David Koch's 1980 Run for Vice President
In 1980, David Koch ran for Vice President on the Libertarian Party ticket. Every bone-headed Plutocratic rightwing idea you've been hearing over the past few years — David Koch was spewing out this exact same shit 34 years ago.
Here's a link to the Libertarian Party platform of 1980.
Go ahead and peruse the list. It's not pretty, but we need to know this. After you've realized that the Koch Brothers want to eliminate every governmental protection we've had for the last eighty years, you might notice a few things missing from the list.
Along with opposing most governmental protections, Libertarians have also been opposed to the whole Biblehumping “morality” agenda, elective wars, and the siphoning of trillions of tax dollars to the Pentagon and the War on Drugs. Whether you agree with the Libertarian Party or not, there's usually a certain consistency that you've gotta respect.
But none of these items are mentioned in the linked article. David Koch wanted to eliminate every agency and every law that protects people; but he apparently had no problem whatsoever with the Prison Industrial Complex, the Pentagon and its parasitic “defense” contractors, or the Salem Witch Trials 2.0.
Go figure.
posted by Tom Harper @ 8:15 PM
5 Comments:
I studied the Libertarian platform of 1976 when I wasn’t satisfied with neither Ford nor Carter. They must have added some stuff since then. Even today’s Libertarians don’t realize that it works both ways. Yeah they may benefit from a smaller government with literally no taxes but they also don’t realize that most of the fortune 500 make a vast percentage of their fortunes through Government Contracts. Do they really believe that the defense and agriculture (for example) will buy in and say “We don’t want any Government Money”? This also includes their Subsidies, Protective Tariffs, Protective Patents and other things that keep them rich but they prefer we not know about.
What we also never hear about is on the Moral Stage, Libertarians don’t want oppressive moral laws. That includes items the Kochs are donating money to prevent like Abortions, Pre-Marital Sex, Cohabitation, Sodomy, Pornography and (eventually) even Gay marriage.
Other then some moral freedoms the libertarians have never explained how me as a working low middle class slob could prosper just as much as the large corporation or billionaire. I like having “totalitarian” Government protections on someone not to hire or fire me just because of my age, skin color, handicap, sex, sexual orientation, religion (or lack of), political party, creed, or unappealing looks (trust me they aren’t that great these days!). If the Libertarian models of local control are truly followed, and I happen to be part of the majority, then I am prospering. If I’m in the minority..well we used to call that Jim Crow.
Barry Goldwater (probably our last true Libertarian) Didn’t approve of National Civil Rights laws, but he did approve of integration in general and took some steps as Governor of Arizona to help that (It should be noted that he later admitted he was wrong and supported National Civil Rights laws). I do admire him for sticking to his True Libertarian Guns.
Erik
That is an amazing list. It is today's GOP wet dream -- get rid of all taxes, regulations, and privatize everything.
He's running in every race that GoOpers run in as much money as he puts forward for them. We've got the very best republicans their money can buy. He really should put his name on a ballot if he wants things to go his way, see how much he is hated. Trump has started the tease of his running in 2016 again. Must be coming up time for NBC to be redoing his contract for that shitty show he does. Gets him publicity. We've got Huckabee today saying that America is worse than North Korea. they all hated these guys a few years ago and now Putin, young Kim and some other unsavory characters are who the GoOpers are loving, so they don't have to say POTUS is doing good work. I read somewhere today we are coming close again to having a budget surplus but Obama is the biggest spending prez we have ever seen or will ever see. I just hope Hillary runs. We all thought the racism is bad, wait till they get on with the sexism.
Erik: I was surprised to learn, just a few months ago, that the Koch brothers have contributed jillions of dollars to anti-abortion groups. It's always done through a front group, since they don't have the balls to have their names associated with the Biblehumpers. So much for their "limited government."
I agree, I like having these totalitarian protections for workers' safety, the environment, anti-discrimination laws, etc.
Jerry: No doubt, rightwingers were creaming all over themselves when they saw that Libertarian Party platform.
Jess: Pretty ironic that North Korea and Russia have become role models for rightwing "patriotic" Americans. You're right, when/if Hillary runs, the Right will spew out every raunchy sexist innuendo they can think of. And out of the other side of their mouths they'll yell out "this has nothing to do with the fact that she's a woman" and "you're playing the sex card again."
You make some great points, and I appreciate your bringing this aspect into perspective. However, there seems to a great amount of misconception toward the libertarian values and goals expressed today. Please understand that today this would be the tea-party which is very different. Before that it was the John birch society. Please understand the difference. I'm sure many libertarians are strongly against war, and the drug war and strongly support campaign finance reform. Ask the tea party what they think about libertarianism.
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