Americans for Prosperity, the network founded by billionaire conservative political donors Charles Koch and David Koch, announced at their summit in Colorado on Sunday that they are willing to back democratic politicians—as long as those politicians are in line with the Kochs on their policy goals of making things easy for rich people.
“If you are a Democrat and stand up to [Senator] Elizabeth Warren to corral enough votes for financial reform that breaks barriers for community banks and families, you’re darn right we will work with you,” Emily Seidel, Americans for Prosperity’s CEO, said at the meeting, according to CNBC.
Seidel also scolded Republicans who passed President Trump’s $1.3 trillion spending bill in March. “If you are a Republican who sits on the committee that wrote the worst spending bill in our country’s history and you voted for it, you’re darn right we will hold you accountable,” Seidel said.
Charles Koch gave a briefing to reporters on Sunday where he also seemed to move toward backing people based on policy rather than party. According to CNBC, when asked how he would feel about Democrats retaking the House in this fall’s midterm elections, he replied that he wants people in power who will implement policies that will “move toward a society, mutual benefit, equal rights, where everybody has the opportunity to realize their full potential. I don’t care what initials are in front or after somebody’s name.”
It’s strange to hear a billionaire who has aggressively funded right wing politicians and whose company is one of the top polluters in America talk about “mutual benefit”. But this move could be a sign that the powers that be are genuinely afraid of the leftward movement in the Democratic party, as well as of Donald Trumps anti-free trade actions.
This announcement doesn’t come out of nowhere. The Kochs have recently warmed up to Democrats who have traditionally right-wing platforms on deregulation, including those who voted to overturn some provisions of the Dodd-Frank act in June. They thanked North Dakota Democratic senator Heidi Heitkamp for cosponsoring the bill, and helped out her campaign with advertising.
Before liberals run to embrace the Kochs and their highly influential anti-democratic dark money network, here’s a quick reminder of just a few things they’ve done with their Nazi oil money: spent $20 million supporting Donald Trump’s tax plan, strangled free speech on college campuses, funded public college programs that push conservative thought, funded the Supreme Court case that gutted unions, made climate change denial mainstream Republican policy, spilled oil all over the country, and fought against health care reform.
Democrats: if you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.