Posted by Tina
Charges were made against the Koch brothers in comments that we aim to refute…listen up!
The (Old) Gray Lady (NYT) is barking for the Democrats again…throwing gasoline and lighting matches to fire up the base. But they can’t get away with it like they once did thanks to the internet. The New York Times story attempts to convince the masses that the (evil) Koch Brothers funded and hatched a plan to “shut down the government” in an attempt to “defund Obamacare”. But Breitbart exposes their viscious smear, meant to distract low information voters and rabid activist blog trolls from the Presidents low approval ratings, botched economic policy, and budget battle woes…the Prez has been less than presidential in the fight:
On Sunday, the New York Times dutifully carried out its Obama Administration marching orders and posited that “a galaxy of conservative groups” with Koch-backed money spent months devising a grand scheme to shutdown the government to defund Obamacare. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) read from the same talking points on Tuesday. “By shutting down the government, Republicans are satisfying the Koch Brothers while millions of people are suffering,” said Reid.
The Times’ own article, however, refutes the Obama Administration’s wild conspiracy theory. As the piece notes, “Not all the groups have been on board with the defunding campaign. Some, like the Koch-financed Americans for Prosperity, which spent $5.5 million on health care television advertisements over the past three months, are more focused on sowing public doubts about the law.” Furthermore, the Times cited Americans for Prosperity president Tim Phillips as saying, “We want to see this law repealed. We view this as a long-term effort.”
On Wednesday, Koch Companies Public Sector President Philip Ellender sent senators a letter responding to Sen. Reid’s attack on the Kochs. “There was false information presented about Koch on the Senate floor by Senate Majority Leader Reid, who claimed yesterday that Koch was behind the shutdown of the federal government in an effort to defund the Affordable Care Act or ‘Obamacare’…Koch has not taken a position on the legislative tactic of tying the continuing resolution to defunding Obamacare nor have we lobbied on legislative provisions defunding Obamacare. (emphasis mine)
Ellender added: "We are hopeful this sets the record straight and that in the future Senator Reid and other politicians will stop misrepresenting and distorting Koch's positions."
Ironically, Mother Jones progressive writer David Corn makes it clear that the true genesis of the effort to defund Obamacare was borne out of a memo to the Groundswell group—a private group of top conservative leaders and activists—backing Obamacare's defunding and supporting efforts by Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) toward that end. Corn reported that the memo, which helped spark the "Exempt America" grassroots movement, went to "conservative organizations that had backed Cruz on this initiative: the Club for Growth, Heritage Action, the National Taxpayers Union, the Family Research Council, FreedomWorks, the Tea Party Patriots, Americans for Prosperity, National Right to Life, Concerned Women for America, Citizens Against Government Waste, the Eagle Forum, Americans for Tax Reform, Independent Women's Voice, American Commitment, the Madison Project, the Senate Conservatives Fund, the Campaign for Liberty, Virginians for Quality Healthcare."
If Obama and Democrats want to attack Republicans for standing strong in defunding Obamacare, so be it. But at least get the facts right. The Tea Party and grassroots conservatives are the ones who sparked and are leading the fight, not the Kochs.
The article at Breitbart contains links to the NYT, Reid, the memo, and David Corn.
It should be noted that the above listed groups that are behind the movement to defund Obamacare did so on the basis that the President has (illegally) changed the law and exempted (delayed) corporate compliance for a year but has not given the same advantage to average Americans who buy their own insurance. This is unjust! And it isn’t the only time the President has altered laws without going through Congress.
Democrats should be ashamed of themselves for failing to demand that the President stand behind the law as written.
The groups above are Americans, exercising their right to free speech and assembly…and their right to petition their government. (That would include the Koch’s had they chosen to participate)
Oh, absolutely right … or not …
From the AtlanticWire earlier this year:
“The massive amount of outside political spending unleashed by Citizens United did not, as feared, make it easier for rich people to buy an election. Instead, it showed that rich people are pretty dumb about politics. Take the billionaire businessmen Charles and David Koch who are spending their 2013 figuring out why they the money they spent in 2012 was such a waste. They have already fired most of their 100 staffers at Americans for Prosperity, and they’re now conducting an audit.”
