MSNBC Gets Rare Interview With Billionaire Koch Brothers

MSNBC's "Morning Joe" co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, right, attend the 2013 Matrix New York Women in Communications Awards at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Monday April 22, 2013 in New York. (Photo by E... MSNBC's "Morning Joe" co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, right, attend the 2013 Matrix New York Women in Communications Awards at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Monday April 22, 2013 in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) MORE LESS
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Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, hosts of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” are scheduled to conduct a rare interview with Charles and David Koch, the billionaire political backers, to air on Nov. 3.

The Scarborough and Brzezinski sit down is set to take place at the Koch brothers’ childhood home in Wichita, Kansas, MSNBC reported exclusively on Tuesday. The interview will air during a live broadcast from Wichita State University on Tuesday, Nov. 3, exactly one year from Election Day 2016, according to the network.

For Republican presidential candidates, the Koch brothers are kingmakers. While they have shied away from publicly backing a particular candidate so far, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker – now a 2016 drop out – won a straw poll at a Koch gathering with major conservative donors in early August.

In a September interview with Forbes, Charles Koch said Koch-affiliated organizations like Freedom Partners PAC would likely spend $300 million on the 2016 election, of a total $900 million going to efforts to influence a range of policy issues. Koch-affiliated super PACs spent more than $200 million on the 2012 race.

This post has been updated.

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  1. Oh, this should be good…

    Maybe they could ask about David Koch’s platform from his presidential run?

    You know, THIS one:

    Here are just a few excerpts of the Libertarian Party platform that David Koch ran on in 1980:

    “We urge the repeal of federal campaign finance laws, and the immediate abolition of the despotic Federal Election Commission.”

    “We favor the abolition of Medicare and Medicaid programs.”

    “We oppose any compulsory insurance or tax-supported plan to provide health services, including those which finance abortion services.”

    “We also favor the deregulation of the medical insurance industry.”

    “We favor the repeal of the fraudulent, virtually bankrupt, and increasingly oppressive Social Security system. Pending that repeal, participation in Social Security should be made voluntary.”

    “We propose the abolition of the governmental Postal Service. The present system, in addition to being inefficient, encourages governmental surveillance of private correspondence. Pending abolition, we call for an end to the monopoly system and for allowing free competition in all aspects of postal service.”

    “We oppose all personal and corporate income taxation, including capital gains taxes.”

    “We support the eventual repeal of all taxation.”

    “As an interim measure, all criminal and civil sanctions against tax evasion should be terminated immediately.”

    “We support repeal of all law which impede the ability of any person to find employment, such as minimum wage laws.”

    “We advocate the complete separation of education and State. Government schools lead to the indoctrination of children and interfere with the free choice of individuals. Government ownership, operation, regulation, and subsidy of schools and colleges should be ended.”

    “We condemn compulsory education laws … and we call for the immediate repeal of such laws.”

    “We support the repeal of all taxes on the income or property of private schools, whether profit or non-profit.”

    “We support the abolition of the Environmental Protection Agency.”

    “We support abolition of the Department of Energy.”

    “We call for the dissolution of all government agencies concerned with transportation, including the Department of Transportation.”

    “We demand the return of America’s railroad system to private ownership. We call for the privatization of the public roads and national highway system.”

    “We specifically oppose laws requiring an individual to buy or use so-called “self-protection” equipment such as safety belts, air bags, or crash helmets.”

    “We advocate the abolition of the Federal Aviation Administration.”

    “We advocate the abolition of the Food and Drug Administration.”

    “We support an end to all subsidies for child-bearing built into our present laws, including all welfare plans and the provision of tax-supported services for children.”

    “We oppose all government welfare, relief projects, and ‘aid to the poor’ programs. All these government programs are privacy-invading, paternalistic, demeaning, and inefficient. The proper source of help for such persons is the voluntary efforts of private groups and
    individuals.”

    “We call for the privatization of the inland waterways, and of the distribution system that brings water to industry, agriculture and households.”

    “We call for the repeal of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.”

    “We call for the abolition of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.”

    “We support the repeal of all state usury laws.”

  2. Um, Rachael Maddow would be an interview. I think we know what this will be.

  3. Uh huh. Will they bring up the fact that the state of Kansas is in the process of becoming a smoking crater due to their horrendous conservative ideas being put into action?

    Yep. Didn’t think so. :angry:

  4. A virtual blowjob?

  5. is set to take place at the Koch brothers’ childhood home in Wichita, Kansas

    Yep, I’ll be able to connect with them as normal folks in their childhood home. Better optics than their mansion or secret underground bunker to survive the coming of Obamacare.

    I suppose this is one of those public service interviews covered as free airtime, considering the Koch brothers are responsible for part of the mess that’s the GOP Presidential Primary.

    What’s going to be virtual about it? This is FOX.

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