In more good news for the GOP and terrible news for democracy, the Koch brothers announced at their annual winter donor retreat that they are going to spend close to $900 million on the upcoming presidential election. That’s right, close to $1 billion dollars to pass their right-wing agenda, spending at a level equal to the Republican and Democratic Parties. To put the figure in perspective, the Republican National Committee and the party’s two congressional campaigns spent a total of $657 million in total in 2008. Their goal – more deregulation, tax cuts and smaller government. It is an agenda that has been at the heart of conservative politics since Reagan took office in 1981, but one that has accelerated in recent campaign cycles and one that sees unprecedented GOP power at all levels of government beside the presidency. Democracy? The will of the people? These appear to be bygone ideals of a different era, the one that seems to have withered with the passage of the Citizens decision in 2010, but one that has been under strain since the birth of the lobbying industry we have been saddled with since the 80s. As income inequality and poverty grow, the middle class is strained, debt increases and environmental concerns only grow, it appears the interests of the corporate and power elites are now in full control of our republic, undermining the last vestiges of the system our forefathers built. It is a sad day for the country that once stood as a beacon of democracy and freedom for the world ... but hey, at least the one percent will be happy!
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