Koch Folk


Charles and David spend a LOT of money and there are legions of people who make their living providing the services they want carried out.  These are not what most of us think of as 'normal' employees, being more like covert agents, fill in your own word here.  

 Making lists of these people began in 1981 in an article published on Libertarian Forum by Murray Rothbard.  That list is where we began.  It is reproduced below with additions made in blue.  Murray was very insightful once he noticed a problem. 

We continue to add and we find new people who have joined their ranks. 

 
The following list was compiled by Murray Rothbard in 1983. Murray's original listings are in black. My own are in blue. The 'originals' had a hierarchy for themselves for their standing in the Machine. This included Lickspittles, Flunkies, and Toadies. Some of these might have found regular jobs. 

In any case, we will be providing links to more information on each as soon as possible.   

Categories have been added. If you know of more people who should be included, please let us know. 
 

The Crane Machine 
[ NOTE - Today it might seem these individuals would have  walked away from the Kochs because Crane was sued and then left his long time position as CEO of CATO Institute.  But indications are this is not the case.  Those who were active around Howie Rich appear to remain in those positions.  If we notice any changes (We are now contacting everyone we can locate) we will let you know.]

 
Revealed Who are the Crane Machine, anyway? New readers have been asking us this question, and one reader wanted to know if a "Craniac" is some giant malign computer run by Crane out of Washington, D.C. No sir, our word for a Crane Machine member is "Craniac", or, if we are feeling charitable that morning,
"Machiner." Note: Being employed in a Crane-bossed institution does not necessarily make one a Machiner.

I Edward H. Crane 111 The Big Boss: capo di tutti capi. Main power base: Head of the Cato Institute, which moved from San Franciso to Washington, D.C. early in the Reagan Administration to be close to the Corridors of Power. Also, Boss of: Libertarian Review Foundation, and its publications Inquiry and Update; National Taxpayers Legal Fund; and the Crane Machine in the Libertarian Party. Formerly, boss of Students for a Libertarian Society, and formerly, National Chairman of the LP. Managed the LP presidential campaigns in 1976 and 1980. Crane's spin on his life in the The Crane Journal The unvarnished truth is coming.

I1 The Top Craniacs (In no particular order of rank)
Christopher ("Chris") Hocker (Crane hireling; publisher of Inquiry, editor of Update. Recently brought in as editor of the latter to tone down the smearsheet. Former National Director of the LP, now NatCom member, head of Draft Ron Paul Committee.)

Howard ("Howie") Rich (New York businessman. Top Craniac politico. Ran the disastrous Guida campaign for national chair in 198 1, the equally disastrous Randolph campaign in 1982, and the likewise disastrous Northrup for Governor campaign in New York in 1982. Craniac straw boss on LP NatCom.)

Andrea Millen Rich (Wife of Howie. Proprietor of Laissezfairecenter for New York Machiners. Banned the Libertarian Forum from the bookstore for being critical of the Crane Machine. NatCom member.)

JuIe ("The Tool") Herbert, Jr. (Highly paid Crane hireling. Runs the National Taxpayers Legal Fund in Washington. Former Alabama lawyer. Runs the District of Columbia LP with an iron hand. NatCom member.)

Leslie Graves (alias Leslie Graves Key. Crane hireling. Former editor, now reporter, for Update. NatCom member. Boss of the Wisconsin LP, based in Madison, now rumored to be suffering a revolt from the long-downtrodden Milwaukee forces.)

Gary Greenberg (Legal Aid lawyer, boss of the New York LP, of which he apparently aspires to be lifetime chairman.Suffering a widespread revolt against his leadership, headed by 1982 U. S. Senate candidate Jim McKeown.)

Tom Palmer (though young, long-time Crane devotee. Former Crane strawboss on SLS, now working for Crane's sister-or rather cousinly-organization, Council for Competitive Economy, in Washington.)

Jim Johnston (economist for Standard Oil of Indiana. Craniac straw boss in the Illinois LP, NatCom member, and selfstyled Parliamentarian).

I11 Quasi-Independent
Dick Randolph (A special category for the straw boss of the Alaska LP. Formerly State Rep, ran disastrous campaign for Governor in 1982. Turned his entire campaign over to the Crane Machine. One has the feeling, however, that Dick could someday leave the Machine. Is rumored to be suffering from revolt within Alaska LP.)

IV Lesser Craniacs
Kent Guida (Crane hireling. Used to be, and perhaps still is, working for both Update and NTLF. Came in third in threeman race for national chair in 1981, ran the calamitous Randolph campaign under Rich's supervision. NatCom
member. Former Maryland businessman.)

