When a company does a rash of hiring, it usually means they are expecting a rush of business. Don't look now but the Billionaires' political 'business arm' -- is Hiring!
Koch-linked groups boost staff, ads ahead of midterms
by Fredreka Schouten, USA TODAY -- June 13, 2014
WASHINGTON — Americans for Prosperity, traditionally one of the Koch brothers' most active arms, has more than doubled its field staff since the last mid-term elections as it works to build an aggressive ground and data-gathering operation to help conservative causes.
The Virginia-based group now employs 240 full-time staffers in 32 states, up from fewer than 100 workers in 2010, said president Tim Phillips.
"Our goal is to build a long-term, permanent infrastructure," he said. "We want policy victories at the state, local and federal level that bring greater economic freedom."
Billionaire industrialists Charles Koch and David Koch helped found the group, and David Koch serves as chairman of the AFP Foundation's board of directors.
[...]
This political arm of the Koch Industries
empire will soon have many staff persuading people
to vote their way --
than does the Republican Party itself. Now that's power.
Americans For Prosperity may be America’s third-biggest political party
by Philip Bump, The Fix, washingtonpost.com -- June 19, 2014
Staffing
AFP's 240 paid staff isn't that many, when split between 32 states. But it's comparable to the Republican party, which, according to the organization's Kirsten Kurkowski, will have 250 people in the field in November. (On top of that, the RNC has 150 people in its headquarters.)
What does Americans for Prosperity (AFP) has to say about itself ... and about its deep pockets "founders/directors"?
Well it sounds innocent enough, at first. Organizing "grassroots citizens" -- who can be against that?
About Americans for Prosperity -- AmericansForProsperity.org
Our Missions
Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is committed to educating citizens about economic policy and mobilizing those citizens as advocates in the public policy process. AFP is an organization of grassroots leaders who engage citizens in the name of limited government and free markets on the local, state, and federal levels. AFP grassroots activists advocate for public policies that champion the principles of entrepreneurship and fiscal and regulatory restraint. [...]
What We Do
AFP’s network of organized and influential citizen leaders in a growing number of states throughout the country is working to change the nation one state at a time.
* AFP mobilizes citizens to effectively make their voices heard in public policy issue campaigns.
* AFP educates citizens about where their elected officials stand on our issues.
[...]
The fingerprints of the ongoing influence of the Billionaire Brothers on AFP is rather hard to find (on their web site). They don't exactly advertize that One Percent Corporate connection to that 'grass-roots public', that they are courting.
Even though USA Today says, "David Koch serves as chairman of the AFP Foundation's board of directors."
I did however find this interesting tidbit on the Americans for Prosperity Directors page:
Richard Fink -- Director
Dr. Richard Fink is an executive vice president and member of the board of directors of Koch Industries, Inc. He is a director for several Koch companies including Flint Hills Resources, LLC, a refining and petrochemical company; and INVISTA, a global fibers, resins and intermediates company. Richard is also president of the Charles G. Koch and Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundations and a director of the Fred C. and Mary R. Koch Foundation. He was an executive vice president and an associate professor of economics at George Mason University. He served on the university's board of visitors from 1997 through June 2005.
Harmless right? What can a Billionaire political apparatus
really DO anyways?
Nevermind that the Billionaire Brothers are ALSO being targeted by the John (Walker) Doe investigation -- even if indirectly through their proxy organization AFP.
Nevermind that the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid warns us about the “the cult of Koch” -- and the Billionaire Brothers who are 'trying to buy America'.
Just take a listen to this citizen of Indiana, who warns us to 'be wary' of 'groups with benevolent sounding names' ...
Be wary of Americans for Prosperity’s influence
Posted by IndyStar, indystar.com -- June 17, 2014
[...]
In 2014, in McCutcheon vs. FEC, the court expanded the power of the plutocrats even further by allowing them to directly donate to an unlimited number of political candidates. In doing so, the court’s majority dismissed corruption concerns simply by limiting the definition of political corruption to the “quid pro quo” variety, where an individual or group demands favors in return for directly conferring financial benefits upon another.
So with an election coming up, please be wary about believing everything you read and hear, especially from groups with benevolent sounding names like Americans for Prosperity. Check into the identities and agendas of their financial backers. Americans for Prosperity, for example, was founded by David Koch, and it can be argued that the only prosperity that interests him is the personal prosperity of the increasingly powerful American plutocracy.
[signed, one concerned citizen]
Afterall if they would have called it '
Plutocracy For America' -- their well-oiled political machine probably would never have gotten off the ground -- let alone as BIG as the Republican Party itself, now would they?
Because the one thing the Koch's know about is Marketing ... as the continue to sell everyday Americans, their sparkly 'wooden horses' of 'prosperity'.