Monday Morning Politics

For the past four months or so, we’ve scanned the internet and looked at the local newspapers over the weekend for political stories that you need to know.  Then on Mondays, we put them in one place for you to read. Of course, I do have to offer some commentary about each.

Today we take a look at the flavor of the month, Saturday Night Live, a Congress gone mad, priorities, Max, F-15s, and much much more!  So take a few minutes and catch up on the political news from the past weekend!

Flavor of the Month:

I call them the “flavor of the month” but some call them “frontrunner.”  Herman Cain won the Florida straw poll Saturday.  According to the Associated Press:

He won roughly 37 percent of the vote, compared to 15 percent for Perry and 14 percent for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Former flavors of the month have been Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, and Rick Perry.

This was a big win for Cain – you can check out his website HERE.

What does it all mean?  Nothing.

Saturday Night Live:

They opened a new season with a skit called “Either the 7th or 8th GOP Debate

We need Saturday Night Live to give us a smile…and to keep us from going crazy.

Worth the Read:

If you are going to read one thing about the mess in Washington, I suggest this article from Major Garrett of National Journal called, “A Congress Gone Mad” where he writes, “As a shutdown looms, the House and Senate are more insulated and nuts than ever.”

It’s less than 1000 words and worth the read.  “…more insulated and nuts than ever”?  Yep.

Negativity toward Government:

Gallup has a new poll out today that tells us “A record-high 81% of Americans are dissatisfied with the way the country is being governed, adding to negativity that has been building over the past 10 years.”

They also found in the poll that “53% have little or no confidence in the men and women who seek or hold elected office.”

Check out the poll HERE.

Priorities:

According to a Friday story in Politico, “Congress may be leading the government toward a shutdown, but that isn’t stopping lawmakers from leaving town to raise money.”

They reported that the Democrats had a big Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee fundraiser in South Carolina and several Republicans had fundraisers scheduled.

They really don’t get it, do they?

Montana’s Max:

Paul Thomas Richards writes about “Montana’s Not-So-Super Senator” in an article for In These Times that has made its way to several spots on the internet.

He writes, “Sen. Max Baucus helped dig the U.S. into debt; now he’s working on “Deficit Reduction.”

It’s an interesting read.

Montana’s F-15s:

News came out late Friday that the National Guard Bureau had delayed the transfer of Montana’s F-15s to California for several months.

Sources say the delay is because the environmental impact statement is not completed for Fresno, California – the projected new home for the F-15s.

Ironically, no member of the Montana Congressional delegation took credit for this delay.

The Montana Air National Guard is supposed to receive just four C-27J transport aircraft to replace the approximately 18 F-15s they have now.

I learned the other day that some groups have targeted the C-27J program for termination to save the Federal Government money.

Since the current Montana Congressional delegation does not have the clout to stop the transfer of the F-15s; they probably won’t have the clout to stop the termination of the C-27J program, either.

Up to Date:

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