Inside Koch world
The Billion-Dollar Buy: About this series
Like never before, big dollars are having a big impact on politics and governance. This series examines how the new wide-open fundraising landscape will affect the 2012 campaigns.
See also: GOP groups plan record $1 billion blitz | Myth of the small donor | Rove hits big: The birth of a mega-donor | Sheldon Adelson: Inside the mind of the mega-donor | The IRS's 'feeble' grip on big political cash | The new normal: $9 million for a rural House seat | Secret money funds GOP door-knockers | The billion-dollar bust?
The Koch brothers’ political operation has increasingly come to resemble its own political party — and later this month in San Diego, it will hold what amounts to its most ambitious convention to date.
Many of the dozens of rich conservative invitees are expected to write huge checks to a pool of cash distributed among Koch-approved groups, potentially boosting the Kochs’ 2012 spending plan beyond their historic $395 million goal. And it’s also a chance for the Kochs to show off their increasingly robust political machine, including a growing voter database project called Themis that played a major role in conservatives’ recent efforts in Wisconsin and in which POLITICO has learned Koch operatives have discussed investing $20 million.
Continue ReadingFull series: The Billion-Dollar Buy
(Also on POLITICO: Losing faith on campaign finance)
It’s part of an ambitious expansion of the billionaire brothers’ political operation that includes the recruitment of new donors and fundraisers into their network by a development team led by summit emcee Kevin Gentry, and their recent hiring of in-house political operative Marc Short to oversee the spending of funds raised at the summits.
The expansion is also reflected in Charles and David Kochs’ bid to take over the libertarian Cato Institute as well as their operations steering cash to groups that aren’t commonly thought of as Koch affiliated. The 60 Plus Association, American Energy Alliance, American Future Fund, Americans for Limited Government and National Right to Life have all received funds through the Koch donor network.
“They ask for support — and they get it because we all love our country and we have a different vision than do the liberals,” said Stanley Hubbard, a Minnesota television station owner who has attended the Koch donor summits for years and plans to be in San Diego for this month’s meeting. “I’ve gotten friends to be involved, and I think others have, too, so I would guess, yes, that’s expanding.”
Yet, even as Koch World has increasingly flexed its muscles in conservative politics, its inner sanctum — comprised of the brothers and their longtime right-hand man Richard Fink — has remained all but impenetrable to even big GOP players who want a piece of the Koch action or invitations to the summits, according to numerous operatives.
The specific location of the San Diego summit could not be determined. And a Koch spokesman declined to comment on details of the summit, which starts the weekend of June 23, or the brothers’ political plans.
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Are you complaining that he's raising too much, disappointed that he's raising too little, or just experimenting with the adhesive properties of fecal matter?
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Read all 1004 comments in our forumObama's "Sex and the City" type fundraisers also produce millions.
What happened to Obama's Billion Dollar Reelection Campaign money that he bragged about getting?
Ah, red meat for the progressives.....Good job POLITICO after Obama met with his 0.5% friends last night.
Yes, both status-quo party candidates are well connected and funded by special interests who expect their interests to be protected in the future.....What a shame for our nation that needs leaders capable and ready to get our ship of state on the right course.
However, a big difference between the two candidates is that Barack Obama promised change......he promised he was the change we were waiting for.....He is not change......He is the same old pol going to the same rich people with his hand out.
Oh well.....have fun on the thread, progressives! I know you need the Koch issue to get you to sleep at night when you continue to support a status-quo 0.5%'er.
VERO POSSUMUS!
Anyone remember when Politico and others trumpeted Obamas pending one billion dollar war chest ? The truth is Obama presidency has been a disaster and citizens of all economic strata are digging deep to rid the country of the biggest mistake the electorate has made since Jimmy Carter.
Mr. Obama, because of his lies, has always offended campaign finance reformers. Obama was the first to break his pledge during the 2008 race.
Obama and his 2012 Super PACs are the worse offenders.
These guys strike me as far more above board and honorable than the likes of George Soros. Bill Ayers, and Jeremiah Wright, etc, etc.
I wish them well in their efforts to counter the Left's statist agenda.
A vote for Romney is a vote for these two scumbags....
The Koch brothers are as toxic for our country as their products are for our environment. They don't wish to run for office, the way governing power is attained in a democracy. They wish to form a shadow government, a plutocracy, a corporate plutocracy, to be more specific. They seek control over our country in the darkness of secrecy. They seek to gather a cabal of fellow plutocratic conspirators to turn America into Korporate Amerika, at first bought and run anonymously. But after they buy enough judges and elections for their Republican minions, thanks to a politically corrupted Supreme Court decision that crazily declared corporations person, citizens, no less, and with special privileges of being allowed to pour unlimited monies into elections (anonymously), corporate plutocratic rule will come out of the shadows. Not before they make sure most Americans are denied affordable health insurance and care; not before they get Republicans to destroy unions and their better wages and pensions; not before their bootlicking Republicans take away Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security; and maybe not before corporate interests privatize and take over the Internet, but eventually, when they are sure Americans are poor and at their mercy without recourse to courts that still administer justice, then the Koch brothers and corporate plutocrats like them will come out of the darkness to rule in the open. Better put, then we will all be living in their dark world.
In the meantime, they have chosen as their representative to carry out their orders the perfect plutocratic candidate, Mitt Romney. He’ll take any position they want him to; he’s proven he’s flexible that way. He’s one of the one percenters himself. Experienced in gutting companies for obscene profits, known for his willingness to take away workers’ pensions and putting them in his own pocket, known for a willingness to send American jobs (and his own money) overseas, known for liking to fire people that provide services to him, and known for his indifference to poor Americans, Romney is the best they can do dog and shrink our democratic government, paving the way for the coming of Korporate Amerika.
