Kochs Offer Illinois Residents Free Food, Trips to Wisconsin to Support Walker

By Lee Fang, Republic Report

29 May 12

avid Koch, co-owner of the Koch Industries petrochemical, manufacturing and commodity speculation fortune, hasn't been shy about supporting Governor Scott Walker (R-WI), whose controversial union-busting agenda has forced a recall election this summer. Earlier this year, Koch told the Palm Beach Post: "We're helping him, as we should. We've gotten pretty good at this over the years. We've spent a lot of money in Wisconsin. We're going to spend more."

Indeed, Koch has spent millions through the Republic Governors Association, through a network of attack-ad airing front groups, and financed a set of local Wisconsin think tanks to show support for Walker.

Now, it appears, Koch is spending money even in Illinois to help save Walker. Americans for Prosperity, a group founded by the Koch brothers, is advertising bus trips with free food for Illinois residents who commit to traveling to Wisconsin to help Walker:

(image: Twitter)

The buses leave from Chicago, Homer Glen, and Palatine on June 2nd - just days before the Wisconsin recall election.

As Koch mentioned, his political machine has "gotten pretty good at this over the years." Here's a video I shot of Koch providing dozens of free buses for anti-health reform protesters back in 2009:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-Jat8qOaws

A similar strategy played out back in 1993. As ThinkProgress reported:

Koch's AFP has a long history of marshaling "grassroots" support for GOP objectives. In the early 1990s, AFP, then known as Citizens for a Sound Economy, worked secretly with then-Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA) to organize angry crowds following the Clintons as they touted their health reform bill. Industry money from health insurance, telecommunications, oil, and other companies has flowed freely to AFP over the years to help AFP promote an agenda of boosting the rich, stripping consumer safeguards, and maintaining corporate monopolies.