The Koch brothers are a favorite target of the Left for being "evil purveyors of capitalism." And during this election season, their biggest accuser of "everything that's wrong with American politics" is long-time Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who not only talks about them any chance he gets, but has also dedicated an entire section of his website to try and stop the hijacking of America by right-wing billionaires.

But in an effort to offer an olive branch of sorts to one of their biggest critics, one of the brothers, Charles Koch, penned an op-ed for The Washington Post explaining that he shares some of the same concerns about American politics as Sanders -- a man he has never met and one he often feels is running against him as much as he is with the other candidates.

"I see benefits in searching for common ground and greater civility during this overly negative campaign season," Koch writes. "That’s why, in spite of the fact that he often misrepresents where I stand on issues, the senator should know that we do agree on at least one — an issue that resonates with people who feel that hard work and making a contribution will no longer enable them to succeed."

Koch continues:

The senator is upset with a political and economic system that is often rigged to help the privileged few at the expense of everyone else, particularly the least advantaged. He believes that we have a two-tiered society that increasingly dooms millions of our fellow citizens to lives of poverty and hopelessness. He thinks many corporations seek and benefit from corporate welfare while ordinary citizens are denied opportunities and a level playing field.

I agree with him.

This may come as a surprise to Sanders as he has always considered the Kochs to be one of the largest cogs in the rigged wheel of politics and economics. It may also surprise the senator, as Koch states, that he and his brother make decisions to support or oppose a policy based on whether it makes someone's life better or worse. The last thing on their minds, he says, is their bottom line.

"With this in mind," he continues, "the United States’ next president must be willing to rethink decades of misguided policies enacted by both parties that are creating a permanent underclass."

But there is another issue that Koch admits solidarity with Sanders: the criminal justice system. He shares the concern in outcomes for those without money who often face stiffer penalties for small offenses than those who have more means and connections. In making voluntary strides to alter these negative affects a person may face when finding employment,  Koch Industries no longer asks job applicants about prior criminal convictions. 

"At this point you may be asking yourself, 'Is Charles Koch feeling the Bern?' Hardly," Koch assures:

I applaud the senator for giving a voice to many Americans struggling to get ahead in a system too often stacked in favor of the haves, but I disagree with his desire to expand the federal government’s control over people’s lives. This is what built so many barriers to opportunity in the first place…

History has proven that a bigger, more controlling, more complex and costlier federal government leaves the disadvantaged less likely to improve their lives.

Koch ends stating that the candidate that is "most committed to the principles of a free society" and doesn't infringe on another's rights is the one deserving of support. He has not yet found that candidate, but "when such a candidate emerges, he or she will have my enthusiastic support."