Billionaires for Right-Wing Populism

[David Morris]

In contrast to Warren Buffett:

One under-discussed element of the recent upsurge of right-wing
populism in the form of “tea parties” and such is how much of it is
directly underwritten by the wealthiest people in America. David Koch
and Charles Koch of Koch Industries, for example, are #8 and #9 on the
Forbes 400 list [of the richest people in America]. They’re also major
donors to a number of right-wing causes, including Americans for
Prosperity, which is chaired by David. And as several AFPers were
willing to discuss with my colleague Lee Fang yesterday, that Koch
money helped pay for 40 buses to bring people to the tea parties free
of charge, doughnuts, signs, etc.:

A free bus and a free sign, of course, won’t create any turnout unless
there’s some genuine level of interest in spending the day protesting
in Washington, DC. But still, organizing rallies isn’t easy and it’s
made easier when you have well-financed organizers. Which is precisely
what AFP and the Kochs are giving the tea party movement.

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/11/billionaires-for-right-wing-populism.php