Blog Post 1.1 David Koch

1. The Koch Brothers said they supported economic freedom or liberty, and they participated by donating money to support political campaigns and ideas in academia that would benefit them and their business.
2. Charles Koch inherited their father's oil refinery company and turned it into the extremely lucrative Koch Industries. After David and Charles won the company from their two older brothers, their wealth and success grew exponentially.
3. He was the Libertarian nominee for Vice President of the US in 1980. Although he did not win, this placed him away from major parties, allowing him to devote his time and money to libertarian ideas.
4. The Koch Brothers' right-wing ideas conflicted greatly with Obama's Democratic administration because they claimed Obama was threatening economic freedom. David and Charles Koch both opposed Obama's ideas about healthcare spending expansion and his cap and trade bill, prompting them to pour resources into anti-Obama positions.
5. They created the Kochtopus, which was a complex web of dark money that went directly into ads and organizing for Republican campaigns. They also called on other wealthy Republicans to make donations, using their influence to raise awareness for their causes.