The Kochs choke democracy

Jane Mayer, New Yorker:

The Kochs operate oil refineries in Alaska, Texas, and Minnesota, and control some four thousand miles of pipeline. Koch Industries owns Brawny paper towels, Dixie cups, Georgia-Pacific lumber, Stainmaster carpet, and Lycra, among other products. Forbes ranks it as the second-largest private company in the country, after Cargill, and its consistent profitability has made David and Charles Koch—who, years ago, bought out two other brothers—among the richest men in America. Their combined fortune of thirty-five billion dollars is exceeded only by those of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.

The Kochs are longtime libertarians who believe in drastically lower personal and corporate taxes, minimal social services for the needy, and much less oversight of industry—especially environmental regulation. These views dovetail with the brothers’ corporate interests. In a study released this spring, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s Political Economy Research Institute named Koch Industries one of the top ten air polluters in the United States. And Greenpeace issued a report identifying the company as a “kingpin of climate science denial.” …

[Koch-funded] Americans for Prosperity has worked closely with the Tea Party since the movement’s inception…A Republican campaign consultant who has done research on behalf of Charles and David Koch said of the Tea Party, “The Koch brothers gave the money that founded it. It’s like they put the seeds in the ground. Then the rainstorm comes, and the frogs come out of the mud—and they’re our candidates!” [emphasis added]

Like the biblical plague, frogs. That seems appropriate.

There’s more below the fold

Give to Scott McAdams, Senate AK

Alaska’s Republican Senator, Lisa Murkowski, was defeated by a Tea Party nominee who is far more extreme than she. Apparently with the help of the progressive community. That means he can be defeated:

In the final 48 hours, a popular local radio host interviewed Miller and framed Murkowski as a “rabid abortionist.” This in itself would have riled up the Christian conservative base, but on top of that there was an added bit of ballot bait this time around. Ballot Measure 2 stated that doctors of any girl 17 years of age or younger needed to notify her parents if she sought to have an abortion, or face felony charges. Like red meat to the wolves, Ballot Measure 2 brought out the Right to Life crowd in force. Churches devoted entire services on the Sunday before primary day to talking about why congregants should support Measure 2. Signs promoting “Alaskans for Parental Notification” showed up in their lobbies…

Another mitigating factor were progressives who, trying to play political chess and overthrow Murkowski, crossed over and voted for Miller. The logic was that Miller, a far right fringe candidate, would be far easier for the Democratic candidate to beat in a head to head race with all Alaskans in the voting mix. And this may come to pass. [emphasis added]

But this is not just a matter of defeating a bad guy. It’s a matter of supporting a good guy. Continuing:

Scott McAdams, little known to Alaskans outside the southeast pan-handle, is a popular small town mayor. He runs the city of Sitka and has balanced budgets, focused on education, served on the school board, and has even figured out how to sell water to India. He was a deckhand on a commercial fishing boat all over the state, and is all the kinds of things that Sarah Palin said she was, before the media began to shine a flashlight in all the dark corners. He’s a “real Alaskan” in the style of the politicians of old, before oil was discovered and turned a libertarian blue state reddish.

JUST DO IT!

Is that a polar wind I feel?

The last couple of days have brought some very chilly forecasts from financial analysts.

Polar bear David Rosenberg says we’re in a depression, and doesn’t see an end in sight.

Nouriel Roubini, who has been stuck with the nickname Dr. Doom despite his reputed facility in rounding up lovely young ladies for merriment says there’s a 40% chance the S&P will end the year at 843. That would be a 20% drop from here, and about 35% off the April highs. He gives a 50% chance that the market will end unchanged for the year, up about 7% from here.

How long will people hold stocks if there’s only a 10% chance they’ll go up?