Koch legacy alive and thriving: The Guardian

The Kochtopus: sprawling network keeps David Koch's legacy thriving | US news | The Guardian - Ed Pilkington:

August 23, 2019 - "In September 2010, David and Charles Koch, the fabulously rich brothers who turned an oil and manufacturing empire inherited from their father into a cash cow for rightwing causes that would change American politics, sent out a letter to conservative power brokers inviting them to ... an event that was to become known as 'Freedom Partners': a twice-yearly gathering, convened in utmost secrecy, of some of the most wealthy and powerful rightwing players in the country. To attract their guests they included a brochure from a previous Koch gathering in Aspen, where the elite attendees had sat around in mountainous splendor discussing, among other issues: 'Is America on the Road to Serfdom?'

"The most intriguing part of the brochure was a roll-call of names of those lured to previous 'Freedom Partner' gatherings. It included the current vice-president, Mike Pence; the Wisconsin politician Paul Ryan, who would go on to become speaker of the House of Representatives; super-donors such as the hedge fund manager Ken Griffin, and most intriguingly of all two conservative justices of the US supreme court, Clarence Thomas and the late Antonin Scalia. That the brothers could bring under one roof top politicians, billionaire donors and senior judges to plot the future of America on a free-market, anti-government course illustrated the scale of their ambitions and the influence they wielded....

"Many date the rise of the Kochs to 2010, the year in which the highly contentious landmark supreme court ruling Citizens United (approved by both Scalia and Thomas) opened the floodgates to corporate money in elections. The Kochs leveraged their affiliated organizations to raise well over $100m in the 2012 presidential election alone....

"Koch’s ... self-interested desire to drive government out of the US economy by undermining regulations and slashing corporate taxes started to firm up in 1980, when he stood as the Libertarian party’s vice-presidential candidate.... In 1977 he supported Charles in founding and funding the libertarian Cato Institute. But it was not until 2004 that the true embodiment of the brothers’ desire to reshape the country was born: Americans for Prosperity.... Through AFP, the Kochs spawned a nationwide web of impassioned conservative volunteers, empowered by the new voter technology they supported through the political data firm i360. Among the key targets of their campaigning: the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare... But it also took on climate crisis regulations, public education and taxes and championed the nascent 2010 Tea Party movement.

"In the past couple of years, David Koch, and his arguably even more ideologically driven brother Charles, have perhaps been less prevalent on the right as their political pulling power has appeared to wane a little. That might be in part due to David’s deteriorating health.... It is also in large part due to the advent of Trump. There has been much discussion in recent months about the very public spat between the president and the Koch brothers, with the Kochs calling Trump’s trade tariffs 'detrimental' and Trump lashing back that the billionaires were 'a total joke'.... [T]he truth about Trump, though, is that he has adopted many of the rightwing postures the Kochs have long espoused....

"In David Koch’s passing on Friday America has lost a lion of conservatism whose backing for ultra-rightwing causes was cherished by fellow billionaires, corporations, polluters – even some supreme court justices. But members of that elite club of 'Freedom Partners' should find solace in the thought that – though David Koch will no longer be there to greet them at their secretive retreats – his influence is still very present, right there in the White House."
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/23/david-koch-death-kochtopus-legacy-right-wing
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Amend constitution because of Gary Johnson, NM Democrat writes

Johnson’s super PAC: The case for campaign finance reform | My View | santafenewmexican.com - Dede Feldman, Santa Fe New Mexican:

September 14, 2018 - "On Aug. 21, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson officially announced his U.S. Senate candidacy at an event hosted by the super PAC that supports him, Elect Liberty.

"Elect Liberty paid for the venue, invited guests, fundraised in support of him, and Johnson promoted their/his event on his social media channels. How can a PAC that is not supposed to coordinate with a candidate throw an announcement party for him? The answer is a United States Supreme Court case, when it ruled in favor of the conservative group Citizens United against the Federal Election Commission.

"How could Elect Liberty hold Gary Johnson’s kickoff event? The Federal Election Commission decided that candidates could appear at PAC events as long as they are labeled 'special guests.' In fact, not only can candidates attend a PAC event, but they can fundraise as long they don’t ask for more than $5,000. Then, as soon as the candidate leaves the room, a super PAC official can ask attendees for a $1 million check....

