Secretive Republican Donors Planning Ahead

[Elmore Furth]

Source: NY Times

A secretive network of Republican donors is heading to Palm Springs for a long weekend in January, but it will not be to relax after a hard-fought election — it will be to plan for the next one.

Koch Industries, the longtime funder of libertarian causes from the Cato Institute to the ballot initiative that would suspend California’s landmark law capping greenhouse gases, is planning an invitation-only, confidential meeting at the Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa to, as a confidential invitation says, “develop strategies to counter the most severe threats facing our free society and outline a vision of how we can foster a renewal of American free enterprise and prosperity.”

The invitation, sent to potential new participants, offers a rare peek at the Koch network of the ultra-wealthy and the politically well-connected, its far-reaching agenda to enlist ordinary Americans to its cause, and its desire for the utmost secrecy.

Koch Industries, a Wichita-based energy and manufacturing conglomerate run by the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, operates a foundation that finances political advocacy groups, but tax law protects those groups from having to disclose much about what they do and who contributes.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/us/politics/20koch.html?hp

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Welcome to the next axis of evil.

[Newsjock]

1. Tax the living shit out of 'em

This is, as they say, fargin war with fargin iceholes.

[county worker]

2. I wonder if someone was planning a secret socialist meeting if it would remain secret?

These folks are a bigger threat to our country than any socialist ever was or could be.

Their plans will bring about destruction of the American way of life for the majority of Americans.

[Iliyah]

4. Why

the hell California. I know they want our state sooooooooooo bad.

[PJPhreak]

3. Why is my State only known for the Crazy?

Kansas Best Known...

BTK (Dennis Rader)
In Cold Blood
The Carr brothers
The Koch family
Scott Roder (Dr Tillers Murderer)
Fred Phelps and Crew

Why Us?

[Thor_MN]

5. If ever there was a reason for a comet to explode over a populated area

[w4rma]

6. So much evil concentrated in such a small area. (nt)

[jillan]

7. Secretive Republican Donors Are Planning Ahead

Source: New York Times

A secretive network of Republican donors is heading to the Palm Springs area for a long weekend in January, but it will not be to relax after a hard-fought election — it will be to plan for the next one.

Koch Industries, the longtime underwriter of libertarian causes from the Cato Institute in Washington to the ballot initiative that would suspend California’s landmark law capping greenhouse gases, is planning a confidential meeting at the Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa to, as an invitation says, “develop strategies to counter the most severe threats facing our free society and outline a vision of how we can foster a renewal of American free enterprise and prosperity.”

The invitation, sent to potential new participants, offers a rare peek at the Koch network of the ultrawealthy and the politically well-connected, its far-reaching agenda to enlist ordinary Americans to its cause, and its desire for the utmost secrecy.

With a personalized letter signed by Charles Koch, the invitation to the four-day Rancho Mirage meeting opens with a grand call to action: “If not us, who? If not now, when?”

Those efforts, the letter makes clear, include countering “climate change alarmism and the move to socialized health care,” as well as “the regulatory assault on energy,” and making donations to higher education and philanthropic organizations to advance the Koch agenda.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/us/politics/20koch.html?_r=2

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You get thru one election, and bam here we go again.

I hope Democrats are ready to take on the Koch Bros.

[CBHagman]

8. What a perversion of the call to social justice.

“If not us, who? If not now, when?”

What they want, though, is not to do right by the American community, but to buy what they want, including elections. And duped people will buy into it, getting into the Chickens for Colonel Sanders mind-set and just accept it while the powerful buy their way into anything.

We've got to make Koch a filthy name. We need disclosure, unmasking.

[jillan]

9. Their mission is to control the message on climate change. Thanks to Rachel they have become a

household name in at least 1/3 of the country....that's a start.

[CBHagman]

16. Got to reach the people who aren't watching MSNBC.

I'm hearing a lot of parroting of right-wing talking points -- from relatives, in online discussion boards, etc. A lot of people are totally oblivious to who's trying to buy Congress.

By the way, there's already a website called KochWatch. It's only in a basic form so far. See link.

http://www.kochwatch.org

[dogfacedboy]

15. We need to make the Kochs and their ilk regret every day they remain alive

[TomCADem]

10. Democracy for Sale As We Embark On The Path To Corporate Coup 2010!

[Kablooie]

11. Whee. We might still be going up the first hill of the economic roller coaster.

We may still be waiting to start the downslope.

[w4rma]

12. So much evil concentrated in such a small area. (nt)

[breadandwine]

13. No, Jillan, Democrats are NOT ready to take on the Koch Bros.

They've been at it for 2 years, bankrolling the astroturf and all Obama did was chuckle, thinking these hysterical town hall crashers would surely - SURELY - make fools of themselves.

Nobody but naive progressives saw it that way.

Middle Americans and independents bought it all hook line and sinker.

As a party we are constantly bringing a knife to a gunfight and shooting with blanks.

[Cobalt-60]

14. Wealthy traitors need to finish their final cigarette

between "Aim" and "Fire."
That's all the plan they need.

[ProSense]

17. A Tea Party of populist posers

Via Greg Sargent

A Tea Party of populist posers

By Dana Milbank

On the morning of Oct. 14, a cyber-insurgency caused servers to crash at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The culprits, however, weren't attacking the chamber; they were well-meaning citizens who overwhelmed the big-business lobbying group with a sudden wave of online contributions. It was one of the more extraordinary events in the annals of American populism: the common man voluntarily giving money to make the rich richer.

These donors to the cause of the Fortune 500 were motivated by a radio appeal from the de facto leader of the Tea Party movement, Glenn Beck, who told them: "Put your money where your mouth is. If you have a dollar, please go to . . . the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and donate today." Chamber members, he said, "are our parents. They're our grandparents. They are us."

They are? Listed as members of the chamber's board are representatives from Pfizer, ConocoPhillips, Lockheed Martin, JPMorgan Chase, Dow Chemical, Ken Starr's old law and lobbying firm, and Rolls-Royce North America. Nothing says grass-roots insurgency quite like Rolls-Royce -- and nothing says populist revolt quite like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In describing the big-business group as "us," Beck (annual revenue: $32 million) provided an unintended moment of clarity into the power behind the Tea Party movement. These aren't peasants with pitchforks; these are plutocrats with payrolls.

There is genuine populist anger out there. But the angry have been deceived and exploited by posers who belong to the same class of "elites" and "insiders" that the Tea Party movement supposedly deplores. Americans who want to stick it to the man are instead sending money to the man.

more

Sargent also flags this:

* Chamber wants to educate your kids about energy regulations: Not sure what to make of this yet, but the Chamber is distributing a "teaching guide to 100,000 middle school classrooms across the country, urging kids to imagine what would happen "if one of our energy sources was suddenly available" due to a "government curb on production."

Sickening.

[OnyxCollie]

18. K&R. nt.

[alfredo]

19. Frame: They are plotting an over throw of our government.