Monthly Archives: February 2012

N.J. Gov. Chris Christie guts greenhouse gas fund targeted by Koch Bros.’ Americans for Prosperity

-Posted by Meteor Blades on the Daily Kos

February 25, 2012- As one of its many objectives, the Koch Bros.-founded and -financed Americans for Prosperity has been out to defund the seven-year-old Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. It seems to have succeeded in New Jersey. Republican Gov. Chris Christie has just scooped up the $473,000 left in the RGGI coffers and plunked them into the general fund along with $210 million from the state's clean energy fund.

Huffington Post: Koch Brothers Fire Back At Obama For Campaign Attack

-By Paige Lavender

February 25, 2012- Charles and David Koch fired back at Obama after his campaign attacked them in an email earlier this week.

Philip Ellender, president of government and public affairs for Koch industries, posted an open letter to Obama campaign manager Jim Messina online Friday. The letter was a response to an attempt by the Obama campaign to tie Republican rival Mitt Romney to the Koch brothers.

Ellender called the Obama email "iresponsible and misleading" and said it was "surprising and disappointing that the President would allow" such behavior:

Talking Points Memo: Wisconsin Dems File Complaint With State Against David Koch

-By Eric Kleefeld

February 23, 2012- The Wisconsin Democrats are taking aim at one of their biggest opponents in the state’s recall elections. No, not just Republican Gov. Scott Walker — but conservative financier David Koch, and his organization Americans For Prosperity. But whether they will actually succeed in the latest front is another question.

Specifically, the Dems announced on a conference call with reporters Thursday that they were filing a complaint with the state Government Accountability Board, which oversees elections in the state, and also forwarding a copy to the Internal Revenue Service at the federal level. The complaint involves statements that Koch made to a newspaper — and his organization’s official non-profit, non-partisan status.

KARE News (NBC Minneapolis St.Paul): Model bills become point of contention at Minn. Capitol

Think Progress: Blame Oil Speculators, Not Obama, For Rising Oil Prices

-By Alex Seitz-Wald

February 22, 2012- As the improving economy has robbed conservatives of their chief talking point against President Obama, they’ve turned to rising gas prices as the next problem to pin on the president.

Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) “instructed fellow Republicans to embrace the gas-pump anger,” while Rick Santorum conspiratorially claimed Obama is intentionally pushing up prices to cut carbon emissions. Not to be outdone, Newt Gingrich released a 30-minute video today about how “the Obama administration is so anti‑oil” that they’ve forced the price of gas to go up.

Politico: David Koch: ‘No stopping union power’ if labor wins Walker recall

-By Maggie Haberman

February 19, 2012- The Palm Beach Post has a good read on David Koch, the billionaire who, along with his brother, have helped "channel" the tea party movement, as the piece puts it, and is involved in funding the pro-Scott Walker side of the recall effort in Wisconsin:

"What Scott Walker is doing with the public unions in Wisconsin is critically important. He's an impressive guy and he's very courageous," Koch says after a benefit dinner of salmon and white wine. "If the unions win the recall, there will be no stopping union power."

Asked about union comments, Koch's spokeswoman is quick to moderate them.

RAW Story: Wisconsin Democrats tell David Koch: Get out and take Gov. Walker too

-By Eric W. Dolan

February 20, 2012- The Democratic Party of Wisconsin blasted oil billionaire David Koch on Monday for supporting Republican Gov. Scott Walker in his fight against public unions.

“I think I speak for most Wisconsinites when I say to David Koch, ‘Get out of Wisconsin and take Scott Walker’s dangerous agenda with you,’” Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate said.

In a rare interview with the Palm Beach Post, Koch described Walker as “impressive” and “courageous.” He said his conservative group Americans for Prosperity was hard at work in Wisconsin.

“We’ve spent a lot of money in Wisconsin,” Koch said. “We’re going to spend more.”

Walker and Republican lawmakers pushed to curb the collective-bargaining rights of public employees earlier this year, eventually passing the highly controversial legislation using a parliamentary maneuver.

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