Originally published at Eclectablog.com.
Efforts by the Koch brothers front group Americans for Prosperity to scuttle the Detroit bankruptcy settlement were shot down in flames as the state legislature overwhelmingly voted yesterday to contribute $194.8 million toward the deal. This was the amount needed to ensure that the deal did not collapse and which saves the Detroit Institute of Arts' priceless art collection while ensuring that retired Detroit pension holders don't see their monthly retirement checks slashed.
The vote on the 11-bill package was bipartisan and, for the most part, lopsided. The main bill passed by a 103-7 margin. It was a harsh rebuke of the meddling of the corporatist Koch brothers and other wealthy funders of AFP. That was a bridge too far even for Republican legislators who were not cowed into submission by threats of AFP spending against them in the upcoming primary election.