The Koch brothers got their bellyful of partisanship, and they don’t like it. As a result, the Koch network will try to do something increasingly rare in today’s politics: Separate policy from rank politics.
During a recent and rare sit-down with reporters, Charles Koch said he “regrets” supporting Republicans who “say they’re going to be for these principles that we espouse and then they aren’t.” Going forward, his network will be “much stricter” when vetting candidates to support.
In other words, the free ride is over.
It is easy to understand that frustration. Through their various subsidiaries, the Kochs dropped millions to get the party of limited government back into power, only to watch the majorities they bankrolled act as recklessly as the ones they helped replace. In just the last two years, Republicans have failed to repeal Obamacare, passed a corpulent $1.3 trillion spending bill, and succumbed to the temptation of protectionism.
The Kochs learned that their money bought muscle but not automatic ideological loyalty. As a result, the Kochs will focus more on policy from now on. They might even support a few Democrats who share their views. But they won’t support Republicans just for the sake of supporting Republicans.
Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., ran up against the stricter post-Trump Koch network recently. After embracing President Trump’s protectionism and his $12 billion agriculture bailout, the North Dakota Republican lost the support of these wealthy benefactors, who announced that they will sit on the sidelines as he challenges incumbent Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp.
Obviously, this lack of loyalty hasn’t gone over well with the president, who lit into the billionaires for not blindly backing his party.
The globalist Koch Brothers, who have become a total joke in real Republican circles, are against Strong Borders and Powerful Trade. I never sought their support because I don’t need their money or bad ideas. They love my Tax & Regulation Cuts, Judicial picks & more. I made…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2018
….them richer. Their network is highly overrated, I have beaten them at every turn. They want to protect their companies outside the U.S. from being taxed, I’m for America First & the American Worker – a puppet for no one. Two nice guys with bad ideas. Make America Great Again!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2018
But Republicans shouldn’t even consider writing off the Kochs. The libertarian-leaning philanthropists still plan on spending between $300 and $400 million to push their policy agenda and support candidates who share their principles. They just plan on getting their money’s worth from now on.
