Rubio wins Koch Straw Poll; Rand comes in Last

[RandallFan]

And they get great ratings, and they drive the message, and it's really problematic. And this is not on the Democratic side. It's only on the Republican side…[inaudible]. [Democrats have] got every other source of news on their side. And so that is a lot of what's driving it. If you take—Marco Rubio's getting his ass kicked. Who's my Rubio fan here? We talked about it. He's getting destroyed! By Mark Levin, by Rush Limbaugh, and a few others. He's trying to find a legitimate, long-term effective solution to immigration that isn't the traditional Republican approach, and talk radio is killing him. That's what's causing this thing underneath. And too many politicians in Washington are playing coy.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/...ic-secret-tape

And he even suggested that if I didn't do the poll that there might be consequences…Nobody wants to have to respond to 20 million people that they're listening to on the air." That certainly didn't prevent Limbaugh from fiercely attacking Luntz two years ago after the consultant, speaking at a meeting of the Republican Governors Association, said he was "frightened to death" of the the Occupy Wall Street movement and advised GOPers that they should not talk about "capitalism" but "economic freedom." On the radio, Limbaugh assailed Luntz for trying to "dumb down" the conservative message.

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/20...z_is_depressed Frank Luntz is Depressed

January 06, 2014
Windows Media


BEGIN TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: You know Frank Luntz, the pollster, Frank Luntz? There's a story here at Mediaite. I just got this. We'll get to the Obama soap opera just a second, 'cause it's classic. It's already begun. I'll set the plot line for you here in just a mere moment. Apparently, it's a profile of Frank Luntz who, as you know, does political focus groups on Fox. He assembles a bunch of people that are said to be a cross-section of America, and he gives 'em little electronic devices, and they register their opinion and other reactions as they're listening to things.

[dannno]

Finally somebody said it...

$#@! you Frank!

[anaconda]

What do the "big donors" actually want? Wars? Subsidized loans or third world oil project contracts? What? Do they not see how they might benefit from a healthy economy and lots of entrepreneurship? There seems like this big shrouded mystery about what the attendees at the Koch event and other such events expect for their donations. Bailouts? Seriously..what?

[r3volution 3.0]

What do the "big donors" actually want? Wars? Subsidized loans or third world oil project contracts? What? Do they not see how they might benefit from a healthy economy and lots of entrepreneurship? There seems like this big shrouded mystery about what the attendees at the Koch event and other such events expect for their donations. Bailouts? Seriously..what?

There's another side to that coin. The government can help its friends, but it can also hurt its enemies. I expect some big donors just try to back the winner, whoever that is, whatever their policy, so that they don't get singled out for punishment. Put another way, it's not always businessmen bribing politicians; sometimes its politicians extorting bribes.

[anaconda]

There's another side to that coin. The government can help its friends, but it can also hurt its enemies. I expect some big donors just try to back the winner, whoever that is, whatever their policy, so that they don't get singled out for punishment. Put another way, it's not always businessmen bribing politicians; sometimes its politicians extorting bribes.

Does this mean that hypothetical Silicon Valley billionaire donors who donate to libertarian Republicans will have endless IRS audits, black cars parked out side their house, onerous regulations, dead hookers in their beds, and never get permits or government contracts for anything in the future?

[anaconda]

There's another side to that coin. The government can help its friends, but it can also hurt its enemies. I expect some big donors just try to back the winner, whoever that is, whatever their policy, so that they don't get singled out for punishment. Put another way, it's not always businessmen bribing politicians; sometimes its politicians extorting bribes.

Great. "Protection money." This is so messed up.

[Sola_Fide]

The Koch brothers might be libertarians and non interventionists, but I don't think their network of donors are.

Yeah. And war is big business.

[anaconda]

Yeah. And war is big business.

But if the Kochs are "true believers" then how can they come to mutually satisfactory agreements with the donors? And how do these "donors" actually help their cause?

[Brett85]

What do the "big donors" actually want? Wars? Subsidized loans or third world oil project contracts? What? Do they not see how they might benefit from a healthy economy and lots of entrepreneurship? There seems like this big shrouded mystery about what the attendees at the Koch event and other such events expect for their donations. Bailouts? Seriously..what?

From the way they responded to Rand's comments on foreign policy, they want several more wars in the Middle East.