The Nation obtained an audiotape that proves that Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) is owned by the notorious billionaire Koch brothers. We’ve always sort of known this, right? But to hear what he said on tape….let’s put it this way. How often do you guys see me put the word “SHOCKING” in all caps in a headline?
At a secret meeting on June 15, Mitch McConnell shared his plans to SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT, and he whined about having to vote for unimportant things like raising the minimum wage. In an interview last week with Politico, McConnell explained how he would shut down Pres. Obama’s legislative agenda by placing riders on appropriations bills.
“We’re going to pass spending bills, and they’re going to have a lot of restrictions on the activities of the bureaucracy,” McConnell said in an interview aboard his campaign bus traveling through Western Kentucky coal country. That’s something he won’t like, but that will be done. I guarantee it.
However, this wasn’t just something that Mitch McConnell dreamed up on his own. This was a promise that he made to the Koch Brothers two months ago at a “secret strategy conference” called called American Courage: Our Commitment to a Free Society,” where the guests were conservative millionaires and billionaire friends of the Koch brothers.
Here is what he said to the Koch brothers, from The Nation:
“I want to start by thanking you, Charles and David, for the important work you’re doing. I don’t know where we’d be without you.”
In the question-and-answer period following his June 15 session titled “Free Speech: Defending First Amendment Rights,” McConnell says:
So in the House and Senate, we own the budget. So what does that mean? That means that we can pass the spending bill. And I assure you that in the spending bill, we will be pushing back against this bureaucracy by doing what’s called placing riders in the bill. No money can be spent to do this or to do that. We’re going to go after them on healthcare, on financial services, on the Environmental Protection Agency, across the board (inaudible). All across the federal government, we’re going to go after it.
[…]
And we’re not going to be debating all these gosh darn proposals. That’s all we do in the Senate is vote on things like raising the minimum wage (inaudible) cost the country 500,000 new jobs; extending unemployment that’s a great message for retirees; uh, the student loan package the other day, that’s just going to make things worse, uh. These people believe in all the wrong things.
McConnell has pledged to “go after” Democrats and the Dodd-Frank regulation, which would hit hard at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and give the banking industry a big wet kiss. Let’s note that Wall Street was the biggest donor to McConnell’s campaign committee from 2009 to 2014.
But there is hope here. You’re probably aware that McConnell has an imposing challenger for his senate seat, and she actually has a very strong chance of winning. Alison Lundergan Grimes has been working her campaign hard for over a year and she is backed by heavyweight Democrats that include the Clintons and Elizabeth Warren. The spending of the race is on track to be the most expensive Senate election in history, with spending expected to be more than $100 million. Koch-supported PACs and individuals have given the McConnell campaign $41,800 in this election cycle alone.
The Grimes campaign is already all over this. Here is the meat of the email that she has sent out.
Just this morning, The Nation released shocking new audio that sheds more light on what and who Mitch McConnell is fighting for: the Koch brothers and their radical agenda against working families.
We’ve always known Mitch McConnell was on the side of millionaires and billionaires, but we never knew just how willing he’d be to sell out hardworking Kentuckians in search of power for himself when he thought no one was listening.
These millionaires and billionaires are paying him back: his campaign is bankrolled by shadowy outside groups. You better believe they want something in return for the tens of millions of dollars they’re pumping into our race.
[…]
The fact that he was caught on tape selling out working families just to raise money for his party is more evidence that we simply can’t trust Mitch McConnell to fight for us.
He just doesn’t get it. McConnell promised his party’s rich backers that he stands with them and against raising the minimum wage, extending unemployment insurance and helping Kentuckians with college affordability, no matter the cost to Kentuckians and this nation.
McConnell’s radical agenda will devastate working families. We deserve better and we’ve got to stop him.
McConnell has voted 17 times against raising the minimum wage and 12 times against extending unemployment benefits.
Go in depth at The Nation. There is an audio clip below. Let us know your thoughts at the Liberal America Facebook page.