So, they clearly intended to subvert our democracy with their money. They was just too dumb to pull it off. But it would not be prudent to trust to the idiocy of the rich for the preservation of the republic. We gotta change the law.
“Ironically, Mother Jones progressive writer David Corn makes it clear that the true genesis of the effort to defund Obamacare was borne out of a memo to the Groundswell group—a private group of top conservative leaders and activists—backing Obamacare’s defunding and supporting efforts by Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) toward that end. Corn reported that the memo, which helped spark the “Exempt America” grassroots movement, went to “conservative organizations that had backed Cruz on this initiative: the Club for Growth, Heritage Action, the National Taxpayers Union, the Family Research Council, FreedomWorks, the Tea Party Patriots, Americans for Prosperity, National Right to Life, Concerned Women for America, Citizens Against Government Waste, the Eagle Forum, Americans for Tax Reform, Independent Women’s Voice, American Commitment, the Madison Project, the Senate Conservatives Fund, the Campaign for Liberty, Virginians for Quality Healthcare.”
Uh…you realize that almost all of these are Koch-funded groups, right? How can Breitbart.com conclude that the Kochs aren’t behind this effort when they support so many groups that are?
“The Tea Party and grassroots conservatives are the ones who sparked and are leading the fight, not the Kochs.”
*snort* Are you guys still pretending there’s a difference? The astro-turf Tea Party movement never would have reached their current position of influence without the Koch brothers.
Libby: “So, they clearly intended to subvert our democracy with their money.”
Right. If they are trying to subvert anything it is the radical Marxist movement that has been subverting out REPUBLIC for decades with the big money of George Soros, Hollywood, Wall Street, big media players at ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, NPR, PBS, NYT, Washington Post…and public and private sector union players.
Americans are fortunate to have people who actually want to restore the principles to government that are consistent with freedom and the rule of law. These organizations are made up of American citizens and they are beginning to make a dent in the lopsided monopoly that the far left socialist Democrats have had for much too long.
Chris…UH…do you have proof of Koch money funding these groups or are you just spouting the Saul Alinsky talking points meant to destroy the reputations of the Koch’s and intimidate them into silence?
Even if they have donated to all of these groups so what? It’s not like it would be unusual (see comment to Libby above)
You Democrats like to present yourselves as victims; a mass of poor oppressed people fighting against the moneyed machine.
In reality The Democrat Party IS the moneyed machine; a bunch of liars and hypocrites who can’t argue on the truth and merit of your ambitious agenda so you resort to demeaning people, spreading lies, and using extortion and bribes to advance your agenda.
Snort all you want…you’re the fool without job or prospects that reflect your education and a bleak looking future under the debt building, money grubbing, power grabbing party of extremists you support.
Tried wrapping fish in the NYT and the fish spoiled. And when I used it to line the bird cage, the bird died.
Haven’t been able to figure out any other uses for the NYT, ’cause it’s certainly not worth reading . . . . .
The NYT doesn’t work well for much of anything, unlike Charmin, it just SMEARS and does nothing positive for the END user to get a CLEAN perspective of what really took place.
Good one Harold 🙂
REF, Tina response:
In reality The Democrat Party IS the moneyed machine; a bunch of liars and hypocrites who can’t argue on the truth and merit of your ambitious agenda so you resort to demeaning people, spreading lies, and using extortion and bribes to advance your agenda.
That I believe is a factual statement of what is the base point of todays Liberal party. I think it helps to understand this system of Liberal ideology that seems to be driving the youthful liberal agenda, I believe there are answers to that question here:
Here is the complete list from Saul Alinsky.
* RULE 1: “Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have.” Power is derived from 2 main sources – money and people. “Have-Nots” must build power from flesh and blood. (These are two things of which there is a plentiful supply. Government and corporations always have a difficult time appealing to people, and usually do so almost exclusively with economic arguments.)
* RULE 2: “Never go outside the expertise of your people.” It results in confusion, fear and retreat. Feeling secure adds to the backbone of anyone. (Organizations under attack wonder why radicals don’t address the “real” issues. This is why. They avoid things with which they have no knowledge.)
