Koch brothers demand an explanation for why they weren't able to buy the 2012 election

[ProfessionalLeftist]

The massive amount of outside political spending unleashed by Citizens United did not, as feared, make it easier for rich people to buy an election. Instead, it showed that rich people are pretty dumb about politics. Take the billionaire businessmen Charles and David Koch who are spending their 2013 figuring out why they the money they spent in 2012 was such a waste. They have already fired most of their 100 staffers at Americans for Prosperity, and they're now conducting an audit.

Like American Crossroads and the Republican National Committee, the Koch brothers are trying to figure out why they couldn't beat President Obama -- and several Democratic Senate candidates in red states. The Kochs have delayed their twice-a-year meetings with big conservative donors until they've finished their audit, Politico's Kenneth P. Vogel reports. The results of the audit will be presented at an April seminar, Vogel writes, adding, "Early indications suggest that they'll continue playing in politics but will tweak their approach to reflect 2012 lessons."

Earlier reports indicate they need a pretty significant tweak. BuzzFeed reported in September that GOP political people were annoyed by the how poorly outside money was being spent money in the most intense part of the campaign season:

The Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity has drawn particular grumbling for ads whose goal, critics say, is more about ideology than victory in November, its daily message determined, one rival SuperPAC operative jabbed, by "whatever the Koch brothers had for breakfast."

MORE...

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2013/02/koch-brothers-want-know-why-their-money-was-wasted/62331/

Related: Citizens United 2.0? Supreme Court Could Further Open Door to Money in Politics - http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022420952

[Fire Walk With Me]

1. What they are doing is studying what went wrong so next time they can win.

"Citizens United" was one such volley in their war against everyone else. Prepare for the next. Rust never sleeps.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

2. Absolutely

Citizens United 2.0 on the way, too: http://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/02/11989/citizens-united-20-supreme-court-could-further-open-door-money-politics

[onehandle]

5. Exactly right. nt

[Exultant Democracy]

9. Might prevent a Republican from winning the presidency anytime soon.

I'm no Nostradamus but if we look at the last election cycle citizens united worked in the Democrats favor. The republicans ate themselves alive during the primary, and with no established elder statesman in site it is highly likely they will continue to break their nominee during the primary process.

[Uben]

3. Likely results.......

.....can KKKarl Rove and find someone intelligent next time.

[formercia]

4. Perhaps they will figure out it's cheaper to pay their Taxes.

[kelliekat44]

11. i don't think they are smart enough to do that or patriotic enough to care. nt

[KharmaTrain]

6. The Law Of Diminishing Returns...

The biggest failing of the Koch/Rove plan was they put all their money on teevee commercials and little on ground game. Billions were spent flooding the airwaves in Ohio, Iowa, Nevada, Colorado and other "battleground" states. You couldn't turn on the tube without getting hit with a ton of ads...that all melted into the white noise after a while. The fact that you can spend as much as you want now doesn't mean that the more you spend the better your chances of winning or "buying" an election...just ask Linda McMahon.

The Kochs were somewhat lucky as Democrats underestimated the teabagger wave of 2010 and able to sneak through in some traditionally blue states/area, but that wasn't the case in 2012. A light was shone on ALEC and the other games the Kochs were playing and this has become a liability. The unknown commodity here is how effective they can be in 2014. Many of their "wunderkids"...Walker, Snyder, Kaisich, Scott and others will be up for re-election and they'll be on the defensive. It's one thing to play on voter discontent as they did in 2010...it's another thing trying to defend records and candidates who are highly unpopular. Stay tuned...

[Jim Lane]

13. The danger to us is that they might agree with you about their failing

If they take to heart that their spending in 2012 wasn't as fruitful as it could have been, and switch instead to paying more eager-beaver 20-something right-wingers to do field work, they might be more effective next time.

[KittyWampus]

15. I think much money will be poured into voter disenfranchisement & gerrymandering schemes.

they are going to double down on that, for sure.

It'll start going to courts, but that takes time and relies on judges impartiality or bias.

[KharmaTrain]

16. The Disenfranchisement Games Failed...

...not as thought they won't keep trying...the rushpublicans have to if they are to win elections in blue and purple areas. Their biggest ally is voter apathy...while a Presidential election is "sexy", elections for state house or the local school board aren't and those are the ones I think they'll focus on. They'll bank that Democrats will be too busy or bothered to vote in those smaller races that leads to the gerrymandering and other stunts we've seen.

The challenge for the DNC, DSCC and DCCC is going to be generating voter enthusiasm to counteract the money that will be spent. My bigger concern is apathy than all the Koch, Adelson or DeVos money out there. Battling in courts costs money and generates a lot of unwanted PR...

Cheers...

[blm]

7. The Kochs and Art Pope DID buy the elections in states like NC, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania

where they own the governors and still own the legislatures and congressional representatives gerrymandered into dominance.

These fascists HATE this nation's democracy and its democratic republic.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

12. True re: NC

We got the bastards controlling it all now here.

[Nay]

8. If that 47% video hadn't come out, they WOULD have won. nt

[ThoughtCriminal]

10. Repulisive candidates promoting stupid, failed ideas

An ad blitz for McShit Sandwiches didn't sell.

Adding "Now with Imitation Bacon!", isn't going to be a big seller in 2014.

Plus, their ideology encouraged the lousy ground game. Money was spent on a few overpaid media consultants rather than spreading it going face to face with those 99% riff-raff. That would mean being in the same room with them and, while they're not sure why other people are not rich, but it my be contagious - so why take that chance?

[Purplehazed]

14. The Koch mental model

probably didn't include the legions of people who will vote exactly opposite to them:

The thousands of employees, regardless of years of dedicated service, that it has put out in the streets over the last few years in order to funnel more profits to the brothers.

The thousands of employees stranded after Koch bought and shuttered their mill.

The thousands of vendors and suppliers that Koch nickel and dimes to death by ignoring their purchasing terms and demanding and taking their own discounts.

The thousands of current employees that a unwilling participants in Koch's social experimentation and have seen their pay decrease and the costs of mediocre/krappy benefits skyrocket while hearing non stop propaganda about who to vote for.

I know there is plenty more about the Koch's not to like. There is a snowball effect. For every person directly affected there are many more indirectly affected and so on.