Category Archives: Politics

MT Political Practices: Perception

In case you missed the news yesterday, Montana Governor Steve Bullock picked a lawyer from Helena, Jonathan Motl, to be the state’s next political practices commissioner.

Lee Newspapers reported:

Motl has donated $6,800 to Montana political campaigns since 1992, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics. Discounting contributions to ballot issue campaigns and nonpartisan judicial races, Motl has given slightly more than $5,000 in partisan statewide and legislative races, all to Democrats. That includes $790 to Bullock in his races for attorney general and governor.

So the Governor of Montana (a Democrat) appointed someone to that office who donated money to his campaign and to other Democrats. This person will (hopefully) abide by the “Mission Statement” for the Office of Political Practices:

To monitor and to enforce, in a fair and impartial manner, campaign practices and campaign finance disclosure, lobbying disclosure, business interest disclosure of statewide and state district candidates, elected state officials, and state department directors, ethical standards of conduct for legislators, public officers, and state employees, and to investigate legitimate complaints that arise concerning any of the foregoing.

Wonderful. It’s OK to shake your head. I am. Continue reading →

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Tea Party: Tuesday is Protest Day!

It looks as though members of the Tea Party will be out in force all across the fruited plains at noon on Tuesday (May 21) to protest in the front of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offices.

One e-mail I received said, “Tea Party Patriots, 912s and several other groups are having a Nationwide protest against the IRS abuses at IRS offices across the country.” This protest is a little too far for me to make, as it’s being held in Nashville (TN) at the Federal Building.

One protest is a little closer to my home; it’s planned for Great Falls (MT) at the local IRS office.

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Obama: One Tough Spring

Spring is in the air. It’s a time of renewal with new flowers sprouting from the ground, gardens being planted, and the aroma of fresh-cut grass encircling the neighborhood.

I doubt many in the Obama Administration have stopped to take in the sights and sounds of spring. To say the spring of 2013 (so far) has been tough on the Obama Administration would be an understatement – and summer is still over a month away. That means people will be paying attention for a while longer before school is out and they head off on vacations.

You can bet that some of these issues will stick around and have an effect on the 2014 mid-term elections and some will be the topics of the Presidential race of 2016. Here are the top five issues that the Obama Administration (as well as Democrats) now own and will have to defend for the next few years:

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Baucus: I Think I Will Go Home Now

The Washington Post citing Democratic sources reported yesterday morning that six-term United States Senator Max Baucus of Montana was retiring. A little later Baucus released a statement affirming that he was, in fact, retiring.

Then the speculation began about who would replace Baucus. Today, among that speculation is a love feast in Montana newspapers for Baucus.

Baucus had been raising money for his reelection, but he had also started building a home near Bozeman, which raised some doubts about his running again. Baucus will be 72 in 2014 which means he may have channeled Forrest Gump after that long run when he said, “I’m pretty tired…I think I will go home now.”

So far, Baucus raised almost $5 million for his race. That money will come in handy for Montana Democrats in 2014.

Last election (2008), Baucus disposed of his competition by a 73% to 27% margin. In 2002, he beat his opponent by 31%. Baucus was a great campaigner. He and his staff would go for the jugular on his opponents. They did not lose.

This year there was a lot of talk about former Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer taking on Baucus in a primary. A recent Public Policy Poll showed Schweitzer beating Baucus “54% to 35% with Democratic primary voters.” As for running for the U.S. House or U.S. Senate, Schweitzer told the Associated Press last year “I am not goofy enough to be in the House, and I’m not senile enough to be in the Senate.”  Continue reading →

TWW Poll: Who Should Replace Max Baucus?

Who Should Replace U.S. Senator Max Baucus?  (Pick One)

Brian Schweitzer (D), Denny Rehberg (R), Steve Bullock (D), Steve Daines (R), Denise Juneau (D), Rick Hill (R),  Linda McCulloch (D), Tim Fox (R), Kim Gillan (D), Cory Stapleton (R), Monica Lindeen (D), Champ Edmunds (R), Other (You May Leave the Name Comments).

Click on Continue Reading to take the poll!

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Bugging McConnell

If you’ve read this blog much then you know that I don’t have the highest regards for Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell. I believe he’s one of the problems with today’s Republican Party.

He’s also the major reason the current senate is controlled by Democrats.

Republican Senators follow McConnell like sheep, and if they don’t (like former fellow Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning didn’t); McConnell will screw them over (big time). Meanwhile since McConnell has been in a leadership position in the U.S. Senate the Democrats have gained the majority.

Democrats may want McConnell to stay around to keep up the good work.

So I had to smile when I heard that McConnell was supposedly secretly recorded in his Kentucky campaign headquarters discussing opposition research against potential challengers, most prominently Ashley Judd.  Continue reading →

Wednesday’s Political Potpourri

Welcome to Wednesday! To those of you going on spring break after today – have fun and be safe! Today there were so many interesting political stories to comment about that I put them in a “Political Potpourri” column.

Today I write about Daines listening, Tester hopping on the train, anonymous blogs, a cellphone ban bill, plus I give some motivation for the righties! There’s much more so read on…

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MT Politics: Just Being Really Nice Guys

The Montana Commissioner of Political Practices, James W. Murry, ruled on the Loney versus Moore, Blewett, Jacobson, and Boland complaint yesterday. It was not a big surprise to me that Commissioner Murry ruled against Loney.

To set this up a little, Republican Cleve Loney was running for reelection in Montana State House District 25. Democrat Tom Jacobson was his opponent. When the dust settled, Jacobson beat Loney by 74 votes out of the 5,068 votes cast. By the way, I am not a voter in this district.

One part of the complaint was about a state senator (Blewett) who was not on the ballot and wore a nametag, and a candidate (Jacobson) who was on the ballot and who did not wear a nametag passing out chips, candy, and water to people who were waiting in line to vote at the Expo Park in Great Falls (MT). The commissioner’s report stated there was no evidence they talked to people about voting or who to vote for or even campaigned.

Basically they were just being really nice guys.

Let’s get real. Continue reading →

Yippee Ki-Yay

When it was announced yesterday that U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was pulling the assault weapons ban from the gun bill currently being looked at in Congress, I ran outside to see if I could hear assault weapons being fired into the air around my neighborhood in celebration.

My neighborhood was pretty quiet for a Tuesday afternoon. There was no sporadic gunfire to be heard.

I did hear some elementary school children laughing and having a good time during their recess a few blocks away – an elementary school that both my children attended. My thoughts then turned to Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and the 20 kids who were senselessly murdered along with six adults on December 14, 2012. There are no more recesses for those children. Their parents have holes in their hearts from losing a child. I cannot imagine the pain.

For a few days (maybe a week or so) after Sandy Hook the United States seemed poised to tighten the gun laws and maybe make us just a little safer. That movement faded quickly and now we can say that the gun lobby has won, once again. Continue reading →

Monday Morning Politics

Welcome to Monday and Monday Morning Politics. Today I take a look at Rehberg’s new job, the Republican National Committee’s Growth & Opportunity Project, the Conservative Political Action Conference, and how the U.S. Senate office space nightmare ended. There’s more so read on!

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