From THINK PROGRESS:
Conservative billionaire David Koch, co-owner of the $110 billion dollar Koch Industries chemical and petroleum conglomerate, provided a “lengthy” interview to Boston Globe reporter Stephen Smith yesterday. Smith asked about Ian Murphy’s prank call to Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI). Walker, who thought he was speaking with David Koch, bragged about his union busting campaign, joked about using a baseball bat against his opponents, and confessed that he had considered planting trouble makers in the protest crowd. According to Smith, Koch was both “amused and bemused” by the prank, but said he has “no relationship with the governor and didn’t directly support him.”
And why in the world would we get that mistaken impression?
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But through political action committees and right-wing front groups, Koch has actually provided much of the muscle for Walker’s election and his current anti-labor power grab:
– Koch Industry’s PAC provided $43,000 in funds to Walker’s gubernatorial campaign, and funneled $1.5 million to the Republican Governor’s Association, which in turn spent $65,000 supporting Walker and $3.4 million in ads attacking Walker’s Democratic opponent.
– David Koch is the founder, financier, and chairman of Americans for Prosperity, a right-wing “grassroots” front group. Americans for Prosperity, according to the New York Times, pressured Walker before he was even sworn in to take on public sector unions. Americans for Prosperity bused in Tea Party activists to support Walker’s current power grab, organized a major rally to support Walker, and has purchased $342,200 in ads supporting Walker and attacking his liberal critics.
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– Koch’s other front groups have marshaled support for Walker. The American Legislative Exchange Council, a group financed with nearly $500,000 in Koch money and lead in part by a Koch executive, has pushed anti-public sector union legislation to Walker and the Wisconsin GOP.
…snip…
Despite Koch’s contention that he has not “directly” supported Walker, during the prank call between Murphy and Walker, Walker said he was coordinating with “your guy on the ground” — presumably referring to Tim Phillips, a top political deputy to David Koch and current president of Americans for Prosperity. Phillips, a former associate of Jack Abramoff, has a history of anti-Semitic smear campaigns and lobbying work on behalf of a forced-abortion sweatshop owner.
Great poster! Scary 😯
thanks, m’liss. don’t tell anyone that it was a last minute deal, because i didn’t do my homework last night.
p.s. i see the troll has been dropping turds all over the place at wcp. i want to tell him how full of shit he is, but i don’t want to encourage him to answer. better to just ignore him.
Creepy!! I do like the cheesehead hat though. 🙂
i’m all about accessorizing, spinny! 😀
I noticed that, and you’re very good at it! 🙂 The hat made it less scary.
thank you, spinny. 😀 i’m glad that you weren’t scared.
“Phillips, a former associate of Jack Abramoff, has a history of anti-Semitic smear campaigns and lobbying work on behalf of a forced-abortion sweatshop owner.”
This sentence gives me a headache and crossed eyes, the contradiction in it is so glaring. Is this saying that Abramoff used anti-Semitic smears? *Boggles*
Also, tweeted with the #kochsuckers hashtag!
thanks for tweeting, neon vincent!
i had to read that sentence twice, too. i guess jack abramoff didn’t mind associating with anti-semites as long as it meant more money for him.
They didn’t mention in the story about another main player in the Wisconsin gov race, that weirdo Party of God new chairman, what’s his name…Camry Prius?
yeah, i was wondering last night why we haven’t heard more from ol’ reince. i googled, and all i could find was from the milwaukee journal sentinel, february 18th:
wonder how all that’s workin’ out for him. 😆
I don’t see any poster??
it’s there. i think photobucket is just being slow.
now I see it….ooh…dark!!
i have an elvira side. 😉
What a phony bastard ol’ Herm is…
“Only my enemies call me ‘Herm'”
Good to know, Herm…
hi terrance! 😀
we’ll all have to remember to call him herm.