On April 6, Popular Information published a report on Stand Together, the influential non-profit organization run by right-wing billionaire Charles Koch.
The thing that gets me is these connections aren't necessarily hard to make, no offense. These writers are potentially compromised by their funding sources, which a cursory search reveals. It's why disclosure of these possible conflicts of interest are so important to the concept of journalistic integrity.
Then again, for shills masquerading as journalists and a conservative audience that laps their work up, that might not be a concern.
To fully understand the effects of Charles Koch and his brother David (now deceased) on American politics, one should read Dark Money, by Jane Meyer. This seminal work offers a deep-dive expose on America’s transformation from constitutional Democracy to full-blown oligarchy. For the last 50 years, the Koch Brothers and their network have been at the forefront of an extreme right-wing effort to completely unravel the country as we have known it since the construct of the New Deal era. This “Libertarian” effort has been nothing less than a very blatant-and very successful-movement to enable corporations and the uber-wealthy to literally do what they want whenever they want, regardless of the effects on the public at large. Their efforts are typified by massive funding of right-wing “think tanks” and media, and sponsoring (essentially) of political candidates who share their views. I regard Dark Money as the single most important book I’ve read on recent American political history. While Leggum’s recent reporting regarding Russia has clearly caught the attention of the Koch Network, it is really only a smidge of a look at how profoundly the Kochs and other oligarchs have damaged our politics and our country.
Great reporting and response on Dark Money. Haven’t read it yet but saw her interview. The web is thick between Koch, Putin, and the ultra-conservative Supreme Court. And it deeply involves religion. I don’t know if Jane Mayer hits on it, and if you aren’t aware, you will be amazed how Koch, Catholic University of America, and the undermining of our democracy by the anti-abortion (a fund-raising tactic) movement with funding of anti-voter initiatives across the US by Alliance Defending Freedom, all with dark money funding!
This reporting needs to be picked up by bigger outlets as well. Keep proving that Koch is influencing policy and politicians with $$$. They don't dispute the facts of your reporting and that's all you needed to say to prove that they don't care about freedom or America. They care about advancing their far right religious agenda.
And this from the founders of the John Birch Society! A group of right wing anti communist extremists founded in the basement of their childhood home in Wichita, KS in 1958. Now they support Russia. I guess the money is good. Oh how the worm turns.
Judd thank you for all the time, energy and effort you and your staff expend to provide the facts and well thought out and accurate writing.
When businesses, government and church seek to influence each other with money the end result becomes ugly. The reality is that as Americans, in general, we have short memories and can be swayed depending on how long and hard the main stream media sensationalizes any given event… we become desensitized and want it to end!
I appreciate your clear and concise factual reporting. It is my hope you continue to be energized and not drained by the swamp you must wade in to keep up this much needed reporting! Popular Information provides me as an individual reader hope for our future especially when I read others comments. I no longer feel alone!
I don't know how anyone could call you lazy with a straight face. You are showing journalists everywhere how good investigative work is done. It isn't easy, but your thoroughness is a testament to your work ethic. Thank you, and keep up the invaluable Work!
Please keep up the good work. The piece on the Koch Bros and the charity Stand Together was outstanding. Caldwell is an idiot and has jeapordized the charity by writing what he origianally did. He has no rational historical perspective and deserves to be fired for being so stupid, The idiot Sohar who wrote the rebuttal is equally stupid and neither of them could write worth a damn.Tejaskr was absolutely correct and Barry thanks for the info on Dark Money-it will be the next book I order from the library. The bottom line is that the Kochs only do what absolutely benefits them directly and they think they can do what they want with no repercussions! It is time to show Stand Together, the American Project, and the Koch Bros that their day has come . Frankly based on the article Campbell authored, I now consider him and the Koch Bros to be traitors and that they have weakened America's bargining position on the world stage and to have done so in such a blatant fashion is treason. They no longer deserve the right to resideor do business in American nor should they be allowedto keep any of the gains from their treasonable actions. Maybe we could advocate for nationalizing and seizing anything that the Koch brothers own. Better yet, maybe they could become Russian oligarchs and not have access to any of the freedoms that we give so freely here. Having to live in that hinterlands of Russia and not being able to speak freely as I am sure that Putin would not on them hand and foot particularly if we took everything they had before we kicked them out of the country. Of course America is a country that would never do something like this, but as an average citizen I am outraged by Ttrumps entire term and feel that our entire way of life is being jeapordized. That these people would side with Russia is absolutely incredible. I am all for holding people accountable for their choices and they need to understand what it is like to not have the freedoms that we are blessed to have. They need to be stripped bare and laid to waste. Please keep up the great reporting. While I am not a frequent contributor, I have learned things from each and every Popular Information. PS-my daughter turned me on to a great book called Alt-America, I cannot give you the author as a friend is reading it right now, but I highly recommend it . Michael you are absolutely right on the religious angle, while I am not an athest, no illiterate, redneck, tougue speaking Awipe is ever going to tell me what I can or cannot do with my body If the South thought. the Civil War was bad, what happens after the Kangaroo court overturns Roe v Wade is going to be cataclysmic for them. Religion is a private matter and the religious right has any right to attempt to force their beliefs on anyone. Thanks to all of you for your great information and listening to this rant. Sorry it was so long .
