Wow…what a weekend for politics!  The staffers here at The Western Word were busy keeping track of the political stories across the state and the nation – we never sleep.

Today we take a look at the Montana DOT fiasco, the 11th Circuit Court decision, the Iowa straw poll, job announcement blowback, protesting on a Saturday, Jackson Browne, political spending, and we even have a quote.  There’s a lot more plus I offer some commentary on each!

So sit back and catch up on what happened in the political world over the weekend…

Lynch Resignation (More):

When the news first broke that Montana Department of Transportation director Jim Lynch resigned, most political observers thought there was more to the story.  On Friday we found out the resignation was supposedly because his daughter had been working for the Montana Department of Transportation since 2008 – and the Governor found out about it and thought it violated the state’s nepotism law.

Lynch’s daughter has been working there since 2008 – makes one wonder where the “watch dogs” were in the state – and why the anti-Schweitzer crowd was asleep.  It also brings into question the state’s nepotism law and if the legislature needs to examine and update it.

11th Circuit Court Rules on Health Care:

In case you missed it, the 11th Circuit Court ruled the individual health insurance mandate violates the U.S. Constitution.  You can read the opinion HERE (PDF).

The anti Obamacare folks rejoiced – and press releases were flying out to the media saying how much they agreed with the decision. 

The sooner this case gets to the U.S. Supreme Court, the better it will be.

ICYMI – Iowa Straw Poll Results:

Pawlenty saw the writing on the wall and withdrew after the Iowa results came in.  Realistically, the GOP Presidential race is now between Bachmann, Romney, and newcomer, Texas Governor Rick Perry.

U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn) — 4,823

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) — 4,671

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty — 2,293

Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Penn) — 1,657

Businessman Herman Cain — 1,456

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney – 567

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich — 385

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr. — 69

U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich) — 35

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who was not on the ballot, received 718 write-in votes.

Smaller Government?

Congressman Denny Rehberg announced late last week that he had hired three new staffers, two in Washington D.C., and one on Montana.  It’s normal for elected officials to announce a hiring, but it appears some of his followers on Facebook were not too happy with Rehberg increasing the size of the government, saying things like, “This is EXACTLY why America is bankrupt…STOP SPENDING!!” and “does this count as new spending? not cool.”  Those were just a couple responses.

I think the three new staffers are fortunate to have jobs. Two of the three are veterans…veterans should be given priority hiring preference for all federal jobs and congressional offices should have a majority of veterans working in them…IMHO.

Protestors:

Speaking of Rehberg, some people showed up in front of his Helena District Office to protest on Saturday morning. According to this report, “The American Association of Federal Government and the American Federation of Labor decided to host the protest outside Congressman Rehberg’s office.”

It’s cool to have a peaceful protest, but the chances of someone working in a congressional office on a Saturday morning is pretty slim  – in case you really wanted to leave your comments with someone to pass on to the Congressman…

Running on Empty Tour:

As a fan of Jackson Browne and his 1977 album “Running on Empty,” I thought he was touring in Montana this week.  That’s not the case.  According to the Great Falls Tribune, “The Arlington, Va.-based group Americans for Prosperity, or AFP, is sponsoring the “Running on Empty” tour to raise awareness of President Barack Obama’s energy policies, which they say are responsible for high gas prices across the country.”

You can read the whole story HERE.

I don’t like $3.70 gas – not at all…

Political Spending:

I think most people believe there should be some rules on spending to elect political candidates – some rules – or we will have nothing but mayhem.

Lee Newspapers did a story about Montana’s political spending laws – you can read it HERE.

Come to think about it, maybe we have mayhem already…

Quote:

Former Montana Congressman Pat Williams wrote an opinion piece about the recent deaths of former Oregon Governor and U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield and former New York Governor and Congressman Hugh Carey.   Williams said when Hatfield left the senate (in 1997) he said, “Today, unlike the past, politics and campaigning have become a year-around experience.”

It’s even more evident that this is the case today…the system is broken.

Supercommittee – Super Fast:

The Helena Independent Record editorial staff says they are “trying hard to be optimistic” about the supercommittee that Montana’s U.S. Senator, Max Baucus, is a member.  They write that the “Baucus supercommittee needs to be super fast” in their Sunday editorial.

I have thought from the beginning that a “supercommittee” is silly.  My optimism is circling the drain…

Note:

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