"Their ability and their willingness to put in huge sums of money — sums that you and I and 99-plus percent of Americans could never think of putting into politics — is concerning ..." That's Koch brothers money, of course.

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Koch event raises questions about money, politics
By Barrett Newkirk, January 23, 2015

Billionaires Charles and David Koch will bring some of the GOP’s most prominent names to Rancho Mirage this weekend, renewing a national conversation about the influence that money has on politics.

As they’ve done every winter since 2003, the conservative brothers will set up shop in a valley resort. Their guest list is handpicked, together making up a secretive list of high-profile Republican politicians and donors.

This year’s confab at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Rancho Mirage will include several potential contenders for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. And — in a rare move that addresses their critics — three of them will participate in an online panel discussion.

That brief peek inside the gathering hasn’t curbed plans for a protest, with several local Democrats planning to gather Saturday morning outside of Rancho Mirage City Hall, which is just down the road from the hotel.

“Their ability and their willingness to put in huge sums of money — sums that you and I and 99-plus percent of Americans could never think of putting into politics — is concerning,” Common Cause spokesman Dale Eisman told The Desert Sun this week.

The Kochs have long stood behind their annual desert gathering, with a spokesman in 2011 saying “attendees discuss solutions to our most pressing issues and strategies to promote policies that will help grow our economy, foster free enterprise and create American jobs.”

Dick Oliphant, a former Indian Wells mayor and founder of the Lincoln Club of Coachella Valley, has helped with arrangements for the conference in previous years.

But he has never been inside the event itself. He also wasn’t aware of any local officials participating in the Koch forums.

“It’s an annual event where a group of Republican leaders get together and discuss the coming year,” said Oliphant, who is not involved in this weekend’s planning.

“I would guess they’re likely ready to start discussing candidates for president.”

The Ritz-Carlton has requested services from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department for the weekend, Deputy Armando Munoz said. He did not know how many officers would be assisting, but said the hotel would cover the department’s expenses.

Rancho Mirage city spokesman Robert Barrett told The Desert Sun the city has not been involved in the event.

One of the most well-publicized Koch events was a 2011 gathering that attracted hundreds of demonstrators to the Rancho Las Palmas Resort.

It also led to a large showing of law enforcement officers in riot gear, who later said they were there to protect the federal judges who also were at the resort.

The Ritz-Carlton, nestled in the mountains off Frank Sinatra Drive, is less accessible than the Rancho Las Palmas on Bob Hope Drive.

“The location just makes it great for security,” Barrett said.

A number of local Democrats are planning a “welcome party,” starting at 10 a.m. Saturday.

“They need to find out that not everyone agrees with them,” said Keith Coleman, a retired flight attendant from Cathedral City who is organizing the protest. “It has to do with their cronies that give them money.”

Oliphant called criticism of the event unfair.

“The same thing happens on the Democrat side with George Soros and his groups,” he said. “I don’t know why they (the Kochs) get criticized for that, and I don’t know why they have to hold up a horn to say they’re announcing a party.”

An hourlong panel discussion featuring U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Marco Rubio of Florida will take place at 8:30 p.m. Sunday.

ABC News chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl will moderate it, and the network will livestream part of it.

This weekend’s “American Recovery Policy Forum” is billed as a first-of-its-kind event for Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, the nonprofit affiliated with the Koch brothers.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is another notable name being mentioned as a likely attendee.

Freedom Partners did not return multiple emails and phone calls from The Desert Sun seeking information about the summit.

In his 2011 invitation letter, Charles Koch argued that “everyone benefits from the prosperity that emerges from free societies.”

“But that prosperity is under attack by the current administration and many of our elected leaders. Their policies threaten to erode our economic freedom and transfer vast sums of power to the state,” Koch wrote.

“We must stop — and reverse — this internal assault on our founding principles.”

Common Cause is among the groups that have tracked the Koch gatherings over the years.

Eisman said his group supports efforts to create programs where public money is used to match contributions from small-dollar donors as a way to offset the influence major donors such as the Kochs have with some politicians.

“Elected officials who go to these events need to go back and answer to their voters about why,” Eisman said. “If you’re the governor of any state around the country, why are you going out and spending your time at an event like this when you ought to be doing the business of your state?”
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