The Koch brothers had plenty of places to party after their triumphs last November. They might've celebrated at any one of their multiple homes in five states worth a total of $105.9 million.
And that's not including the Koch's two-story single family home that David Koch bought for his children as a play house.
The billionaire brothers who brought you Tea Party groups like Americans for Prosperity and anti-worker governors like Scott Walker and John Kasich are now attacking some of the most vulnerable Americans likeSusan Montalbano and Wendy and Jerry McDowell.
Each one has a different story, but each is united against the Kochs and their drive to buy our democracy.
“They don't want to see government money spent on people they feel are beneath being taken care of,” Jerry McDowell says in the video.
The New York Times heard Jerry's comments and published an exclusive about Koch Brothers Exposed and what we're trying to achieve.
We went on offense to make this video. We went right up to the Kochs' doorsteps to ask, why are you spending millions to buy our democracy?
Watch what happens, then add your voice to our movement by posting a picture, caption or both to the Koch brothers house party.
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations – either through need or greed – rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.
At Truthout, we are reaffirming our commitments on this front: We won’t run ads or have a paywall because we believe that everyone should have access to information, and that access should exist without barriers and free of distractions from craven corporate interests. We recognize the implications for democracy when information-seekers click a link only to find the article trapped behind a paywall or buried on a page with dozens of invasive ads. The laws of capitalism dictate an unending increase in monetization, and much of the media simply follows those laws. Truthout and many of our peers are dedicating ourselves to following other paths – a commitment which feels vital in a moment when corporations are evermore overtly embedded in government.
Over 80 percent of Truthout‘s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and the remaining 20 percent comes from a handful of social justice-oriented foundations. Over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors, many of whom give because they want to help us keep Truthout barrier-free for everyone.
You can help by giving today. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger gift, Truthout only works with your support.