Thread by @doctorow

The Charles Koch network is one of the most successful dark money/influence operations in the world, an example of how a single, ultra-wealthy individual can project his will over millions of people by funding dozens of front orgs.

theintercept.com/2020/03/26/ame…

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Koch orgs like Americans for Prosperity were critical to the weakening of the CDC, pushing for a $1B cut to the agency in 2018, characterizing it as emblematic of "the burden overspending is placing on all taxpayers."

documentcloud.org/documents/6810…

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AFP also served as a funnel for money spent to block state Medicaid expansions, rollbacks of environmental regulations, and the $1.5T Trump tax cuts.

They sure do get shit done. Terrible, terrible shit.

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Their new project? Re-opening businesses and ending covid lockdown and social distancing, asserting that firms will "adapt and innovate" to maintain safety without the need for government regulation.

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In a way, I feel bad for them. It's gotta be tough to have reality's well-known left-wing bias tossed in your face with nothing but a slurry of high-grade petrodollars to soothe the wounds.

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There clearly are libertarians in a pandemic. Very, very unhappy ones, experiencing scorching cognitive dissonance and engaged in heroic feats of motivated reasoning.

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The kicker? AFP is on lockdown. It sent its workers home: "to ensure the health and safety of our activists, staff, and voters, our staff are working from home and are utilizing digital organizing as one way to continue their grassroots engagement."

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Yeah, this is a sick burn, but also, totally normal. As @YochaiBenkler points out in this lecture, even the most selfish, Rand-worshipping PE manager can be seen in playgrounds, shouting "Timmy, you share that toy!" at his toddler.



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Sociopathy may be pareto-optimal, but no one wants to live with a child who has been raised to live in Galt Gulch, and it's hard to doom your office staff to die for want of a ventilator in good conscience.

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It's not really any different from the Young Earth Creationist oil barons who direct their geoengineers to look for oil where it would be if the Earth was 4B years old, rather than 5K.

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Just as every (surviving) Breatharian was found to be secretly sneaking out to 7-11 for Doritos at 2AM while claiming to survive on nothing but nutrients siphoned up through deep-breathing.

eof/