The resurgence of rightwing conservatism in America in the last quarter of the 20th century was attributed to various politicians, writers, economists and clergymen, but there was only one important source of financing: the reclusive billionaire Richard Mellon Scaife, who has died aged 82. It was Scaife who financed a coordinated effort to "get" (his word) President Bill Clinton, in a campaign that culminated in Clinton's impeachment and acquittal in 1998-99.
Over the decades, on one estimate, the heir to the oil and banking Mellon fortune gave well over half a billion dollars to rightwing causes and institutions, including a shadowy foray into Britain. His money enabled the US movement to thrive, so that, in 1994, a Republican party dominated by the right took over Congress in a historic defeat for the Democrats. Scaife himself remained in the background, removing his name from Who's Who while still middle-aged, never making speeches or writing articles, shunning the media despite owning several newspapers and avoiding personal appearances.
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