Happy Tuesday!  It will seem like Monday all day – but at least it is a short week for most of you…

I hope you had a nice Memorial Day weekend and paused to think about those military men and women who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.  My flag was flying proudly!  It’s kind of sad, but Memorial Day during an election year is when the elected officials and the candidates pretend they really care about Veterans.  Since that day is past, most will forget about us until they next election cycle in two years.

Today I write about The Western Word poll results, point/counterpoint, a mistake in the Political Notebook, beating Daines, endorsements, Watchdogs, jockeying, Romney & Veterans, Romney and Mormonism, and much more!

TWW Poll Results:

On Thursday and Friday, The Western Word (TWW) conducted a one-day poll asking, “Who are you voting for in the Democratic Primary for Montana Attorney General?”  Here are the results:

Pam Bucy – 56%

Jesse Laslovich – 30%

None – 14%

Thanks to all who participated!  This was not a scientific poll.  I will be doing more polling today and the rest of the week – so get ready!

Point/Counterpoint:

I always enjoy the Point/Counterpoint views in the Great Falls Tribune, especially when they are done on the same day and one person does not have the opportunity to see what the other person has written.

Readers may remember that I predicted that Great Falls (Cascade County) would be a battleground area for the Rehberg/Tester matchup in November 2012.  That prediction is becoming true.

Today Congressman Denny Rehberg and U.S. Senator Jon Tester (who will probably be opponents in November) squared off about the START Treaty.  Although neither politician has any military experience, it was fun to read.  My faithful readers already know that I came out against the START Treaty several years ago, so I won’t go there today.

Senator Tester did write something that was somewhat inaccurate, “And in 2006, President Bush’s Pentagon made the decision to remove 50 of Malmstrom’s ICBMs.”  The key thing Tester failed to mention along with that decision is that the removal of those 50 missiles was blocked by his predecessor.  They were actually removed under Tester’s watch in 2007 – after Montana had lost all its clout on defense and military issues.

Tester also writes about the loss of the flying mission at Malmstrom and the loss of the F-16 mission (that was replaced by the F-15s) and although he was correct saying that Rehberg was in office, he failed to mention that his mentor, U.S. Senator Max Baucus, was the senior senator through all those losses and that Baucus is one of the main reasons the runway at Malmstrom remains closed.

I am more than happy to clarify these inaccuracies…

Political Notebook:

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle’s “Political Notebook” had an epic failure on Sunday when they ventured into the world of military issues talking about “Military becomes a political pigskin” saying, “Such actions have resulted in a tug-of-war involving the Montana Air National Guard F-15 unit at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls.”

The F-15 unit is located at the Montana Air National Guard base at the Great Falls International Airport and not at Malmstrom Air Force Base (AFB).  Here’s a map.

If newspapers and television stations are going to venture into the world of reporting on military issues, they should at least hire someone with experience in that area to keep them from looking like fools…

Who can beat Daines?

Lee Newspapers did a story over the weekend about which Democrat can best beat Steve Daines in November.  You can read that story HERE.  Spoiler Alert:  They all think they can!

This is the best opportunity for the Democrats to win this seat in many years and with the right campaign team and candidate, beating Daines should be a piece of cake…

Endorsements:

Lee Newspapers also ran a story over the weekend asking the candidates for Governor and U.S. House races to send them five endorsements.  You can read the House endorsement story HERE and the Governor endorsement story HERE.

One interesting thing was Republican Governor Rick Hill did not send Lee any of his endorsements.  Lee Newspapers reported, “Hill declined to provide five individuals or groups that have endorsed him, believing it’s unfair to rank or limit those from the broad range of groups that have endorsed his candidacy, said campaign manager Brock Lowrance.  Hill believes all individuals or groups that have endorsed him are equally important, he said.”

Odd.  Like wearing-a-light-blue-shirt-all-the-time odd…

WatchDog?

The Great Falls Tribune published a story on Sunday called “Nonprofit Watchdog news organizations charge forward” which talked about MontanaWatchdog.org and Media Trackers Montana.  You can read the story HERE.

If only The Western Word could receive some of that “sweet nectar” in the form of funding from some rich person or organization that enjoys “Independent Commentary about Politics, Sports, the Media, and Current Events.” 

Jockeying:

On Sunday, the Associated Press took a look at the Congressional Democratic primary.  You can read that story HERE.

With only nine days left until the June 5 Primary, it is now crunch time for the candidates.  Every candidate needs some event or issue to give them a boost these last few days – to get their name out there in a positive way so that on June 5 they are remembered at the polls…

Romney and Veterans:

Although during the election of 2008 Mitt Romney said his sons driving an RV across Iowa campaigning for him was like serving their country, a new Gallup poll says “U.S. veterans, about 13% of the adult population and consisting mostly of older men, support Mitt Romney over Barack Obama for president by 58% to 34%, while nonveterans give Obama a four-percentage-point edge.”

I bet Romney doesn’t know any enlisted people…just retired four-star Generals…

Romney and Religion:

Politico published a story called, “Romney’s Mormon faith in spotlight” where they write, “Deep into his second run for president, Romney’s Mormonism remains one of his great mysteries — and obstacles — in many voters’ minds.”

I agree.  While I don’t personally believe in Mormonism, I am all for freedom of religion.  I want to know what the candidates believe – and who and where they look to for guidance.

Romney’s faith is a big mystery and, if he desires to be President, it might be better for him to be more open about it. 

Want to have some fun – then follow Jack on Twitter @TheWesternWord!