Koch Bros to Spend $887 Million on 2016 Presidential Election

[T-Rexx]

The Koch Bros have announced they will spend $887 million to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.

The announcement seems aimed more at fellow Republicans (including the RNC) than Democrats. The Kochs are thought to have gone public with the amount they are willing to spend in order to discourage Republicans not of their choosing from challenging their preferred candidates. Of course, they no doubt also hope to intimidate Hillary Clinton.

The money is not all from the Kochs, exclusively, The Kochs have organized a network of a few hundred super wealthy Republicans who already meet twice a year at summits organized by the Kochs. The group has pledged nearly $1 billion toward influencing the presidential election, perhaps because of what they see as an opportunity to capture all three branches of government for the Republicans.

Some Republicans are not pleased with the subversion of the party apparatus by a handful of rich people. GOP activist Mark McKinnon said of the Koch's plan, “For that kind of money, you could buy yourself a president. Oh, right. That’s the point.”

Democrats have vowed to retaliate by organizing their own network of wealthy donors.

Harvard professor Larry Lessig notes that the Koch announcement continues a trend since Citizens United of fewer and fewer donors spending more and more money to influence elections.



http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/koch-2016-spending-goal-114604.html

 

[chrisrobin]

The Koch Bros have announced they will spend $887 million to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.

The announcement seems aimed more at fellow Republicans (including the RNC) than Democrats. The Kochs are thought to have gone public with the amount they are willing to spend in order to discourage Republicans not of their choosing from challenging their preferred candidates. Of course, they no doubt also hope to intimidate Hillary Clinton.

The money is not all from the Kochs, exclusively, The Kochs have organized a network of a few hundred super wealthy Republicans who already meet twice a year at summits organized by the Kochs. The group has pledged nearly $1 billion toward influencing the presidential election, perhaps because of what they see as an opportunity to capture all three branches of government for the Republicans.

Some Republicans are not pleased with the subversion of the party apparatus by a handful of rich people. GOP activist Mark McKinnon said of the Koch's plan, “For that kind of money, you could buy yourself a president. Oh, right. That’s the point.”

Democrats have vowed to retaliate by organizing their own network of wealthy donors.

Harvard professor Larry Lessig notes that the Koch announcement continues a trend since Citizens United of fewer and fewer donors spending more and more money to influence elections.



http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/koch-2016-spending-goal-114604.html

Democrats have vowed to retaliate by organizing their own network of wealthy donors.

Democrats win when they vote. For example, the Kochs spent over 10 million in Ohio to block Sherrod Brown from gaining a Senate seat. The voters showed up. Brown won.

 

[zip48872]

What we need then is for the unions and environmentalists to spend tons of money to influence things to their liking! Oh, they already do???

 

[nycguydowntown]

I think this is what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they created our democracy.

 

[Alnitak]

I think this is what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they created our democracy.

There weren't parties yet, not at least in the modern sense.

 

[nycguydowntown]

There weren't parties yet, not at least in the modern sense.

whatever---spending gross amounts of money to push your ideas down the throats of the citizens---so you can buy power and privilege so you can make more billions is obscene--- whether it is effective or not----

 

[Alnitak]

whatever---spending gross amounts of money to push your ideas down the throats of the citizens---so you can buy power and privilege so you can make more billions is obscene--- whether it is effective or not----

Had they envisioned the problems large amounts of money would have on modern elections perhaps they would have stuck in a section about it in the Constitution. Then again, words are all a constitution is.

 

[Ninja108]

That is disgusting, it truly is.

 

[mightbe]

Didn't even break the $1 billion mark. Pssshh. Slackers.

 

[evanrick]

im in the wrong business

 

[jockofstrap]

They are out to buy and take control of the US government.

 

[kallipolis]

Democrats win when they vote. For example, the Kochs spent over 10 million in Ohio to block Sherrod Brown from gaining a Senate seat. The voters showed up. Brown won.

Well noted...

 

[T-Rexx]

That is disgusting, it truly is.

They are out to buy and take control of the US government.

A thing that surprises me is how public they are about what they are willing to spend.

In the past, the Kochs (and everyone else) have been quiet about their influence-peddling. It was a source of embarrrassment; a disrespect of the democratic process. Now, they seem proud of it. It's like Al Capone bragging about what he spent to buy the police department.

What used to be corruption is now the accepted norm.

 

[kallipolis]

What used to be corruption is now the accepted norm.

Vote buying, and vote influencing was popular here in Athens way back in the time of Pericles...some 2400 years ago..when we Greeks were experimenting with the democratic process....there's nothing new under the sun..

 

[Benvolio]

How much will Soros spend this year to influence the election? NY Times? MSNBC, NBC, CBS, CNN? Do the democrats plan more anti capitalism riots?

