Bridge Project Digital Ads Targeting NCLR Conference Reveal Truth Of Koch-Backed LIBRE Initiative

Bridge Project today announced it is running digital ads targeting attendees of the National Council of La Raza’s Annual Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, highlighting the truth behind the subversive motives of the Koch-funded LIBRE Initiative — a Koch brothers Latino-outreach front group, whose political motivations run counter to those of the Hispanic community.

One of the ads will target the group’s executive director, Daniel Garza, whose past comments reveal the LIBRE Initiative’s true agenda. Garza has expressed outrage over DACA, the executive order protecting DREAMers, denouncing it as “pandering” and “dangerous,” and called DAPA — which would extend those protections to members of DREAMers’ families — “executive overreach.” A second ad will highlight a LIBRE Initiative spokesperson’s unabashedly offensive characterization of undocumented immigrants as “illegals.”

The truth is LIBRE Initiative’s sole mission is to promote the Koch agenda above all else — and it shamelessly does so at the expense of Hispanics, by actively campaigning […]

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Banking On Obstruction

Tonight at midnight, with the expiration of the Export-Import Bank, Republicans will put their quest for the Kochs’ support ahead of American jobs. The bank’s renewal would usually go without a hitch, but the Kochs’ huge lobbying push through Americans for Prosperity has thrown a wrench in an already dysfunctional GOP-led Congress. The Kochs’ (highly hypocritical) opposition to the bank is, like everything else they do, purely profit-driven. Their crusade against the bank is not fueled by free market values but greed. By dismantling the 81-year-old bank, Republicans are putting American jobs and the economy at risk, all because their billionaire puppet masters want to boost their bottom line.

Read more about the Kochs and the Ex-Im in the Bridge Project report, “Banking On Obstruction.”

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What The Kochs Consider “Common Sense” Means More Health Risks For Americans

Increased risk of asthma attack, bronchitis, cardiovascular disease and, yes, premature death: These are some of the adverse health effects that the EPA cites in their call for mercury emissions regulations. But the Kochs continually disregard health risks to protect their profits.

In 2012, according to the U.S. Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act Database, Koch Companies Public Sector – the lobbying arm of the brothers’ corporate empire – spent three out of four quarters lobbying on a resolution for the Senate to formally disapprove of the EPA’s MATS standards. So it comes as no surprise that the Koch-allied think tank, the Cato Institute, spiked the proverbial football after the Supreme Court ruled against the EPA’s MATS emission regulations in State of Michigan vs. EPA today.

In their press release Cato says the Supreme Court’s decision is a “clear victory for common sense.” How convenient that “common sense” rules in favor of their billionaire benefactors as well as the amicus brief that Cato submitted on Michigan’s behalf.

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Kochs Still Preventing 600,000 From Getting Medicaid in North Carolina

The Kochs took a hit with the announcement of an Obamacare win in the King v. Burwell Supreme Court decision, but don’t expect that to stop them from doing their damnedest to prevent more people from getting covered. In response to the decision, the Kochs’ political strong arm, Americans for Prosperity (AFP) has already released a new ad against Obamacare. AFP and the Kochs are also campaigning hard to prevent the expansion of Medicaid around the country. The latest ACA news has brought back that fight into focus, with North Carolina as one of the key decision states.
 
North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory already rejected the expansion back in 2013, but now the state has a second chance to help cover its nearly 600,000 uninsured residents. The latest calls for change have been met by AFP-North Carolina with dismissal. In a December post on their website, AFP-North Carolina Director Donald Bryson said that “refusing Medicaid […]

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Hold your horses — Kochs and GOP will continue to fight ACA

More than six million Americans are breathing a sigh of relief today knowing they’ll be able to keep their affordable health insurance, but the scene at Koch headquarters is undoubtedly whipping into a frenzy. They’re gearing up for the next fight to prevent Medicaid expansion in the states and getting ready to bark orders at GOP politicians like Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush eager to follow their lead.

For people who prioritize return on investment, today’s ruling dealt a huge blow to the Kochs, who spent millions to bring King v. Burwell to the Supreme Court and to stop Medicaid expansion.  Now more than ever, they will work with conservative state governments and GOP candidates to push their extreme agenda.

With this latest defeat, the Kochs and their Republican allies are setting their sights on next year’s court decisions and, of course, the White House.

