January 3, 2012
Certainly there are more “buyers” of our politicians than the Koch brothers, but none more powerful. At a combined worth of $50 billion, Charles and David Koch can purchase a lot of – shall we say – “influence”. A low estimate of what they’ve spent on politics over the past 30 years is $100 million, with the bulk of it over the past 10. Others put the number much, much higher.
The underlying story here is that once, people like the Koch’s simply approached an elected official and, through the passing of money in one form or another, convinced the official to push friendly legislation. But today they simply “buy” the election of a politician, and then they “own” that official for the duration of his or her term.
Now we know the average voter out there will say that’s not so; that they, the voter, decides who they vote for. But that’s not really the case. The majority of voters vote for a candidate that is most familiar to them on Election Day; one they physically recognize; one that is “saying” what the voter wants to hear — words, visibility and voter-influence paid for by the likes of the Koch brothers.
And, like today in Iowa — as reported by the cable news media — many voters haven’t even made a decision on Election Day. Which means they will decide once they enter the voting booth; which means two things: first, they really don’t know what a candidate truly stands for, and second, they will push the button for the first candidate that comes to mind. Enter the Koch brothers’ money.
Ok, so you say that Democrats get the same treatment from big money. No argument here. However, when it comes to the bottom line, the likes of the Koch brothers are overwhelmingly in favor of the GOP. In fact, it is very difficult to find where the Koch brothers ever gave financial support to a Democrat. The vast amount of Koch money goes to the radical right, as this document (PDF) attest. And, as a candidate, the further right you turn, the more money from the Koch’s.
Bob Abeshouse put together the following video documentary on the Koch brothers’ involvement in politics. This sort of thing should scare the hell out of you, even if you’re a stanch Republican; because if we allow the Koch brothers (and others) to hijack our democracy in favor of the right, then we no longer have a democracy. And that will lead to the taking of things you don’t want taken; most notably, your freedom.
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