Real Koch Facts

Mercatus Proves Again The Kochs Are NOT Concerned For Veterans

August 10, 2015

When it comes to veterans, the Koch brothers already have a bad track record. Bridge Project recently teamed up with VoteVets.org to expose the brothers’ front group Concerned Veterans for America, “The Vets Group That Fights Against Veterans.” Now, the Koch-backed Mercatus Center, where Charles Koch is a sitting board member, is also getting in the game, supporting policies that actively hurt service members.

In an op-ed for American Banker, Mercatus visiting scholar Thomas Miller Jr. and the Mecatus assistant director of outreach for financial policy Chad Reese argued against the Military Lending Act’s 36% annual percentage rate cap and for allowing predatory lenders to prey on service members.

In the post, Miller and Reese write,

Consumer advocates, regulators, and legislators must stand courageously and do what the far-sighted reformers did 100 years ago: allow for much higher interest rates on small-dollar loans. The cost to consumers is low. A 108% […]

Ahead Of Laxalt Townhall With AFP Nevada, Kochs Lose Shell As Ally In EPA Fight

August 10, 2015

This evening, Americans for Prosperity (AFP) Nevada is hosting a townhall with Attorney General Adam Laxalt against the EPA’s latest water regulations. Considered their main political arm, the Kochs regularly tap AFP for campaigning and messaging on their long-standing push against the EPA. More than a year ago, the Koch-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and their climate change-denying allies joined together with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to fight against new environmental regulations.

According to the New York Times, with the help of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, ALEC and friends are enlisting state governors and attorneys general, including Laxalt, and “urging them to refuse to submit compliance plans for the regulations and encouraging a state-by-state rejection of the rules.” ALEC also presented a piece of model legislation at their July conference that is “designed to directly support state attorneys general who legally challenge the climate change plan.”

The Kochs […]

Kochs Lose Shell As Ally In Fight Against the Clean Power Plan

August 10, 2015

Last week, President Obama rolled out the Clean Power Plan, introducing new carbon standards for power plants. The president and his administration cited public health concerns and extreme weather in their release of the final plan. The Kochs are more worried about their pocketbooks than the health and safety of Americans, though. More than a year ago, the Koch-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and their climate change-denying allies joined together with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to fight against the new regulations.

According to the New York Times, with the help of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, ALEC and friends are enlisting state governors and attorneys general and “urging them to refuse to submit compliance plans for the regulations and encouraging a state-by-state rejection of the rules.” ALEC also presented a piece of model legislation at their July conference that is “designed to directly support state attorneys general who […]

The Koch PR Joke Redux: The Accessibility Illusion

August 7, 2015

For the past several weeks, the Koch brothers have made themselves increasingly “available” to the media, yielding a number of glowing profiles. But it’s not about transparency — it’s all a PR sham.

The Huffington Post yesterday revealed that what the Koch brothers’ PR team would have you believe is increased Koch “transparency” and “accessibility” is actually nothing more than a carefully crafted public relations illusion, solely designed to benefit the Kochs and improve their image. For example, according to The Huffington Post, the New York Times recently sought a one-on-one interview with Charles Koch, but were rebutted and instead offered a joint interview with the president of the UNCF, an offer they ultimately refused.

The Kochs and their PR team tightly control who is given access, and when — and more or less every other aspect of any media availability, artfully wielding the Kochs’ reputation of media avoidance to negotiate […]

The Koch Assault On Voting Rights

August 6, 2015

In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act’s signing, Bridge Project today released a mini-report, “Kochs, Voting Rights, And Race Relations,” exposing the Koch brothers’ repugnant voter suppression advocacy and bolstering of candidates who support undemocratic, supressive policies.

And on this 50th anniversary, which coincides with the first Republican presidential primary debate, we would be remiss not to ask: Will any of the Republican candidates use tonight’s debate as a platform to take a stand against voter suppression?

Will they use the opportunity to address the crisis that is the ongoing assault on voting rights in today’s America — an assault that threatens the very integrity of the democratic process?

The Koch Joke: Bogus PR Campaign Is Bogus

August 5, 2015

The Koch brothers have been in the news a whole lot lately, but it’s all by design.