* RULE 3: “Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy.” Look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty. (This happens all the time. Watch how many organizations under attack are blind-sided by seemingly irrelevant arguments that they are then forced to address.)
* RULE 4: “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.” If the rule is that every letter gets a reply, send 30,000 letters. You can kill them with this because no one can possibly obey all of their own rules. (This is a serious rule. The besieged entity’s very credibility and reputation is at stake, because if activists catch it lying or not living up to its commitments, they can continue to chip away at the damage.)
* RULE 5: “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.” There is no defense. It’s irrational. It’s infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions. (Pretty crude, rude and mean, huh? They want to create anger and fear.)
* RULE 6: “A good tactic is one your people enjoy.” They’ll keep doing it without urging and come back to do more. They’re doing their thing, and will even suggest better ones. (Radical activists, in this sense, are no different that any other human being. We all avoid “un-fun” activities, and but we revel at and enjoy the ones that work and bring results.)
* RULE 7: “A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.” Don’t become old news. (Even radical activists get bored. So to keep them excited and involved, organizers are constantly coming up with new tactics.)
* RULE 8: “Keep the pressure on. Never let up.” Keep trying new things to keep the opposition off balance. As the opposition masters one approach, hit them from the flank with something new. (Attack, attack, attack from all sides, never giving the reeling organization a chance to rest, regroup, recover and re-strategize.)
* RULE 9: “The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.” Imagination and ego can dream up many more consequences than any activist. (Perception is reality. Large organizations always prepare a worst-case scenario, something that may be furthest from the activists’ minds. The upshot is that the organization will expend enormous time and energy, creating in its own collective mind the direst of conclusions. The possibilities can easily poison the mind and result in demoralization.)
* RULE 10: “If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive.” Violence from the other side can win the public to your side because the public sympathizes with the underdog. (Unions used this tactic. Peaceful [albeit loud] demonstrations during the heyday of unions in the early to mid-20th Century incurred management’s wrath, often in the form of violence that eventually brought public sympathy to their side.)
* RULE 11: “The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.” Never let the enemy score points because you’re caught without a solution to the problem. (Old saw: If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. Activist organizations have an agenda, and their strategy is to hold a place at the table, to be given a forum to wield their power. So, they have to have a compromise solution.)
* RULE 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.” Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions. (This is cruel, but very effective. Direct, personalized criticism and ridicule works.)
LOL No one can defend the Koch brothers the original founders of the Tea party called the US Tea party in 2002. Tobacco also co founded.
No matter how many times ones tries to defend them facts are out there in actual documents not OpEds.
The Koch’s are not the only billionaires however they did spend around 220 Million on the anti ACA.
If it’s on the internet it must be true! LOL
Epic Fail!
Dewey, the left believes if you tell a big lie often enough people will believe it. The big lie today is the Koch brothers founded the Tea Party. BS. Every single group I have spoken with and every single person that is in the Tea Party that I’ve met with has joined because of their concern about the direction of America and our drift towards socialism. I was in the Tea Party for two years and the name of the Koch brothers never came up and we never saw a nickle from them and no literature from them. I consider myself a Tea Party insider because I was there from day one.
Now here’s Leslie Eastman, she wrote this on Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 1:30pm
When Professor Jacobson reported that cancer funding research had been used to smear the Tea Party, calling it a tool of a big tobacco and the Koch brothers based on plans hatched over a decade ago, I had one thought:
Anti-Tea Party advocates suffer from the single biggest case of projection in the history of humanity.
This week marks the fourth anniversary of the start of my citizen activism, and it is a good time to review what got me, as well as thousands of other Americans, involved in grassroots efforts at that time.
Most of the original “Tea Party” organizers joined the developing national-scale protest in 2009 because we were deeply concerned about our children’s futures. Between the enormous expenditures of the Toxic Asset Relief Program and the “Stimulus Package”, many of us were reeling over the fact our taxpayer concerns were being ignored, and the result would be making our children indentured servants of the state to pay off the enormous debt.
The Koch brothers did not enter into this calculation at all.
