Billionaire Charles Koch offered potential support to presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Sunday, but only if she made some changes to her rhetoric. These changes, I believe, she will make.
Koch said “It’s possible” that Clinton could be a better alternative than any Republican candidate. Not only is that a possibility, but it’s the truth — especially for the Koch brothers.
Wisconsin knows the Koch brothers — they’re everyone’s favorite Gov. Scott Walker donors. Far from only backing Walker, Koch money has changed the course of Wisconsin politics. From sponsoring 16 candidates in 2010 to spending, directly or through organizations they founded, tens of millions of dollars, the tandem has molded Wisconsin’s politics into a place that promotes their ideas of “limited government” and “free trade.”
Nationally, the brothers cannot mold the government as they have in Wisconsin. Frankly, there are just too many politicians with their own agendas receiving a multitude of donations. But, they can influence who the next president is.
The Koch brothers are known for their right-wing political leanings, but the Republican candidates in this election cycle are much less Koch-friendly than in the past. Take for example the feud between Koch and Republican front runner, Donald Trump, calling his proposed registry of all Muslim Americans “monstrous” and “reminiscent of Nazi Germany.”
Relations are just as icy with the other leading Republican presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Koch has questioned Cruz’s plan to “carpet bomb” the Middle East.
So who’s left? Gov. John Kasich has no chance at securing the Republican nomination, and Trump looks primed to win the Republican nomination after his near-sweep of the New York primary, dismissing the chance at a brokered convention.
Salvation for Koch comes in the form of Clinton. It’s hard to believe Clinton will remain as far to the left after she comes away with the Democratic nomination. Obviously, Clinton would never be the first choice for the brothers, but given the presumptive Republican nominee, Clinton is the candidate most able to protect the status quo. And the status quo keeps the brothers as multibillionaires.
Aaron Reilly ([email protected]) is a freshman majoring in social work and economics.
