A California ballot measure to raise taxes on cigarettes by a dollar per pack failed yesterday. 50.8 percent of voters opposed the initiative compared to 49.2 percent who favored the tax, which would raise money for cancer research and anti-smoking projects for kids. Just a few months ago, about two-thirds of voters backed the measure. But thanks to a tobacco-fueled advertising blitz, support for the ballot measure crumbled. The coalition behind the blitz contributed to the $47.7 million spent on Proposition 29 — and outside groups working on Prop. 29 have raised more money nationally than all super PACs …
Today, United Republic and Republic Report were joined by a passionate group of activists outside Koch Industries’ downtown Washington lobbying headquarters to criticize the petrochemical billionaire Koch brothers’ attempt to take over the Cato Institute.
Cato has a long history of fierce libertarian beliefs, widening the debate in Washington on everything from civil liberties to the drug war to the economy. But Charles and David Koch have recently sought to, in the words of Cato president Ed Crane, “transform Cato from an independent, nonpartisan research organization into a political entity that might better support [Charles Koch’s] partisan agenda.”
Most …
At a retreat last weekend, dozens of wealthy donors convened in a large golf resort in Indian Wells, California for a four day conference to raise money and plot out election year strategy, the Republic Report has confirmed. We traveled to the conference, and spoke to a few of the attendees.
The summit, organized by the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, was cloaked in secrecy. Helicopters, private security, and police officers from neighboring cities patrolled the area constantly. In previous years, Supreme Court justices, some of the wealthiest businessmen in the country, and Republican politicians like Congressman …
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