GOP senator recites Koch brother's op-ed to represent 'mainstream' American views

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) on Thursday read to his fellow senators a recent opinion piece written by wealthy libertarian Charles Koch.

"I happened to be reading the Wall Street Journal this morning, and I noticed a column, an opinion piece written by the chairman of the board of Koch Industries, Charles G. Koch, and I wish to share that with my colleagues today," Moran said on the Senate floor.

"It seems to me the things that are outlined in Mr. Koch's opinion piece, while not everyone would agree, they are certainly within the wide mainstream of American thought and certainly reflect opinions that are worthy of debate and discussion in our country and on the Senate floor."

"We all bring diversity, a different set of values, opinions, beliefs of political philosophy to the debate on the Senate floor, and I wanted to share one of Koch Industries owner's beliefs about those values and his philosophy and how it affects Americans today," Moran remarked.

In the op-ed, published in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, Koch warned that "collectivists" were seeking to control the means of production and would "deliver hell." The billionaire co-owner of Koch Industries also accused his critics of character assassination.

"The central belief and fatal conceit of the current administration is that you are incapable of running your own life, but those in power are capable of running it for you. This is the essence of big government and collectivism," Moran said, reading the article. "Instead of encouraging free and open debate, collectivists strive to discredit and intimidate opponents. They engage in character assassination. This is the approach that Albert Schopenhauer described in the 19th century, that Saul Alinsky famously advocated in the 20th, and that so many despots have infamously practiced."

Koch Industries' president and chief operating officer sent out a memo on Thursday urging the company's employees to share the op-ed.

According to election data made available by MapLight, Koch Industries is Moran's top contributor. The Republican senator received $53,050 from Koch Industries from 2007 to 2012.

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