Citizen Koch

A lesser documentary about the multi-billionaire Koch brothers (Robert Greenwald's Koch Brothers Exposed is better), Citizen Koch nevertheless manages to connect the dots between the Kochs and game-changing events in our political processes, starting with the Supreme Court's controversial Citizens United decision that opened the door for unlimited corporate donations during elections—a cause that the Kochs heavily supported through their political action committee Americans for Prosperity. Citizen Koch illustrates how the Kochs channel money into state and local (as well as federal) elections using myriad avenues, ultimately creating a conservative groundswell in support of industrial needs over those of ordinary people (the Kochs make their money through oil and chemical industries). The documentary spends a lot of time following the story of Wisconsin governor Scott Walker as he leads the charge to destroy collective bargaining for public employees—a major agenda item for the Kochs. But the narrative gets confusing when the filmmakers become absorbed with the quixotic yet legitimate 2012 presidential campaign of former Louisiana governor Buddy Roemer, who was kept out of debates by the Republican party—although the Koch connection is murky and indirect at best. Optional. (T. Keogh)