Controversial Koch brothers criticized in new political ad

(CBS News) Patriot Majority USA, a group associated with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, has launched a new TV ad that doesn't attack a specific candidate but instead criticizes the wealthy conservative donors David and Charles Koch.

"If you spend $400 million you expect something in return," the narrator says with an image of the billionaire Koch brothers, who are expected to spend hundreds of millions of dollars this election in an effort to defeat Democrats and President Obama. "To buy this year's election and advance this year's agenda."

"What's their payback?" the ad continues. "Politicians who will pass laws that will benefit special interests but hurt the middle class."

The Koch brothers are worth an estimated $25 billion from their energy enterprise, Koch Industries, and David Koch is the founder of the political group Americans for Prosperity, which has spent more than $20 million on campaign ads this cycle, according to media-tracker CMAG.

The group's $500,000 ad buy is part of their new "stop the greed" campaign meant to shine a spotlight on money in politics.

Although many Americans have likely not heard of the Koch brothers or know much about outside spending groups, Patriot Majority's campaign hopes to draw attention to wealthy donors who play a significant role in financing the political discourse, especially on TV.

This ad is the beginning of a larger campaign consisting of online ads, direct mail and citizen outreach that will last beyond the election and into next year focusing on what Patriot Majority President Craig Varoga calls "the greed agenda."

"The Koch Brothers and their special interest friends have been pursuing their Greed Agenda for decades. Just as Rome was not built in a day, it will take a lot more than a few months to stop the Greed Agenda. The effort that we're beginning this week will eventually include all 50 states and will continue at the local, state and federal levels," Varoga said.

Like the Koch-run Americans for Prosperity, Patriot Majority USA is classified as a tax-exempt, non-profit organization and does not have to provide detailed monthly fundraising reports nor does it have to release the name of its donors.

[thefatcat2]

IF YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL AND USE FOSSIL FUELS
Obama says you are a Bad, Bad, person.
How many Obama unemployed > 25 million AND 4 million ON disability.
Obama says this is a Measure of true success PLUS His 15 Million He added on Food stamps.

[cubscout09]

Here's a synopsis of the tricks the Koch's pulled with Bob Dole, their pet senator.

http://www.businessweek.com/stories/1996-03-31/bob-doles-oil-patch-pals

Paul Ryan and Herman Cain were also groomed for office by the Kochs.

[D-day1]

Fortunately Harry Reid would never take money from big business, or banks, or those self sacrificing lawyers. How about a peek at his top 14 donors.

MGM Resorts International
Weitz & Luxenberg
Girardi & Keese
Simmons Cooper LLC
Caesars Entertainment
Station Casinos
Apollo Advisors
Blackstone Group
Baron & Budd
JPMorgan Chase & Co
Law Offices of Peter G Angelos
Morgan & Morgan
Torchmark Corp
Boyd Gaming
Yep, I am a hypocrite

[chhhhhh]

The difference is that the Koch Brothers are worth $50 billion and Harry Reid is worth $5 million (which is less than 1% of the Koch Brothers). Don't be a mathematical dumba$s. Obviously, the power difference is colossal.

Typical Repug refusing to use a scientific or mathematical basis for his argument.

[crapsshoot]

the koch brothers have been trying to take over the country for decades for their own agenda. they want to run the country from a back office. show them money can't buy the most powerful country in the world. its true, both parties have large donors, at least chase is not flooding the airwaves with outright lies to capture the government the way the koch brothers have been trying to accomplish. there way is by any means necessary.

[borrowedladder28]

Here is the underlying message for this Patriot Majority Ad...
The Koch brothers are evil, unless they donate to liberal causes then they're cool in our book.

Liberals are like whiny children losing at a game of Monopoly. They won't be happy until they've restarted the game enough times such that the chips are stacked in their favor. The only difference between a game of Monopoly and real life is that social liberals cannot complain about everyone not starting out materially equal in a board game.

[chhhhhh]

AD HOMINEM: an illogical fallacy and attempt to negate the truth of a claim by pointing out a negative characteristic or belief of the person supporting it.

Instead of using an illogical and irrelevant ad hominem attack, why don't you defend the practices of the Koch Brothers and explain why they've been funding multiple institutions to defend their special beliefs - i.e. claiming that global warming is not real and protecting oil-lobbying interests?

[mkrand01]

I support this action and will provide funds to make sure people understand who the Koch brothers are and what they are doing... They are the worst of the worst. Anti-American and bullies on top of everything else.

[sandy 1027]

Every citizen who is serious about having a political system that is fair,above aboard , and works for the American people should do their own independent research on the Koch Brothers, their activities and agenda- referencing MULTIPLE, CREDIBLE sources.The only conclusion that any honest person can reach is that they have sought to manipulate and rig the political process via money. They have driven an agenda on taxes, unions, fiscal policy, etc., throughout the country ( and in Washington, of course) that is detrimental to most of America, but very beneficial for themselves, and others in their tax bracket.The Kochs are not that ideologically-motivated; but they have used the Tea Party, and other grassroots organizations that are ideologically-driven,to reach their goals, unbeknownst to many of the people involved.The power of big-money donors is scary and appalling; but what's even scarier is the fact that people are so gullible, indifferent; and have been conned into voting against what's best for themselves and their families by the Koch Brothers,et.al.

[0bama2O12]

Well said. The only ones not conned are the ones voting for President Obama.

[s37en]

nothing like the stupidity of teh left. use 500,000 dollars to bash using money in politics. if you are american you vote R/R if you want your life controlled by big gov't you vote for the current failure that has our dollar worth less and less every minute he is in office. Food stamp president be GONE

[retiredgustav]

It is not as stupid as our supreme court ruling that corporations are people. This ruling very well may be the downfall of our country and the conservatives are just too blind to see it.

[mkrand01]

You should have gone to school, it would have helped you express yourself a bit better.

[jtdev1]

Let the Koch Brothers have all the money they want. They can only use it for at most 20 more years before they too will die and CAN'T TAKE IT WITH THEM.

People are so stupid to waste their entire life in the pursuit of money.

[Dancing-in-the-Streets]

They are welcome to have however much money they can scrape up!

But now they want the political power too.
They want to buy the country.

[TimeToEvolve]

Now we are living with the end result of this ridiculous failed idea of Reaganomics. That somehow what is good for a few greedy billionaires is good for me and you. The Koch Brothers can literally buy our elections and they are doing it.

They fund anti-science groups and now we are consuming more than ever and causing the end of earth's climate as we know it. We are enriching a few like the Koch Suckers who could not care less about the rest of us and we are all paying for the riches as our kid's education and future slides down the toilet hole.

And we somehow let the wacko Republicons who thought up the entire problem run for office and have positions of power to do even more damage. Unbelievable.