Astroturf = Koch Brothers
George Soros is the right's whipping boy, but when you think of secretive billionaires secretly funding think tanks and organizations that spin their own libertarian views, then the Koch Brothers [[Brawny Towels, et al.) are at the top of the heap.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2...0fa_fact_mayer
"...the University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s Political Economy Research Institute named Koch Industries one of the top ten air polluters in the United States. And Greenpeace issued a report identifying the company as a 'kingpin of climate science denial.'”
On NPR's "Fresh Air", today, Mayer reported that she had no problem talking to Soros about his political actions. The Kochs OTOH are so secretive she called them "underground."
Remember when Hillary talked about a vast rightwing conspiracy?
Koch brothers now at heart of GOP power
From The L.A.Times: Koch brothers now at heart of GOP power
Quote:
A top early goal: restricting the reach of the Environmental Protection Agency, which oversees the Kochs' core energy businesses....
Perhaps the Kochs' most surprising and important ally on the committee is its new chairman, Rep. Fred Upton. The Republican from Michigan, who was once criticized by conservatives for his middle-of-the-road approach to environmental issues, is now leading the effort to rein in the EPA....
In recent months the congressman has made a point of publicly aligning himself with the Koch-backed advocacy group, calling for an end to the "EPA chokehold." Last week the chairman released a draft of a bill that would strip the EPA of its ability to curb carbon emissions. The legislation is in line with the Kochs' long-advocated stance that the federal government should have a minimal role in regulating business. The Kochs' oil refineries and chemical plants stand to pay millions to reduce air pollution under currently proposed EPA regulations....
The change on the committee is "like night and day," said Jeremy Symons, senior vice president of the National Wildlife Federation, a nonpartisan organization that lobbied the committee to stem greenhouse gas emissions.
"In the past the committee majority viewed the Clean Air Act as an effective way to protect the public," Symons said. "Now the committee treats the Clean Air Act and the EPA as if they are the enemy. Voters didn't ask for this pro-polluter agenda, but the Koch brothers spent their money well and their presence can be felt."
