The Koch Brothers Dark Money Man: How Sean Noble Got Rich Undermining Democracy

[LongTomH]

For a brief, giddy moment, Sean Noble—a little-known former aide to an Arizona congressman—became one of the most important people in American politics.

Plucked from obscurity by libertarian billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, Noble was tasked with distributing a torrent of political money raised by the Koch network, a complex web of nonprofits nicknamed the Kochtopus, into conservative causes in the 2010 and 2012 elections.

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But with Noble as ringmaster, Koch money also poured into efforts that didn’t surface until long after Election Day: To a political committee backing Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker against a recall attempt; to a group blaming President Obama for high gas prices; even to a legal challenge to Arizona’s redistricting plan.

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But his story shows how the Supreme Court’s landmark 2010 Citizens United ruling has given rise to a new breed of power brokers who control a growing pool of money raised in secret and spent to influence politics in ways that voters can’t always trace.

Read more here: http://www.juancole.com/2014/02/brothers-undermining-democracy.html

[LongTomH]

1. More on Sean Noble and the Kochtopus

Much of Noble’s work in 2012 remained invisible to the public until the Center and dozens of other Koch-backed nonprofits released their tax returns late last year.

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Sheila Krumholz, the executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan watchdog group that has written extensively about the Koch network, said disclosures from nonprofits come far too late to help voters and regulators.

“What we’re ending up with is information which is almost entirely useless to the voters,” she said. “Because it’s come so far after the election, so far after the fact that voters can barely remember what these organizations were doing and on behalf of which candidates or parties.”

[blkmusclmachine]

2. Koch products in your grocery store: Angel Soft Toilet Paper, Brawny Paper Towels, Dixie Cups,

Last edited Mon Feb 17, 2014, 03:27 AM - Edit history (1)

Sparkle Paper Towels, Quilted Northern Toilet Paper, Vanity Fair Paper Napkins, and anything else that says "Georgia Pacific" on the back cover of the product.

[KeepItReal]

3. His own firm made $24 million in ONE YEAR in consulting fees?!?!

Outrageous.

But it's not like the Koch boys are gonna miss it, right?