Covert Operations: The billionaire brothers who are waging a war against Obama.

[FrenchieCat]

Not Fired up and ready to go?
Read the entire 10 page article and ask yourself who is going to fight them to save us?
The one man that is the focus can't do it on his own,
and If it ain't us, then who? :shrug:

by Jane Mayer
8/30/11

The Kochs are longtime libertarians who believe in drastically lower personal and corporate taxes, minimal social services for the needy, and much less oversight of industry—especially environmental regulation. These views dovetail with the brothers’ corporate interests. In a study released this spring, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s Political Economy Research Institute named Koch Industries one of the top ten air polluters in the United States. And Greenpeace issued a report identifying the company as a “kingpin of climate science denial.” The report showed that, from 2005 to 2008, the Kochs vastly outdid ExxonMobil in giving money to organizations fighting legislation related to climate change, underwriting a huge network of foundations, think tanks, and political front groups. Indeed, the brothers have funded opposition campaigns against so many Obama Administration policies—from health-care reform to the economic-stimulus program—that, in political circles, their ideological network is known as the Kochtopus.
<>
Charles Lewis, the founder of the Center for Public Integrity, a nonpartisan watchdog group, said, “The Kochs are on a whole different level. There’s no one else who has spent this much money. The sheer dimension of it is what sets them apart. They have a pattern of lawbreaking, political manipulation, and obfuscation. I’ve been in Washington since Watergate, and I’ve never seen anything like it. They are the Standard Oil of our times.”
<>
Venable—a longtime political operative...who has worked for Koch-funded political groups since 1994
“We love what the Tea Parties are doing, because that’s how we’re going to take back America!” she declared, as the crowd cheered. In a subsequent interview, she described herself as an early member of the movement, joking, “I was part of the Tea Party before it was cool!” She explained that the role of Americans for Prosperity was to help “educate” Tea Party activists on policy details, and to give them “next-step training” after their rallies, so that their political energy could be channeled “more effectively.” And she noted that Americans for Prosperity had provided Tea Party activists with lists of elected officials to target. She said of the Kochs, “They’re certainly our people. David’s the chairman of our board. I’ve certainly met with them, and I’m very appreciative of what they do.”
<>
The Republican campaign consultant said of the family’s political activities, “To call them under the radar is an understatement. They are underground!” Another former Koch adviser said, “They’re smart. This right-wing, redneck stuff works for them. They see this as a way to get things done without getting dirty themselves.” Rob Stein, a Democratic political strategist who has studied the conservative movement’s finances, said that the Kochs are “at the epicenter of the anti-Obama movement. But it’s not just about Obama. They would have done the same to Hillary Clinton. They did the same with Bill Clinton. They are out to destroy progressivism.”

Read 10 page article - http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/08/30/100830fa_fact_mayer#ixzz1WcyABE2b

"I know you didn't do this just to win an election and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime. - Barack Obama, Nov 4, 2008

[TheWraith]

1. People don't realize how much of the anti-Obama stuff--including "from the left"--is organized.

There is a very determined and organized effort not just to propagandize the right and center, but also to spread propaganda through the left, for the purpose of trying to destroy him and the Democratic Party.

[FrenchieCat]

4. And nothing but!

When folks say he needs to fire us up......I wonder why they believe someone else needs to provide them with the motivation to protect their own issues that they claim to be so passionate about? Activists claim to be "concerned" about the people, especially the poorest among us, and yet from many, I only hear about how they will not work, they will not donate, they may sit out, etc.... as though they are helping anyone but Koch Brothers & Co.

I believe that we need to fire our own damn selves up, and not wait until it is too late to realize what we coulda/woulda/shoulda done if only we knew how things would turn out.

Some want to call it playing the fear card, while I simply call it understanding direct consequences.

When it comes to not being all that motivated, I've already been there, done that, and I will always remember....

[Tarheel_Dem]

9. +1,000,000. Many of the PL have taken the money & run.

:applause:

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jaxx]

2. K&R

[jenmito]

3. I'm VERY worried about the Koch Brothers, the GOP dirty tricks, the voter suppression,

the misinformation, as well as everything coming from "our" side trying to bring Obama down.

[FrenchieCat]

6. Many operate in a vaccum and want to vent and send the President a message.....

and to some degree, I understand the frustration, disappointment and the anger.

I believe that the LEFT pushing back against the President is not a bad thing,
as it balances the voices from the other side to move the President in the direction
that we believe he must. We cannot allow the Right's view to become the only thing
heard......

However, I do not believe that only focusing on the negative, and only on the President
is a balanced strategy, and at some point, it may do more harm than good.

We need to win converts to vote for our side, and if we are only dissing this President,
that won't happen.

At the end of the day, it isn't so much about him, as it is about us, and therefore,
we must have a strategy to make our point without helping the other side so much.
It's a thin line.......but an important one, IMO.

[jenmito]

18. Good point(s). Hey-did you watch The Rachel Maddow Show last night with

Melissa Harris-Perry subbing for Rachel? She was TERRIFIC-especially when talking about the CBC's criticism of Obama and their responsibility in creating jobs. It's very long, so here are a few paragraphs:

HARRIS-PERRY: Tonight, the Congressional Black Caucus is holding a
town hall meeting before its final jobs fair in the morning. It`s part of
a series of such affairs across the country. In the past month, some
members of the caucus have expressed anger and frustration about what they
perceived to be President Obama`s lack of a specific racial agenda -- none
more clearly than the host of tonight`s final affair, Democratic
Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California.

