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Charles Koch
Quick Hit
by Ashlee Rezin
4:29pm
Wed May 8

Potential Koch Brothers Purchase Of Tribune Co. Incites Protest (VIDEO)

A group of approximately 20 demonstrators Wednesday protested the potential sale of all or some of the Tribune Company to the Koch brothers, Charles, 77, and David, 72, the billionaire industrialists and supporters of conservative causes.

According to protesters, if the Kansas-native Koch brothers were to own the Chicago-based multimedia corporation, right-wing propaganda will be pushed through mainstream media. 

Activists protested outside of the Tribune Tower, at 435 North Michigan Ave., and attempted to deliver a letter to Bruce Karsh, chairman of the board for the Tribune Company, asking him to intervene on the potential sale. Karsh is also the owner of Oaktree Capital Management LP, the Tribune Company’s largest shareholder.

“People need independent, objective, daily journalism that they can trust—not libertarian propaganda,” the letter addressed to Karsh, who was elected chairman in January, reads. Read more »

Quick Hit
by Ellyn Fortino
5:43pm
Wed Mar 27

Rumored Koch Brothers Buy Of Tribune Company Raises Red Flags For Local Community Groups

The ultra conservative billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch reportedly have their eye on purchasing some or all of the Tribune Company, which includes the Chicago Tribune and other major urban newspapers — and that has some local advocacy groups worried.

“It’s hard enough to get our stories covered in mainstream papers from the perspective of working families and communities of color,” said Amisha Patel, executive director of the Grassroots Collaborative, a community-labor coalition focused on racial and economic justice in the state.

The Koch brothers, who Patel said are known for dismantling the rights of workers and working families, would only be interested in purchasing the Tribune Company and its assets so they can “pass something off of it.”

Read more »

Quick Hit
by Aricka Flowers
11:18am
Wed Aug 3, 2011

Wisc. Dems Say Koch Brothers Engaging In 'Scheme To Suppress Votes'

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin filed a complaint (PDF) with the Government Accountability Board alleging that Koch the brothers-funded, Americans for Prosperity political action committee is trying to suppress Democratic votes in the upcoming Republican recall elections.

Politico originally reported that Americans for Prosperity sent out absentee ballots to two districts in the Senate recall election with a printed deadline date of "before August 11." But in reality, the deadline for absentee ballots is tomorrow, August 4. The election is August 9.

Read more »

Quick Hit
by Micah Maidenberg
3:26pm
Mon Aug 23, 2010

Americans For Prosperity To Target Key Illinois Races

Voters in Illinois' 10th, 11th, and 14th Congressional Districts can expect activists organized by the right-wing Americans For Prosperity to arrive in their neck of the woods next month, Chicago Magazine's Carol Felsenthal recently noted, with "anti-spending" voter education guides in hand. Backed by the billionaire businessmen Charles and David Koch, Americans For Prosperity promotes libertarian policies, and has been at the fore of attacking Obama Administration positions on climate change, health care and combating the economic downturn, according to a profile of the Koch brothers available in the the latest edition of the New Yorker. The piece describes the brothers' personal philosophy thusly:

The Kochs are longtime libertarians who believe in drastically lower personal and corporate taxes, minimal social services for the needy, and much less oversight of industry—especially environmental regulation. These views dovetail with the brothers’ corporate interests.

Besides the September arrival of Americans For Prosperity activists, the Koch brothers, through their company's political action committee, have raised their profile in Illinois politics of late. For the current election cycle, the Koch Industries PAC has thus far made separate donations of $5,000 to Republican candidates Robert Dold and Adam Kinzinger; $5,000 to Republican Congressman Peter Roskam; $6,000 to Republican Congressman John Shimkus; and $10,000 to U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. The numbers all come from the Center for Responsive Politics.