Koch Brothers Send a Warning to Justin Amash

Justin Amash has stated publicly:

The number one problem is debt. If someone brought a proposal that dealt substantially with entitlements, reforming them to ensure our government remains solvent in the long run, then we have to put everything on the table including taxes. 

This, of course, runs counter to the view of Murray Rothbard, who takes the position that taxes are a greater evil.

Now, it seems the Koch Brothers have come down on the side of Rothbard on the issue. HuffPo reports:

When you've lost the Koch brothers, you've lost the game. 

Republicans intent on smashing through the debt ceiling in order to wring some spending concessions out of President Obama are finding themselves awfully lonely these days, but they've kept soldiering on. The latest ally to abandon them may be the toughest to ignore, though. The president of the group Americans For Prosperity, bankrolled by Charles G. and David H. Koch of Koch Industries, yesterday said the group wants spending cuts, but warned Republicans that screwing around with the debt ceiling "makes the messaging more difficult," the Financial Times writes.

Here are more details from FT:

 “We’re saying calibrate your message. Focus on overspending instead of long-term debt,” said Tim Phillips, president of AFP. “Focusing on [the debt ceiling] makes the messaging more difficult.”[...] 

“Our number one priority is to stop government overspending. The debt limit is a symptom of that but if debt becomes the be all and end all, it becomes easier for liberals to push a combination of future spending cuts that are not enforceable and immediate tax increases,” he said.

Yikes, Phillips just correctly labeled the Amash view a free spending/tax hike liberal view.

Will, Amash now fall in line, with the Koch warning? Time will tell.