What? Charles Koch Lied To Us? Where Are My Smelling Salts? I Feel A Faint Coming On!

2. A memo released Sunday by @AFPAction, a central part of the Koch network, lamented that the GOP was "nominating bad candidates."

The memo claims AFP will now be more active in GOP primaries, opposing Trump and his allies

The credulous headlines quickly followed pic.twitter.com/qutblhnPyd

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 7, 2023

We start in 2023. Then, we go back 3 years, to 2020:

4. After 147 GOP members of Congress voted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, the Koch network announced that the vote would "weigh heavy in our evaluation of future support." And Koch would "support those policymakers who reject the politics of division.

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 7, 2023

Tl;dr: from 2020 to 2022, Koch spent almost $70 million supporting Republicans and/or opposing Democrats, and $0 supporting Democrats.

7. In addition, @KochIndustries PAC, which is also controlled by Charles Koch, was the top corporate supporter to members of Congress that voted to overturn the election -- by a wide margin pic.twitter.com/LQBeXTF2M7

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 7, 2023

And heavily supported GOP candidates who voted to overturn the 2020 election, the very event that caused Koch to announce he was "reconsidering" his partisanship.

9. Meanwhile, Charles Koch is pushing the narrative that he is the person who will save the party from Trump and other extremists. And the media is amplifying these claims without any context. It's not the first time. https://t.co/237IDEZYCX

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 7, 2023

Yeah, there's a pattern here. Let's go back to 2018:

11. In the 2018 cycle, @AFPAction spent $3,948,640 supporting Republicans and $2,835,924 opposing Democrats. AFP Action spent zero dollars supporting Democrats. https://t.co/237IDEZYCX

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 7, 2023

Those headlines look very familiar. So does the spending: $6 million for the GOP, $0 for the Democrats. Very bipartisan. So let's look back another 2 years:

13. Charles Koch, however, ended up providing critical financial support to Trump's successful campaign. He spent millions on ads that, while formally opposing Democratic Senate candidates, savaged Trump's opponent Hillary Clinton.https://t.co/237IDEZYCX

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 7, 2023

Again, lots of ads attacking Democrats. But not partisan! All the headlines said so! The credulity of the media is the truly appalling part of this story. Fair and balanced! Totally objective! And like the proverbial goose, every two years is a new day for the political press!

In that same vein:

Let's talk about all the things @kaitlancollins did not cover.

1) THE SCOPE OF THIS HEARING includes the takedown of non-consensual dick pics, including some posted by Bannon's associate Guo Wengui. Please hold @JamesComer accountable for dick pics being his top priority. https://t.co/0Bj4vxYoWR

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) February 7, 2023

3) Please be ready to walk congressmen through the difference between DATA and HARDWARE. They're dumb. They need people to hold their hand on the difference.

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) February 7, 2023

If you hold James Comer accountable for all the idiocy he is pitching, you will cut down on the amount of time you will spend catering to idiocy over the next two years.

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) February 7, 2023

And no, I'm not yet ready to quit pounding on the media:

Anyone else seeing this trend, that cable media hosts are bewildered that Joe Biden’s messaging on his white hot economy isn’t penetrating somehow? Wonder what the variable is? https://t.co/eSNFV6U6P6

— John Powers (@ReportingfromNY) February 7, 2023

“Why don’t people know about all of this administration’s accomplishments?” ask the people that just stared at a balloon for a week.

— Schooley (@Rschooley) February 7, 2023

Oh, dear, what could the matter be?

Might as well offer the counterpoint to that:

Here are all of President Biden’s accomplishments so far— this’ll take a while. pic.twitter.com/K7M0Zfaq7N

— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) February 7, 2023

 

I'll retire to Bedlam.