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Meet Charles Koch's Brain Kindle Edition
What makes Charles Koch tick?
Despite decades of building the nation's most impressive ideological and influence-peddling network, from ideas-mills to think-tanks to policy-lobbying machines, the Koch brothers only really came to public prominence in the past couple of years. Since then we've learned a lot about the billionaire siblings' vast web of influence and power in American politics and ideas.
Yet, for all that attention, there are still big holes in our knowledge of the Kochs. In particular what drives them and who their influences are. And that's a shame because, in the case of Charles Koch, his influences are in many ways more interesting, and more sinister, than the man himself.
Back in the early-mid 1960s, Charles Koch was just another 20-something oil heir. It was then that he first encountered a libertarian guru by the name of Robert LeFevre. Exhuming the lost story of Charles Koch's guru and demystifying his libertarian movement's ideology by setting it in its proper historical context will not bring progressives any comfort. Rather, the story that follows will confirm many of our worst fears about Koch's political intentions, and should raise a bevy of new things to worry about. It also serves as a wake-up call to progressives who think libertarians are our natural allies, and yet who know so little about libertarianism's past, which has been lost in the fog of history and cultural amnesia.
Despite decades of building the nation's most impressive ideological and influence-peddling network, from ideas-mills to think-tanks to policy-lobbying machines, the Koch brothers only really came to public prominence in the past couple of years. Since then we've learned a lot about the billionaire siblings' vast web of influence and power in American politics and ideas.
Yet, for all that attention, there are still big holes in our knowledge of the Kochs. In particular what drives them and who their influences are. And that's a shame because, in the case of Charles Koch, his influences are in many ways more interesting, and more sinister, than the man himself.
Back in the early-mid 1960s, Charles Koch was just another 20-something oil heir. It was then that he first encountered a libertarian guru by the name of Robert LeFevre. Exhuming the lost story of Charles Koch's guru and demystifying his libertarian movement's ideology by setting it in its proper historical context will not bring progressives any comfort. Rather, the story that follows will confirm many of our worst fears about Koch's political intentions, and should raise a bevy of new things to worry about. It also serves as a wake-up call to progressives who think libertarians are our natural allies, and yet who know so little about libertarianism's past, which has been lost in the fog of history and cultural amnesia.
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateOctober 5, 2013
- File size174 KB
Product details
- ASIN : B00FOA2BOY
- Publisher : Not Safe For Work Corporation (October 5, 2013)
- Publication date : October 5, 2013
- Language : English
- File size : 174 KB
- Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 36 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,170,655 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
Customer reviews
3.4 out of 5 stars
3.4 out of 5
27 global ratings
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2014
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An excellent brief introduction to the elder scion of the Koch family. The son is a brilliant businessman and tireless propagandist and relentless political strategist. He is also a ruthless right wing ideologue, espousing a mix of Ayn Rand libertarianism, and the right wing, fascist corporatism espoused by his father, Fred Koch, one of the original founding members of the John Birch Society. Koch supports dozens of right wing 'think tanks', including the Cato Institute, and political advocacy organizations. He has a fanatical hatred of, and opposition to,labor unions and almost any social program--Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, OSHA, EPA-- that you can name. His brand of capitalism is, frankly, exploitatIve, of labor, of resources and of the environment. His brothers Charles and William share most of his obsessions. He funds his incredibly broad and deep political program with the $100's of million dollars that his companies earn. He, his brothers and his organizations are the beneficiaries of Citizens United, their money supporting the achievement of a 'Permanent Republican Majority' aka The American Reich.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2015
Interesting
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2016
i guess the JBS society still exists, it all comes down to money, the ayn randian vision says it is allright that his dad helped the nazis, Charles himself said that floruidation of water caused communism, but i guess that now a little lead helps make people docile.
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2013
I expected much more from Mark Ames.
He used to be an interesting journalist, but apparently he has gotten caught up in the foaming at the mouth hysteria that has become popular in the left intelligentsia these days. More than anything Ames seems to be doing his best to channel Glen Beck.
This essay starts out by trying to tie Koch to Nazis, then goes on to refer to many groups as cults or extremists. He accuses one person of pedophilia with no evidence. Throughout the essay he writes with great disdain and condescension about anyone and everyone who does not lean left. Instead of analysis we get lines like this one: "LeFevre couldn't run a lemonade stand if his life depended on it". Later he refers to people as "hick fascist vacuum-cleaner salesmen types" This is seriously childish and looks more like the typical commentary on Huffington Post rather than journalism.
He also uses the terms libertarian, conservative, and right-wing interchangeably as if he doesn't know the definitions of those terms. Occasionally he mixes anarchy and libertarian concepts as if they are identical. Ames is clearly unprofessional and uninformed on this topic.
I know this is a cliche, but I am going to use it: I regret that I will never get that hour back.
He used to be an interesting journalist, but apparently he has gotten caught up in the foaming at the mouth hysteria that has become popular in the left intelligentsia these days. More than anything Ames seems to be doing his best to channel Glen Beck.
This essay starts out by trying to tie Koch to Nazis, then goes on to refer to many groups as cults or extremists. He accuses one person of pedophilia with no evidence. Throughout the essay he writes with great disdain and condescension about anyone and everyone who does not lean left. Instead of analysis we get lines like this one: "LeFevre couldn't run a lemonade stand if his life depended on it". Later he refers to people as "hick fascist vacuum-cleaner salesmen types" This is seriously childish and looks more like the typical commentary on Huffington Post rather than journalism.
He also uses the terms libertarian, conservative, and right-wing interchangeably as if he doesn't know the definitions of those terms. Occasionally he mixes anarchy and libertarian concepts as if they are identical. Ames is clearly unprofessional and uninformed on this topic.
I know this is a cliche, but I am going to use it: I regret that I will never get that hour back.
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2013
Mark Ames does a good job at connecting the dots and exposing the "man-behind-the-curtain" power grab interstellar from one of the wealthiest men in the country. It gives a wild history of these "businessmen" involved in the attempt to indoctrinate new students for their freedom movement.
Good read and shows the dark side of the libertarian business movement.
Good read and shows the dark side of the libertarian business movement.
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2013
Fascinating look at the bizarre ideas that have shaped one of the most powerful men in the U.S. Too bad we can't de-program him and his brother.
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2013
nsfwcorp.com is asking questions that other news magazines are too timid to ask. How much do we really know about the Koch family? Thanks to reports like this, the secrecy behind the Koch family is starting to be punctured.
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2015
It would charitable to describe this as a poorly researched - and mean-spirited - diatribe. It could have been a fun - and clever - shot at an admittedly easy target but instead it is a petty smear. A waste.