Koch Industries Not Only Fueling K St. Lobbying Boom And Anti-Obama Tea Party Protests, But Democrats Too
Koch Industries Not Only Fueling K St. Lobbying Boom And Anti-Obama Tea Party Protests, But Democrats Too
According to disclosures released earlier this month, oil and natural gas interests are pumping money into lobbying firms to influence climate change legislation at a furious pace. With $82.2 million spent in just the first half of 2009 — compared to $132.2 million in all of 2008 — the industry is on track to set new records.
Unfortunately, as large as this direct lobbying figure is, it represents probably a fraction of the total amount of money the oil and gas industry is pouring into the debate. Some of the money flows straight to candidates and to political action committees. Another huge, largely undisclosed portion goes to what is known as “outside lobbying” efforts — public relations and advertising firms which coordinate a pro-polluter propaganda campaign to influence public opinion. And finally much of the money goes to financing “think-tanks” to produce reports outside the realm of scientific consensus to legitimize skepticism of global warming.
The outside lobbying campaign the industry has embraced this year is the most corrosive because it is based upon deception — and increasingly, hate. Koch Industries, the oil and gas behemoth, bankrolls the astroturf groups Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks. These groups were instrumental in orchestrating the anti-Obama tea party protests, where thousands gathered to display racist signs directed at the President, absurd calls for an impeachment, and more recently, protesters hanging Democratic leaders in effigy. In addition to the anti-Obama protests, these groups provide a useful front for industries as they hire dozens of field staff to spread misinformation about clean energy and bus people around the country to create the guise of public distrust of global warming. Koch has funneled its money not only to these astroturf efforts, but has been a prolific leader in all the aforementioned strategies that industries pursue (Charles Koch even founded the Cato Institute, a leader of global warming skepticism and has spent nearly $4 million in lobbying this year alone).
Although Koch has traditionally given mostly to Republicans, E&E notes that it is giving increasingly to Democrats. In 2009, Koch gave about 28 percent of its contributions to Democrats, compared to about 15 percent last year:
Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT): $5,000 [FEC, accessed 7/29/09]
Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR): $10,000 [FEC, accessed 7/29/09]
Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR): $2,000 [FEC, accessed 7/29/09]Rep. Marion Berry (D-AR): $2,500 [FEC, accessed 7/29/09]
Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK): $3,000 [FEC, accessed 7/29/09]
Rep. Allen Boyd (D-FL): $6,500 [FEC, accessed 7/29/09]
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX): $3,500 [FEC, accessed 7/29/09]
Rep. Charles Gonzalez (D-TX): $4,500 [FEC, accessed 7/29/09]
Rep. Gene Green (D-TX): $3,500 [FEC, accessed 7/29/09]
Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-LA): $2,500 [FEC, accessed 7/29/09]
Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-TX): $1,000 [FEC, accessed 7/29/09]
Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN): $6,500 [FEC, accessed 7/29/09]
Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR): $2,000 [FEC, accessed 7/29/09]
Rep. David Scott (D-GA): $1,000 [FEC, accessed 7/29/09]
Rep. Henry Teague (D-NM): $1,000 [FEC, accessed 7/29/09]
In accepting dirty energy Koch money, these lawmakers are legitimizing the financiers of the anti-Obama tea party effort.
5 Responses to “Koch Industries Not Only Fueling K St. Lobbying Boom And Anti-Obama Tea Party Protests, But Democrats Too”
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Lee Fang, it would serve your scholarship well if perhaps a bit deeper, more nuanced research were done before presenting your case. While ‘astroturf’ groups such as AFP and FreedomWorks were/are involved in the tea party movements, they are late to the game and unwelcome by many. There’s huge disconnect within the tea party movement itself and the overwhelming majority want DC to stay out of it. Tea Parties across the nation are as organic as the dandelions popping in your front yard. Pointing to a few cases where radical nutjobs burned effigies and spewed racist remarks ignores the true reality of the movement itself.
But then again that’s the problem with all the punditry from DC-based think tanks… reminds me of the definition of DC: “An island surrounded on all sides by reality.”
July 30th, 2009 at 2:14 pmIf the tea parties weren’t pushed by talk radio and the Republican party, their ‘grassroots’ credentials and existence would disappear.
Where were those tea drinkers when the Bush administration pushed our country deep into debt, and put our soldiers into harm’s way for no reason, lied to them about torture and the reality of global warming? The tea parties are manufactured outrage from people who ought to be more concerned about the continuing disastrous activities by Wall Street financial firms and big banks. THEY are the ones threatening our country’s future.
July 31st, 2009 at 11:00 pmAstroturf groups are not late to the tea party game, Matthew Taylor, they were there at the beginning early last spring, and so were the signs against climate change legislation in my city. I also noticed the signs carried by the tea baggers in my city were the same as those carried by tea baggers in other cities. That proves the tea bagging against global warming/climate legislation was coordinated by industry and politicians all over the country, wherever those signs were seen. It’s not “DC” it’s also radio, Rush, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, etc., and other media, especially online — and the right-wing bloggers. They all urge these people on, the racist haters who are also climate deniers. They are all the same illogical, unreasonable, angry type of person.
There is no organic, grassroots “tea bagger movement”. It’s all a farce, forced and manufactured from the Party of No and the scientifically illiterate and their ignorant media. Yes, the naysayers and climate deniers are still being heavily funded, and any time an article pops up online about climate change, they pop up with the same old comments every time. It’s like there is a denialist template or two somewhere written by Big Coal and Big Oil who are determined to destroy the climate while they rake in huge profits. (Presumably to pay for that spaceship that will get them off the planet once it becomes unlivable.)
The anti-climate change movement, along with the tea bagging movements, is clearly a very orgnized effort, and you can’t tell me that regular deniers themselves, in the ignorance they wallow in, are capable of this level of organization on their own. The sheer number of them especially online is far too high for it to be natural. Someone and a lot of money is behind this.
I have an idea — let’s infiltrate their ranks and expose them. Not the politicians, but the comment writers and the people hired by this Denial Machine.
August 2nd, 2009 at 7:09 amWay to go, Shelly T. As Justice Brandeis said, “sunlight is the best disinfectant.” We need to keep shining light into the dark corners where the scum collects and disinfect the hell out of them.
August 4th, 2009 at 10:35 amJEEZ… enough already? OK, all you alternative/indy media sources and Progressive talk radio hosts… you’ve got me angry and outraged, NOW WHAT?
It’s TIME to organize, Organize, ORGANIZE! Not those coffee house Liberal pussy types but a new kind of counter culture MOVEMENT that finds these Conservative wackos and right wing fanatics who want to ruin the Progressive agenda… and MAKES THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS (and stupidity) BAM!
These Koch and Freedom Works m’#*~/’s got to pay for their sins against Democracy.
jinnbad.blogspot.com
August 4th, 2009 at 12:08 pm