So now the Koch Brothers are in the business of "creating facts" are they?
Like how Climate Change is only a "speed bump" in the history of the world ... like how the impact of burning Fossil Fuels on Global Warming is only a Myth ... like those "Facts"?
Oh this ought to be good ...
KochFacts.com
February 24th, 2012
A Letter to the Obama Campaign
Mr. Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama for America
Dear Mr. Messina:
Because every American has the right to take part in the public discourse on matters that affect the future of our country, I feel compelled to respond directly about a fundraising letter you sent out on February 24 denouncing Koch. It is both surprising and disappointing that the President would allow his re-election team to send such an irresponsible and misleading letter to his supporters.
For example, it is false that our “business model is to make millions by jacking up prices at the pump.” Our business vision begins and ends with value creation — real, long-term value for customers and for society. We own no gasoline stations and the part of our business you allude to, oil and gas refining, actually lowers the price of gasoline by increasing supply. Either you simply misunderstand the way commodities markets work or you are misleading your supporters and the rest of the American people.
Contrary to your assertion that we have “committed $200 million to try to destroy President Obama,” we have stated publicly and repeatedly since last November that we have never made any such claim or pledge. It is hard to imagine that the campaign is unaware of our publicly stated position on that point. Similarly, Americans for Prosperity is not simply “funded by the Koch brothers,” as you state — rather it has tens of thousands of members and contributors from across the country and from all walks of life. Further, our opposition to this President’s policies is not based on partisan politics but on principles. Charles Koch and David Koch have been outspoken advocates of the free-market for over 50 years and they have consistently opposed policies that frustrate or subvert free markets, regardless of whether a Democrat or a Republican was President.
[...]
Sincerely,
Philip Ellender
President, Government & Public Affairs
Koch Companies Public Sector, LLC
Translation:
Oil Barons are people too. Leave the Koch Brothers alone!
Not to be outdone by the Billionaire Brothers, who fund everything from Climate Change Denial to the Campaigns of the Fossil Fools in Congress, the Obama re-election campaign manager has responded in kind:
Obama team fires back at Koch brothers
by Aaron Blake, washingtonpost.com -- 02/29/2012
February 29, 2012
Dear Mr. Ellender:
[...]
You argue that Americans for Prosperity is a grassroots organization of everyday citizens. But its emphasis on rolling back environmental protections and blocking a clean energy economy appears to be nothing more than an effort to promote the corporate interests of your employers and others who lavishly, and secretly, fund its operations.
[...]
And now it’s been reported that your employers and those close to them intend to spend $200 million in an attempt to defeat the President. You note in your letter that Americans for Prosperity has tens of thousands of members and contributors from all walks of life across the country, suggesting that this is the source of AFP’s funding. There is one way to verify your point: disclose those donors for the public to make that judgment.
What is known about the Kochs’ agenda and business practices would give most Americans pause. According to the Kansas City Star, Koch Industries has enriched itself by keeping oil off the market, storing it in offshore tankers and waiting to cash in when the cost of oil rises. The Koch brothers have also been vocal critics of the administration’s investments in clean energy alternatives. Our energy strategy cannot be set by what’s best for the pocketbooks of politically-connected oil and gas executives. It must be driven by what’s best for the American people, our economy, and our energy security.
[...]
In your letter, you expressed the Kochs’ concerns about debt. We share your concern. That is why the President introduced a plan to reduce the deficit by $4 trillion and put us on a path to solvency. The Kochs must be concerned about the tax and budget plans the Republican candidates have proposed. Those plans would add trillions of dollars to the deficit by massively increasing defense spending to an arbitrary level, and extending and expanding unaffordable and unnecessary tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.
[...]
Sincerely,
Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama for America
Translation:
Oil Barons are people who need to be Taxed too. Let the Koch Brothers pay their fair share to society, and quit underwriting astro-turf fake-speech organizations, without disclosing those Facts.
Stay tuned to this one people. The Citizen United Koch-empowered agenda is about be dragged kicking and screaming, out into the light.
If this "polite exchange" is any indicator of what's at stake in this election, and what is being brought to bear to counter it, that is.
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Up with Chris Hayes: Koch vs Obama
Hat-tip to cotterperson for tracking down Chris Hayes' report today on the topic.