The Billionaire Boys’ Club

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http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2015/01/charles_and_david_koch_are_putting_900_million_into_2016_campaign_the_conservative.html



The rise of the super PAC in the 2012 presidential election seemed like the pinnacle of Big Money politics—an unprecedented expansion of fundraising and donor influence.

But that was then. For 2016, the pioneers of that kind of politics—conservative billionaires Charles G. and David H. Koch—have found a new summit. According to the New York Times, the siblings plan to spend close to $900 million on next year’s campaign, with incursions into the Republican presidential primary. At more than double the roughly $400 million the Koch brothers spent in 2012, this money would go to polling, analytics, advertising, grassroots campaigns, single-issue advocacy groups, and more.

For comparison’s sake, in the last presidential election, the Republican National Committee—along with the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee—spent a total of $657 million. It’s Democratic counterparts, likewise, spent a total of $647 million. The committees spent somewhat smaller amounts in the 2008 election and are likely to spend similarly larger amounts next year.


In its description of the Koch creation, the Times notes that it involves roughly 300 other donors and “includes groups like Freedom Partners, a trade organization overseen by Koch advisers that plans the retreat and helps corral contributions; Americans for Prosperity, a national grassroots group; and Concerned Veterans for America, which organizes conservative veterans.” Another way to put this is that the organization is something of a joint effort on behalf of the kinds of people who already participate in Republican politics. In the same way that a person who collects 100 votes is more valuable to the party than someone who just votes, these donors and activists strengthen their position by operating under a single umbrella.

[Frustratedlady]

1. Is that a recent photo? If so, he isn't lookin' so good.

Just sayin'.

[appalachiablue]

2. "Sons of Wichita" by Daniel Schulman, 2013. Daddy Fred Koch went to the Soviet Union in the

1930s to help out the oil industry; didn't like what he saw there but approved of Fascist Italy and Germany.
Fred Sr. was also a John Birch Society (JBS) founder. It was thought that the anti-communist, ant-union, anti-Civil Rights ultraconservative group phased out in the 1970s. But it just went underground to form think tanks and strategies. So now there is the New John Birch and the New Jim Crow. Or John Birch Jr. meet James Crow. The Kochs fund many right wing think tanks, over 200 US colleges and universities, especially business/economics depts. and faculty, and cultural and medical philanthropy. They are also sponsors of PBS and the NOVA science program.

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3. Those eyes. Get some sleep, man! Your billions will still be there in the morning. n/t