Yes, ABC News named David Koch one of the most interesting people of 2014, qualifying him for a one-on-one sitdown with Barbara Walters.
Most of the interview was just laudatory nonsense about Koch's charitable ventures, as if they don't treat their political donations as charity. She didn't even go there. But she did manage to turn to politics at some point during the interview.
In the most interesting part, Koch proclaims his social liberalism but says he's a conservative when it comes to fiscal issues. He supports candidates who are social conservatives because he's terribly, terribly worried about the suffering the country might endure if there is any inflation.
Very serious David Koch: "I'm very worried that if the budget is not balanced, that inflation could occur and the economy of our country could suffer terribly."
And he places an exclamation point on that claim with almost the same words. "I'm really focused intensely on economic and fiscal issues, because if those go bad, the country as a whole suffers terribly."
I guess he missed the part where bankers' folly caused the country as a whole to suffer terribly. That is, the country with the sole exception of the Kochs. They're not suffering, and David Koch's worries about inflation ring hollow when he's made more money with zero inflation than anyone in the middle class has.
Watch his body language, the facial tics and where his eyes go when he speaks. The utter lack of sincerity in his tone, and the concern trolling over the "country as a whole" left me with the sense that he had a publicist put together talking points for him.
When David Koch starts talking about income inequality, or Wall Street gambling with people's life savings, perhaps I'll listen. If he's ever even slightly penitent about how he and his brother Charles have bought our political system I might listen, too. But until then, let's not be fooled by the softer, kinder David Koch.
Behind that concern is a steely determination to hand this country to the oligarchs forever and ever.
