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Billionaire industrialist David Koch, who is helping steer millions of dollars to elect Mitt Romney and congressional Republicans, on Thursday told Politico he disagrees with the GOP’s stance on gay marriage and believes the U.S. needs to consider raising taxes to balance the budget. Koch, who is serving as a delegate to the Republican National Convention from New York, spoke to Politico after delivering brief remarks at a reception held in his honor him by Americans for Prosperity, the political advocacy group he chairs and has helped fund. The 1980 vice presidential nominee for the socially liberal—but fiscally conservative—Libertarian Party,...

Americans for Prosperity, the Tea Party organization backed by the Koch brothers, is set to begin a $25 million advertising assault aimed at President Obama, its largest effort to date. The ad takes a relatively straightforward approach, avoiding hyperbole or over-the-top negativity. An image of the national debt clock appears on screen for much of the ad, ticking ever higher. It ends with Mr. Obama's words, "If I don't have this done in three years, then there's going to be a one-term proposition."

(CBS) The upcoming movie "The Campaign," starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis as two buffoonish congressional contenders, takes aim at the powerful, Republican-aligned Koch brothers. But now with Galifianakis bad-mouthing the conservative duo off screen, the Koch brothers are reminding people that he's just an actor. In the comedy, actors Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow play the Motch brothers, who are financially backing the implausible candidate portrayed by Galifianakis. In an interview with the New York Daily News on Monday, Galifianakis said it's "pretty obvious" the characters are based on Charles and David Koch. "I disagree with everything they do....

According to Opensecrets.org Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and seven other Senate Democrats took political donations from Koch Industries in 2008. Democrats and the left have since demonized Charles Koch and David Koch, co-owners of Koch Industries. Via Opensecrets.org 

Obama campaign fires back, dares Koch brothers to reveal group's donorsBy Justin Sink - 02/29/12 06:21 PM ET The war of words between the Obama reelection campaign and billionaire conservative activists Charles and David Koch escalated Wednesday. The president's campaign manager, Jim Messina, sent a letter to Philip Ellender, Koch’s president for government and public affairs, disputing Ellender's claim that an organization partially backed by the brothers represented the interests of thousands of grassroots donors. "You argue that Americans for Prosperity is a grassroots organization of everyday citizens. But its emphasis on rolling back environmental protections and blocking a clean...

An open letter to the Obama campaign Byron Tau reports at Politico that the Koch Companies have released a response to the Obama campaign’s fundraising letter of this past Friday directly assaulting the Koch brothers and their business. John wrote about the disgusting nature of the Obama capping fundraising letter here, alternately quoting from and responding to it. It is a letter that comes straight out of the Alinsky playbook. Tau links to the Koch Companies’ response, a letter to the Obama campaign from Phillip Ellender, head of Government Affairs and Public Relations at the Koch Companies. It seems to...

Philip Ellender, president of government affairs for Koch Industries, charges in a letter to Obama campaign manager Jim Messina that President Obama and his campaign are fostering “an effort to chill free speech and squelch dissent.” The Obama campaign today put out a fundraising email by Messina blaming the Koch brothers for higher gas prices. Charles and David Koch, the majority owners of the refining and manufacturing giant Koch Industries, have become a favorite target for the Obama administration since before the 2010 midterm elections. In the fundraising email, Obama campaign manager Jim Messina wrote: “In just about 24 hours,...

Nothing new here. Remember, O’s very first campaign ad of the year was also aimed at the Kochs. Until the GOP chooses a nominee, the Emmanuel Goldstein brothers will have to do as the designated root of all political evil. Look at it from Obama’s perspective: What’s more likely to get a shrieking leftist to open his wallet, some perfunctory grumbling about Mitt “Meh” Romney or a dire new warning about just how far the Kochtopus’s tentacles extend? The title of the fundraising e-mail, no joke: “They’re obsessed.” In just about 24 hours, Mitt Romney is headed to a hotel...

LAS VEGAS — Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino executive keeping Newt Gingrich’s presidential hopes alive, has relayed assurances to Mitt Romney that he will provide even more generous support to his candidacy if he becomes the Republican nominee, several associates said in interviews here. The signals from Mr. Adelson, whose politics are shaped in large part by his support for Israel, reflect what the associates said was his deep investment in defeating President Obama and his willingness to play a more prominent role in the Republican Party and conservative causes. The assurances have been conveyed in response to a highly...

