Could the Koch Brothers Dominate Whitewater’s Politics?

Assume for a moment that Charles and David Koch decided to use their vast billions to dominate Whitewater’s local politics.  They’d spend whatever they had, under this hypothetical, to put their hand-picked candidates in office, for advertising, public relations, goodwill community events, and lobbying to get their way in elections, appointments, and in pressuring local officials over policy.

(Two disclosures are in order.  First, as the Koch bothers are former libertarians, having abandoned our movement for big-party politics, they seem misguided and repulsive to old-family – movement – libertarians like me.  Second, though I find them repulsive schemers, still they have a right to spend to influence politics; in fact, restrictions on that right seem even more repulsive to me than political apostates like Charles and David.)  

Let’s suppose, though, that they decide to move to Whitewater, and to wield their influence over our small town. 

So the question: Could the Koch brothers dominate Whitewater’s politics?

The answer is no, they could not.  No matter how hard they tried, at whatever expense, a campaign in opposition would defeat them, so often in the polls and so often in popular opinion that they’d fail in their attempt. 

Our conditions are unsuited to the Kochs. 

Even a few people, arguing in opposition diligently, day-in, day-out, would overcome them in Whitewater’s marketplace of ideas.  Anyone in Whitewater who tried sincerely and repeated to argue against them would prevail.

And yet – and yet – this inspires a further question: if all the vast power of the Koch brothers would not be enough to dominate our city’s politics against opposition, what chance would a smaller, local pressure group have?   

In this, one finds a political question for the next few years.