Inside Koch World? Koch-heads.
One good 'thing' about having the best interest of the former USA in mind, is that many of us can forget about it all until a month before the Nevember event we've been waitin'-for for four years. We can forget the nonsense, the hot button names and words.. then we can go play.
Nope.. Who cares about these bigger than life figures? I do not.
Come November, I'll write an X or Y or Z on the ballot.
Y'all might be in for a very big surprise in regrard the (so-called) Ron Paul Delegates.
"may You live in interesting times"... You certainly are.
Hell-O MSM - Too many people know of the 'dupe' by now.
Half don't like Obama, aka Barry and half do not like Romney so quit repeating the lie.
You're a salesman without principles.
So Inside Koch World and four pages of writing we really don't know anything more than the 2 brothers, their goal of 395 million and a few insider helpers?
Wow. I am amazed at the investigative journalism of this piece!
I particularily like the Koch meetings nobody has gone to or can determine where they exactly are but they have a "revival like feeling" to them.
Maybe try Soros and his organizations to get some red meat reporting going on. He'll surely tell Politico his agenda,,, lol....
Fact is big money is in politics on both sides and they have a right to use it as they see fit. People will vote anyway for who will do the best job for this country, and right now Obama is having trouble doing that. There is another choice. Romney.
Politico, when are going to do a special on the liberal sugar daddy, the Nazi sympthazer and ex felon George Soros? Or is you fascination and unbiased reporting only going to focus on the Koch brothers, real American, real patriots?
Jealousy has always been a liberal value.
Considering that George Soros' Media Matter, the 401c tax excempt, has been working diligently to attack conservatives and support President Obama.....in a clear violation of the law, one wonders why the Koch Brothers are more important than George Soros.
Like I said last night, President Obama and Politico think we're stupid.
The founders set up our nation with the goal of one person, one vote. They failed to achieve this, of course. But it has supposedly always been our goal.
But, as things are - and with the fervent help of conservatives - we are moving towards those with the most money purchasing control of our government. Every “elected” official in their pockets, doing their bidding, and “We the people…” left to take what they decide to give us.
It’s called plutocracy.
So long as this continues you can expect these men, along with men like Sheldon Adelson, Foster Freiss, and Donald Trump, to be the ones to control our government.
We know they control conservative Republican Mitt Romney.
You see, there are those who believe that the people are too stupid to control government. They believe that only the well educated, and well connected should have a role in deciding who leads the nation – a vote. They firmly believe that only those with great wealth should make great decisions, because only those with wealth have a real interest in the nation. The poor don’t own anything, so they shouldn’t have a say in what happens.
They truly believe this.
There are those who disagree with this, of course, our founders among them.
But, as it is now, a handful of mega-billionaires are determined to use their billions to buy government.
They’re all conservatives too.
I know the typical response from conservatives is to whine about the influence of wealthy liberals like Soros or a handful of Hollywood stars. But, that doesn’t put a value judgment on purchasing government.
That doesn’t make a choice between right and wrong.
All that says is “the other guy is doing it, so I will too”. Of course, this is morally degenerate.
So, when I hear someone say, “Well, the other guy does it too!”, then I know they’ve either lost their moral compass, or they just don’t care.
Or, most likely, they actually support the conservative idea of money buying government, and think it moral.
I do not.
You must mean the 40,000$ a ticket fundraiser at Sarah Jessica Parker's house Obama attended ........ well maybe Politico will get an invite one day and report on the "revival like" feel of that event. Reports are there is going to be an Obama line of accessories and clothes.....
Evidently rich people are Obama's big fundraisers.......ahh the influence of big money in politics.
Now let's see Politico do an article on "soros world" and his vision of a one world government and his billions to leftie campaigns and causes and talk about the "rich celebrities" and their contributions to the lefties.
Hardly a shocker that Supreme Court Justices Scalia and Thomas are in their pocket; right wing extremists such as the nefarious Koch brothers have long been subverting the independence of our judiciary. Distant is the day when they did not use lobbyist and enormous cash piles to influence elections and legislation. They have similarly been spending huge amounts to fund research, whose sole objective is not to actually research anything, but rather produce conclusions that support the interests of their commercial empire. This is what a mafia like gang does to protect authority, its wealth, its power when democracy encroaches. Enlightenment and progress takes time to develop and coalesce, often because the well-funded incumbent resorts to illegal and immoral means as legal avenues prove insufficient.
God bless and keep the Koch brothers!! They are great Americans!
Too bad that I have to leave for Florida this morning. This piece will drive Danbury, Low-retta and Liggy insane. I'll wait for Politico to run a piece on Soros, or the Hollywood elites, orObama buddies like Jeffie Immelt. Politico = fairly unbalanced reporting.
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Ok think of what you just said. all
You realized that you were calling all those mega-billionaires conservatives but didn't include George Soros and basically the entire elite Hollywood line up in that category. Oh you tried to defend your ridiculous statement by saying "I know the typical response from conservatives....". Dude, you just shot yourself on the foot with such a hypocrite statement!!!!!!!
Like the old commercial said "do you know where your kids are tonight"? Let me ask you a simple question: "Do you know where President Obama was last night"?
President Obama WAS with the Hollywood elites dining and fundraising at $35,800 a dinner plate. Who pays $35,800 for dinner if not the mega-rich? And for what? To donate millions of dollars for the president's re-election. You would be soooooo upset if Romney did this the same way you are upset that the rich are donating money to the Romney campaign.
The hypocrisy in your statement can be cut with a butter knife. But I bet you don't even realize how hypocrite you sound!
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