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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO – The main leaders of Koch's conservative political network, frustrated by the leadership of the Republican Party, are trying to give a new image to the party. organization by promising to be less partisan and working with elected officials from all political horizons to advance their political priorities.
In a rare interview with reporters, a thoughtful Charles Koch spoke of the "mistakes" he and his network made in the past. the strictly partisan playbook that the organization has been deploying for more than a decade.
He told reporters in a short session of questions and answers here that he "regrets" by supporting some Republicans who "say that they are going to be for those principles that we have married and they do not are not. "He added that the network, which spends hundreds of millions of dollars on each electoral cycle, will be" much stricter "when it comes to determining who to support in the future.
The change of strategy comes less than two years after the beginning of the presidency. who changed the GOP by avoiding the ideology of the small government and just before the mid-term elections where Republicans are fighting to keep control of the House and win Senate seats.
The organization is still spending tens of millions of dollars to defeat the Democrats and support the Republicans in the mid-term elections. They also plan to spend a considerable amount of money to lobby lawmakers so that they support Brett Kavanaugh, a Supreme Court nominee.
But the 82-year-old man hinted that politics might represent a small part of his portfolio. During the biannual weekend of the donor network at Tony Broadmoor Resort, Koch Network officials said that the unipartite approach they pursued in the past no longer works and they have promised to branch out to find "broad-based coalitions".
The new approach concerns both tone and politics. They indicate a break in the political debate that has led to deep divisions throughout the country. And they say they've seen "setbacks" in the last 18 months that have done little to advance their vision of a country with a smaller government footprint.
As for the content of the political speech of the day, they say that there is little
When he was asked if he blames the president for the division, Koch said : "I am hating sin and not sinner."
But senior leaders were more direct
White House dissent causes long-term damage, "Co-Chair Brian Hooks told reporters Network Seminars. "That's why we say that there is a lack of leadership and that there is an opportunity for this network to intensify and express a positive view on the problems to help people improve their lives. "
"In order to have a good place in the debate, you have to convince the American people that trade is bad.You see this on immigration, to come up with a good policy," Hooks said. "You must convince people that immigrants are bad, it is not a sustainable tactic or a good policy."
Charles Koch said that he and his network were also responsible, adding: " We are all part of that – none of us is perfect and none of us fully embraces mutual benefits and equal rights. "
As for politics, the Network praises GOP tax reform and the vibrant economy, but they say that equally disastrous policies are being advanced.
The organization with a libertarian tendency, made up of numerous political and non-profit groups, categorically opposes the use of tariffs by President Donald Trump to promote its commercial objectives: protectionist policies are false and will cause "long-term damage". Brent Gardner, head of government affairs for Americans for Prosperity, said exclamation: "They criticized the $ 1.3 trillion spending bill of Congress, the most important of which is the government. Government History
. Oh yes! "
" We are horrified by the expenses. Absolutely horrified, "said Gardner," it's something fleeting, and running when it's time to take votes. "
The leaders of the organization also call the separation of families on the" odious "border for failing to find a solution to protect the undocumented Dreamers who came to the United States when they were children.
As a result of these policies, the organizers say that they will be left with nothing and will accept what the GOP proposes as a legislative program
"If we continue to do that, we will simply slow down the country's decline rather than change the trajectory of the country, "said James Davis, vice president of the organization.Note that the badociated groups have spent millions of dollars against the House Speaker Paul Ryan's attempt to advance a border adjustment tax in tax reform and they thanked Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota for his support of the Dodd-Fra nk project. law ba Heitkamp faces a tough reelection against Republican Kevin Cramer.
Still, the libertarian trend group plans to spend $ 300-400 million to advance their political goals and elect like-minded lawmakers, most of whom are Republicans
Just last week, they published a $ 1.7 million attack announcement against Sen. Claire McCaskill, R-Mo., one of ten Democrat Senators working to win re-election in a state Trump won in 2016. [19659004NetworkleadersarereluctanttocallTrumpaggressivelyeventhoughthey'veneverbeenfansofthepresidentThegroupwhichspentnearly$400milliontoelectMittRomneyinthe2012electionstayedonthesidelinesin2016
Now, they say they're working with the president when he has the right policies. They commend him for his work on criminal justice reform, including his pardon for Alice Johnson, an Alabama woman who was sentenced to life for drug trafficking.
They also praise the Democrats on criminal justice reform. supporting the right to try legislation that allows terminally ill patients to try drugs not yet approved by the FDA.
Gardner said that if the Democrats do not finally vote the right way on their issues, at least "we can have a discussion that can"
Officials say donors, who must contribute at least $ 100,000 per year to attend the seminar, agree that a strictly partisan game does not work (NBC News has accepted an invitation to cover the rally by agreeing not to declare the names of donor participants without the permission of the person.]
A fertile ground for fundraising, close to a dozen elected officials are present, including two running to win the Senate seats in 2018: Florida Governor Rick Scott and Rep Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee
This is the first seminar without David Koch who set aside earlier this year for health reasons, leaving the network leadership only to Charles Koch their change in strategy, the organization this weekend has drawn attention to the nonprofit organizations with whom they have collaborated and financially helped that raise the disenfranchised, drug addicts and more.
They brought staff and founder Cafe Momentum, a non-profit restaurant, which trains and employs recently released adolescents from juvenile detention centers. A dozen kids have traveled here and will cook and serve the donors one of their meals and tell their story.
To broaden the discourse on university campuses, the network, which funds conservative professors, will now publish all grant agreements with An Online University so that the public can see the terms of the agreement.
"Get rid of our mistakes, learn from them and try to do better, that's what we're going to do," said Koch.
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