While Joe Scarborough is spending another day defending Charles and David Koch, Morning Joe wasn’t the last time voters will see the billionaire Koch brothers on TV. A new ad out from Bridge Project shows how Democrats can seize on the Koch message and communicate how the Kochs pull the strings of their puppet candidates who back an agenda that’s good for the Kochs but hurts the middle class and working families… in 30 seconds. Watch “Something In Return”here.
In addition to Charles Koch’s admission that when he spends millions propping up a candidates, “I expect something in return,” here’s five more moments to remember from Charles and David Koch on Morning Joe:
1. KOCH SPIN: Charles Koch looked really disappointed when stressing that he and his brother really aren’t impressed with any of the GOP presidential candidates.
REALITY CHECK: By staying out of the primary race, the Koch brothers have ensured the entire Republican field backs the Koch agenda and supports policies that will boost billionaires like the Kochs and hurt middle class and working families. As Fox Business’ Charlie Gasparino put it, “Everybody is looking to hone their message to appeal to them right now.” No matter who the GOP nominee is, the Kochs will be winners.
2. KOCH SPIN: On Morning Joe, Charles Koch advocated that he and his brother are “failures” at buying influence in American politics.
REALITY CHECK: In 2014, the Kochs bought Republicans the U.S. Senate with a price tag of $77 million. On the House side, they’ve shaped the House Republican caucus in their image — ensuring they put the Koch agenda first but at the expense of gridlock and dysfunction. And in state legislatures, the Kochs are using ALEC to turn states into Koch utopias. Despite their attempts to spin, the Kochs can’t hide that they’ve bought the GOP and are behind the scenes pulling the strings.
3. KOCH SPIN: Charles Koch lamented that political campaigns are two years long.
REALITY CHECK: Unsurprisingly, with unlimited resources, Koch groups are the biggest early spenders. In November 2013, nearly a year from the election, the Kochs began spending millions attacking Democratic senators. This cycle, Koch groups went up even earlier to prop up vulnerable Republican senators that do their bidding for them in Washington. And in presidential races, GOP candidates are so eager to audition for Koch cash, they appeared before the billionaire brothers in August of 2015. Before he complains about the state of the endless campaigns, Charles Koch should look to who’s causing it. While they feign that they have little political influence, the Kochs have bought a Republican Party that pushes an agenda that’s best for them, no matter who it hurts.
4. KOCH SPIN: Charles Koch also claimed he only became involved in politics because of the Bush administration: “I’ve been involved in these ideas for over 50 years and for 40 of them, I wasn’t involved in politics.”
REALITY CHECK: This isn’t the first time Charles has tried to cover up the Kochs’ long record of pouring money into politics. In 1980, David Koch made a bid for the vice presidency because the billionaire brothers felt that Republicans supporting environmental laws and the oil export ban would hurt their corporate profits. After the failed campaign, David Koch and Richard Fink started Citizens for a Sound Economy, which would later turn into the Kochs’ political long arm, Americans for Prosperity. Charles’ attempt to whitewash the Kochs’ political history is just the latest in their PR campaign — including their stop on Morning Joe — to recast themselves as charitable and humble philanthropists instead of the greedy, power-hungry billionaires they really are.
5. KOCH SPIN: Charles Koch: “I’m kind of like Martin Luther when he was on trial.”
REALITY CHECK: No Charles, spending hundreds of millions through shady outside groups to prop up candidates that back your self-enriching agenda does not make you Martin Luther.
BONUS KOCH SPIN: Joe Scarborough argued that Charles Koch “spends the majority of his time — and focusing most of his fire — on the Republican establishment.”
REALITY CHECK: Where the Kochs spend their millions shows their true intentions — and it’s not attacking the GOP. The Koch network has spent hundreds of millions attacking Democrats and backing Republicans who will move their agenda forward.