Political donor and billionaire Charles Koch just had the sheer nerve to compare his ultra-conservative organization’s efforts to dismantle America’s public institutions and all government regulations to the fight to end slavery and secure equal rights for women and minorities.
It’s an astonishingly offensive statement that highlights just how extreme the views of the Koch Brothers are. Reading between the lines, the comparison to the civil rights movement indicates that he feels that he and the other billionaire robber-barons are enslaved by government regulations and the burden of taxes – and that he will fight as hard as the civil rights leaders did to get what he wants.
On Sunday at a hotel in California, Koch implored a group of wealthy conservatives to become even more supportive in his reckless libertarian agenda – and used leaders such as the Founding Fathers, Martin Luther King, Jr. and abolitionist Frederick Douglass as parallels to what the Koch Brothers intend to do. Using inspirational language mostly reserved for the abolitionists, suffragettes and civil rights leaders – people who have made REAL change for the better of humanity – Koch uttered this grossly inappropriate statement:
“They all sought to overcome an injustice. And we, too, are seeking to right injustices that are holding our country back.”
Whining that he and his fellow conservatives were fighting an uphill battle, he added:
“To defy the tremendous odds stacked against them, they all had—not just the Founding Fathers—to commit their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, often at great personal sacrifice. So that’s the challenge before us. We’re all going to have to raise our efforts to the next level.”
Disguising his dangerous libertarian agenda with a few feel-good statements, Koch said, “We aim … to remove the shackles preventing all Americans, especially the disadvantaged, from pursuing their dreams.”
Fortunately, a few people got it right during this weekend-long conservative conference. A small gathering of protesters showed up at Koch’s event holding signs that said, “Koch kills democracy.” They wouldn’t be exaggerating at all.
Colin Taylor is the managing editor of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America.
