Re the focus on Walker as the Koch's boy .. it doesn't really matter any more, i guess, just wondered, in light of this
--- Earlier this week, The New York Times reported .. http://www.businessinsider.com/report-the-koch-brothers-are-backing-scott-walker-2015-4 .. that David Koch said he and his brother support Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) for president, but would not be involving their political organization into the GOP primary. Koch subsequently said that report was wrong, however, and the brothers are said to be waiting to decide whether to intervene in the primary. Along with Walker, they are reportedly also considering .. http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/koch-brothers-2016-election-memo-117238.html .. backing former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) and Sens. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Marco Rubio (R-Florida).
if he ever was to the extent Nathaniel Downes, author of your article, suggested .. i guess that goes toward his suggestion that the Koch bros after Walker's 'blue' could lose some of their election clout, too .. thought just now was "koch bros and murdoch 2016" as i figured on hopefully getting something connecting the trio .. this one misses Murdoch, and we've had plenty on the Koch's dark money and organization before, but anyway it's a good one which answers one question very well ..
Why the Media Focuses So Much on the Koch Brothers—Explained in 5 Tweets
Yes, liberals spend a lot of dark money, but they're pikers compared to Kochworld.
—By Andy Kroll | Tue Jan. 27, 2015 2:02 PM EST
David Koch speaks at an Americans for Prosperity event on Aug. 30, 2013. Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Images
Any time news breaks about the billionaire Koch brothers and their shadowy network of donors and advocacy groups, conservatives grumble that the media singles out the Kochs, that we reporters are unfair toward and obsessed with them while giving a pass to wealthy liberals like George Soros and Tom Steyer and the progressive donor club the Democracy Alliance. Koch Industries, the international conglomerate run by Charles and David Koch, keeps a ticker tracking the number of Koch mentions in the New York Times. The response to Monday's revelation—the Kochs and a few hundred of their donor allies plan to spend an eye-popping $889 million on 2016 elections and policy fights—was no different.
Walkergate Prosecutors To Walker: Put Up Or Shut Up
Over the weekend, Scott Walker was once again in Iowa, peddling the false pretense that he is a good Christian, when he went after the Walkergate prosecutors, echoing the fabricated narratives that has been bouncing around the right wing echo chambers. This time, though, the prosecutors aren't just standing by. They issued a challenge to Walker to walk the walk and to go big and go bold by agreeing to release all of the John Doe documents which are currently sealed:
Prosecutors have largely been mum publicly about their probe of Walker's campaign, and Walker recently has largely refrained from discussing the matter.
That changed Saturday after Walker on Friday spoke to WHO-AM in Des Moines about a recent report in the National Review detailing a 2011 police raid on the home of Walker aide Cindy Archer and ones in 2013 on those working for groups supporting him.
"I said even if you're a liberal Democrat, you should look at (the raids) and be frightened to think that if the government can do that against people of one political persuasion, they can do it against anybody, and more often than not we need protection against the government itself," Walker told the radio station.
"As (the National Review) pointed out, there were real questions about the constitutionality of much of what they did, but it was really about people trying to intimidate people..." Walker said.
"They were looking for just about anything. As I pointed out at the time, it was largely a political witch hunt."
The raids were conducted as part of a pair of investigations led by Chisholm, a Democrat. On the second investigation, Chisholm was assisted by district attorneys from both parties and special prosecutor Francis Schmitz, a self-described Republican.
"As to defamatory remarks, I strongly suspect the Iowa criminal code, like Wisconsin's, has provisions for intentionally making false statements intended to harm the reputation of others," Chisholm said in a statement Saturday responding to Walker's comments.
In a separate statement, Schmitz said he was surprised Walker would "speak publicly about specific issues which are now before the Wisconsin Supreme Court for a decision."
"His description of the investigation as a 'political witch hunt' is offensive when he knows that the investigation was authorized by a bipartisan group of judges and is directed by a Republican special prosecutor appointed at the request of a bipartisan group of district attorneys," Schmitz's statement said.
He called Walker's comments inaccurate but didn't detail why.
"I invite the governor to join me in seeking judicial approval to lawfully release information now under seal which would be responsive to the allegations that have been made," his statement said. "Such information, when lawfully released, will show that these recent allegations are patently false."
Chisholm said he agreed with Schmitz's statement.
"Stripped of niceties, Mr. Schmitz is saying the governor is deliberately not telling the truth," Chisholm's statement said.
"The truth is always a defense, so let's get the truth out in a legal manner, not through lies, distortions and misrepresentations." As one might expect, Walker dodged this challenge and refused to answer questions about releasing the sealed documents.
In other words, Walker has neatly painted himself into a corner.
He can either release the documents and hope his presidential bid can survive. Given the weak-kneed corporate media and America's terribly short attention span, there is a good chance he could survive the release of the documents. But I wouldn't hold my breath for him to do that, because he would have to give up his portrayal of the Tea Party Martyr.
JULY 4 FLAMEOUT: WISCONSIN GIVES UP SECRECY SCHEME
Scott Walker And Wisconsin GOP Retreat On Open Records Limits
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — In a sudden reversal amid a stinging backlash, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and GOP legislative leaders said they agreed Saturday to completely remove a part of the proposed state budget that would severely roll back open records laws.
Walker announced the decision in a joint statement Saturday with Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, and the co-chairs of the joint budget committee. They said that they're committed to open and accountable government.
"After substantive discussion over the last day, we have agreed that the provisions relating to any changes in the state's open records law will be removed from the budget in its entirety," the statement said. "... The intended policy goal of these changes was to provide a reasonable solution to protect constituents' privacy and to encourage a deliberative process between elected officials and their staff in developing policy. It was never intended to inhibit transparent government in any way."
The restrictions, which Republicans on the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee slipped into the proposed budget late Thursday, would shield nearly everything created by state and local government officials from Wisconsin's open records law, including drafts of legislation and staff communications. The proposal drew heavy criticism from liberals and conservatives alike, and was the subject of a withering front-page editorial in Saturday's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The sudden furor had become a serious distraction for Walker as he prepares to formally announce his candidacy for the GOP presidential nomination on July 13. He told reporters before an Independence Day parade in the Milwaukee suburb of Wauwatosa on Saturday morning that he planned to discuss the matter with legislative leaders after the weekend, the Journal Sentinel reported.
"My hope is, that after talking with them on Monday, we get to the point where it's either out completely or there's significant changes to it," he said.
The joint statement, issued at mid-afternoon on Saturday, made it clear that they didn't wait. The statement said the Legislature will form a committee to study the issue and allow for public discussion and input outside of the budget process.
Walker didn't specifically say in Wauwatosa whether he and his office were involved in crafting the proposed changes, whether he objected to them in advance, or specifically say who proposed the overhaul. The joint statement didn't address those points either.
Among the issues that have dogged Walker recently is the performance of a job creation agency he championed. The Wisconsin State Journal used the open records law that Republicans wanted to tighten to report in May that the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation made a loan to one of Walker's top donors. That report led other media organizations, including The Associated Press, to look into the matter, and the agency also came under scrutiny from the Legislature.
Walker's pre-parade comments were echoed by some Republican legislators Saturday, including two who voted for the changes just two days earlier.
Sen. Alberta Darling, co-chairwoman of the powerful budget committee, said they are now "working to eliminate" the open records limits.
"We are going to get rid of that," Darling said at Fox Point's Fourth of July parade.
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