Meet Wisconsin's Koch

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Lot's of attention has been paid to the billionaire brothers dirty, David and Ed Koch, since Walker spilled the ideological and illogical underpinnings of his attack on Wisconsin's employed in a phone conversation he had with a reporter posing as billionaire David Koch of Koch Industries. But flying under the radar in the midst of it all is Wisconsin's very own ideologically skewed billionaire, none other than Beloit's Diane Hendricks.

JS Online Excerpt: (Dec. 25, 2010)
She has stepped forward as a significant figure in conservative politics - donating to Republican candidates and committees, serving on the party's national committee and speaking out publicly on her beliefs.

There's much more to it than that of course.

A Little Local History

Hendricks is the owner of ABC Supply in Beloit and has vast real estate holdings throughout the mid-west. Locally in Rock County, the wealthy Hendricks Development Group rarely makes a move towards economic development without first capturing significant tax credits, TIF surplus funds or other capital perks from the economically devastated tax base. She is a major influence in Janesville's powerful quasi-chamber of commerce, the politically active anti-labor and private for profit business group "Forward Janesville." She also serves as a co-director of the area's wealthy elite syndicate, the Rock County 5.0.

Local GOP Legislators Payback Their Masters

In addition, two of the area's newly elected Tea Party Republicans to the state's legislature, Joe Knilans and Evan Wynn, have shown their devotion and unabashed vocal support for Hendricks Koch-like cartels of Forward Janesville and the Rock County 5.0. These groups again, under the influence and financial support from Hendricks, have made a major push to transform non-partisan local and county government into a copulating banana republic run by key members of their corporate machine. Locally, they are the force that must be reckoned with if the "little" people want to take their government back.

Biggest Financier of Wisconsin Corporate Republicans

JS Online Excerpt:
During 2008 and 2009, Hendricks and ABC Supply contributed nearly $150,000 to Republican candidates and political organizations. That's more than double the contributions of any of Wisconsin's other eight billionaires, their spouses and their companies.

Although Hendricks donations to Walker's campaign last year might seem modest to Koch's reported $43,000, it's clear she doesn't put all her eggs in one republican's basket. No single Rock County individual comes close to Hendricks in total contributions to Wisconsin republicans. Money buys power.

Huge Paul Ryan Supporter

JS Online Excerpt:
She's a longtime supporter of Rep. Paul Ryan, a rising conservative star, and recently supported fellow Republican Ron Johnson in his ultimately successful Senate race - after she'd grilled him over Sunday brunch in Beloit.

These are the real owners of Rock County and in a large sense, the state of Wisconsin. With Ryan and Hendricks, south central Wisconsin has been politically and economically conquered. They've now taken their roadmap to ruin right up to the state Capitol and of course, their ideological clone and regressive puppet Scott Walker is marching to their orders.

Yet, despite the fact that nearly everyone in Ryan's district have taken major financial hits with rising unemployment and declining wages, Hendricks has done quite well with Ryan in office. The growing disparity between the rich and the poor couldn't hit home any closer than this.

Excerpt:
– Afton, Wisconsin’s Diane Hendricks, of ABC Supply Co. Inc., saw her ranking fall from 158th to 170th. Yet she found some solace in the fact her net worth grew by $100 million to $2.1 billion.

That's not enough. Rich people like the Kochs or Hendricks considers 5% annual growth in their personal wealth a devastating loss. Trust me on that.

Financed Movie Attacking Liberalism

JS Online Excerpt:
She's been fighting mainstream Hollywood culture by investing in movies - including "The Stoning of Soraya M.," the story of an execution in an Iranian village, and the right-of-center political comedy "An American Carol" - that deliver messages she thinks need to be heard.

The movie "American Carol" was little more than a right-wing corporate hit-job meant to mock and delegitimatize American documentary writer and director Michael Moore. It would have never been produced without the major funding coming from Hendricks. Yet, who in their right mind would financially support a movie meant to attack the character of a non-elected living person citizen in such a fictional fashion - that is - without any factual basis or biographical evidence. Except for Hendricks that is. Truly a testament to her self-righteous superiority and authoritarian character.

Ideologically Programmed

JS Online Excerpt:
What drives her politically?

"People have lost what this nation was built on," Hendricks said. "I think our core values have been set aside. . . . I believe in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights. If we just go back to the basics. . . . .I do not want to give up our republic and become a socialistic ideological nation. That's not who we are."

That is right out of Glenn Beck's and Paul Ryan's political dementia. An ideological, undeclared but vicious war on progressivism, liberalism, social and economic justice, organized labor, and on the working poor and middle-classes. It is a well funded and well organized effort to wrest government away from the people and into the hands of the corporate owners.

Sycophants Genuflect

She has enough political clout to command the attention of George W. and Laura Bush when they paid a visit in late September, lunching with her and speaking to ABC Supply employees.

It should also come as no surprise that Hendricks was among the first private individuals Scott Walker paid homage to soon after he was inaugurated governor.

The Koch, Ryan, AFP Strategy Session

Soon after the Scott Walker's inauguration, the Koch brothers convened a special strategy session to coordinate the funding and direction of the conservative movement. In attendance were Paul Ryan and Diane Hendricks.

Rock Netroots Excerpt:
ThinkProgress revealed a partial list of the attendees, including GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain, Americans for Prosperity officials like Alan Cobb, political consultant Michael Goldfarb, longtime lobbyist Nancy Pfotenhauer, and a number of donors, including Home Depot founder Ken Langone and Rock County billionaire heiress Diane Hendricks. Read more here.

Look over that cast of characters again attending that party in Cali. Koch, AFP officials, political consultants, Wisconsin billionaire Diane Hendricks and Rep. Paul Ryan. One could only safely speculate that the state of Wisconsin was at the top of their agenda.

I believe there's plenty more than just mere intuition to conclude that Diane Hendricks is holding a majority controlling interest not only in Walker's governorship, but in both of our statehouses. With the heavy financial backing and permission from Koch and Hendricks, Walker and the state's GOP have coordinated a state version of Paul Ryan's class war roadmap plan onto the citizens of Wisconsin. Of additional interest is Walker's demolition of the state department of commerce into a $200 million corporate slush fund tool for the state's wealthiest campaign contributors. Watch for Hendricks to play a significant role in that tax shifting backdoor wealth redistributive "public/private partnership."

Koch might be the name in Wisconsin's news for now simply because he is the evil outsider, but don't underestimate Hendricks future influence in the war on the middle-class. She is the real thing.

Wisconsin's Billionaires Make a Sacrifice?



The Real News Transcript.