Charles Koch sick of lowly 'collectivists' calling him out

[MaxQue]

Yes. The reason seems to be that their money is being put forward to promote an ideology the left disagrees with, as opposed to others who spread their donations around to both parties to get favors from as many politicians as possible.

So, free speech is only for right-wingers? Left-wingers have no right to critizise them?

[DrScholl]

The Koch Brothers are buying stake in elections in order to get people elected who will pass legislation favorable to their interests, it's as simple as that.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Yes. The reason seems to be that their money is being put forward to promote an ideology the left disagrees with, as opposed to others who spread their donations around to both parties to get favors from as many politicians as possible.

So, free speech is only for right-wingers? Left-wingers have no right to critizise them?

?
I said nothing remotely similar to that.     

I was pointing out in response to BRTD why it is that the Kochs are the focus of so much criticism.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Kochtopus sounds like a hentai about the right-wing establishment.

[DINGO Joe]

The Kochs usual try to funnel their money through Orwellian sounding PACs and other entities where it difficult to trace where the money is coming from.  I'm glad they're crawling out their slimy little holes and trying to defend themselves. Just because they try to buy a political party doesn't make them one, so I'm all for ramming metaphorical sticks up their backsides and those who wish to protect them.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

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Not any response would be, but this particular response is.

Why?  Because he's defending himself?

No. His defense of himself is standard-issue libertarian boilerplate, and therefore wrong but not in an especially aggressive or obnoxious way. His description of his critics, what he thinks they want, and what he perceives their motivations to be is the whiny part. It's also standard-issue libertarian boilerplate, but while standard-issue libertarian boilerplate can describe itself in a fairly inoffensive way, its capabilities when it comes to the task of describing almost any political ideology other than libertarianism are decidedly more lacking. (I realize that I think this in large part because I disagree with libertarian critiques that standard-issue boilerplate leftist critiques of libertarianism probably come across the same way to libertarians.) If he took out or rewrote just those few paragraphs in the middle there then there wouldn't really be anything wrong with this.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Kochs are such trolls.

[pbrower2a]

The Kochs usual try to funnel their money through Orwellian sounding PACs and other entities where it difficult to trace where the money is coming from.  I'm glad they're crawling out their slimy little holes and trying to defend themselves. Just because they try to buy a political party doesn't make them one, so I'm all for ramming metaphorical sticks up their backsides and those who wish to protect them.

Precisely. Their biggest front is "Americans for Prosperity", which contains two peacock words. It's fine to be an American, and prosperity is a good thing. So who could be against America or prosperity?

Of course we need ask what sort of prosperity the Koch family believes in -- and it is apparently for the economic elite that already exists, and that prosperity is to be enhanced by making most Americans poor. It's also one in which the political debate is frozen to how to make the rich and powerful even more rich and powerful.

It's for an America without unions, without Social Security, without Medicare, without welfare -- basically a return to the norms of the sort of capitalist order that fits the Marxist stereotype of capitalism. That stereotype is the sort of political and economic order that is most vulnerable to a socialist insurrection.   

[Mr. Illini]

"Collectivist" is a cute little term used to describe anyone who so far as thinks about constructing a system that does not allow people to fall into complete poverty.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

He is, of course free to defend himself... the POINT is that considering the tactics he and his brother have used to buy elections and use their personal clout to manipulate the political dynamic for his own personal gain. He's used outright lies and he thinks his money protects him from criticism ... he's decided he wants to be a political figure... tough $(#^ sparky.

It's not anyone else's fault he's got a glass jaw.

[Mordecai]

Y'know, something that hit me today was that some of these right-wing donors actually believe the nonsense they propagate. I mean, to be like Sheldon Adelson or Foster Friess and spend billions to financially support loser candidates like Newt Gingrich or Rick Santorum you have to be detached from reality, but it's not just those guys.

If you do a quick search, you'll see that these people like the Kochs and Art Pope were Libertarians in the 1970s and ran for public office as Libertarian candidates. They're grown-up Randroids.

[anvi]

I'll be more than happy to have a respectful debate with Charles Koch about Schopenhauer anytime.

[morgieb]

Heh, collectivists. How sage.

[Miles]

Reid is now using his official Senate webpage to bash the Kochs, in a flagrant violation of the Senate's internet usage policy.

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The LA GOP is filing an ethics complaint about that:

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