David Koch, billionaire donor to conservative causes, claimed once again that he is a “social liberal.” His own political contributions suggest otherwise.
“I’m basically a libertarian, and I’m a conservative on economic matters, and I’m a social liberal,” Koch said in a forthcoming interview with Barbara Walters that was previewed on “This Week” Sunday.
But he conceded that views on abortion and marriage equality doesn’t actually dictate his political activism or choice of candidates. “What I want these candidates to do is to support a balanced budget,” he said. “I’m very worried that if the budget is not balanced that inflation could occur and the economy of our country could suffer terribly.”
This is not the first time David Koch has professed such views, though his brother Charles Koch has said less about his views on so-called social issues. For example, in 2012 David Koch told Politico, “I believe in gay marriage.” As a Libertarian party candidate in 1980, he supported legal abortion.
Related: Koch group investigated But money talks. The Huffington Post reported that the Kochs’ Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce has since 2010 contributed nearly $24 million to straightforward social conservative groups. Much of that went to CitizenLink, a group launched by the anti-gay and anti-choice Focus on the Family. This is how that group describes its mission: “We provide resources that equip citizens to make their voices heard on critical social policy issues involving the sanctity of human life, the preservation of religious liberties and the well-being of the family as the building block of society.” Advocacy for a “balanced budget” — which generally entails massive cuts to social programs that also disproportionately affect women and people of color — didn’t make the cut. The Kochs have also funded anti-abortion and anti-feminist groups like Concerned Women for America and the Susan B. Anthony List.
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