Collectively, they're referred to as the Koch brothers—though that excludes their less notorious brothers Frederick and Bill. They're hardcore libertarians and influential behind-the-scenes political activists, providing money for so many right-wing think tanks, political organizations, and PR campaigns that investigative reporter Jane Mayer wrote a page book, Dark Money , about their shockingly successful efforts to reshape American politics.
Their funding helped to drive the faux-grassroots Tea Party movement and established the libertarian Cato Institute, the think tank that crusades against progressive causes like health-care reform and environmental regulation.
And now, the Kochs are turning their attention to the Democratic Party. In a memo obtained by CNBC , Emily Seidel, CEO of the Koch-affiliated political-action committee Americans for Prosperity, announced that the organization would be backing incumbent Democrats against progressive primary challenges in the upcoming congressional primaries.
The memo laid out AFP's new objectives, including:. Support the primary election of lawmakers, regardless of political party, who stick their necks out to lead diverse policy coalitions. Quality journalism. Progressive values. Direct to your inbox. To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page. Bernie Sanders. As a result of the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision, billionaires and large corporations can now spend an unlimited amount of money to influence the political process.
Perhaps, the biggest winners of Citizens United are Charles and David Koch, owners of the second-largest privately run business in America Koch Industries. Among other things, the Koch brothers own oil refineries in Texas, Alaska, and Minnesota and control some 4, miles of pipeline.
Owning the second largest private company in America is, apparently, not good enough. It is well known that the Koch brothers have provided the major source of funding to the Tea Party and want to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
In other words, the agenda of the Koch brothers is not only to defund Obamacare. The agenda of the Koch brothers is to repeal every major piece of legislation that has been signed into law over the past 80 years that has protected the middle class, the elderly, the children, the sick, and the most vulnerable in this country.
It is clear that the Koch brothers and other right wing billionaires are calling the shots and are pulling the strings of the Republican Party. And because of the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision, they now have the power to spend an unlimited amount of money to buy the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the next President of the United States.
If they are allowed to hijack the American political process to defund Obamacare they will be back for more. Tomorrow it will be Social Security, ending Medicare as we know it, repealing the minimum wage.
It seems to me that the Koch brothers will not be content until they get everything they believe they are entitled to. For the sake of our children and our grandchildren, for the sake of our economy, we have got to let democracy prevail. The death of David Koch , which was announced on Friday, is unlikely to diminish the power of the network of influence the brothers created.
Here are are five ways they pushed their agenda:. Among the institutions the Kochs support is Americans for Prosperity, a conservative group behind many public campaigns promoting conservative causes on healthcare, fighting climate crisis rules and advocating for more limited government.
It has also turned its fire on public transit , opposing the construction of light rail trains and new bus routes in many cities across the US. In , the Kochs sued Cato after some of its libertarian positions supporting same-sex marriage and drug decriminalization angered conservatives.
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