Billionaire industrtialist and financier of conservative causes David Koch gave an interview to Politico at the Republican National Convention in which he indicated that some of his positions are out of step with Republican orthodoxy — Koch said he “believes” in gay marriage and is open to cutting defense if the savings go to balancing the budget. Koch was the Libertarian vice-presidential nominee in 1980. From Politico:
Koch said he thinks the U.S. military should withdraw from the Middle East and said the government should consider defense spending cuts, as well as possible tax increases to get its fiscal house in order – a stance anathema to many in the Republican Party.
“I think it’s essential to be able to achieve spending reductions and maybe it’s going to require some tax increases,” he said. “We got to come close to balancing the budget, otherwise we’re in a terrible deep problem.”