Groveling for the super-wealthy members of Freedom Partners for an enormous pot of bundled money. This is how the GOP's non-billionaire candidates try to win their party's nomination in post Citizens United America. The money race has become the determining factor for who gets the GOP nomination. In recent years the Republican who raises the most money wins their party's nomination.
Bush, Cruz, Rubio and Walker to court Koch donors Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/07/koch-brothers-wealthy-donors-gop-2016-freedom-partners-seminar-california-120663.html#ixzz3h7nuyaTJ
By KENNETH P. VOGEL
Four leading GOP presidential candidates – Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Scott Walker – are traveling to a Southern California luxury hotel in coming days to make their cases directly to the Koch brothers and hundreds of other wealthy conservatives planning to spend close to $1 billion in the run-up to the 2016 election.
Freedom Partners’ annual summer conference is set for August 1 through August 3, and is expected to draw 450 of the biggest financiers of the right for sessions about the fiscally conservative policies and politics that animate the billionaire industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch and many of the donors in their network. Most have the capability to write seven- or even eight-figure checks to the super PACs fueling the GOP presidential primary, and a significant proportion have yet to settle on a 2016 choice, or are considering supporting multiple candidates. That includes Charles and David Koch, as well as Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and hedge fund billionaires Paul Singer, both of whom will be represented at the conference by advisers, and a number of other attendees of past conferences whose 2016 leanings are being closely watched.
In a departure from years past some reporters are being allowed to attend Freedom Partners’ Policy Leader Forum series.
But, while the Koch operation intends to spend nearly $889 million in the run-up to the 2016 election, it’s considered increasingly unlikely that it will formally align behind a GOP presidential contender in the primary, owing partly to the divided loyalties of its member donors.
“The Kochs are really careful not to impose their preferences on the seminar, except when it comes to free markets,” said Levin. “So, when it comes to the specific presidential choices, our role is more about giving people exposure to the candidates. We know we can come together when there is a nominee.”
This shows how our political system is morphing into a series of financial transactions, taking the decision making out of hands of the Party's Base.
Pick me! I'll be your faithful pet.