Now, Waters is right when she points out the disparate impact of
unemployment in black communities, which now stands stubbornly at an
unthinkable, unacceptable, unbelievable 16 percent.

But while she`s right about the economic suffering felt in black
communities, Waters` decision to lay the responsibility for that pain at
the president`s feet is more puzzling. Puzzling for two reasons: First,
because double digit unemployment in black communities is hardly a new
problem. Representative Waters knows that this has been a tenacious issue
for decades, but also puzzling for the obvious reason that Waters is a
member of the Democratic Party -- the president, also a member of the
party, is not facing a primary challenge in the upcoming election.

And common wisdom tells us that fierce criticism from inside the party
could harm the president`s reelection campaign and weaken his position in
the coming months as he negotiates with Republican opposition. The damage
is already apparent. A president without a base is on a shifting sands and
this criticism has led many to ask whether President Obama has a problem
with his base.

<snip> (She goes on to describe how he went on Joyner's radio show, how he embraces his "Blackness," and how he talks about things he's done to help poor people.)

But the responsibility is not his alone. Members of the Congressional
Black Caucus must also be held accountable for the conditions in their
districts. Taking the right position is not enough for the president or
the members. Creating tangible results is a relevant test.

<snip>

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44342425/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/t/rachel-maddow-show-tuesday-august/

[FrenchieCat]

26. Didn't catch, but I have it on my DVR. Will watch!

Thanks! :hi:

[jenmito]

29. Good...

it's Must-See TV! :hi:

[panader0]

5. K&R

[young but wise]

7. K&R.

[Pirate Smile]

8. K&R.

It is hard to believe that so many Dems or Dem-leaning people have already forgot the lessons we should have learned in 2000 and during the Bush years. Bizarre.

[FrenchieCat]

10. Unfortunately.....

some folks don't care to think that far back...... :(

[TheWraith]

12. Hell, some people are still arguing how we SHOULDN'T learn those lessons.

Including defending the Ralph Nader campaign that gave us eight years of George W. Bush.

[JoeyT]

13. The Koch's work both sides, and not from the left.

Don't forget they also gave to the DLC. They've got no qualms about funding "centrist" Democrats that scream about how silly the people to the left of Reagan are.

[FrenchieCat]

14. Can you provide the figures on that, and to whom they have given.....?

It would be appreciated!

Thanks! :hi:

[Bobbie Jo]

23. *crickets*

Cause somebody said so, etc......

[JoeyT]

25. Some of us are paid to do things other than sit around on message boards.

We even have hobbies that include things that aren't sitting on message boards, too.

Weird, huh.

[Bobbie Jo]

27. Weird? No.

Defensive? Yes.

Just got home from work myself, making dinner and doing a number of normal things that don't include "sitting on message boards."

I'm quite the multi-tasker. :)

[JoeyT]

24. The DLC

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Democratic_Leadership_Council#Funding

[FrenchieCat]

28. Joe Lieberman? In 2000? Of course, I'm not surprised.....but,

Do you have the Koch donations for the Republicans?

I already believe that you must! :)

[zalinda]

15. Oh great, now we are working for the Koch brothers.

If that's true, they forgot to send me my check. Obama acts more like he's on their payroll than the PL (Damn, the Professional Left is now denigrated to just initials.).

My party left me, I didn't leave the party. What stands for the dem party now, is to the right of repubs of the 1950's. Hell, at this point, I would just like them to LEAN a little to the left.

zalinda

[FrenchieCat]

16. Did you read the article? If so, your response is inadequate.....

and sounds defensive rather than pro-active.

If you say you care so much to the point where you are this angry at your party, and yet
you want desperately to realize in policy more of what you believe should be implemented,
than the question becomes; what are you going to do about the Koch Brothers and their billions....who want to stop anything progressive, and they want to reverse everything helpful to the causes that you are so passionate about?
Because I understand your anger and frustration, and to some degree, I agree with some of what you say....but now that the problem has been stated, and the extreme work done by the other side clarified, now what? Because stating the problems as you see them over and over again does not a solution make.....not even close! :shrug:

[zalinda]

20. How do you propose to stop the Koch brothers?

The dem party sees absolutely NOTHING wrong with the way elections are run. Machines made by rightwingers, perfectly okay, let them count the votes. This has been going on for years. They have had 11 years to try to do something to fix the system, and what happened, we now have invisible voting. We've been trying for years just to have fair, accountable elections, and the dems can't even stand up for that.

zalinda

[TheWraith]

17. It's no wonder you believe that, given the innundation of propaganda.

Propaganda designed to tell people on the left that it's useless, to not vote, or to vote third party, convincing them that "there's no difference" or that Democrats aren't serving their interests.

In reality, we've got the most productive left-leaning President in 40 years, but you'd never know that if you looked at the talking points and constant stream of negative stories being blasted at the left.

[great white snark]

19. Essential reading, thank you FrenchieCat.

Maybe after reading this some might not be so quick to mock supporters when they speak of unprecedented opposition.

[FrenchieCat]

21. Some folks already know this well,

but can't help themselves. If one has been reflexive for so long,
it's hard to adjust in fighting those who will not only stop
any future progress, but will tear everything down that has been built
to date....and do it without hesitation!

The Koch Brothers have a grand vision, and perhaps we all need to make sure
that we are not contributing to enabling them achieve it.

[Bobbie Jo]

22. K&R

:kick:

[FrenchieCat]

30. For folks who may not have read this OP......

A kick!