Sunday, June 3, 2018

Bill Crawford: Kochs will influence MS Elections

When it comes to government, Charles and David Koch want to influence, some say control, the political thoughts of all Americans. Yes, including Mississippians.

The Koch brothers and their super wealthy compatriots are spending billions of dollars to inform, many say indoctrinate, Americans on how to think about government, how to vote, and how to take down contrary elected officials.

The sprawling, sophisticated Koch network ranges from its grassroots army, Americans for Prosperity founded by David Koch in 2004, to its funding arm, Freedom Partners founded in 2011 that funnels money Koch network ventures, to its affiliated conservative think tanks like the Cato Institute, Fraser Institute, and Heritage Foundation, to its higher education ventures funded by various Koch family charities, to its like-minded coalition of billionaires who pump hundreds of millions of dollars into political campaigns across the country.

And that's not all. Indeed, the pervasiveness of the Koch thought machine across America is mind boggling, some say frightening, even reaching deep into Mississippi politics.


A foundation Charles Koch created (now defunct) spent millions over decades to fund groups advocating the Koch agenda, including conservative state-based think tanks affiliated with the national State Policy Network, e.g., the Mississippi Center for Public Policy. The Koch network has continued funding the State Policy Network and its affiliated American Legislative Exchange Council of which Mississippi Speaker of the House Philip Gunn is a board member. School choice advocate Empower Mississippi is the latest link in this network.

The Charles Koch Foundation has spent millions to push Koch thinking onto college campuses, including Mississippi State University. In 2015 the university announced formation of its Institute for Market Studies to be funded with nearly $2.5 million of Koch money over six years. Since then, MSU associate professor Claudia Williamson, co-director of the Institute, has been an active voice for economic policies aligned with Koch thinking.

The Mississippi chapter of Americans for Prosperity has risen in power to dominate thinking on many legislative issues. The chapter has strongly touted Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves for promoting its agenda. It is expected to play a dominant role in next year’s legislative elections.

As they infiltrate American politics, the Koch brothers, owners of the second largest private company in America, have used populist themes to pursue extremist policies beneficial to their vast business interests. Many of these anti-government policies, such as sweeping deregulation and big tax cuts, harken back to David Koch’s 1980 run for vice president on the Libertarian Party ticket. Among other issues, the party platform called for abolition of the FBI, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Department of Energy and the end of Social Security and all personal and corporate income taxes.

“Average Americans are realizing that they are being cheated a fair shot at building a better life,” wrote David Koch in a fundraising letter last month for Americans for Prosperity. He, again, pitched “economic freedom and opportunity” as the alternative.

This siren call of personal freedom lures many while shrewdly obscuring the real goal – freedom for corporate titans to do as they please.

Yes, the deliberate, relentless Koch brothers have deeply rooted their thought machine into American politics. Its machinations will greatly influence Mississippi state politics and elections next year.


Crawford (crawfolk@gmail.com) is a syndicated columnist from Meridian.

37 comments:

Anonymous said...

What’s the point of this article?

Anonymous said...

Who the hell is Bill Crawford anyway?

Anonymous said...

George Soros.

Anonymous said...

There used to be a Republican from Meridian named Bill Crawford. I wonder if this guy knows him.

Anonymous said...

And not a word about that old Nazi (a real, WWII Nazi) George Soros using his billions to replace DAs and Secretaries of State in multiple states and counties with his minions. How do you think Al Franken was able to steal a Senate seat in Minnesota weeks after the votes were cast, when he kept showing up with box after box of "suddenly discovered" ballots, 99% of which were for Franken. But Salter seems oblivious to this.......

Anonymous said...

I guess Crawford is trying to pick up where Bill Minor left off, attacking those he disagrees with instead of challenging their ideas. Bill outs himself as a tin foil hat wearing, black helicopter conspiracy theorist, no different from the loons on the right who gripe all the time about Soros.

Anonymous said...

Yea, and Netflix billionaire founders Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph are influencing (some say controlling) political thoughts of Americans with their left wing propaganda via so-called documentaries on Netflix, where many of the lazy get their “history” these days. Hell, Netflix just recently cut a deal with Obama and another pathological liar leftist named Susan Rice.

