Courtesy of TPM:
The exchange grew tense during the final minutes after Braley referenced the Koch brothers. Ernst said: "Congressman Braley, you're not running against these other people, you're running against me. I am a mother, I am a soldier and I am an independent leader. You are being funded by Tom Steyer, who is a California billionaire extreme environmentalist."
Braley retorted: "I realize that and President Obama's name is not on the ballot. And I'm not going to owe President Obama anything on Election Day. You're going to owe the Koch brothers everything."
Personally I think that was a solid hit on Braley's part, but some of the morning cable news programs thought he was flailing in the wind and that the Koch brothers are still not well known enough to have their name work against Ernst.
And there maybe some validity in that as recent polls show Ernst up by six points:
Ernst leads 44 percent to 38 percent in a race that has for months been considered deadlocked. She leads nearly 4-1 with rural voters, and is up double digits with independents.
It is certainly not yet a done deal, and fortunes could certainly change, but right now it looks like at least one of Palin's endorsees has a real shot at ending up in the Senate, to join Ted Cruz and Mike Lee in gumming up the works even further.
And that is troubling news indeed.
With all the outside influence in our Alaskan races for office, maybe we need to help out other states. Let's all post on their big state newspapers in their comment sections, and save money Let's say what the Koch's did up here and tell them really why we don't like them, or their lap dogs (Joni & Sarah & the list goes on). I've been on the Des Moines Registry doing my part. Iowa could use some help.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea.
DeleteToday's the prefect day to consider donating to Braley's campaign, or to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. How can we allow a tool like Ernst to become aU.S Senator, helping to decide the fate of our country?
ReplyDeleteYou say Koch...I say Soros.
ReplyDeleteYou say Koch I say unions....
Here is the list of unions that top the Koch Brothers in political donations.
Via Open Secrets:
2.) American Fedn of State, County & Municipal Employees $60,667,379
4.) National Education Assn $53,594,488
7.) Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers $44,478,789
8.) United Auto Workers $41,667,858
9.) Carpenters & Joiners Union $39,260,371
10.) Service Employees International Union $38,395,690
11.) Laborers Union $37,494,010
12.) American Federation of Teachers $36,713,325
13.) Communications Workers of America $36,188,135
14.) Teamsters Union $36,123,209
16.) United Food & Commercial Workers Union $33,756,550
20.) Machinists & Aerospace Workers Union $31,313,097
23.) AFL-CIO $30,938,977
32.) National Assn of Letter Carriers $26,106,359
39.) Plumbers & Pipefitters Union $23,886,248
42.) Operating Engineers Union $23,036,848
43.) International Assn of Fire Fighters $22,963,260
46.) Sheet Metal Workers Union $22,372,978
ALL THE WAY DOWN THE LIST....
59.) Koch Industries $18,083,948
Those numbers are totally inaccurate, re: the Kochs. Read the latest issue of Rolling Stone.
DeleteEach of those unions represent thousands of people. Charles and David Koch represent only themselves.
irk it out on a per capita basis.
The problem with your argument, 12:54, is that you're comparing organizations that protect the rights of workers with the fortune-making goals of two power-mad billionaires whose only goal is to make as much money as can be made at the expense of ALL else (e.g. democracy, environment, human rights....).
DeleteSo true, 2:06 and 1:05. Unions are representing the rights of millions of workers and supporting candidates who will uphold those rights. The Koch brothers are representing . . . themselves.
DeleteAnd, whenever I read "Soros" I stop reading, LOL.
Thanks, bekki, you can go back to your donuts now.
DeleteAnonymous3:32 PM
DeleteThanks, bekki, you can go back to your donuts now.
+++
She or one of the payme's is freaking/trolling on the update post! Absolutely Hilarious! Must be all the meth.
Full of Anger also,too!
Read the Rolling Stone! BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
DeleteIowa's Senator Harkin held an annual steak fry. Actually, steak on the grill. If Ernst wins his seat, will she have a fry, as in deep, fried, breaded pork testicles? She can invite Sarah to chow down on some of those cajones. Great photo op.
ReplyDeleteRJ in Brownbackistan
Iowa's Senator Harkin held an annual steak fry. Actually, steak on the grill. If Ernst wins his seat, will she have a fry, as in deep, fried, breaded pork testicles? She can invite Sarah to chow down on some of those cajones. Great photo op.
ReplyDeleteRJ in Brownbackistan
The Dems are starting to let folks know just who the Kochs are. They're running an ad in the Detroit area which shows a large paper-fabricating plant shut down when the Kochs bought it, thus losing many jobs.
ReplyDeleteRepublicans are certainly obtuse individuals who become excited over mindless 'gritty' (in their estimation) women. Most sane people would have learned from the Palin experiment/explosion. But no, here come the republicans with a woman whose only 'claim' to fame is a somewhat humorous pig sticker video and a whole lot of Koch blow.
ReplyDeleteI mean really, what is with GOP men that they sign with the castration candidate and the corporate male whores?
Joni was a well-rehearsed stage act trying to make wingnuttery seem acceptable. She didn't succeed in that. Typical of the media to try and make a thing out of what happened at the end. Ernst started the name-calling. If you have an hour of your life to waste you can watch it. I did, and I did.
ReplyDeleteEveryone needs to read the new issue of Rolling Stone, it contains a VERY good article on Charles and David Koch, an informative sidebar on how they have bought the GOP hook, line, and sinker, and even more disturbingly, how they have turned deliberate environmental pollution and lawbreaking into a business model. The rancid cherry on top of this nightmare sundae? Koch enterprises is privately owned, and no one not inside the black-glass monolith really has a clue as to what they do, and how much money they have with which to do it.
ReplyDelete