Mayor Ed KochÂ’s practical progressivism saved GothamÂ’s finances and restored its spirit.This past summer, Edward I. Koch, a Democrat, made headlines by noisily endorsing Republican Bob Turner in a special election to fill the congressional seat of disgraced Tweeter Anthony Weiner. The former mayor explained that heÂ’d decided to rally Jewish voters in Brooklyn and Queens to chastise President Obama for his Israel policy. KochÂ’s outsize role in TurnerÂ’s surprise victory made for big political news and led to speculation that Obama could be facing trouble in his reelection bid. The episode was unusual, but unusual has always been de...

The list of contributors for Romney's PAC, RESTORE OUR FUTURE, INC., is shown in the referenced link. The total, as of this posting, is $17,947,952.77.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Koch Industries is looking to fill 2,500 job openings across the nation thanks to the commercial growth of most of its subsidiaries. Company officials said most of the 300 job openings at Koch Industries and 10 of its subsidiaries in Wichita are new, professional positions in areas such as information technology, accounting and engineering, The Wichita Eagle (http://bit.ly/t02aP1) reported Friday. "Most of the job openings are due to growth as opposed to replacement," said Jeff Morris, director of talent development for Koch Industries. "It's a good problem to have," he said of the overall job openings....

Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch resigned from her leadership post the day after fellow Republicans confronted her about allegations that she had an "inappropriate relationship" with a staff member. "We're here today with a lot of humility and some sadness and even shock," interim Senate Majority Leader Geoff Michel said Friday at a hastily called Capitol news conference. Koch, the state's first female majority leader, was widely considered a hard-working and savvy campaigner who helped Republicans win control of the Senate last year for the first time in four decades. Her sudden resignation stunned Republicans, ending one of the...

Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch resigned Thursday and said she wouldn’t seek re-election in 2012, while on Friday her fellow Republicans dealt with shocking allegations that led to her decision. At a Capitol news conference Friday, Sen. Geoff Michel (R-Edina) said Senate staff recently brought up allegations of an “inappropriate relationship between Majority Leader Koch and a Senate staffer.” "We sit here with a lot of humility, sadness, and shock,” Michel said. Michel said multiple staffers reported allegations to Senate leaders. He said he doesn’t know how long the relationship was going on and legally cannot discuss the name...

David Koch is the 4th richest person in the country, with a fortune of $25 billion. His older brother Charles has another $25 billion to his name, thanks to their hugely profitable industrial conglomerate Koch Industries. Over the past few years, the two have earned a reputation as bankrollers of the American right, and their influence on politics has come under increased scrutiny. So this past weekend, when David Koch arrived at a Washington, D.C. convention center for a high-profile Republican summit, it’s no great surprise that protesters followed. New York-based David had a front row seat at the conservative...

Occupy DC protesters attempted to bust into the Washington DC Convention Center on Friday night, where an Americans for Prosperity dinner was taking place. Protesters aimed their ire at AFP donors Charles and David Koch throughout the night. Interestingly, David walked through the crowd of protesters with friends and associates of his and went completely unnoticed by the Occupy DC crowd. I captured video of a throng of protesters trying to muscle past security at the DC Convention Center. The Daily Caller's Michelle Fields was one of the journalists covering the melee outside of the doors, who later reported that...

Occupy DC protesters tried to force entry into the Washington Convention Center on Friday, where Americans for Prosperity is hosting their “Defending the American Dream Summit.” The protesters also formed roadblocks, surrounding the convention center and only allowing non-luxury cars to pass.

Herman Cain: I'm the Koch Brothers' brother from another mother! - YouTube

Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney is quietly courting the Tea Party as it becomes increasingly clear that the conservative grass-roots movement, which has stubbornly refused to embrace him, represents a bigger threat to Romney's quest for his party's nomination than any of his rivals. Less than two months before the Iowa caucuses, Romney is skipping a major Iowa event Friday -- where every other GOP hopeful will be -- to deliver a keynote speech on fiscal policy to the conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity. Americans for Prosperity is led by billionaire Republican donor David Koch, whose endorsement Romney seeks....

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain has cast himself as the outsider, the pizza magnate with real-world experience who will bring fresh ideas to the nation’s capital. But Cain’s economic ideas, support and organization have close ties to two billionaire brothers who bankroll right-leaning causes through their group Americans for Prosperity. Cain’s campaign manager and a number of aides have worked for Americans for Prosperity, or AFP, the advocacy group founded with support from billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, which lobbies for lower taxes and less government regulation and spending. Cain credits a businessman who served...