In the coming days conservative movement leaders and brothers Charles and David Koch (pictured) and their 
company, Koch Industries, will be hosting their annual conference in Palm Desert bringing together other like-minded people from throughout the country who are interested in job creation, free enterprise, eliminating deficit spending, lowering taxes and protecting our economic freedoms. In other words, Americans, many of whom are the job creators, are getting together on their own dime to talk about these important subjects and to discuss how they might work together to further these goals with real solutions.
You would think that supposed “good government” groups like Common Cause would be supportive of citizens who care enough to do what they can to engage in the issues most important to them. We are, unfortunately, talking about Common Cause and their allies on the liberal left who want us to believe they’re wearing the white hats when in reality they are most interested in stifling the fundamental rights such as free speech and the freedom to assemble by people with whom they don’t agree. This who’s who list of liberal interest groups includes Common Cause, the labor-backed Courage Campaign, 
the California Nurses Association and extreme environmental groups like Greenpeace who are busing in people from all over southern California for their protest. The organizers claim they are protesting Koch Industries for funding “astroturf” organizations, which is a little like the pot calling the kettle black. I am certain these protesters will take their cue from President and at all times they will display civility.
Of course the truth is that in the Obama-era the left has been working overtime to paint the Koch brothers into the boogey-men on the right. In doing so, they act as if the left somehow operates by a set of rules in campaigns that the right doesn’t. We all play by the same rules – acting as if we don’t is nothing but pure hypocrisy. Here are just a few examples of that hypocrisy:
1. Common Cause has admitted to taking at least $600,000 from big name Democrat donor George Soros (pictured) who is notorious for spending millions and millions of (unreported, undisclosed) dollars through many channels to support liberal causes – the very thing they accuse those attending the conference this weekend of doing for conservatives.
2. In November 2010 left-wing Democracy Alliance held a closed-press, confidential private meeting at the Mandarin Oriental in Washington, DC focused on coordinating outside expenditure efforts in 2010. According to Politico:
“The meeting – organized by a group of wealthy, politically active liberals called the Democracy Alliance – took place at Washington’s swank Mandarin Oriental hotel…”
In the same piece Politico reports that attendees of the meeting were required to donate at least $15,000 to Democracy Alliance and another $100,000 to the causes they support. And, they also note that a speaker at this event was Van Jones, who ironically or hypocritically, is among the featured speakers Common Cause and Co. are bringing to Palm Desert this weekend.
3. Common Cause takes issue with the notion that the people attending the Koch event this weekend will use their resources to fund political activities through entities that do not disclose their donors by name, however Common Cause’s own donation disclosure policy includes a massive loophole that allows them to keep hidden the identity of any one of their donors with the consent of just a few leaders.
4. Politico reported in November that Obama and his advisors are expecting a well-funded campaign from the left to be mounted on his behalf in 2012. From the the story:
“And, when asked three times, Axelrod refused to wave off — and seemed to expect — a similar, well-funded campaign by wealthy Democratic donors and the party’s activist allies in labor and the environmental communities in the 2012 campaigns for the White House and Congress.”
Why then are his allies taking issue with those on the other side also working together to get their message out? It can’t be right for one and wrong for the other just because you disagree with someone’s point of view.
We fully support the right to assemble and wish these liberal hypocrites a safe and productive time. As for our MSM friends who willingly oblige these groups by covering their activities we hope when they’re done listening Van Jones, Robert Reich, Erwin Chemerinsky and the rest of them perhaps they’ll find the time to ask a few questions like: who is paying for the buses? Did any of their speakers charge a fee, if so, who paid for that? Does the group plan to protest similar meetings held by liberal groups and donors? How does Common Cause rationalize taking contributions from Soros when they have such a problem with conservative and libertarian donors also using their resources to raise issues and healthy public debate?
I know, silly me.
On a closing note, Politico has a fairly balanced look at this up today…