Though the hundreds of millions of dollars they raised (and the $60 million or so they pledged to personally spend) to defeat Democrats in the 2012 all went up in a pyre of bitter recriminations delivered from professionally whitened teeth, did you think the Koch brothers were going to pick up their yachts and their toilet paper companies and Saddam Hussein analogies and go home? That just wouldn't be sporting. Nick Confessore at the Times spoke with some of the people who attended the Charles and David Koch's fancy election post-mortem in Palm Springs and reports that the billionaires said "there would be no backing down."

The brothers hold these summits for The Syndicate their rich friends and donors twice a year, confiscating cellphones during particularly sensitive talks so they can deliver the Truth that us Normals couldn't possibly begin to understand.

“They took this defeat pretty hard and pretty self-critically—which is always a good sign of a vital organization,” said Jack Schuler, a Chicago-area philanthropist and entrepreneur who has been involved in some of the discussions. “I think the dollars will flow if we get a sense that there’s a formula that’s going to work. They don’t like to fund losing causes. The attitude is: Show me this new approach is going to work.”

While awaiting an internal audit headed by a top Koch Industries executive, the brothers have rejected any notion of stepping back from electoral politics. Strikingly, after years of nurturing a political network and donor base largely independent from traditional Republican circles, the Kochs are planning to substantially increase their involvement in party affairs.

Hmm, so Money + More Money = Victory? Strikingly Refreshing!

Efforts are also under way to replicate the Democrats’ voter registration organizations, which Koch advisers believe have leapfrogged those of conservative and Republican groups. And much like other conservative groups, those in the Koch network are preparing new initiatives aimed at Hispanic voters, who they believe will be attracted to a small-government message unburdened by the hard-edged social conservatism that hamstrung Republican candidates in several critical races last year.

Many of those efforts will emanate from the Libre Initiative, a Hispanic-oriented conservative group for which the Koch network plans to expand financing this year. Some groups, like the 60 Plus Association, a conservative group aimed at courting older voters, are likely to receive less support going forward. In other cases, the Kochs are seeking to knit organizations more closely with their company’s in-house public affairs team.

Ah so they're not only planning on ramping up spending, but keeping a tighter leash on the message. In a few months, the "in-house public affairs team" might include The Los Angeles Times.