9 signs the Kochs have created their own national political party

[applegrove]

9 signs the Kochs have created their own national political party

by Steven Rosenfeld at Salon

http://www.salon.com/2015/01/03/9_signs_the_kochs_have_created_their_own_national_political_party_partner/

"SNIP..................


The Koch Party is not as large as the Democrats or the Republicans, but is still unprecedented in size, scope and reach. Like other political parties, it has a platform, donors and constituents, electoral and advertising strategies, voter data, and—after the 2014 midterms—members of Congress ready to shepherd its pro-corporate, anti-regulatory agenda.

But unlike the Democrats and Republicans, the Koch Party is not public. It doesn’t have national political conventions attended by the media and delegates. Instead it has secretive getaways for mega-millionaires and billionaires in posh gated resorts where the public and press are neither invited nor allowed.

If you want to see how super-wealthy citizens and private corporations are using private money and secretive tactics to gain and consolidate their power and influence, pushing agendas that often prey on middle- and working-class Americans—look no further. Here are nine hallmarks of the Koch Party.

1. America’s third-biggest political operation: Last June, the Washington Post compared the number of employees at Americans for Prosperity, the best-known Koch-funded group, to the Democratic and Republican Parties. The Post noted that AFP had 240 employees in 32 states, compared to 250 field staffers for Republicans (and another 150 at the GOP’s national headquarters), while the Democrats said they would have 4,000 campaign staffers nationwide. It turns out that the Post vastly underestimated AFP’s size; Politico.com recently reported that AFO had 550 paid staff and spent $130 million in 2014.




...............SNIP"

[freshwest]

1. Kicking

[Cha]

2. yeah, like a sledgehammer with Billion$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Blue_Tires]

3. Citizens United is the gift that keeps on giving...

and the Kochs are just getting warmed up...

[Initech]

4. They should just delcare themselves dictators and get it over with.

It's the waiting I can't stand.

[HereSince1628]

6. Oh, come on, they just think their homes should be their castles

and our country should be their kingdom.

Act like a loving serf and all will be well.

[Scuba]

5. K&R

[Gothmog]

7. The GOP and the Tea Party may be headed to a divorce