 

[chrisrobin]

How much will Soros spend this year to influence the election? NY Times? MSNBC, NBC, CBS, CNN? Do the democrats plan more anti capitalism riots?

Why is George Soros always the focus? He is not the spawn of Satan. He does not eat babies or torture small animals. He's just trying to compete with the "loyal opposition". Besides, NBC, CBS and CNN blow. The big lie of the "liberal media" or as Princess Sara calls the "lamestream media." is still the big lie.

In any event, George Soros should be taken out and stoned. How dare he stand up to the neofascists! He must be be unpatriotic and un-American!

 

[cocksucker4use]

In another thread some Jubbers have been discussing economic/income equality and the consequences of 1% of the population owning 50% of the wealth. Of course, it is said that this is an inevitable reward coming to those of us with the cajones to get off welfare, get an MBA at Wharton, go to Wall Street and start hedge funds, eventually succeeding wildly as Venture Capitalists. These few, and if we talk about the top .001% like the K-bros, these very few elites, have won that board game which is life. Some see this as Laissez-faire Capitalism working as it was intended! As Dubya called them, "My base." That other great statesman, Thomas Jefferson is quoted, ""The end of democracy and the defeat of the American Revolution will occur when government falls into the hands of lending institutions and moneyed incorporations."http://http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/end-democracyquotation We have a class of elites, a plutocracy that overtly seeks to buy elections to promote their economic agendas. I saw an interview with one of the K-bros in which he said that they personally don't give a fuck about many social issues, but pick candidates that reflect their economic policies, and those candidates tend to have conservative views on social issues, as well. TEA PARTY!!! Herein is the true danger of permitting social inequality to grow. Now the plutocrats are buying elections. Their "guys" and "gals", once in Washington, will create and pass legislation that will insitutionalize economic inequality, because that's what their bosses bought them for.

 

[kallipolis]

Now the plutocrats are buying elections.

This is nothing new..our plutocrats in Greece have been doing the same thing for the past few thousand years....welcome to reality...for the idealists are often surprised when realizing that money is a powerful tool persuading the gullible...

 

[Benvolio]

In another thread some Jubbers have been discussing economic/income equality and the consequences of 1% of the population owning 50% of the wealth. Of course, it is said that this is an inevitable reward coming to those of us with the cajones to get off welfare, get an MBA at Wharton, go to Wall Street and start hedge funds, eventually succeeding wildly as Venture Capitalists. These few, and if we talk about the top .001% like the K-bros, these very few elites, have won that board game which is life. Some see this as Laissez-faire Capitalism working as it was intended! As Dubya called them, "My base." That other great statesman, Thomas Jefferson is quoted, ""The end of democracy and the defeat of the American Revolution will occur when government falls into the hands of lending institutions and moneyed incorporations."http://http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/end-democracyquotation We have a class of elites, a plutocracy that overtly seeks to buy elections to promote their economic agendas. I saw an interview with one of the K-bros in which he said that they personally don't give a fuck about many social issues, but pick candidates that reflect their economic policies, and those candidates tend to have conservative views on social issues, as well. TEA PARTY!!! Herein is the true danger of permitting social inequality to grow. Now the plutocrats are buying elections. Their "guys" and "gals", once in Washington, will create and pass legislation that will insitutionalize economic inequality, because that's what their bosses bought them for.

Jefferson of the 200 slaves may not be a good person to quote on either economics or democracy. He thought we should always remain a nation of farmers and plantation owners, with no NO manufacturing. Remember, he famously said, that government is best which governs least. He would hate what democrats have become.
Poverty is bad but inequality is irrelevant. while the ability to achieve inequality is vitally important. Communism does not work. Democrats want more poverty, while they use inequality for their demagoguery.

 

[frankfrank]

The big lie of the "liberal media" or as Princess Sara calls the "lamestream media." is still the big lie.

WHAT liberal media? Where? Even MSNBC has Morning Joe...

Consider RADIO. In more than 90% (my estimate) of the area covered by U. S. territory, and in many of the cities with six-figure populations, it is ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE to find, anywhere on the radio dial, any COMMERCIAL RADIO BROADCASTING STATION which will ever have a shred of a liberal voice. NPR is the only hope, and they're more or less neutered. (I call "All Things Considered", instead, "Corporate Things Considered.")

This void is filled in by satellite radio, but even on satellite there's a lot more right-wing talk.

If the media IS lamestream, then the people working for it must be PRESStitutes.

When the elites get to the button for the Supreme Court, and click on "ADD TO CART," we're screwed totally. Even more so if they also click that button on The White House. They simply walked by the Senate (unimpeded by so many Democrats who COULD NOT BE BOTHERED TO GET OFF THEIR ASSES and vote) on November 4 and clicked the "ADD TO CART" button for that. As it is, we're almost screwed anyway, because the alleged "swing vote" Kennedy isn't really one.