Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Arkansas Politics Koch takeover of Arkansas makes Colbert Report
Posted by Max Brantley on Tue, Oct 9, 2012 at 6:40 AM
A reader who stays up later than I can manage alerts me that the Koch hostile takeover of the Arkansas legislature with $1 million plus in venture capital was mentioned on last night's Colbert Report. Colbert moved quickly to in activities in Maine, the "Arkansas of New England," where the outside money targets a Democratic candidate for the sin of playing video games.
Colbert was inspired to mention Arkansas by the Washington Post report built around a Koch bus tour here.
SPEAKING OF KOCH HEADS: Rob Moritz at Stephens Media has a report on the largely unreported expenditures by the Koch organization and others to take over the legislature for Republicans prepared to do the Kochs' bidding on tax cutting, reduction of regulation and discouragement of minority voting, among others.
SPEAKING OF KOCH HEADS II: Some Democrats are firing back. In Yell County, local Democrats have bought this ad in the local paper to warn about the out-of-state moneybags attempting to buy local elections. "It's YOUR choice," the ad says. "Keep our elections local or sell out to outside billionaires' special interests."
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April 23, 2013At 9:17 a.m., the House adjourned until a formal close May 17. The Senate should follow in short order, if it hasn't already. /more/
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Now the legislature cuts up the swag
April 22, 2013If no detours develop, the Arkansas legislature should finish tomorrow and go home. Today and tomorrow will be primarily devoted to passage of the revenue stabilization act, which guides overall state spending, and — much more important to individual members — approval of expenditures from the General Improvement Fund, a surprlus account. /more/
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Now the Kochs target newspapers
April 21, 2013The billionaire Koch brothers have a massive imprint, from energy to forest products to multi-tentacled political front groups including the likes of Americans for Prosperity, important in the Republican takeover of the Arkansas legislature. /more/
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What, me worry? Beebe to sign tax cuts
April 19, 2013Gov. Mike Beebe said today that he'd sign a raft of tax cut bills — heavily tilted toward the wealthy — that could reduce state income by $140 million or more in three years. /more/
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Morning report: Won't you go home Arkansas legislature?
April 19, 2013The Friday morning warmup: * THE RUSH TO ADJOURN: "Deliberative" is not a word that applies to the death rattle of the Arkansas legislature — not when the Senate rushes out, with virtually no debate, $150 million or so in tax cuts on everything from baling wire purchases to multi-million-dollar windfalls on unearned income for corporate capitalists. /more/
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Medicaid expansion: Two views
April 18, 2013The legislative vote to avail Arkansas of Obamacare Medicaid expansion money. Good or bad? /more/
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Koch lobby has new leader in Arkansas
April 15, 2013The Arkansas chapter of Americans for Prosperity, the Koch billionaires' anti-tax, anti-regulation political arm that spent a million bucks to produce a Republican legislative majority in Arkansas, has a new state executive director. /more/
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