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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Kochs Reap the Tea Party Whirlwind
The Kochs now say they're not behind the defund movement. But their money is.
The government shutdown and looming threat of default have pitted House conservatives against the Republican Party's traditional allies in the business community. Populist Tea Partiers driven by ideology care little for the pleas for sanity from banking lobbyists and the Chamber of Commerce; indeed, they wear their disregard for Big Business as a badge of honor.
Where does that leave the Koch brothers? The billionaire industrialists have funded a sprawling empire of libertarian-conservative activism; they've been dubbed the bankrollers of the Tea Party. Liberals frequently accuse them of seeking deregulatory policies to further their company's financial interests. But what happens when the Tea Party's ideological warfare threatens to plunge the U.S. economy into chaos?
The answer: The Kochs appear to be distancing themselves from the movement they've helped to create. In a letter released Wednesday, Koch Industries' chief lobbyist, Philip Ellender, says the company does not favor the House's push to defund Obamacare as a condition of keeping the government open. Koch Industries would prefer to see Congress focus on fiscal issues: "We believe that Congress should, at a minimum, keep to sequester-level spending guidelines, and develop a plan for more significant and widespread spending reductions in the future," Ellender writes.
Where does that leave the Koch brothers? The billionaire industrialists have funded a sprawling empire of libertarian-conservative activism; they've been dubbed the bankrollers of the Tea Party. Liberals frequently accuse them of seeking deregulatory policies to further their company's financial interests. But what happens when the Tea Party's ideological warfare threatens to plunge the U.S. economy into chaos?
The answer: The Kochs appear to be distancing themselves from the movement they've helped to create. In a letter released Wednesday, Koch Industries' chief lobbyist, Philip Ellender, says the company does not favor the House's push to defund Obamacare as a condition of keeping the government open. Koch Industries would prefer to see Congress focus on fiscal issues: "We believe that Congress should, at a minimum, keep to sequester-level spending guidelines, and develop a plan for more significant and widespread spending reductions in the future," Ellender writes.
THE REST:
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/10/the-kochs-reap-the-tea-party-whirlwind/280435/
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The Kochs Reap the Tea Party Whirlwind (Original Post)
Triana
Oct 2013
OP
Silent3
(15,221 posts)1. Unfortunately the rest of us have to deal with the monster they've created.
And never had any potential for getting anything selfish out of it for ourselves.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)2. Koch builds up his John Birch $ociety again. That's who had a booth at Rs primary & $ponsored venue.
Rs don't need anything from 'republican tea party' anymore.
except- keep acting like hobbits and r vote.
Hobbits work for free.
Enjoy your tea, hobbits.
benld74
(9,904 posts)3. The ONLY part of the budget LARGE enough to make ANY spending reductions
make ANY difference is DEFENSE.
Any takers Congress? ANY takers?
Your $$$ daddies are telling you what to do.
pansypoo53219
(20,978 posts)4. the stupids couldn't conceive of the unintended consequences. HA HA!
City Lights
(25,171 posts)5. They reap what they sowed.
Too bad they fucked us along the way.