Trump vs. Koch is good for Republicans

President Trump’s itchy Twitter finger made waves yet again this week on a wide range of topics, and one of them hit particularly close to home here in Wichita.

Trump’s two-Tweet tirade early Tuesday morning lambasting the “globalist Koch Brothers” has generated plenty of press, with leftist pundits looking to fan the flames. An intra-party rift of this magnitude is bound to alter the party’s trajectory to some extent, but in the long run, Republicans should recognize that this ugly dust-up between two elite power brokers can work to the party’s advantage.

In the short-term, it may be difficult to imagine Republicans benefiting from a battle between the party’s top leader and its most influential financiers, particularly with midterm elections looming and Trump’s presidency at stake – as unrealistic as impeachment may be.

The Koch political operation has already refused to support one Republican candidate in an ultra-competitive Senate race – Kevin Cramer, R-N.D — and has vowed to withhold support for other Republicans who undermine its core policy objectives. The loss of the Kochs’ support is no small potatoes, given that the Koch network plans to interject $400 million into this election cycle.

While they’re cutting off unsuitable candidates, the Kochs also plan to spend money on an ad blitz underscoring the importance of free trade and the damage Trump’s tariffs have done to the agricultural community. While his chosen candidates are taking a hit to their campaign accounts, Trump’s strong-arm trade approach will take an even bigger hit on television screens across the country.

Dollars to the side, the policy disagreements underlying this rift have placed Koch-supported candidates in the precarious position of having to pick a side, and risk losing the support of either a president or a financing apparatus that can dictate the entire course of an election. Unsurprisingly, the candidates have gone to great lengths this week to duck the issue entirely, and hope neither side notices.

As grim as this all may sound, the Republicans will be just fine in the long term. In fact, the party stands to benefit from a bit of high-wattage ideological warfare. When it comes to dollars, it is no surprise that the Kochs are on board with the president’s most influential decisions to date, having expended vast resources to support both his tax cuts and the appointment of two conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The takeaway is obvious: Where Trump has forged a path based on traditional conservative principles – taxes, deregulation and judicial appointments included – the Koch political operation has been a powerful ally. Where he strays from this path under the influence of idiosyncratic nationalists like Steve Bannon, the Koch political operation will be a powerful enemy.

Republicans have had their identity held hostage by a free-wheeling dealmaker who is long on personality and short on substance, and the Kochs are a good friend for the party to have. The Koch machine is a powerful check during this temporary, Trump-imposed hiatus from ideological self-restraint and traditional conservatism. Where Trump strays, his party feels the ripples. Meanwhile, the Koch operation is free to pursue outside endeavors like criminal justice reform without trepidation, beholden to no one.

The same system of checks and balances that fuels our government will save the Republicans in a time of identity crisis, with the Kochs serving as a powerful and effective check on Trumpism. Candidates who would otherwise feel compelled to adopt Trump’s tariffs and other policy inclinations on a wholesale basis will now take pause to consider the financial implications.

When Trump says the Kochs have become a “total joke in real Republican circles,” we should inquire as to his definition of the term “real Republican.” If the president is referring only to his loyal followers, he may need to look for a dictionary.