Harry Reid rips the Koch brothers for trying to “buy the country”

[ErikJ]

Source: Salon

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid got into it on Thursday with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — but it was the Koch brothers who ended up receiving most of the Nevada Democrat’s ire. It all started with McConnell complaining about the Obama administration’s new attempt to better regulate nonprofit groups who list themselves as devoted to “social welfare” rather than partisan politics. Within politics, these groups are usually referred to as 501(c)(4) nonprofits. The administration — and many outside observers — worry that too many 501(c)(4)s are making a farce of their social welfare designation by effectively advocating for certain politicians or political parties.

Mitch McConnell disagrees. “Democrats think 2014 is shaping up to be a tough year for them politically. So instead of trying to persuade the public that they’ve got the best answers to the problems we face, they try to shut everybody else out of the political process, they try to shut them up,” McConnell said. He went on to accuse the president of wanting “to use the IRS to drive conservatives right off the playing field.”

Reid wasn’t having it, and pointed to the conservative billionaire Koch brothers — who directly and indirectly fund many of these organizations — as a prime example of how the rules are being disregarded or abused by outside political actors. “Because of a United States Supreme Court decisions called Citizens United, there’s been some really untoward stuff going on in the political world,” Reid said. “We have two brothers who are actually trying to buy the country.”

“What they’re doing is spending their … dollars on governors races, and on the state level and, of course, spending huge amounts of money around the country attempting to defeat Democrats both in the House and the Senate,” Reid continued. “The Koch brothers hide all their campaign efforts. They disguise themselves with rare exception as social welfare organizations, with all these fancy names going after people who are trying to improve the country.”

Read more: http://www.salon.com/2014/01/30/harry_reid_rips_the_koch_brothers_for_trying_to_buy_the_country/

[another_liberal]

1. Look at Majority Leader Harry Reid growing a huge pair of them.

Makes me wish he was my Senator, to say the least.

[warrant46]

26. Really--- he Just Noticed ?

http://host.madison.com/transcript-of-prank-koch-walker-conversation/article_531276b6-3f6a-11e0-b288-001cc4c002e0.html


Transcript of prank Koch-Walker conversation

February 23, 2011

[another_liberal]

29. He also just put the skids under TPP . . .

That's not bad for a week's work.

[warrant46]

32. We'll see about that too

And don't forget the Farm Bill headed his way.

The House passed this abomination With NO DISCLOSURE of the big farmers and businesses amounts of price supports and Crop Insurance amounts received by The Rich

[another_liberal]

33. The Farm Bill is a different matter, indeed.

Blocking that would tick off a great many voters in any number of States.

[warrant46]

34. The Graft and Corruption is stunning

He could fix it but he won't

[another_liberal]

35. I wish he would try . . .

But a good strategist picks his fights where he can win them.

[warrant46]

36. Which is why I wonder about the TPP

The farm bill is also about disclosing the amounts of $$$ given to certain individuals and groups ---why should that be Secret ?

Apparently the (R)s don't want to disclose what their donators are getting in return.

[AlbertCat]

2. instead of trying to persuade the public that they’ve got the best answers to the problems we face..

So, Yertle, what are the GOP's answers to

Health Care costs and coverage
Jobs and unemployment
Corporate malfeasance and consolidation into oligarchies?

We're waiting....


Y'know, iffen you guys had ANY answers at all, folks could, like, compare them and.... oh never mind....

[Spitfire of ATJ]

10. I know the Republican answers....

Health Care costs and coverage? Individual health savings accounts and eliminate the power of states to tell insurance companies ANYTHING and the magic of the market will solve everything.

Jobs and unemployment? Eliminate the minimum wage and millions of jobs will be created for $3 a DAY and the next step is to eliminate unemployment insurance and welfare and those lazy people will be FORCED to get one of those $3 a day jobs or they will starve to death.

Corporate malfeasance and consolidation into oligarchies? What's wrong with people being rewarded for their success? Gives the poor something to aspire to.

[Liberalynn]

12. Oh and don't forget if you would just remove all those pesky little regulations

like EPA requirements, and worker safety protections then the jobs would just be pouring down on the U.S. like mana from the sky.

Senator Gillibrand held a Facebook Town Hall today on fighting for the extension of Unemployment benefits, and the PUKERS were on there in full force spreading that bunch of manure all over the field.

Boy elephants sure do leave some big crap patties.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

15. This fits...

[Liberalynn]

16. +1

I like it.

[another_liberal]

30. It's same as their response to poor people in New Orleans after Katrina.

"Why don't you get the hell out of town!"

[indepat]

3. Give 'em hell, Harry with the bark on

[Scuba]

4. +1

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

6. +1

[red dog 1]

5. Mitch McConnell can go to Hell, and take those Koch brothers with him.

Give 'em Hell, Harry!

[louis-t]

7. I've always said they want to own the Great Lakes.

[Alamuti Lotus]

8. The persecution! It burns! Oh noes!

In all seriousness, that's a surprisingly astute and direct attack on what passes for proximate causes of present maladies: I thought for certain those weren't allowed, since most others spend more time dancing around the issue (or appeasing such figures) than speaking one moment's truth.

[tavernier]

9. Kick

And again!

[Liberalynn]

11. Wow Harry.

All I can say is you KICK ASS BUDDY

[QC]

13. Harry Reid is just like Hitler!!!

[Enthusiast]

22. Everything but the mustache.

[blkmusclmachine]

14. Right now, it's still all talk from Reid, but at least it's better than the usual preemptive cave.

[Cha]

17. Thank you, Harry Reid..

and EricJ

[notemason]

18. Beware

Goldman Sachs just might sell it to them.

[tofuandbeer]

19. This is great.

7 or 8 years ago...I looked the Kochs up on Wikipedia, and found little to nothing on them. I was shocked.

A few years later, I saw some garbage added about them being philanthropists. I haven't looked them up on Wikipedia since.

These days, however, they are no longer able to hide: They are in spotlight almost daily, and seem to be scrambling to keep their name 'clean' from the dirt they shovel (or the dirt they have others shovel for them).

[Ferretherder]

20. Uh, beg pardon, but, you might want to take another look at what they're shoveling...

...'cause it looks a little too moist to be just 'dirt', and it smells REALLY bad!

[Enthusiast]

21. You can always tell you're on the right track when Mitch McConnell disagrees.

[valerief]

23. Trying? They've done it. nt

[colsohlibgal]

24. Go Harry Go

I sure hope he can hold the line on the TPP if he has to.

[justhanginon]

25. I understand that shortly

Phil Griffin will be issuing an apology on MSNBC to Reince Priebus for Sen. Reid offending the Republican (Koch) party.

[ErikJ]

28. This faux outrage is the RNC's idea of "Reaching out" to minorities.

[Gothmog]

27. We need to change the rules on 501(c)(4) entities

Harry Reid is correct and the Koch brothers and others (Karl Rove for example) have been getting by with some outrageous behavior. The rules on 501(c)(4) need to be changed

[tclambert]

31. Well, maybe if congressional Republicans quit giving them coupons . . .

and the RNC quit offering buy one get one free specials on congressmen . . .