Dawn Wildman, the President of the SoCal Tax Revolt Coalition and my fellow co-founder, responded to this assertion by the National Cancer Institute:
“I volunteered to hold the first Tea Party in San Diego, because I knew there had to be other people who were like me, frustrated with the spending we saw our Republican legislators advocating. I don’t know the Koch Brothers and I have never had anyone from their organizations even offer me money or advice on advocating for the American citizen. Now, other national groups cannot say the same. But the local organizers are all self funded, and we only take advice from each other — not some Beltway insiders, Big Tobacco, or the Koch Brothers.”
Women, with an eye to the future and a hand on the checkbook, were the dominant force in the start of the efforts, and make up a majority of the local group coordinators and the membership. It was women, and not the Koch Brothers, who gave birth to the Tea Party movement.
Keli (”Liberty Belle”) Carender became one of the founding mothers of the Tea Party Movement when she organized the Seattle protest against the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a.k.a. Porkulus. In a letter sent to Michelle Malkin she reminds us of what the first “tea party” was about back in 1773 and how Americans are suffering similar oppression under present day tyrants.
Interestingly, Team Obama’s track record with women is less than stellar. It is well known that the pay for women on staff is substantially less than for men, and a female debate coach complained of a “hostile work environment” at the White House. Now, there is a petition drive calling Obama on the carpet for using women as rhetorical tools, instead of referring them as sentient voters: Stop using the “wives, mothers, & daughters” rhetorical frame that defines women by their relationships to other people. (hat-tip, Tammy Bruce)
Defining women by their relationships to other people is reductive, misogynist, and alienating to women who do not define ourselves exclusively by our relationships to others. Further, by referring to “our” wives et al, the President appears to be talking to The Men of America about Their Women, rather than talking to men AND women.
Please embrace inclusive language, Mr. President.
Today, many of the women of the Tea Party have moved on from rallies into school boards and elective office. And, as this video from Sarah Palin reminds us, we are directed by our interest in our children, not the Koch brothers. It was true in 2009, and it is true now.
Nicely done Jack; I hoped you would have something to say since you were there. I wasn’t actively involved but I do know that the phenomenon known as the Tea Party is actually a large number of independent local groups and a few larger organizations that came into being to support individuals participating in local groups.
There is no national organization called the Tea Party
Re Harold #8 The radical leftists that use these tactics are amoral individuals totally unsuited to our free republic. They are godless control freaks with an aim to manage other people hard earned money and personal business. Disgusting! The only solution is to defeat them and it will take decades. Like rats, however, we will never be completely rid of them.
Tina: “Chris…UH…do you have proof of Koch money funding these groups”
Yes, thanks for asking!
“Koch Bros. Gave $500K to Heritage Action”
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/koch-brothers-heritage-action-donation-98054.html
“National Taxpayers Union Foundation—$37,500”
http://www.americanprogressaction.org/wp-content/uploads/issues/2011/04/pdf/koch_brothers.pdf
The Kochs founded Americans for Prosperity and Freedomworks, obviously:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americans_for_Prosperity
And has contributed heavily to Americans for Tax Reform and the National Right to Life Association:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/01/koch-brothers-network_n_1560596.html
I could go on, but my point should be clear by now. The Koch brothers claimed that the NYT was making a false accusation when they wrote that “a galaxy of conservative groups” funded by them are responsible for the effort to shut down the government. A writer for Breitbart.com agreed with the Kochs, citing a report from Mother Jones which listed many of the groups who were responsible. But–and here is the amazing part–the majority of the groups listed in the Mother Jones article ARE funded by the Koch brothers. So the Breitbart.com writer is either too stupid or too lazy to realize that, rather than “contradicting” the NYT piece as he claims, the report by Mother Jones confirms that the accusation is true. Koch-backed groups DID spend months planning a strategy wherein they would use the threat of a government shutdown to damage Obamacare. That is simply a fact. The Koch brothers are denying that fact, which makes them liars.
“or are you just spouting the Saul Alinsky talking points meant to destroy the reputations of the Koch’s and intimidate them into silence?”
You got me. I believe I have the power to “intimidate” two of the richest, most powerful men in the world into silence by posting a correction to their false claims on a blog that eight other people visit.
“Even if they have donated to all of these groups so what?”
You’ve got to be kidding me here.
