“The political network helmed by Charles and David Koch has quietly built a secretive operation that conducts surveillance and intelligence gathering on its liberal opponents, viewing it as a key strategic tool in its efforts to reshape American public life,” Politico reports.

“The operation, which is little-known even within the Koch network, gathers what Koch insiders refer to as ‘competitive intelligence’ that is used to try to thwart liberal groups and activists, and to identify potential threats to the expansive network.”

Matt Taibbi: “When we reporters are introduced to a politician, the first thing we ask ourselves is if he or she is acceptable to the political establishment. We don’t admit that we ask this as a prerequisite, but we do. Anyone who’s survived without felony conviction a few terms as a senator, governor or congressperson, has an expensive enough haircut, and has never once said anything interesting will likely be judged a potentially ‘serious’ candidate.”

“If you’re wondering why no Mozarts or Einsteins ever end up running for president in America, but an endless succession of blockheads like Rick Perry are sold to us on the cover of Time magazine as contenders, it’s because of this absurd prerequisite.”

“Ultimately, what we’re looking for is someone who’s enough of a morally flexible gasbag to get over with the money people, and then also charming enough on some politically irrelevant level to attract voters.”

NBC News: “Page after page of Confederate-themed goods vanished from Walmart’s website as the retail giant said Monday that it was pulling the merchandise in the aftermath of the Charleston, South Carolina, church shootings.”

The Center for Public Integrity looks at the “powerful electoral-industrial complex” funded by moneyed interests that belies the quaint notion of “citizen democracy” that ballot measures are assumed to represent.

“Active in the 26 states that have citizen-initiated ballot measures, the network of pollsters, direct mail specialists, lawyers, consultants, signature gatherers and voting data whizzes were paid at least $400 million for 85 statewide measures across the country in 2014… In presidential election years, state and local measures are a billion-dollar industry.”

After a failed political comeback in 2013, former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) “has found himself unexpectedly embracing a role he has largely sought to avoid all his life: assuming stewardship of Spitzer Enterprises, the family real estate business,” the New York Times reports.

Said Spitzer: “Politics is in my rearview mirror. This is exciting.”

“In customary fashion, Mr. Spitzer — who once, as governor, famously threatened to roll over a state lawmaker — has tackled his new career much like a steamroller, in overdrive. He signed a contract to buy nearly three acres on the Brooklyn waterfront last August, closed on the deal in February and got his building permits on June 8.”

Los Angeles Times: “Once a dark art that candidates were reluctant to acknowledge even the existence of, political opposition research has lately turned into a garish, multimillion-dollar enterprise complete with logos, marketing strategies and indiscriminate, real-time streaming of the work product onto social media.”

“Many political traditions are being disrupted by the unrestricted cash that today’s lax campaign-finance enforcement allows. But perhaps none more than the time-honored tradition of rifling through an opponent’s background. Never before have there been so many hit jobs peddled to the media, to gadflies, to swing voters – to anyone who might notice – so openly and swiftly.”