Thank you Barbara! Loved every word, “it was (NOT) so long”! I was brought up Catholic and admire Pope Francis overall! But how many Catholics understand how the far-right, rich Catholics support Koch and fund the lawyers helping the right-wing state legislators across the Country undermine democracy by creating barriers to voters rights! It is a thick web of political (think William Barr), religious liberty (think Tim Busch of Napa Institute), legal (think Leonard Leo of Federalist Society), academic (think Catholic University of America with its professors of ethics stating publicly that far-right groups that gut voters rights but contribute money to them shouldn’t be judged), financial (think Donors Trust, the huge Donor Advised Fund that funnels hundreds of millions of $ into right-wing extremist groups including neo-nazi, white supremacy and white nationalist groups), and the list goes on!
You seem to have pressed some buttons….keep up the great work.
There isn’t a company more dangerous to the idea of a United States than Koch
Maybe Fox News?
Great work! You know you're having an impact when they start targeting you directly. Keep it up!
The thing that gets me is these connections aren't necessarily hard to make, no offense. These writers are potentially compromised by their funding sources, which a cursory search reveals. It's why disclosure of these possible conflicts of interest are so important to the concept of journalistic integrity.
Then again, for shills masquerading as journalists and a conservative audience that laps their work up, that might not be a concern.
To fully understand the effects of Charles Koch and his brother David (now deceased) on American politics, one should read Dark Money, by Jane Meyer. This seminal work offers a deep-dive expose on America’s transformation from constitutional Democracy to full-blown oligarchy. For the last 50 years, the Koch Brothers and their network have been at the forefront of an extreme right-wing effort to completely unravel the country as we have known it since the construct of the New Deal era. This “Libertarian” effort has been nothing less than a very blatant-and very successful-movement to enable corporations and the uber-wealthy to literally do what they want whenever they want, regardless of the effects on the public at large. Their efforts are typified by massive funding of right-wing “think tanks” and media, and sponsoring (essentially) of political candidates who share their views. I regard Dark Money as the single most important book I’ve read on recent American political history. While Leggum’s recent reporting regarding Russia has clearly caught the attention of the Koch Network, it is really only a smidge of a look at how profoundly the Kochs and other oligarchs have damaged our politics and our country.
Great reporting and response on Dark Money. Haven’t read it yet but saw her interview. The web is thick between Koch, Putin, and the ultra-conservative Supreme Court. And it deeply involves religion. I don’t know if Jane Mayer hits on it, and if you aren’t aware, you will be amazed how Koch, Catholic University of America, and the undermining of our democracy by the anti-abortion (a fund-raising tactic) movement with funding of anti-voter initiatives across the US by Alliance Defending Freedom, all with dark money funding!
https://www.ncronline.org/news/people/right-wing-catholic-causes-got-millions-group-funded-some-capitol-rioters
This reporting needs to be picked up by bigger outlets as well. Keep proving that Koch is influencing policy and politicians with $$$. They don't dispute the facts of your reporting and that's all you needed to say to prove that they don't care about freedom or America. They care about advancing their far right religious agenda.
And this from the founders of the John Birch Society! A group of right wing anti communist extremists founded in the basement of their childhood home in Wichita, KS in 1958. Now they support Russia. I guess the money is good. Oh how the worm turns.