Let’s paraphrase that, shall we?
“Even if the Kochs are lying when they say that they had nothing to do with the shutdown, so what?”
“Even if the NYT’s accusations were entirely accurate, and not–as the Koch brothers, Breitbart.com, and myself erroneously claimed–“false accusations,” so what?
“Even if nothing I write on this blog is factually true, so what?”
Look, no one is saying that the Koch brothers don’t have the right to lobby their hearts, er, pocketbooks out. But that doesn’t mean it’s OK for them to outright lie about what they’re doing. Tina, you posted an article in which you defend the Kochs against the accusation that groups funded by them are responsible for engineering the government shutdown. But that accusation IS ENTIRELY TRUE. It is not a “smear,” it is a fact. The NYT was right and you were wrong. The principled thing to do would be to admit that.
You admit yourself that it doesn’t even matter to you whether it’s true, because you think that threatening a government shutdown over Obamacare was the right thing to do. If that’s the case, why do you keep denying that Republicans are responsible? Either admit your party’s responsibility and own it or don’t. You can’t keep playing it both ways. The response by you and other Republicans has been totally incoherent.
Evidently the usual morons never heard of George Soros.
Pie, I don’t deny that George Soros funds a lot of left-wing causes. As far as I know he’s never been responsible for the shutdown of the U.S. government, though.
My comments weren’t even about criticizing the Kochs for funding all these groups. I was criticizing them for lying about it.
Tina’s title is inaccurate. She claims that the NYT is “smearing” the Kochs with a “false narrative” by correctly pointing out that Koch-funded groups planned for this shutdown. But that is a fact. Even Breitbart.com inadvertently proved that the NYT’s claims were true as they were trying to prove them wrong! An honest blogger would issue a correction.
Read all of Chris’ comments above and dive into the Soros funded fantasy conspiracy land.
Notice how Post Scripts gives a voice? The evil lying scum!
Our readers will find a full listing of the many organizations funded directly or indirectly by George Soros here.
I’ve chosen a few to give you an idea but do look at the long list, some of which also indicate personal involvement by Soros:
The Koch brother have been giving to libertarian causes for some time but their involvement in politics is miniscule bordering on nonexistant when compaired to GS.
The Koch’s are being demonized now because liberals need an “evil rich man” target to give focus for the hate they incite toward the Republican Party, the Tea Party, and of course business and oil.
Tina, even if everything you said above was true, your headline and original article are still false. You realize that, don’t you?
Chris “As far as I know he’s never been responsible for the shutdown of the U.S. government, though.”
Look, Soros has been backing liberal progressive organizations and causes for decades. It’s quite likely that when previous shutdowns occurred under Democrats leftist organizations with Soros money participated in pushing the progressive narrative. I’ve never seen a main street article that suggested Soros was the man behind the curtain pulling all of the strings and calling the shots.
The suggestion reduces all of the other people involved to nothing and suggests their contributions, paticipation, and hard work is meaningless.
The false narrative is that big money (in either political party) represents a scandal. The NYT presents this information as if it’s something new or unusual and that is hogwash.
I stand by the title and I call out the Democrat Party for the hypocritical, deceptive games they continue to play as a means of participating in our political process. Rule # 12 is a low down, chicken s%#t way to try to win. Media, like the NYT, that carry the water for Democrats playing this game are scum.
The American people desperately need a neutral press…America deserves better.
You have a different opinion and you’ve been given the chance to express it. You realize that, don’t you?
I repeat: The Koch’s are being demonized now because liberals need an “evil rich man” target to give focus for the hate they incite toward the Republican Party, the Tea Party, and of course business and oil.
“I repeat: The Koch’s are being demonized now because liberals need an “evil rich man” target to give focus for the hate they incite toward the Republican Party, the Tea Party, and of course business and oil.”
Yep.
The volunteer slur machine.
If I had a billion or so dollars, I’d pump plenty into the only freedom fighters left, The Tea Party, Disabled Americans for Firearms Rights, and the oldest civil rights organization which was, from inception, created to arm black citizens against the Democratic Party’s racist, violent, murderous, and subversive Ku Klux Klan.
Just to name a few.