Free | 23/6
Posted: 6/1/2012
WASHINGTON -- As they strategize to spend as much as $400 million to defeat President Barack Obama and help Republicans win control of Congress, the billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch and an allied network of wealthy conservatives are looking to funnel tens of millions into conservative-leaning groups for television ads and get-out-the-vote drives.Three GOP fundraisers familiar with the plans of the billionaire Koch brothers and their rich friends told The Huffington Post that their donor network is expected to funnel this year tens of millions into conservative groups, including the National Rifle Association, Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform, the National Right to Life Committee, Ralph Reed s Faith and Freedom Coalition, the 60 Plus Association and the American Future Fund. By spreading their wealth throughout the conservative ecosystem, the Kochs can exploit trusted brands with passionate followings that reach beyond the Tea Party base. These three sources all requested anonymity since they are not authorized to speak about the Koch donor network's plans.The billionaire brothers, working with the Koch-founded Americans for Prosperity, aim to enlist these groups' grassroots networks to mount a national get-out-the-vote drive and ad blitz that could prove crucial to GOP fortunes in battleground states.While they have not always worked in sync, representatives of the Kochs have been meeting regularly this year with leaders of other big GOP allies, notably the Karl Rove-backed super PAC American Crossroads and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. These elite planning meetings involving Koch representatives take place in addition to larger meetings hosted periodically by American Crossroads with a dozen or so GOP groups since the 2010 midterm elections.If the Koch-backed efforts hit their fundraising goals this year, they will rival -- and perhaps surpass -- the target of $300 million that American Crossroads and its affiliated nonprofit Cro