Why do I read about things like this in The Guardian(UK)?
The secretive oil billionaires the Koch brothers are close to launching a nationwide database connecting millions of Americans who share their anti-government and libertarian views, a move that will further enhance the tycoons' political influence and that could prove significant in next year's presidential election.
I wonder how "libertarians" justify assembling a database like this? Oh, that's right, they aren't the government, so assembling data on millions of their fellow Americans is just as safe as hydrofracking.
The database will bring together information from a plethora of right-wing groups, tea party organisations and conservative-leaning thinktanks. Each one has valuable data on their membership – including personal email addresses and phone numbers, as well as more general information useful to political campaign strategists such as occupation, income bracket and so on.
More below the Orange Squiggle of Power.
The voter file was set up by the Kochs 18 months ago with $2.5m of their seed money, and is being developed by a hand-picked team of the brothers' advisers. It has been given the name Themis, after the Greek goddess who imposes divine order on human affairs.
I wonder if they are aware of the Greek Goddess Atë? Of course that doesn't apply to them because they are Wealth Creators.
Though the Kochs have already stamped their influence on the American right, their impact to date looks like small beer compared with their ambitious plans for 2012. According to Kenneth Vogel of Politico, the brothers intend to use their leverage among billionaire conservatives to pump more than $200m into the proceedings, focusing in particular on the presidential race.
Gee, if Obama's no different than a Republican I wonder why they would bother? It's not because of abortion or gay marriage - these guys have shown little interest in the wedge issues.
Lee Fang, a blogger at the Center for American Progress, thinks the combination of the Kochs' capital and their new voter files could have an immense impact in 2012. "This will be the first major election where most of the data and the organising will be done outside the party nexus. The Kochs have the potential to outspend and out-perform the Republican party and even the successful Republican candidate
So, if you think they Koch brothers had power and influence in 2010 - just wait. The Kochalypse cometh.