Roy A. Childs, Jr. (Crane hireling. Former editor of now defunct Libertarian Review. Crane-imposed keynoter at LP
Presidential convention in 1979. Now "foreign policy analyst"-Has anyone ever seen any of his analyses?-at
Cato .)

Eric O'Keefe (The Martyr. Former National Director of the LP; when ousted, went to Alaska to help Guida run the
Randolph fiasco. Present whereabouts unknown.)

David Boaz (Crane hireling. Vice-president, Cato Institute. Research director, LP Presidential campaign, 1980).

v Minor Craniacs
Janet Nelson (Crane hireling at Cato. Ex-wife of Kent Guida.)

Kristina Herbert (Crane hireling at Cato. Ex-wife of JuleHerbert .)

Milton Mueller (formerly head of SLS, when Crane-run,

Deb Haws (wife of Chris Hocker. Ex-O'Keefe aide at LP then presumably booted out for Left Deviation. But recently headquarters. Daughter of Minnesota LP bigwig Frank wrote a Cato leaflet. Present Machine status questionable.)Haws. Present whereabouts unknown.) 
 Jeff Friedman (formerly head of SLS, when Crane-run, then

Anita Anderson (Ex-Cato employee. Now rumored to be presumably booted out for Left Deviation. Student at Brown working at Laissez-Faire Bookstore.) University. Present Machine status questionable.)

Dr. Ross Levatter (Young Ohio physician. Formerly Craniac straw boss in the Ohio LP. A national organizer in the 1980 presidential campaign. Writer and "philosopher.")

Frank Horn (Computer person, now in California. Crane hireling as reporter for Update. Former top lieutenant in the Graves (Key) machine in the Wisconsin LP.)

Robert Capozzi (Ex-editor, Update. Present whereabouts unknown.)

David Lampo (Crane hireling at Cato. Ex-SLS operative.)

Paul Beckner (Helped run Randolph campaign in Alaska. Present whereabouts unknown.)

Celeste "Cissey" Webb (formerly Illinois LP bigwig, now rumored to be Crane hireling in D.C.)

VI Peripheral Craniacs, Some Now Inactive
These are mainly Craniacs who are-generally for career reasons-at present inactive in the Machine, but might be brought back by the Boss at any time.

Ray and Carol Cunningham (formerly top Craniacs-in California, on NatCom, and in the presidential campaign of 1980. Both are Connecticut engineers.)
Robert Costello (formerly in California, now working for

Jeff Riggenbach (Crane hireling. Head of Cato's Bylines, radio commentary series. Inactive in LP, but can be trundled in for writing jobs, e.g. his hatchet job against the Mason campaign and for Guida in Libertarian Review, 1981 .)

Bill Birmingham (Crane hireling. Ex-staff of Libertarian Review, now used occasionally by Update for hatchet-job writing assignments.

David Henderson (Friedmanite economist, ex-Crane hireling at Cato. Present employment, the White House. Therefore presumably inactive in the Machine, but recently wrote book review for Reason back at the old stand, attacking Austrian economics.)

VII Possible Craniac Defector

Bruce Majors (graduate student, D.C. Until just before press time, would have been listed as a leading youth member in Category IV. Reputed to have been straw boss at Update. Ran the disastrous Northrup campaign under Rich, 1982. Late information, however, spots Majors as possible defector from Machine. No present Machine employment.)

1 apologize if I left anyone out. Will try better next time.
New editions as needed. 

New Categories

Media Operatives 
This is a category Murray did not realize should be added.  A media operative is someone whose job would normally place in 'media' but who is actually carrying out propaganda work for a corporate employers.  


John Fund - His first gig was with the Kochs through Ed Crane to obtain the nomination for Ed Clark in California in 1979. MORE   

Later Movement Recruits 

Eric Rittberg (Dondaro) - Hired by Roger MacBride when he lost his secretary of many years.  Dondaro was paid to do the leg work for Roger as he set up the Republican Liberty Caucus.  When Roger died he claimed to have done it himself, which was not true.  The financing and planning were Roger's.  But dead people cannot defend themselves.  

Roger explained his concerns to me in the weeks before he died.  


After Eric burned the RLC and Ron Paul, who hired him and then eventually realized what he was and fired him, he went on to work for the Howie Cabal, about which more can be learned at The Hart Williams Commentary, Borgasm.  

Soon you will be able to access this in a more digestible form at Libertarian History.