The libertarian-leaning Koch political network, founded by brothers Charles and David Koch, rose to prominence by funding the tea party protests a decade ago, when taxpayers outraged by an economic stimulus bill and President Barack Obama’s health care plans embraced combative tactics in town halls and protests — and remade politics for years to come.
Now, as another recession looms and concerns about government overreach and civil liberties are causing some conservatives to take to the streets, the Koch network is explicitly rejecting the in-person protests.
Americans for Prosperity — the main political arm of the Koch family — decided not to join some of its former collaborators from the tea party movement, such as FreedomWorks, in embracing the protests or helping organize them online.
The move reflects a dramatic shift in tactics within the network, which in the past has spent hundreds of millions of dollars a year on political action. It also demonstrates how the grassroots activist wing of the Republican Party — which was once funded and largely molded by the Kochs — has veered away from the small-government priorities of an earlier era.
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“I think there's been a lesson,” said Frayda Levin, a board member at Americans for Prosperity. “We saw what we wanted in the tea party. It didn’t work out like we’d like. And now we’re much more practical.”
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https://www.politico.com/news/2020/0...rotests-202320
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Originally Posted by Swordsmyth
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