The point of this article? Well I’m guessing ole Bill Crawford doesn’t want you to be influenced by, well, people with views that he doesn’t like, including the libertarian views of the Koch brothers. So, he uses that “billionaire” word all leftist like to use, as if everybody is supposed to be stupid enough not to know that some of the richest billionaire’s in America supported Hillary Clinton and many other leftist Democrats (like the Netflix founders above).

If I am correct, then Bill Crawford is propagandist for the Democratic Party and all readers should be informed of such.

Anonymous said...

This was so dumb.

Anonymous said...

Most Mississippians do not even know who the Koch brothers are . . . Please . . .

Anonymous said...

Thank goodness for businessmen such as the Koch brothers that are fed up with seeing our country deteriorate from a super power to one of pervasive bureaucratic overreach that, yes Bill, some would say has become controlling and frightening.

Anonymous said...

I have yet to read an article from Bill Crawford that I felt better off having read. This one is no exception. Crawford is a leftist gadfly and his words are a waste of space.

Anonymous said...

The government is too big. Too over reaching. It’s paralyzing. It’s anti-freedom, and sadly most cheer it on not realizing that their fascist views are the final straws in businesses offshoring jobs. India—-India has more freedom for commerce than does America. The “grow the government so big that you can’t live your life” 2 party system needs to look in the mirror and ask itself why it’s got me wanting to move to Thailand or some other highly favored ex-pat locale where at least I’m told upfront that I don’t have rights. We don’t even have individual freedom anymore. Get a clue.

Your “great work/experiment” thingie has been an abject failure and a colossal waste of funny money AND TO TOP IT OFF, it shows no signs of slowing down.

Anonymous said...

The comments prove the thesis.

Anonymous said...

@4:44 it doesn’t take the Koch brothers or their old libertarian platform to at least acknowledge that the country that was here only 20 years back is not the country that exists today. It doesn’t take a super genius to figure out that the governed have been sold down the river without the governed’s consent.

Anonymous said...

1:53 PM George Soros is Jewish and was a child during WWII. Posting anti-Semetic remarks reveals what you are about.

Anonymous said...

This was a good fictional piece of mostly imaginary ties

Anonymous said...

Are they any relation to the Koch Foods that utilizes a work force that may or may not be properly documented to work in the USA? The same processing plants that NEVER get raided even though everyone in the towns they are located in know?

For anyone living in Pearl or Brandon, if you ever notice the large number of Scott County car tags at Walmart and the large number of possible undocumented workers shopping there, they drive from the area with a certain chicken processing plant that may or may not have Koch in the name.

Maybe I am wrong and they just share some other interesting affiliations.

Anonymous said...

At least the Koch's own companies that produce value in jobs and wealth. So Bill, do you instead prefer the socialist world of Bernie Sanders?

Anonymous said...

1:53 I am well aware Soros is Jewish, which make his collaboration with Nazis even more abhorrent. His age was meaningless - he was a collaborator against his own people.

OTOH maybe he was just the equivalent of MS13 in his day, showing that "spark of divinity" as he helped his co-religionists head toward the camps. Good luck defending Nazis.

Anonymous said...

Most Mississippians need to be more worried about the Barbour and McConnell political machines controlling MS politics and politicians...

Anonymous said...

The messenger is getting shot again. It may not be this year but the sooner than later the populace will rise up against this travesty.

Anonymous said...

8:55 pm — a 5 second search on Wiki reveals the answer to your question. The answer is No. Koch foods doesn’t have anything to do with the Koch brothers. But, thanks for confusing the issue when 5 seconds of your time would have answered your staggeringly difficult question.

Anonymous said...

9:13; If, to you, age is meaningless, how do you explain your theory that a little boy 'collaborated with Nazis'? I don't know the age of Soros but find it hard to imagine that a ten year old did much collaboration during WWII.

Anonymous said...

11:22PM - Get a load of the guy still using wikipedia.org as reference in 2018! Ha! I guess you haven't seen the tech news where google.com has been humiliated by using wikipedia.org as a reference in their knowledge boxes?

