[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 4422-4423]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          CAMPAIGN DISTORTION

  Mr. REID. Over the last couple of weeks I have taken some heat from 
Senate Republicans and conservative pundits for exposing two 
multibillionaires. These are two oil barons, and they are trying to rig 
the political system to favor the rich and especially favor themselves.
  After the 14th statement adverse to me issued by a spokesman for the 
Koch brothers, it seems abundantly clear I have gotten under their 
skin.
  As the saying goes, from the great Senator Pat Moynihan: ``Everyone 
is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.''
  But I had guessed the Koch brothers have been able to buy their facts 
over the years, not paying any attention to whether they are true or 
false. This week media outlets from New York, and especially the New 
York Times, to the Washington Post, to the Detroit News, revealed the 
truth. The truth is millions in political ads sponsored by these two 
multibillionaires are misleading at best and outright false in many 
instances.
  The truth is the Koch brothers are willing to do anything, even 
exploit Americans suffering from cancer, to advance their campaign of 
distortion.
  I am not afraid of the Koch brothers. None of us should be afraid of 
the Koch brothers. These two multibillionaires can spend millions of 
dollars of their money rigging the political process for their own 
benefit, but that doesn't mean we have to lie down and take it--because 
we are not going to. They may believe that whoever has the most money 
gets the most free speech. That is wrong, it is unfair, and it is 
untrue. I will do whatever it takes to expose their campaign, their 
campaign to rig the American political system to benefit the wealthy at 
the expense of the middle class.
  A number of Republican Senators have rushed over here to defend the 
Koch brothers. That is hard to comprehend, but they have done it. If 
someone asked me--and no one has, but I will give my opinion anyway--
billionaires seem perfectly capable of defending themselves. They do it 
with hundreds of millions of dollars. I am sure it has over the past 
couple of years reached close to $1 billion spreading these falsehoods. 
Remember, they don't just do it under the phony banner of Americans for 
Prosperity, they divert money to a lot of other organizations; for 
example, millions of dollars to the chamber of commerce, which runs ads 
against Democratic Senators.
  They are capable of defending themselves. But when Senate Republican 
Senators rush to defend the Koch brothers, they are also defending the 
Koch brothers' radical philosophy--and it is radical. How do we know it 
is radical? Because they said it is radical. They said so. I am not 
making those words up. One of the brothers kept harping on the fact 
that he had a radical philosophy, and they do.
  I ask my Republican colleagues in the Senate, is even one--is even 
one--willing to stand and disavow the Koch brothers' radical agenda? It 
is radical. It is radical because they say it is radical--and it is 
radical. All we have to do is look at it.
  Will Senate Republicans reject the Koch brothers' radical plan to 
privatize Social Security?
  Will they come to the floor and reject the Koch brothers' radical 
plan to end Medicare as we know it?
  Will Senate Republicans reject the Koch brothers' radical plan to end 
the

[[Page 4423]]

guarantee of affordable, quality, health care and put insurance 
companies back in charge so tens of millions of Americans are again one 
heart attack or car accident away from bankruptcy?
  Will Senate Republicans reject the Koch brothers' radical plan to 
allow insurance companies to deny coverage for a child with a heart 
murmur, a survivor of breast cancer, a teen who suffers from acne or 
absolutely anyone with a preexisting condition no matter how minor?
  Will Senate Republicans reject the Koch brothers' radical plan to 
eliminate minimum-wage laws and workplace safety standards? That is 
what the Koch brothers want.
  Will Senate Republicans reject the Koch brothers' radical plan to 
decimate America's public education system? That is what they want.
  Will Senate Republicans reject the Koch brothers' radical plan to 
roll back environmental safeguards and give themselves the unfettered 
right to pollute our air and water? We have to look out for our 
children and our grandchildren having pure water to drink, good air to 
breathe--not with the Koch brothers. That isn't what they want.
  Will Senate Republicans reject the Koch brothers' radical plan to 
give more tax breaks to the richest of the rich--to profitable oil 
companies, corporations who ship jobs overseas, and billionaires who 
pay lower taxes than their secretaries?
  Not one Republican stepped forward, so obviously they must agree with 
the Koch brothers' radical philosophy. Republicans are willing to 
defend the Koch brothers on the floor of this Senate, but are they 
willing to defend the Koch brothers' radical agenda as well? I guess 
that is what they are doing by coming to the floor.
  If Republicans don't support the Koch brothers' ``survival of the 
richest'' philosophy, all they have to do is say so because the truth 
is it will be terrible to allow the Koch brothers to buy Congress and 
to buy our country. And that is what they are trying to do.
  It would be catastrophic to allow the Koch brothers' Congress to 
devastate the American middle class with their richest-take-all policy 
agenda.
  This discussion isn't only about fairness or the democratic way. This 
discussion isn't only about the inherent danger in allowing two 
multibillionaire oil barons to buy America's political system. This is 
also about how these two multibillionaires would use a political 
system, once they have bought it, and how they would abuse it in order 
to add zeros to the bottom line while hurting middle-class families.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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