THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

Even though most of the "debutantes" have come out in previous seasons, the Evil Koch Brothers held another one to see who can put the highest shine on their shoes with his tongue.

Perhaps no organization commands more deference in Republican politics nowadays than the sprawling operation established by the Koch brothers. And this week, the intense competition among Republicans for their embrace and attention will break out into the open. An invitation-only group of 2016 hopefuls will travel to a resort near Palm Springs, Calif., for the Koch brothers’ annual winter seminar, kicking off the so-called Koch primary.

“What they’ve built is incredibly impressive,” said Phil Cox, who has worked for the Koch-affiliated group Americans for Prosperity and recently served as executive director of the Republican Governors Association under Mr. Christie as chairman. “The invitation to the seminar is a big deal. It’s important entree to those donors and potential donors, and having Charles or David or other leaders in the network say good things about any particularly candidate at one of these seminars is a big deal.”

Mr. Cruz, Mr. Paul and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida have all received invitations to the event and are expected to attend. Other invited Republicans include Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, who is not expected to make it because of a scheduling conflict.

Unlike groups on the left like the A.F.L.-C.I.O., the Kochs do not hand out traditional endorsements. But their network spans roughly 300 donors, many of whom are wealthy business owners and entrepreneurs, and allows candidates to tap individuals who are conservative but not part of the traditional Republican donor establishment. In 2012, Americans for Prosperity spent more than $120 million in an effort to defeat President Obama and congressional Democrats.

Of course, the Koch network is hardly unified behind a single candidate, with donors preferring a wide range of personalities and issues. “It would be a mistake to view our donors as monolithic,” said Marc Short, president of Freedom Partners, an umbrella organization for donors allied with the Kochs. “They come from different geographic regions, but they are all committed to free markets and advancing a free society.”

That last line should read, "markets and society we can loot and pillage free from pesky government interference". After all, what are the 99% if not a herd to be raised at their own expense for the 1%'s profit? And how better to show your fealty to this system than by dancing at the Evil Koch Brothers Ball?