Judd thank you for all the time, energy and effort you and your staff expend to provide the facts and well thought out and accurate writing.
When businesses, government and church seek to influence each other with money the end result becomes ugly. The reality is that as Americans, in general, we have short memories and can be swayed depending on how long and hard the main stream media sensationalizes any given event… we become desensitized and want it to end!
I appreciate your clear and concise factual reporting. It is my hope you continue to be energized and not drained by the swamp you must wade in to keep up this much needed reporting! Popular Information provides me as an individual reader hope for our future especially when I read others comments. I no longer feel alone!
Great work, how do you keep up with the barrage of attacks? You are a hero. My hero.
Keep this work up Judd!! And stay resilient!! You personally inspire me!
Not altruistic, highest level of hypocrisy. Keep beating the bushes and shaking the trees!
I don't know how anyone could call you lazy with a straight face. You are showing journalists everywhere how good investigative work is done. It isn't easy, but your thoroughness is a testament to your work ethic. Thank you, and keep up the invaluable Work!
Keep on uncovering these less-than-subtle facts about truth versus insinuations.
Hah! Good job putting them on the back foot.
Thank you! Stay straight and strong...Many people support your courageous work.
Please keep up the good work. The piece on the Koch Bros and the charity Stand Together was outstanding. Caldwell is an idiot and has jeapordized the charity by writing what he origianally did. He has no rational historical perspective and deserves to be fired for being so stupid, The idiot Sohar who wrote the rebuttal is equally stupid and neither of them could write worth a damn.Tejaskr was absolutely correct and Barry thanks for the info on Dark Money-it will be the next book I order from the library. The bottom line is that the Kochs only do what absolutely benefits them directly and they think they can do what they want with no repercussions! It is time to show Stand Together, the American Project, and the Koch Bros that their day has come . Frankly based on the article Campbell authored, I now consider him and the Koch Bros to be traitors and that they have weakened America's bargining position on the world stage and to have done so in such a blatant fashion is treason. They no longer deserve the right to resideor do business in American nor should they be allowedto keep any of the gains from their treasonable actions. Maybe we could advocate for nationalizing and seizing anything that the Koch brothers own. Better yet, maybe they could become Russian oligarchs and not have access to any of the freedoms that we give so freely here. Having to live in that hinterlands of Russia and not being able to speak freely as I am sure that Putin would not on them hand and foot particularly if we took everything they had before we kicked them out of the country. Of course America is a country that would never do something like this, but as an average citizen I am outraged by Ttrumps entire term and feel that our entire way of life is being jeapordized. That these people would side with Russia is absolutely incredible. I am all for holding people accountable for their choices and they need to understand what it is like to not have the freedoms that we are blessed to have. They need to be stripped bare and laid to waste. Please keep up the great reporting. While I am not a frequent contributor, I have learned things from each and every Popular Information. PS-my daughter turned me on to a great book called Alt-America, I cannot give you the author as a friend is reading it right now, but I highly recommend it . Michael you are absolutely right on the religious angle, while I am not an athest, no illiterate, redneck, tougue speaking Awipe is ever going to tell me what I can or cannot do with my body If the South thought. the Civil War was bad, what happens after the Kangaroo court overturns Roe v Wade is going to be cataclysmic for them. Religion is a private matter and the religious right has any right to attempt to force their beliefs on anyone. Thanks to all of you for your great information and listening to this rant. Sorry it was so long .
Thank you Barbara! Loved every word, “it was (NOT) so long”! I was brought up Catholic and admire Pope Francis overall! But how many Catholics understand how the far-right, rich Catholics support Koch and fund the lawyers helping the right-wing state legislators across the Country undermine democracy by creating barriers to voters rights! It is a thick web of political (think William Barr), religious liberty (think Tim Busch of Napa Institute), legal (think Leonard Leo of Federalist Society), academic (think Catholic University of America with its professors of ethics stating publicly that far-right groups that gut voters rights but contribute money to them shouldn’t be judged), financial (think Donors Trust, the huge Donor Advised Fund that funnels hundreds of millions of $ into right-wing extremist groups including neo-nazi, white supremacy and white nationalist groups), and the list goes on!
Please keep up your analysis!