Koch Brothers, Allies Pledge $100 Million At Private Meeting To Beat Obama. David Koch, executive vice president of Koch Industries, attends a meeting of the Economic Club of New York, Monday, April 11, 2011. (AP) WASHINGTON -- At a private three-day retreat in California last weekend, conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch and about 250 to 300 other individuals pledged approximately $100 million to defeat President Obama in the 2012 elections. A source who was in the room when the pledges were made told The Huffington Post that, specifically, Charles Koch pledged $40 million and David pledged $20 million. The semi-annual, invitation-only meeting attracts wealthy donors, Republican politicians and conservative activists.
Last year, hundreds of activists gathered outside the walled-off resort to protest the meeting. This is the ninth straight year the Kochs have hosted the conference. There are limits on how much an individual can give to a political candidate. Also at the conference was Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of the Citadel Investment Group. Koch's web of influence. At an EPA hearing last summer, representatives from Koch Industries argued that moderate levels of the toxic chemical dioxin should not be designated as a cancer risk for humans.
When members of Congress sought higher security at chemical plants to guard against terrorist attacks, Koch Industries lobbyists prowled Capitol Hill to voice their opposition. And when Congress moved to strengthen regulation of the financial markets after recent collapses, Koch Industries — a major commodities and derivatives trader — deployed a phalanx of lobbyists to resist proposed changes. Charles and David Koch, the owners of the country’s second-largest private corporation, are libertarians of long standing, who contend that government regulations, taxes and subsidies stifle individual initiative and hamper American competitiveness. In recent years, the Kochs have played an increasingly public role as financial angels for conservative causes, politicians and foundations Gregory Zerzan is a good example.
ALEC Exposed: The Koch Connection. Untold sums of cash poured into ALEC by Charles and David Koch have been an effective investment in advancing their worldview. This article is part of a Nation series exposing the American Legislative Exchange Council, in collaboration with the Center For Media and Democracy. John Nichols introduces the series. Hundreds of ALEC’s model bills and resolutions bear traces of Koch DNA: raw ideas that were once at the fringes but that have been carved into “mainstream” policy through the wealth and will of Charles and David Koch. Of all the Kochs’ investments in right-wing organizations, ALEC provides some of the best returns: it gives the Kochs a way to make their brand of free-market fundamentalism legally binding. About the Author Lisa Graves Lisa Graves, a former deputy assistant attorney general at the Justice Department, is the executive director of the... Also by the Author Take environmental protections.
ALEC and the Kochs often pursue parallel tracks. The Koch Brothers - People & Power. By People & Power reporter Bob Abeshouse Charles and David Koch are each worth about $25bn, which makes them the fourth richest Americans. When you combine their fortunes, they are the third wealthiest people in the world. Radical libertarians who use their money to oppose government and virtually all regulation as interference with the free market, the Kochs are in a class of their own as players on the American political stage. Their web of influence in the US stretches from state capitals to the halls of congress in Washington DC. The Koch brothers fueled the conservative Tea Party movement that vigorously opposes Barack Obama, the US president.
Koch industries, the second largest privately-held company in the US, is an oil refining, chemical, paper products and financial services company with revenues of a $100bn a year. The Kochs rarely talk to the press, and conduct their affairs behind closed doors. New Investigative Report Highlights Koch Brothers' Reach in Influencing Democracy | Center for Media and Democracy. Charles and David Koch, each worth about $25 billion, could be the most influential duo in the United States.
These brothers have accumulated their fortune through Koch industries -- an oil refining, chemical, paper products and financial services company with revenues of some $100 billion per year. A new documentary by Bob Abeshouse on the Kochs illustrates how these brothers use their billions to manipulate some in the public into voting for their right-wing agenda and to push policies that strip protections for people's health. Kochs Influences State Politics Through ALEC One of the Kochs' modes of manipulating the political process is through the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC); Koch Industries' lobbyist is long-time member of ALEC's board.
This group brings corporations and legislators together in task forces to vote behind closed doors on "model" legislation that is then pushed out to state legislatures without mention of its corporate genesis or corporate pre-voting. Koch Bros. Koch Companies Have Received Almost $100 Million In Government Contracts.
David and Charles Koch, owners of the oil conglomerate Koch Industries, are among the most influential players in the conservative movement. The brothers have spent millions of dollars funding right-wing organizations, such as Americans for Prosperity and the Cato Institute, that rail against the government. Nonetheless, according to recent data, Koch-affiliated companies have received nearly $100 million in government contracts since 2000. Koch Industries Koch Industries Has Received Nearly $500,000 In Government Contracts. Georgia-Pacific Georgia Pacific Manufactures Paper Products, Building Materials, And Chemicals.
Koch Industries Acquired Georgia-Pacific in 2005. Since 2006, Georgia Pacific Has Received Over $95 Million In Government Contracts. Koch Membrane Systems Koch Membrane Systems Is A Koch Industries Subsidiary. Koch Membranes Used In Food, Industrial, And Water Service.