By Elaine Magliaro

Sunday evening, Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, a group affiliated with the billionaire Koch brothers, hosted the American Recovery Policy Forum, which featured some Republican politicians who have their eyes on the US Presidency. Zeke J Miller (Time) said the forum featured Senators Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio. Miller said that the three politicians “made their case to an audience of well-heeled business owners and featured sharp divisions over foreign policy.” He noted that one area of agreement among the three men was a “defense of the rights of billionaires and millionaires who are playing an ever larger role in the political system.” Miller said that Cruz, Paul, and Rubio “defended the growth of outside spending in politics.”

Josh Israel (ThinkProgress) reported that the forum was moderated by ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl. He added that it “was advertised as closed to the public and closed to the press — though networks did have some access to an Internet video stream.” He noted that while reporters were not invited, “MSNBC’s Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski were in attendance at the Palm Springs event and fawned over their ‘awesome’ weekend — and about the billionaire oil magnates.”

Morning Joe on the Koch Brothers

Israel:

Scarborough noted that he had spoken at length with Charles Koch and found him to be a “true believer,” who is “obsessed” with “income disparity and, mainly, crony capitalism.” The former Republican Congressman from Florida added that Charles Koch “has no use for Republicans that support corporate welfare and no use for Democrats,” and “anyone who thinks that they are loyal, faithful Republicans have never talked to them for more than three minutes.” He also claimed that the anti-government activist Kochs are really mainstream social moderates with little patience for those who want “huge bloody battles on social issues”:

SCARBOROUGH: They believe in the freedom agenda, they believe in low taxes, they believe in low regulations. They are libertarians. They don’t want the federal government in your pocketbook, but they also don’t want them in your bedroom. They’re like, I think, most Americans.

Quick! Someone fetch me a bucket before I barf!!!!!

SOURCES

Morning Joe Hosts Receive Special Invite To Closed Koch Event, Lavish Koch Brothers With Praise (ThinkProgress)

Rand Paul, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz face off at Koch forum (Politico)

Cruz, Paul and Rubio Defend Outside Spending in Koch Brothers Forum (Time)