Monday Morning Politics is brought to you by the number 8 today – there are just 8 days until General Election Day (Nov. 6)!

With Hurricane Sandy being an October surprise and knocking President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney off their campaign plans for a few days, the President can take the opportunity to look Presidential in his response to the hurricane. Mitt Romney must not seem too political when he talks about the federal response. It’s a different twist to a very close election!

Romney jumped at the chance to criticize the President right after the terrorist attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and it harmed him considerably. Watch for Romney to measure his comments about the hurricane and use the line, “Let’s pray for all those affected by this disaster” several times. He has no other choice.

Today in Monday Morning Politics I take a look at the Chairman’s request, the Montana Governor’s debate, getting hairy, Sharpies needed, Accomplishments & Voting Records, cruise missiles and minuteman missiles, trying to set the record straight, the new Montana Hunters and Anglers Leadership Fund campaign ad, and much more!

Get Back in Line:

On Saturday my inbox was graced with an e-mail from Will Deschamps, Chairman of the Montana Republican Party. I cannot find the e-mail on the Montana GOP website.  The Chairman was writing “about a few Republicans supporting a Democrat candidate in the election for Public Service Commission.” The Chairman added, “I want to discourage that kind of behavior in strong terms” and he went on to say, “Any Republican who is publicly endorsing a Democrat is doing something that I consider to be wrong.”

Oh my…

Finally, in the sixth paragraph the Chairman gets to the heart of the matter, “Roger Koopman is our Republican candidate. Speaking as the Chairman of the party, I endorse him wholeheartedly. If the members of the party want a chair who would ever consider any vote for a Democrat, well, they will have the chance to elect one next June.”

I imagine they will take you up on that chance, Mr. Chairman. The Chairman also quotes Ronald Reagan. Sadly, I doubt Ronald Reagan would be welcome in today’s GOP.

Montana Governor’s Debate:

I watched the first few minutes of the Montana Governor’s debate Saturday night and then watched the final 30 minutes (there was a football game on).

I was not impressed with either candidate’s performance.

Republican Rick Hill baffled us with numbers and percentages so much that they all ran together. I bet that most people can’t remember any of the numbers or statistics Hill spewed out while he donned his professor hat seemingly talking down to us peons.

When Democrat Steve Bullock was speaking I was yelling, “BREATHE” at the television. With him being a lawyer and Attorney General, I expected a lot better speaking skills. He got some points across but it seemed to be a struggle for him to relax with the camera on him.

Lee Newspapers covered the debate HERE. The Associated Press covered the debate HERE.

Montana U.S. Senate 2012

It’s Getting Hairy!

I mentioned the third-party super PAC campaign ad that I thought was pretty bad that showed Jon Tester’s hair growing. Now we have a new Tester campaign ad where the senator is back in the barbershop getting his signature flat-top haircut. Plus, Denny Rehberg has brought back the adorable twin ladies who are in a beauty shop talking about Tester (and of course) President Obama.

The ads from Tester and Rehberg shows Rehberg smiling and Tester laughing at the end, which is kind of nice to see considering the tone of the campaign.

Sharpies Needed?

Last Wednesday the Associated Press reported that, Montana State District Judge John McKeon “ordered the release of an edited version of an investigative report into a 2009 boat crash involving U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg and former state Sen. Greg Barkus.”

So we wait. We often hear about the state district courts being underfunded and we hear some of the judges say they are over-worked (especially the Great Falls area judges), so I am thinking the judge may need some donated magic markers or Sharpies sent to help him in the editing process.

For this long delay, I say to Judge McKeon, “C’Mon man!”

I heard a rumor that the “edited” report will be released on Wednesday – which is way too long for “we the people” to wait…

Accomplishments & Voting Records:

Lee Newspapers published a two-day piece about Jon Tester and Denny Rehberg’s accomplishments and voting records. You can read part one HERE and part two HERE.

It’s a good look at both candidates. One thing that shows, once again, the lack of experience the Montana media has with military issues was the line, “…as potentially harmful to Malmstrom Air Force Base and its cruise missile force.”

Malmstrom’s missiles are not “cruise missiles” they are Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM). There are 150 of them at Malmstrom.  Geez….

MT Hunters & Anglers Leadership Fund:

The Montana Hunters and Anglers Leadership Fund PAC spent $500,000 on a new TV ad called, “Surveillance” in which they tell voters to support Libertarian candidate, Dan Cox, because he is “The Real Conservative.”

You can watch the ad HERE. A Lee Newspaper story about it can be found HERE.

It might be time to go into my bunker again…

More Montana U.S. Senate coverage:

-The Associated Press says that Jon Tester and Denny Rehberg will be concentrating on the Get Out The Vote (GOTV) effort in the last few days of the campaign. You can read that story HERE.

-CBS Evening News’ Barry Petersen does a two and half minute report about the Senate race in Montana HERE.

-The Great Falls Tribune tries to set the record straight on pay raises and the F-15 vote HERE.

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