America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

Chapter 420 The Koch of California?

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Ernst's expression remained intriguing; beneath that seemingly calm face lay a multitude of complex emotions.

Jerry Brown took in Ernst's posture and, seeing that he was still pretending to be stupid, decided to be more explicit, his tone confident: "I think Nancy has already chosen to switch sides, hasn't she? You've really given that circle a difficult choice."

Ernst ignored the other's scrutiny, a faint smile playing on his lips, his tone slightly teasing, "Nancy has switched sides. Shouldn't that be something to be happy about for you?"

He paused deliberately for a few seconds, his gaze lingering on Jerry Brown's face for a moment, before continuing, "After all, the successor planned by the West Coast gang is to marry your niece. From a family interests perspective, this will greatly enhance the Brown family's political power."

Logically speaking, Jerry Brown should be in an opposing position to him in this matter.

Nancy's continued tenure, to some extent, disrupted the established power structure of the Brown family. Unless Nancy is found to have ulterior motives, the West Coast gang will not replace her.

Ernst, however, saw no emotional fluctuation on Jerry Brown's face due to the damage to his interests. Not only did the other party not show any dissatisfaction or opposition, but he also took the initiative to come to him and proposed to form a new circle with him.

Jerry Brown scoffed, saying dismissively, "So what? Even if he marries my niece, his last name will still be Fisher, not Brown."

"My words probably don't carry as much weight as William Newson's in his mind."

After saying that, Jerry Brown stated with certainty, "You will never truly join the West Coast gang. For you, this is just a temporary stepping stone. Your real purpose should be to use this opportunity to infiltrate the West Coast gang to establish connections with more people in the California Donkey camp, laying the foundation for higher-level plans later."

Then, Jerry Brown changed the subject, his tone carrying a hint of knowing all: "You have great ambitions. You probably want to become the Koch family of California, building your own political and economic empire in this land."

"The Koch family?" Ernst paused slightly upon hearing this title, then chuckled, his tone laced with a hint of mockery and disdain. "You really know me well."

If America had a ninth major conglomerate, it would undoubtedly be the Koch family. In fact, the Koch family's influence has surpassed that of the traditionally bottom-ranked eight major conglomerates.

This family's power far exceeds what most people imagine. In terms of family alone, it could definitely rank among the top ten, or even the top five, in the United States.

From vice presidents and secretaries of state to CIA directors, energy secretaries, and even the White House budget director, one can find individuals with intricate connections to the Koch family in important positions.

And these are just the tip of the iceberg. The more than 180 members of parliament supported by the Koch family are its true core strength.

The most classic example is the case of John Boehner, the third in line to the throne and Speaker of the House of Representatives, and his grandson.

In 2011, Bona left Washington and quietly went to Manhattan, New York, where he sat obediently at the door of an office, waiting for the businessmen inside to have a chance to meet him.

The reason he acted so subserviently was simple: as the speaker, he had no real control over the House of Representatives.

Let alone the opposing donkey-like senators, even the senators representing their own elephants don't listen to them.

David Koch, the head of the Koch family who received him, easily resolved the problem with just one phone call.

This shows just how much power is hidden behind this family.

"It's not that I think highly of you, but if you want to climb to the top of the pyramid, you have to go through the Koch family." Jerry Brown shook his head slightly. "You have no choice. Your current situation is the same as when the Koch family faced the Rockefeller family."

Fred Koch, the first generation of the Koch family, invented a thermal cracking technology for refining crude oil. The biggest feature of this new technology is that it can significantly reduce the cost of refining oil.

With costs significantly reduced, consumers could naturally benefit from the savings, allowing Fred's oil company to rapidly expand its market share.

Other oil giants, of course, did not want to see this happen. After their attempts to purchase the technology failed, the oil giants, led by the Rockefeller family, fabricated a patent infringement lawsuit and took Fred to court.

They knew perfectly well that they couldn't win the case, but they could win it by dragging it out.