A massive public relations campaign over the last several weeks, tied to their retreat where Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Scott Walker, Ted Cruz, and Carly Fiorina auditioned for the $900 million the Kochs are spending this election, has yielded glowing profile after glowing profile. Some even tell a sob story of Koch demonization, suggesting that us humble, non-billionaires, with just our singular votes to make our electoral voices heard, should feel sorry for them.

Despite their protests and claims to the contrary, the Kochs’ “philanthropic” efforts and political contributions have always been about control — have always been about using their money and influence to manipulate and advance their own personal welfare. David Koch even admits it, telling the New Yorker:

“If we’re going to give a lot of money, we’ll make darn sure they spend it […]

On Corporate Subsidies, Koch Donor Exhibits Appropriately Koch-esque Hypocrisy

August 4, 2015

It’s a funny thing when billionaire industrialists and their network of 450 similarly affluent political donors are tired of being “demonized.” One such donor, who attended the Koch brothers’ donor conference last weekend, “doesn’t like being portrayed as a villain,” according to the Wall Street Journal.

Steve Hamilton supports the Kochs’ purported subsidy-eliminating agenda: “I decided to stand up for what I believe in,” he reportedly said.

And what he believes in, apparently, is self-interested hypocrisy.

Hamilton, like the Kochs, has no problem raking in government corporate subsidy dollars while claiming to be opposed to the practice. His lab equipment company, Hamilton Company, has benefited significantly from corporate subsidies and tax abatements.

Hypocrisy befitting a Koch donor. Bravo, Mr. Hamilton.

Steve Hamilton of Hamilton Company Was a Koch Donor Who “Welcomed Charles Koch’s Call To End Corporate Subsidies.”

Steve Hamilton Was The Owner Of Hamilton Company In Reno, Nevada And A Koch Donor. According to the Wall Street Journal, “Steve Hamilton owns […]

Newt On My Watch: Gingrich Echoes Trump And RNC’s Koch Influence Concerns

August 4, 2015

Newt Gingrich yesterday voiced concerns about the Koch brothers’ — whom he called “oligarchs” — influence in politics, particularly their influence over the 2016 GOP presidential candidates. According to Politico:

“You begin to have billionaires who get together, who think that they have somehow got the divine right to tell the country what the country ought to be, which is, I think, dangerous.” When I asked if he was talking about the Koch Brothers – who have pledged as much as $889 million to conservative causes in the 2016 cycle — he said, “yes.” […] “I think it’s dangerous to have the party and the candidates shrink and independent oligarchs rise. I just think it’s a very dangerous pattern.”

And if you think the “oligarch” characterization is hyperbolic, think again: This election, the Kochs plan to spend “more than what the RNC/NRCC/NRSC spent combined in 2012,” according to NBC News.

Put […]

No Competition, No Problem

August 4, 2015

Over the weekend the Koch brothers brought together 16 of their favorite politicians and 450 of their wealthiest and most conservative friends for a conference in California. After being threatened to be put on the Koch brothers’ blacklist (we’re assuming), reporters agreed to some insanely tight reporting restrictions so it’s hard to get a clear picture of the weekend. That said, it’s clear there was a lot of red meat thrown around by the Kochs’ presidential picks and a lot of talk about ending subsidies.

The Kochs’ stance on subsidies is, unsurprisingly, hypocritical. Nonetheless, almost daily at least one Koch mouthpiece is arguing against “corporate welfare,” or the subsidies and tax structures that help businesses grow and keep markets competitive. If you take a look at the Koch brothers’ own business record, though, subsidies are a part of their success story. According to the Center for Media and Democracy, Koch Industries and […]

Sorry, we were wrong about the Kochs

July 31, 2015

I could almost hear Sarah McLaughlin’s ‘I Will Remember You’ playing as I read about how brave the Kochs had to be in the New York Times this AM.

Yes, workers have died at their plants from safety violations. Sure they have fired people and outsourced jobs. OK, they may have polluted the environment. And fine, they want to take away people’s health care and pensions. But think about what THEY have had to go through.

Can you imagine how hurtful it must be to have people point out the millions they spend on lobbying, tax breaks their companies take, and where they argue for MORE regulation on the solar industry when they want to claim they just want the government to leave them alone?

It must be so hard to take a few minutes away from the country club to answer some questions from reporters. And the horror of having to miss […]