The Koch Brother’s Ties to GOP Presidential Candidates

Oil billionaires David and Charles Koch use their oil wealth to misinform Americans and influence the GOP. The Koch brothers have spent $55 million to fund climate denial front groups, their agenda includes efforts to undermine the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Koch Industries has given generously to conservative politicians throughout the country at both the federal and state level and many Republicans including GOP presidential candidates are known to have ties to the brothers.

Koch Industries War with the EPA

Koch Industries has been at war with the EPA for decades. Rather than accept the EPA's science based approach to managing climate change, Koch funds organizations that fabricate their own facts and publish propaganda papers that pose as credible academic information. Armed with a blatent disregard for the facts, Koch industries is fighting the EPA on initiatives ranging from efforts to reduce surface Ozone, to the classification of formaldehyde as a carcinogen.

Some truly absurd statements have come out of the Koch created think tank known as the Mercantus Center. In response to the EPA move to reduce surface ozone in 1997, Susan Dudley, a senior official at the Mercatus Center, argued that smog actually benefits humans because it reduces the incidence of skin cancer.

Koch Industries is taking on the EPA and they are mustering all the support they can buy to divest the agency of their regulatory powers.

Rather than pursue legislation that could force Koch Industries into line with the facts or protect the EPA from the Kochs' assaults, many members of the House and the Senate seem to share the Koch agenda.

Last June, forty-seven of the Senate's 100 senators voted to permanently strip the EPA of its power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Some legislators are planning another attempt at passing legislation that would suspend the EPA's regulation of greenhouse gases.

A good illustration of the scope of Koch Industries influence involves their resistance to the EPA's attempt to classify formaldehyde as a “known carcinogen.” Koch Industries has been lobbying to prevent this from happening. It is no coincidence that the company produces formaldehyde in great quantities.

The ownership of Koch Industries is not deterred by the experimental evidence indicating that formaldehyde causes cancer. When you are the owner of one of the world's most powerful corporations you wield tremendous power and you have access to the levers of power.

David Koch, the owner of Koch Industries, disagrees with the science on formaldehyde, and this is a point which he argues from his position on the National Cancer Advisory Board.


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Tea Party Candidates and O'Donnell's Constitution Confusion

The Tea Party has already had a powerful impact on the forthcoming midterm elections, however, many are asking questions about the competence of Tea Party candidates.

Jobs are a predictable indicator of electoral outcomes, but the Republicans inclusion of Tea Party candidates, with radical conservative agendas, may test this theory.

The Tea Party movement is putting pressure on Republican leaders to significantly cut spending and taxes, to repeal health care legislation and financial regulations passed this year, and to phase out Social Security and Medicare in favor of personal savings accounts.

Will the Tea Party's radical conservatism succeed? Will misinformation campaigns paid for with corporate cash be enough to cause Americans to confuse political gridlock with advancing the national interest? Will anger cause Americans to overlook the questionable intellects of Tea Party Candidates?

In Delaware, the nomination of tea-party-backed Christine O'Donnell, has clearly helped her opponent, Democrat Chris Coons. Coons has said he supports efforts to control greenhouse gases blamed for climate change. O'Donnell, who worked with Sarah Palin's people, is using scare tactics claiming that a vote for her opponent will cost the average Delaware family up to $10,000. There is no basis for this statement, even O'Donnell was not able to explain how she came up with that number, however, her campaign does make use of reports from the conservative propaganda machine known as the Heritage Foundation.

The O'Donnell campaign has offered some unbelievable soundbites. Christine O'Donnell's now infamous statement, "I am not a witch, I am you" was eclipsed by a classic moment that epitomizes the worst of this new slate of Tea Pary Republicans. On October 19, Christine O'Donnell seemed incredulous when she was told that the separation of church and state was in the Constitution.

O'Donnell, who badly trails Coons, is leading many Republicans to believe that the nomination of O'Donnell, has given away Delaware. Had she not won the nomination, Rep. Michael Castle (R), Delaware would likely have been a Republican win.

Kentucky is a Republican held state where many are also asking questions about the GOP nominee Rand Paul, another tea party candidate.

Of the eight nationally known Tea Party supported candidates, pollsters now say only a few have a chance of winning. But Tea Partiers are involved in at least 35 races across the country.

The Tea Party may end up hurting Republicans more than helping. Polls suggest that in the Senate, the hurt may outweigh the help. O'Donnel is not the only The Tea Party candidate whose questionable grasp of the issues, are undermining Republican chances. In Nevada, for example, Sharon Angle, has improved the odds that Senator Harry Reid, the leader of the Democratic majority, hangs onto his seat.

Americans are angry, but are they so mad that they will vote for a slate of incompetents? We will have to wait until November 2, 2010 to find out if protest votes are enough to carry either the House or the Senate.


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