"Elect Liberty ... PAC was created and is run by Johnson’s former campaign manager and decades-long associate, Ron Nielson. Are we really expected to believe that one of Johnson’s longest-serving advisers, the man he chose to run his 2016 presidential race and is in charge of a PAC that supports him, operates independently of the official campaign?

"Optics aside, everything Johnson is currently doing is legal. But that’s one of the fundamental problems.... While it should come as no surprise that Johnson — who supports the Citizens United ruling and unlimited campaign contributions — would use these loopholes, it’s a system that encourages candidates to skate around the edges of the law.

"Gary Johnson and the Elect Liberty PAC are a textbook case for why we need a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. Both of New Mexico’s U.S. senators support the effort, including Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., who is running against Johnson. New Mexicans should be mindful of this when deciding which candidate shares their beliefs on the role of money in politics."

Read more: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/my_view/johnson-s-super-pac-the-case-for-campaign-finance-reform/article_dc564bad-ec05-5bf1-8a4a-b7a89cf7038c.html
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Cannabis industry can make political donations, Illinois court rules

Illinois Libertarian Candidates Win Federal Lawsuit Against Law Making it Illegal for Medical Marijuana Groups to Contribute to Candidates | Ballot Access News:

March 24, 2017 - "On March 24, U.S. District Court Judge John Z. Lee, an Obama appointee, struck down a 2013 Illinois campaign finance law that makes it illegal for any medical cannibis cultivation center or dispensary organization to make a campaign contribution to a candidate for state or local office. Ball v Madigan, n.d., 1:15cv-10441. The decision is 22 pages.

"The only two plaintiffs are Claire Ball, the Libertarian nominee for state Comptroller in 2016, and Scott Schluter, the Libertarian nominee for State House, 117th district, in 2016. Schluter was not on the ballot because of Illinois severe ballot access requirements for candidates for the legislature."

http://ballot-access.org/2017/03/24/illinois-libertarian-candidates-win-federal-lawsuit-against-law-making-it-illegal-for-medical-marijuana-groups-to-contribute-to-candidates/
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Libertarian McGahn named White House counsel

Donald Trump Appoints Libertarian to Key White House Position | The Liberty Conservative - Dan Wilson:

November 26, 2016 - "Donald Trump has appointed Don McGahn, a former member of the Federal Election Commission and the Trump campaign’s counsel, as the White House Counsel. The White House Counsel advises the President on all legal issues surrounding the administration....

"[T]he Washington Post has described McGahn as a 'libertarian election lawyer', quoting President Obama’s White House Counsel, Robert F. Bauer, as saying 'it will be interesting to see how Don’s suspicion of government — his deep libertarianism — will affect his advice on questions of executive authority'....

"Forbes noted that McGahn used to work for Freedom Partners, a non-profit free market organization closely associated with the Koch brothers, who are well known for their libertarian-leaning political views."

Read more: http://www.thelibertyconservative.com/donald-trump-appoints-libertarian-key-white-house-position/


The Other Donald Behind Donald Trump Carrie Levine, Newsweek:

May 9, 2016 - "McGahn has often cited free speech grounds in opposing restrictions on campaign spending, and he’s pushed back against federal enforcement cases, arguing that they could chill political speech.

"'When elected officials are able to handicap and silence their electoral opponents, they will rarely refrain from doing so,' McGahn wrote last year in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece on Clinton’s campaign finance reform proposals....

"McGahn — together with fellow Republican FEC appointees Caroline Hunter and Matthew Petersen, currently chairman of the commission ... drove changes in the way the commission did business, especially concerning how they punished — or didn’t punish — political actors suspected of violating federal rules and regulations."

Read more: http://www.newsweek.com/other-donald-behind-donald-trump-457514?rm=eu
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Ltn. Perry won't file with Election Commission

This Libertarian Presidential Candidate Refused to File With the FEC Because He Believes it Shouldn’t Exist | TheBlaze.com - Kate Scanlon:

May 10, 2016 - "Libertarian presidential candidate Darryl Perry has refused to file campaign paperwork with the Federal Election Commission because he believes there is no constitutional reason for the agency to exist.

