert to a pre‑Progressive era mindset. **In simple terms:** Rich donors tried to change how Americans think, not just win elections. Key Takeaway Recognize influence of money on ideas. Themes politics media culture wealth ideology Mood cautious critical Type political analytical When to use this quote - campaign strategy - public discourse - policy advocacy - grassroots activism Key Concepts philanthropy propaganda historical nostalgia Questions to Reflect On - How do money‑driven ideas shape democracy? - Can cultural change be forced from above? A Different Perspective Influence may be limited by public resistance and institutional checks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gilded age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gilded-age/) [Modern america](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-america/) [Progressive Era](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progressive-era/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“They call themselves conservatives but that’s not it, either. They don’t want to conserve what we now have. 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The other thing that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/what-i-write-about-is-how-much-influence-it-s-had-in-things-like/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“Two months into their tenure, Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee also led a crusade against alternative, renewable energy programs. They successfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/two-months-into-their-tenure-republicans-on-the-house-energy-and/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [ \[The Kochs\] they hate big government. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/the-kochs-they-hate-big-government/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“Rob Reich, a professor of political science at Stanford University and co-director of the Stanford Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society, explains that private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/rob-reich-a-professor-of-political-science-at-stanford-university-and/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“During the previous eight years of Republican rule, this conservative corporate elite had consolidated its power, amassing enormous sway over the U.S. government’s regulatory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/during-the-previous-eight-years-of-republican-rule-this-conservative/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“Noble again chose Larry McCarthy, the veteran media consultant who was known for his ability to distill a complicated subject into a simple, potent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/noble-again-chose-larry-mccarthy-the-veteran-media-consultant-who-was/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) [Explore all 305 Jane Mayer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) ## More Gilded age quotes > [“China reminds me most of America at its own moment of transformation—the period that Mark Twain and Charles Warner named the Gilded Age, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-osnos/china-reminds-me-most-of-america-at-its-own-moment-of-transformation/) [Evan Osnos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-osnos/) > [I wasn't worth a cent two years ago, and now I owe two million dollars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-wasn-t-worth-a-cent-two-years-ago-and-now-i-owe-two-million-dollars/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“The country, it seemed, was on the verge of a second civil war, this one over industrial slavery. But Frick was a gambler who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcgrath-morris/the-country-it-seemed-was-on-the-verge-of-a-second-civil-war-this-one/) [James McGrath Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcgrath-morris/) > [“Across the various iterations, the 'real housewives' flaunted their refusal to conform to the happy modern housewife ideal as though they were breaking the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carina-chocano/across-the-various-iterations-the-real-housewives-flaunted-their/) [Carina Chocano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carina-chocano/) > [“But Pierre had been born with a shrewdness that made him early aware that a failure to believe that human events were ordered by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-auchincloss/but-pierre-had-been-born-with-a-shrewdness-that-made-him-early-aware/) [Louis Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-auchincloss/) > [“the Citizens United decision was in many respects a return to the Gilded Age. Justice”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/the-citizens-united-decision-was-in-many-respects-a-return-to-the/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“Thus, in that inevitable taking of sides which comes from selection and emphasis in history, I prefer to try to tell the story of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/thus-in-that-inevitable-taking-of-sides-which-comes-from-selection/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [My favorite zone is from 1890 -1915, that zone that spans the overlap of the so-called Gilded Age and the Progressive Era. 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I even went through a rather intense religious period when I was sixteen. 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