Koch Strategy: Start Small

An article in today’s New York Times online demonstrates a key aspect of the Koch strategy to take over politics with its money.   This aspect is as genius as it is money-saving.  The idea is to start by influencing the smallest possible races, so as to be able to concentrate efforts and win control of government starting at the most local level.

The article discusses a town called Coralville, Iowa, which has taken on debt to establish a special economic zone on its waterfront property.  The Koch brothers’ organization has blanketed the community with flyers and other low-tech campaign devices, supporting a set of candidates for city council who it says will get the debt under control.  The current city government claims that it already has the debt under control and any changes would be irresponsible.  Among other things, it points to a fourfold increase in the city’s revenues.

Unfortunately for the Koch brothers, the area is heavily Democratic and appears to be well informed on political issues.  The candidates supported from the outside by the Koch brothers are not doing well amid speculations that they are, in fact, controlled from outside.

However, the Koch organization has had considerable success in backing anti-tax measures in many small towns.  The single organization identified in the Times article was said to have 35 branches across the country.  Apparently, five million dollars was designated for the race in tiny Coralville, Iowa.

The link to the Times article is at: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/04/us/politics/koch-group-has-ambitions-in-small-races.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20131104&pagewanted=all