I'm glad to see someone is bringing awareness to an issue that really needs to be addressed. Illegals come here to work. It is illegal to employ them. How much money is changing hands to turn a blind eye to these crimes in Mississippi?

Anonymous said...

At least Soros uses his money for the greater good.

Anonymous said...

8:55, yes, yes you are wrong, but thank you for being liberal and casting out some incorrect rhetoric without facts trying to associate something illegal with the topic at hand to discredit them. This is common place among people of your ilk these days.

Anonymous said...

6:16, get a load of these facts from the Koch Foods website:

"Are you related to other companies with the Koch name?

Koch Foods is an independent, privately held company that specializes in the processing of poultry. We are in no way affiliated with the Koch brothers, Koch Industries, Koch Companies or any other organization that uses the Koch name."

Link: http://kochfoodsinc.com/our-company/faq



I'm glad to see you're not using your Google App to find the correct answers. Took all of 30 seconds, but yes, lets bring awareness to something that doesn't pertain to the subject at hand. I wonder if you get humiliated for trying to be an ass, and being wrong at the same time.

Anonymous said...

Since you think so, what is the greater good he's paying for?

Wiseowl said...

This must be written by the same Bill Crawford who once ran for President.

Anonymous said...

@ 8:40

Running General Nathan Bedford Forrest Algood out of office?

Anonymous said...

Good article. I think a large number of Mississippians are guilty of voting for candidates based solely on the R next to their name. If more of us would consider what positions most of these candidates are pushing and how their votes line up with their paid corporate sponsors, we would likely come to a much different decision at the ballot box.

Anonymous said...

As abhorrent and worthless as Soros is, we need to realize that he was 10-14 years old during WWII.

And, 3:37, I'm sure you meant to include 'D' in your second sentence. Please be more careful prior to hitting the 'enter' key.

Anonymous said...

Yahoos, neither the Kochs nor Soros should be able to do what they are doing.

It should be illegal for any one citizen to contribute more than $1000 to any one candidate . That should include any business or corporation since our Supreme Court has been successfully politicized and thinks an organization is a " citizen".

PS The Kochs' grandfather actually did openly support Hitler . While Soros and his family were working with the underground making false documents for Jews and the Allies in the same time period.

None of us should see ANY information generated by Kochs or Soros supported entities as ANYTHING other than BIASED.

Anonymous said...

It should be illegal for any one citizen to contribute more than $1000 to any one candidate.

Why?

Anonymous said...

@ 8:47 AM said: None of us should see ANY information generated by Kochs or Soros supported entities as ANYTHING other than BIASED.


And...None of us should see ANY information generated by Bill Crawford or any other propagandist posing as a journalist as ANYTHING other than BIASED.

Unknown said...

There is a 2-part Freakonomics podcast called "Why Hate the Koch Brothers" that was SO VERY interesting. I've listened to it more than one time - lots of detail on what Charles Koch really believes. Host tried hard to lead him into expected rhetoric, but the man seemed sincerely motivated to improve things. I find it better to go to the original source for information on what someone's agenda.

Anonymous said...

7:51 "Soros uses his money for the greater good" WTF? Antifa and BLM? These are violence advocating terrorist organizations. And to the other commentator who thinks Soros was a child during WW11, HE ADMITS he was a Nazi collaborator dispossessing Jews of their property.


Recent Comments

Search Jackson Jambalaya

Subscribe to JJ's Youtube channel

Archives

Trollfest '09

Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.

Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.


Note: Security provided by INS.

Trollfest '07

Jackson Jambalaya is the home of Trollfest '07. Catch this great event which promises to leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Sonjay Poontang and his band headline the night with a special steel cage, no time limit "loser must leave town" bout between Alan Lange and "Big Cat"Donna Ladd following afterwards. Kamikaze will perform his new song F*** Bush, he's still a _____. Did I mention there was no referee? Dr. Heddy Matthias and Lori Gregory will face off in the undercard dueling with dangling participles and other um, devices. Robbie Bell will perform Her two latest songs: My Best Friends are in the Media and Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be George Bell. Sid Salter of The Clarion-Ledger will host "Pin the Tail on the Trial Lawyer", sponsored by State Farm.

There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

Note: Security provided by INS
.