Charles Koch doesn’t appear to be a fan of Donald Trump, and maybe not Ted Cruz. He told ABC News This Week it might be better to have Hillary Clinton as president. This doesn’t mean he’s joining the #ReadyforHillary crowd or even considering it. Via Mediaite:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKP03JBde3Q

It’s pretty interesting to read Koch’s comments and watch his reaction to the questions by Jonathan Karl. He’s obviously in a pretty tight spot because he’s angry at the Republican Party (like a lot of people) for not being a party which actually goes for lower taxes and smaller government. He also presented the important caveat that it depends on whether Clinton’s rhetoric will match her actions. If she keeps going on and on about breaking up Wall Street and making sure leftist judges will enact gun control, then her actions will probably match her rhetoric. There’s also the slight glimmer of hope (if Congress stays GOP-controlled) those actions won’t happen because gridlock will ensue, much like the last six or so years. It doesn’t mean it’s going to happen, but it’s always possible.

One thing Koch is pointing out is how much angst people on the GOP side have in the current primary. The only candidate who appeared to be more in favor of reducing government spending than not was Rand Paul, and he’s already out of the race. Yes, Ted Cruz has talked about putting in a flat tax (a fantastic idea) and eliminating five government agencies but he’s also done the Romney plan of a major increase in government spending for the military. Donald Trump has a decent tax plan, but he doesn’t want to fix Social Security, Medicare, and the VA (fire the administrators!) and has made very unconservative policy suggestions, like getting involved in tariff wars. Trump and Cruz also differ with Koch over immigration, with the latter wanting to see immigration reform over the former who don’t always appear willing to discuss it. Koch also told ABC News how he doesn’t agree with Trump on his “solution” to Muslims or Cruz on ISIS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2AKQCkjWMk

One thing this interview shows is how Koch really isn’t some puppet master of the GOP Establishment, or interested in funding them. The biggest place he’s broken with the GOPe (as Twitter and the comments section like to call them) is on spending and taxes. Via ABC News This Week.

It would be really nice if more people were talking about Koch’s answer here, instead of focusing on his Clinton’s comment. It’s definitely more “controversial” and “headline grabbing” to go with his comments about Clinton. But Koch really shows just how fractured the party is and why the small government and “freedom and liberty” folks should be moving to support his line of thinking. There’s not really a third party to go to (the Libertarian Party is too disorganized on a state-by-state scale) but it could happen if enough small government conservatives and libertarians decide to actually work together. It’s a lot like herding cats, but it’s always possible.

Koch’s comments shouldn’t be seen as an endorsement of Clinton, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he voted for whoever wins out of the three-way fight between Gary Johnson, Austin Petersen, and John McAfee for the Libertarian Party nomnation. But it does show the spot libertarians (and Koch is a libertarian) are in when they look at how the two party system is going. Republicans and Democrats really aren’t interested in reform and it’s tough putting reformers in place because of how easy it is to let power go to one’s head. It is really good to see Koch point out his efforts on the state and local level, because those are just as important (if not more) than the federal level. I still seriously doubt if Koch is actually considering voting for Clinton. He’s just making an observation on the Republican field and expressing his own frustration with the party as a whole. It’s certainly something others have pointed out as well. Koch just happens to be one of the bigger names to do it.

As for those wondering if Clinton is accepting Koch’s comment on ABC…she’s not.

Not interested in endorsements from people who deny climate science and try to make it harder for people to vote. https://t.co/TWN4zYhMBh

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) April 24, 2016

It really shouldn’t be surprising either. After all, the Kochs – for whatever reason – are the big bogeymen of the Democrats. (Unlike George Soros, who to them is just a saint.) Guess it shows how much the Democrats actually care about cronyism right?