A leaked phone call featuring Mitch McConnell’s policy adviser and the Kochs revealed that they are freaking out over the popularity of election reform.
Jane Mayer reported in The New Yorker:
A recording obtained by The New Yorker of a private conference call on January 8th, between a policy adviser to Senator Mitch McConnell and the leaders of several prominent conservative groups—including one run by the Koch brothers’ network—reveals the participants’ worry that the proposed election reforms garner wide support not just from liberals but from conservative voters, too.
The speakers on the call expressed alarm at the broad popularity of the bill’s provision calling for more public disclosure about secret political donors. The participants conceded that the bill, which would stem the flow of dark money from such political donors as the billionaire oil magnate Charles Koch, was so popular that it wasn’t worth trying to mount a public-advocacy campaign to shift opinion. Instead, a senior Koch operative said that opponents would be better off ignoring the will of American voters and trying to kill the bill in Congress.
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The call is proof of what has long been assumed about Republicans in Congress. They represent big money and not the will of the people. Billionaire donors are controlling policymaking in Congress by pulling the strings of Senate Republicans.
When Republicans complain about Democrats destroying the Senate by gutting the filibuster, what they really mean is that they and their rich donors will be losing their ability to block popular policies.
`It turns out that conservatives and liberals agree that billionaires and their money should not control US elections and legislative policy.
McConnell and the Kochs are freaking out because even if they can stop the For The People Act today, the momentum is growing, and it is only a matter of time before power is fully returned to the American people.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