"'There shouldn’t be a federal agency that oversees campaign finance,' Perry told TheBlaze in an interview Tuesday. Perry said that a federal agency with the power to control campaign finance through regulations has the power to hinder independent and third-party bids in favor of the current two-party system.

"A Birmingham, Alabama, native, Perry moved to New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project, an effort to create a Libertarian majority in the Granite State.

"Perry said he is seeking the Libertarian nomination for president because he believes the party has 'drifted away' from its core beliefs to present a 'watered-down' version of its philosophy....

"Asked if his refusal to file with the FEC has negatively impacted his campaign in any way, Perry replied that his decision to accept campaign contributions only via alternative currencies — such as Bitcoin or gold — has hindered him more. He has declined to accept regular currency because he believes the federal reserve should be abolished.

"Perry said that a general election between two 'unpopular' candidates could present an opening for Libertarians to make an impact in November. '

"'On paper it looks like an excellent opportunity,” Perry said, adding, 'At the end of the day, Republicans will vote Republican because they fear the Democrats more than they support what they claim to support, and Democrats will vote Democrat because they fear Republicans more than they support what they claim to support.'

"Perry said that if a Libertarian candidate were to be allowed on the stage for a debate in a general election, it could be a game-changer for the race."

Read more: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/05/10/this-libertarian-presidential-candidate-refused-to-file-with-the-fec-because-he-believes-it-shouldnt-exist/
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Limiting party use of donations unconstitutional, Libertarians claim in U.S. federal suit

Libertarian National Committee alleges Federal Election Commission violates Constitution | Legal News Line - Robbie Hargett:

February 6, 2016 - "The national committee of the Libertarian Party is suing the Federal Election Commission over claims its restrictions on donation usage are unconstitutional. The Libertarian National Committee filed a lawsuit Jan. 25 in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia....

"Joseph Shaber bequeathed $235,575.20, without restrictions, to the Libertarian National Committee. However, according to the suit, the Federal Election Commission applies annual contribution limits, currently $33,400, to political party committees.

"The suit claims that the party limit applies only where a contribution might be used for general communication and party-building, but it claims the government would allow the party committee to accept up to $100,200 per year from a particular contribution if the money were used for each of three government-approved purposes: a national convention, attorneys or a headquarters building.

"The suit states applying these content-based restrictions on use of funds is unconstitutional by infringing upon the speech rights of donors and donees."

Read more: http://legalnewsline.com/stories/510661444-libertarian-national-committee-alleges-federal-election-commission-violates-constitution
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Illinois Libertarians challenge ban on donations from medical marijuana companies

Illinois Libertarians Sue Over Medical Marijuana Campaign Finance Ban | WUIS 91.9 - Brian Mackey:

November 25, 2015 - "A federal lawsuit is seeking to overturn Illinois’ ban on campaign contributions from medical marijuana companies.

"The case was brought last week by two Libertarian Party political candidates: Claire Ball of Addison, who says she's running for comptroller, and Scott Schluter of Marion, who says he's running for state representative. They say they favor legalization of drugs, and that companies that agree with them should be able to support their campaigns.

"When Illinois legislators approved the medical marijuana pilot program in 2013, they boasted of passing the strictest medical marijuana law in the country. Rep. Lou Lang, a Democrat from Skokie, was a lead sponsor of the bill. He says the contribution ban, which applies to cannabis growers and dispensaries, was among a number of provisions meant to appease 'conservative' and 'hesitant' colleagues....

"'I would prefer this not be in the bill,' Lang said in a telephone interview. 'Not because I’m looking for campaign donations from people in the marijuana industry, but because I’m not sure that it’s great public policy to pick out one particular industry or two particular industries, and single them out for a clouding of their free speech rights, and not do it to all (industries)'....

"The specificity of the Illinois law piqued the interest of Benjamin Barr, a lawyer with the Pillar of Law Institute in Washington, D.C. He’s one of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Ball and Schluter.

"'It’s strikingly bizarre to me for the state of Illinois to take this blatant and open of a position,' Barr said in a telephone interview. 'Usually, campaign finance (prohibition), when it has problems, applies heavy-handedly to one group. But they’re not named out in the law, because that’s just jumping up and down and signaling, "Look, we’re going after this particular organization or this set of speakers."'