Compared to these giants, Fred's oil company simply couldn't compete financially. If the patent were locked up, and no one could use it, Fred's oil company would naturally go bankrupt.

As these oil giants had predicted, Fred was forced to go to Europe.

In Britain, before the European oil giants could react, the Soviet Union seized the opportunity and offered Fred a high salary to help them improve oil refining technology.

Later, when the German magistrate came to power, he invited him to Germany to improve Germany's oil refining technology.

Whether it's airplanes or tanks, they all need to consume fuel; war is all about money.

With the same equipment, the US consumed several times more fuel refining costs than Germany for each sortie, and the US used it for a shorter period of time. So the US invited him back to help refine high-octane gasoline to fuel Allied bombers, enabling them to fly over longer distances and bomb the oil refineries that Fred helped Germany build.

It can be said that Fred's story is a history of energy logistics during World War II.

It was also because of his unique technology that Koch Industries, which he founded, grew rapidly and became one of the oil giants in the United States.

However, he knew very well that after the war ended, those other oil giants would probably use the same tactics they had used to force him out.

So he began planning ahead, actively participating in American politics, which developed into the Koch Empire we know today, a too-too-failing entity.

Jerry Brown cautioned, "As you should know, the progressive faction within the Donkey is growing stronger, their influence is increasing, and they will have a huge impact on the formulation and implementation of various policies. This is not good for your business."

"Progressives emphasize active intervention in the redistribution of social wealth. They tend to expand the coverage of social security benefits and advocate for higher taxes on businesses and high-income earners. These proposals are all bad news for your business."

Ernst did not refute this; he did indeed prefer the moderate stance of Lalford and the liberal views advocated by Kennedy to the progressives.

It's not so much that they like each other, but rather that the core tenets of these two factions align more closely with their own interests.

Unlike traditional industries such as infrastructure and energy, the technology industry is one that least likes excessive intervention.

The development of technology companies requires a relatively free and open market environment. Excessive policy restrictions and interventions often stifle the innovation vitality of companies and affect their market expansion.

On the surface, the progressives' advocacy of expanding the coverage of social security benefits appears to be a policy that benefits people's livelihoods.

However, from a business operations perspective, this means that companies need to bear more expenditures on employee benefits and welfare.

No matter how grand the policies are promoted, the ultimate cost burden will still fall on the enterprises, which will undoubtedly increase their operating pressure and reduce their profit margins.

Another issue is the tax increase on high-income groups, which will reduce the actual income of talented individuals to some extent, causing some outstanding talents to flow to regions or industries with more favorable tax policies, thereby affecting the talent pool and innovation capabilities of enterprises.

Jerry Brown's point was simple: to stifle the rise of the progressives, one must learn from the Koch family and cultivate one's own parliamentary power.

There are only so many seats in the two houses; if you take up more, others will have fewer.

Even if you progressives sit in the White House, it won't matter if the bill fails to pass both houses of Congress.

"Let's get down to business." What he wanted to understand most right now was why Jerry Brown had suddenly suggested forming a small circle with him.

Jerry Brown didn't hide his true thoughts, frankly stating, "While the West Coast gangs appear powerful on the surface, the real core power is actually concentrated in the hands of the Getty, Pelosi, and Newsom families."

His eyes revealed an urgent expectation for the future development of the family: "If the Brown family wants to break through the existing political landscape and further enhance the family's political status and influence, it must break out of the West Coast gang circle."

"So I hope to lead the Brown family out of its dependence on West Coast gangs and become the Browns of California."

Brown in California, Landon in Kansas.

If the Koch family were the kings of Kansas, then the Langdon family would be the kingdom's chief civil servant.

Family members have served as governors and attorneys general, among other important positions, and possess extensive networks and rich experience in governance.

Furthermore, he has long held a Senate seat in Kansas in Congress, and many of his family members serve as members of the House of Representatives.

At the congressional level, the Langdon family's decision can represent the state of Kansas.

The Langdon family is a core partner of the Koch family, just like the Newsom and Getty families.