Tuesday, March 6, 2012

The Koch Brother's Seeking Greater Control Over Cato Institute

This article describes the effort by the Koch brothers, who founded the libertarian Cato Institute 30 years ago, to tighten the link between Cato and other advocacy groups funded by the Koch brothers. The Koch brothers are suing Cato, in their home state Kansas, which gives them a better chance for gaining legal control. They have also stopped contributing to Cato's annual fund drives. The Cato institute has generally supported the GOP on economic issues but it has more independent on social issues such as gun control, same sex marriage etc.

This battle between Cato and the Koch brothers is part of an effort by the Koch brothers to extend their influence over non-profits that are useful to them economically. Super PAC's such as American's For Prosperity, which were empowered by the Supreme Court's Citizen's United decision, are effectively replacing the Republican National Committee as the leadership of the GOP. The Koch brothers have also funded and organized the Tea Party which has had a dominant role in the GOP primary campaign.

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