Wisconsin
Related: About this forumOn Twitter, Koch Group Offers Illinois Residents Free Food, Trips To Wisconsin To Support Governor S
http://www.republicreport.org/2012/koch-scott-walker-il/By Lee Fang posted May 28th 2012 at 12:40PM
David Koch, co-owner of the Koch Industries petrochemical, manufacturing and commodity speculation fortune, hasnt been shy about supporting Governor Scott Walker (R-WI), whose controversial union-busting agenda has forced a recall election this summer. Earlier this year, Koch told the Palm Beach Post: Were helping him, as we should. Weve gotten pretty good at this over the years. Weve spent a lot of money in Wisconsin. Were going to spend more.
Indeed, Koch has spent millions through the Republic Governors Association, through a network of attack-ad airing front groups, and financed a set of local Wisconsin think tanks to show support for Walker.
Now, it appears, Koch is spending money even in Illinois to help save Walker. Americans for Prosperity, a group founded by the Koch brothers, is advertising bus trips with free food for Illinois residents who commit to traveling to Wisconsin to help Walker:
The buses leave from Chicago, Homer Glen, and Palatine on June 2nd just days before the Wisconsin recall election.
As Koch mentioned, his political machine has gotten pretty good at this over the years. Heres a video I shot of Koch providing dozens of free buses for anti-health reform protesters back in 2009:
mucifer
(23,549 posts)I saw the buses. I went to campaign for Obama from Chicago to Indiana and Iowa. I don't know if the unions paid for the buses and the food. But, they did organize them.
hue
(4,949 posts)WI?? They are going because they're getting paid/free passage to go!
This is a different situation altogether!!
HereSince1628
(36,063 posts)And its a national campaign for something much bigger than the Presidency.
One side "gets" this, and it isn't OUR side. But then, they created the war so they should know its character.
It's a rather large mistake to believe that national issues are only organized and pursued via national politics in Washington DC.
For decades organized corporate interests have been conducting coordinated legislative campaigns that sum up to a very real shadow government that could be called the Confederacy of Pro-corporate States.
It's big, really big. It's got big resources, and I do mean really big resources. And its using those resources when it sees that its progress in "The Great War for Selfish Interests" is threatened. This is how power asymmetry works...a big national organization pits itself against a small state organization.
That's the reason that "WE" are struggling so badly. When "WE" turn to what "WE" think is the "party of WE" "WE" discover that the leadership of the "Party of WE" doesn't see the individual desperate state fights as being part of a single WAR against the tyrannical imposition of the de facto unelected Corporate Confederacy.
"WE" march and chant songs about how 'The People United Can NEVER be Defeated', but then for some inexplicable reason, we don't unite. We fail to form an organization as big as our opponents. Instead we moan that the other side's bigger organization isn't fair.
Until the veil of delusion that these are 'state' fights is ripped from the eyes of the "Party of WE" or until "WE" organize outside the "Party of WE" "WE" are denying ourselves of an opportunity for a 'fair' fight.
ewagner
(18,964 posts)sigh....
so true
so true
hue
(4,949 posts)It is a national fight! After David Koch lost his run for VP in 1980 (with Ed Clark running for president on the Libertarian ticket) I think then they decided to try to take over by controlling one state at a time. I do understand that this is a battle with the oligarchy to control the US and beyond.
But my point was that I have never heard of a private person/party shipping people into a state for a gubernatorial election.
As far as WE should be concerned the "flatlanders" should just stay home!! And WE should have a public outcry or commercial that uncovers who they are and where they came from and who is paying them!!
tanyev
(42,564 posts)Wouldn't put it past them.