"Barr says he’s not aware of a similar ban in any of the other roughly two-dozen states experimenting with medical marijuana....

"The U.S. Supreme Court in recent years has repeatedly ruled that spending on campaigns is essentially political speech, and thus protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution.

"Barr says it’s particularly important that his clients, who favor the legalization of drugs, be able to seek support from like-minded businesses: 'They're third parties. They have new ideas. They're disrupting the status quo. And what's most important to them right now? To be able to associate and to be able to get funding, so that they're able to speak to people in Illinois, and they're able to share their message.'"

Read more: http://wuis.org/post/illinois-libertarians-sue-over-medical-marijuana-campaign-finance-ban#stream/0
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Benton & Tate go free in Iowa bribery case

Adviser to Ron and Rand Paul found not guilty in bribery case - Yahoo News Joseph Ax, Reuters:

October 23, 2015 - "A former top adviser to 2012 Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul's campaign has been found not guilty in connection with an alleged bribery scheme to buy an Iowa state senator's endorsement.

"A jury in Iowa on Thursday cleared Jesse Benton, Paul's former campaign spokesman, of lying to the FBI about the alleged bribery, which came in advance of the 2012 Iowa caucuses in that year's presidential race....

"Benton, who is married to Paul's granddaughter, has worked with the [America's Liberty] Super PAC supporting Paul's son Rand as he seeks the Republican nomination for president for the November 2016 election.

"'I'm happy justice has been served', Rand Paul, a U.S. senator from Kentucky, said in a statement on Friday.

"Another former Ron Paul adviser, Dmitri Kesari, was convicted of causing the filing of a false campaign finance record but found not guilty of obstruction of justice. The jury could not agree on three other counts against Kesari.

"The case grew out of allegations that Benton, Kesari and another adviser, John Tate, bribed Iowa state Senator Kent Sorenson with $73,000 to switch his endorsement from then-U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann to Paul days before the 2012 Iowa Republican caucus....

"A federal judge threw out all charges against Tate ahead of the trial this month, as well as several other counts against Benton.

"Tate is the founder and president of America's Liberty PAC, the Super PAC supporting Rand Paul."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/adviser-ron-rand-paul-found-not-guilty-bribery-201834005.html
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Wyoming Liberty Group goes national

Wyoming Liberty Group starts national organization - Laura Hancock, Casper Star-Tribune:

April 4, 2015 - "A Cheyenne-based libertarian advocacy group is expanding to the national political scene, hoping to influence campaign finance laws in other states.

"The Wyoming Liberty Group has started a project called the Pillar of Law Institute. It will fight what it believes are restrictive campaign finance laws for candidates to raise money to run for office, which it characterizes as a free speech issue....

"The Pillar of Law Institute's focus will be litigation and communication, said Steve Klein, a Liberty Group employee who has moved to Alexandria, Virginia, for the institute, but will continue to commute to Wyoming when necessary for the Liberty Group.

T"he Liberty Group educates the public, lobbies the Wyoming Legislature and pursues litigation. It has entered cases for education and civil asset forfeiture reform, opposition to the Affordable Care Act and government incentives for businesses, and against campaign finance restrictions.

"'Wyoming Liberty Group, since founding its 2008, has had a really strong focus on free speech,' Klein said. 'That’s perhaps the only thing that we do that’s not confined just to Wyoming. Our outreach there was nationwide with litigation in Texas and Wisconsin, and of course having some Wyoming cases as well.'

"The Liberty Group submitted friend of court briefs in a Texas case involving former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay when he was charged and ultimately cleared of improperly funneling money to Texas House candidates. Klein said his organization was the only to note First Amendment issues in the case, which the court considered in its decision.

"In Wyoming, Klein said, the Liberty Group had in 2014 three of its biggest campaign finance successes in federal court. The state’s laws are not as problematic as other state campaign finance laws, he said."

Read more: http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/wyoming-liberty-group-starts-national-organization/article_56f4a408-0f0b-57e1-92b1-8ff5839246b3.html
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