http://time.com/4432097/charles-koch-2016-race/
2 hours ago
Vilified by the Left as self-serving billionaires set on perverting democracy, Charles and David Koch in recent years have started allowing select reporters join his twice-a-year summits. In exchange, reporters must agree not to identify donors against their will and can only attend certain sessions.
The Koch brothers and their allies lead one of the most sophisticated and skilled political networks in America, yet it is parked on the sidelines of the White House race. That stands in sharp contrast to 2012, when the groups under the Koch umbrella bought millions of dollars in ads against President Obama’s re-election bid and spent close to $400 million.
These guests, who ponied up at least $100,000 to back the sprawling political and non-profit network, were unlikely to be Trump fans. Some were even a little reluctantly open to Clinton, a more traditional political figure. Wall Street donors, for example, have repeatedly cited Clinton’s steady hand as a favorable for the economy, while Trump has bragged about being unpredictable. For his part, Charles Koch has said it’s possible Clinton could be better than Trump.
The Koch network, which has funded right-leaning organizations for years, often uses politics as a means, not a goal. Its backing of conservative and libertarian candidates and causes often overlaps with the donors’ ideals on smaller government and fewer regulations.
“I recognize, reluctantly, that politics needs to be a piece of this strategy,” Koch said to knowing chuckles in the ballroom. “But we have to keep in mind, just one piece. If we just focus on politics, we’re going to continue to lose. We’re going to continue to deteriorate.”
Koch went on, sounding sullen about the landscape before his decades-long crusade. “Now, it would be great if politicians were supporting us in these efforts, and a few are, but by and large they aren’t. The good news is that we’ve built this network for just such a condition,” he said. “That puts us in position to make progress, in spite of the current political situation, where, in some cases, we don’t have good options.”
Such an attitude explains why none of the roughly $250 million that the Koch-backed groups plan on spending this election is going to boost a White House run.