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Bridge Project releases Concerned Women for America report

Bridge Project is releasing an in-depth report on Concerned Women for America, another Koch brothers front group. While the Kochs try to promote an image of themselves as libertarians who stay out of controversial social issues, more than $11.5 million of Koch-connected money has gone to the extremist group CWA. CWA’s self-declared mission is to “protect and promote Biblical values” and to “restore the family to its traditional purpose.”

Read the report here.

CWA garners most of their media attention through the outlandish statements made by the group’s leaders. Recently, a male CWA staffer wrote, “I wish that I was Bruce Jenner’s father,” and suggested that if Caitlyn Jenner had validation from a father figure, she wouldn’t be going through this “Caitlyn fantasy.” CWA staff has also criticized the Disney movie Frozen for empowering women while villainizing masculinity and “tearing men down,” and previously accused Harry Potter of “indoctrinating” students in “paganism and the occult.”

Although these […]

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NEW REPORT: Kochs vs. The Pope

Ever since Pope Francis signaled that he would be issuing an encyclical, or papal teaching, definitively stating that climate change is man-made and calling for swift action, the Koch brothers’ network has been desperately trying to get ahead of the narrative. CNN described the Koch-funded Heartland Institute as “the headquarters for the U.S.-based opposition to Pope Francis’ climate change plans.” Heartland “churned out podcasts, videos, and white papers, and recently arranged a trip to Rome — all in an effort to build opposition to the pope’s environmental message.”

Heartland argued that Pope Francis was “out of his element” and was being misled by UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon, who “violate[d] the Eighth Commandment” by “bear[ing] false witness” on climate data. And they’re not alone– candidates seeking the approval of the Kochs told the Holy Father to stay out of politics.  Jeb Bush, who cited the pope while defending […]

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One More LIBRE Lie: ‘Voter ID Laws Don’t Hurt Latinos’

Image Credit: nshepard

It’s well documented that voter ID laws disproportionately disenfranchise Latinos, the same demographic for which the LIBRE Initiative claims to be advocating. Yet, the Koch-backed organization’s executive director, Daniel Garza, said he was in favor of the policy yesterday, with NBC News reporting Garza claims “he has no problem with requiring identification to vote because he believes in preserving the ‘integrity’ of the vote.”

The truth is: needless voter ID laws only serve to build up barriers to the ballot box for those that aren’t receptive to the Koch brothers’ regressive vision for America. As the New York Times noted on Monday, “There is virtually no in-person voter fraud; the purpose of these laws is to suppress voting.” Even a top RNC official admitted voter fraud is basically a straw-man of the right’s creation.

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Bridge Project Wraps Up the “Month’s Supply of Koch”

Bridge Project is wrapping up the “Month’s Supply of Koch,” where we dedicated the month of May to exposing the Koch brothers and their sprawling political organization. Throughout May, Bridge Project released in-depth reports on the Koch brothers’ shady methods that seek to rig the system in their favor in key states and through front groups.

Now that the Kochs are pledging to spend almost $900 million on the 2016 elections, the GOP presidential wannabes are clamoring for the title of most Koch-friendly candidate.  With our “Koch Tank” video, Bridge Project gave you a sneak peak at the Kochs’ auditions to find the best candidate to buy – that is, whoever will best implement their self-serving agenda. Beyond “Koch Tank,” we released state reports on the Kochs’ devastating effects on Florida and Iowa, and exposed their shallow and underhanded attempts to manipulate Hispanics and millennials.

Beginning with a New York Times expose on David Koch‘s libertarian run for president, Bridge Project has been committed to exposing […]

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REPORT: The Kochs’ Transparent Attempt To Pander To Millennials

Bridge Project’s “Month’s Supply of Koch” is dwindling as we approach the end of May with the release of the fourth report: “GenFlop: The Kochs’ Transparent Attempt to Pander to #Millennials.” The latest report is a deep dive into Generation Opportunity, the Kochs’ youth outreach front group, which spreads their libertarian, profit-driven agenda to millennials.

Much of GenOpp’s advocacy is focused on lower-profile campaigns that would appeal to young people, such as supporting food trucks and ride-sharing apps like Uber. However, these smaller campaigns are designed to build an audience of millennials to whom the Koch agenda can be pitched; this agenda is aimed at boosting the Kochs’ bottom line, often at the expense of these same young people. Besides reaching millennials via social media, Generation Opportunity has also spent millions from their Koch-raised coffers on ads and grassroots lobbying efforts such as hosting events on college campuses.

Read more after the jump.
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