CBS News’ Kate Gibson reports: while American companies and institutional investors are divesting themselves from Russian holdings as fast as they can–even former Colorado Gov. Bill Owens resigned from the board of a Russian bank after a round of bad press–one big American corporation with an oversized political footprint is making a big deal of not doing so:
As hundreds of major U.S. companies exit Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Koch Industries is staying put.
The industrial conglomerate — the second-largest privately owned business in America, with $115 billion in annual revenue — is among those defying public pressure and continuing to operate manufacturing plants and sell products across Russia, while up until Wednesday remaining mum on that nation’s relentless assault on Ukrainian cities…
Political groups supported by Charles Koch, the right-wing billionaire who is chairman and CEO of Koch Industries, oppose broad economic sanctions against Russia, according to Popular Information, a left-leaning newsletter run by Judd Legum.
The story proceeds to document the position of a number of Koch-orbit conservative political groups who, not surprisingly, oppose sanctions on Russia! Here in Colorado, the Koch political machine is primarily represented on the ground by the state’s Americans for Prosperity affiliate. And while we haven’t seen AFP Colorado weigh in on the Russian invasion of Ukraine yet, they have taken a position in the red-hot Republican CD-8 primary, endorsing state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer.
On the one hand, there’s a substantial amount of what we can only call pro-Russia propagandizing going on the conservative side, led by Fox News’ Tucker Carlson but also including Donald Trump’s initial comments on the invasion praising Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “genius.” Although neither side in American politics wants to provoke a war directly between the United States and Russia, overt sympathy for the aggressor in this war is only coming from one side of the aisle.
Nonetheless, ordinary Americans on both sides appear to be very much unified on sanctions against Russia and the seriousness of the threat posed by the invasion according to new polling out today. Despite all of Tucker Carlson’s monologues, Americans haven’t been pushed off their moral foundations enough to not see the invasion of Ukraine for what it is.
So while our local AFP shop works on their response to the Koch empire’s decision to keep selling their wares in Russia, Kirkmeyer should probably come up with a response to AFP’s support for her campaign.
Who knows? Maybe Kirkmeyer is a closet Putin fan too.
The other Koch Bro didn't die, he's just running Koch Industries operations in Hell.
Hasn't that always been their home office?
Hell is an emerging business market that presents almost unlimited opportunity. Well, until Trump gets there and drives it into bankruptcy.
Kirkmeyer is a willing slave. Just look at her time as an elected rubber stamp for the oil industry. They didn't name her Top Women in Energy because of her degree in education or her inheriting a dairy farm.
SLAVE
About the only thing Kirkmeyer has going for her in a general election is that she is not named “Saine.”
Oh please!!!!!!
Sorry, our long-time troll Moderatus already has his firm grip on the “most beloved” . . .
. . . as furiously and as often as you might try (certainly not recommended), you’ll never be any higher than second-most beloved troll here.
"True patriots" support the Trump / Putin "bromance."
Aren't we confiscating the assets of the Oligarchs?
I know. The Koch(s) have stashed their assets in hidden accounts in the Bahamas and who knows where. But, we know where a lot of it is. And, what is the difference between a Russian Oligarch and a Russian-American Oligarch.
Libertarians are just anarcho-fascist, anyway.
“Libertarians are just anarcho-fascist, anyway.”
Talk about an oxymoron. One tenet of fascism is an authoritarian government. One definition of anarchy is a state of lawlessness due to the absence of governmental authority.
ParkHill, come on. You are smarter than this.
What is a Kleptocracy for two points?
Oligarchs are Libertarians. Libertarians are anarchists, but… The purpose of the State is to protect the property rights of the Libertarians. That gets you either Feudalism or some kind of Fascism, i.e. an alliance between the Kleptocrats and the government. You've heard of "regulatory capture"?
Clearly you are not up on some recent discussions by Libertarian thinkers. Actually, it's not an old idea. From Friedrich Hayek to Ludwig von Mises and even our friendly Chilean dictator-friendly Chicago School economist. The hatred of worker's rights and social insurance leads the libertarians to side with Fascism, every time.
Park Hill does seem confused. The Kochs may be somewhat repugnant to some. I don't get the comparison of American citizens who haven't been charged with any crime vs. Russian oligarchs.
The Kochs also partially severed ties with Trump over his imposition of tariffs on certain commodity imports.
Even more, the Koch Brothers political gathering abandoned Trump and numerous Republicans in Congress because they would not accept the Koch’s preferred position on immigration — both the cruelties in several steps of the Sad!-ministration and the policies allowing some immigration leading to citizenship:
From Park Hill's perspective, if it isn't collectivism, it must be fascism.
I find him/her/their name ironic. If Park Hill actually lives in Park Hill, he/she/they live(s) in the eighth richest neighborhood in Denver according to MoneyInc.com. It has a median wage of $82,311.
If you are really worried about the class struggle, PH, why don't you give it away to the poor?