Well, I know what’s right
I got just one life
In a world that keeps on pushin’ me around
But I’ll stand my ground
And I won’t back down
– By Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne

Welcome to the big show to end the week “Caught My Eye” (CME)!

If you are a first-time visitor, welcome! CME is the once a week column that is posted here every Friday morning. This is when I take a look at some of the stories I did not have time to write about during the week. There may will be some sarcasm and pointed commentary so be warned!

Here are the topics that “Caught My Eye” this week:

• Questions for Tester & Rosendale
• Little Shell Recognition
• NRA Endorsements
• New Rosendale Ad
• Kavanaugh Hail Mary
• One More Thing

Two Questions:

Here are two questions I would like U.S. Senate candidates Matt Rosendale and Jon Tester to answer:

Matt Rosendale – Why did you reportedly scrub the word “Rancher” from your campaign website?

Jon Tester – Why did you reportedly miss 76% of the Senate Homeland Security committee meetings?

The answers can be sent to me via western_word@yahoo.com

Little Shell Recognition:

The Associated Press (AP) reported that the U.S. House passed a bill Wednesday that would give federal recognition to Montana’s Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians following a decades-long effort. The AP also reported that Montana U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte, the first-term Republican lawmaker, sponsored the bill.

First, this is a nice thing for the Little Shell, but this is more about giving Gianforte some positive press before his election. I’m sure the Republican leadership in the House asked him what bills he was sponsoring that they could easily pass to help his campaign.

This is not rocket science; it is political science.

Second, I doubt the Republicans in the Senate will give Democrat Jon Tester, who is up for reelection, the pleasure of giving the bill a vote. Tester was one of the main sponsors of the Little Shell recognition after the trio of Baucus, Burns, and Rehberg.

Finally, if he really cared about the Little Shell, U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) would urge the Republican leadership in the Senate to bring the bill to a vote and let the chips fall where they may.

What’s the difference in President Trump signing one more of Tester’s bills anyway? The Little Shell bill would be the 20th Tester bill.

It’s up to you, Daines.

NRA Endorsements:

There are a couple thoughts that come into my mind when I hear about the National Rifle Association (NRA) – more on that later.

This week the NRA endorsed Republican Matt Rosendale for U.S. Senate and some of the local Montana media wrote about it.

But clouding that endorsement was what was reported by The Daily Beast and the Associated Press in Montana on Thursday. They reported that Rosendale may have illegally coordinated with the National Rifle Association after an audio recording surfaced of the Montana Republican saying the NRA planned to support his campaign.

If that is true, then that’s cheating. Big time.

Everyone knows the coordination happens, but Matt Rosendale was reportedly ignorant enough to talk publicly about it. Geez.

We’ll see how that plays out.

Now back to the couple thoughts that come into my mind when I hear about the NRA.

When I hear about the NRA and other pro-gun groups, I think of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (17 deaths).

When I hear about the NRA and other pro-gun groups, I think about Sandy Hook Elementary school (28 deaths).

Since I worked in the political world on the Republican side of the fence, I know the vultures from these pro-gun groups hover around their politicians all the time telling them what to do, throwing money at them and their staffers, and when it’s election time, they swoop in and tell them what to say and even what to write to get their “coveted” endorsement. They own them.

To me, the endorsement from the NRA and these other pro-gun groups is written in the blood from the children who were killed in the mass shootings. The clout of NRA and other pro-gun groups is weakening and they know it.

By the way, thanks for the reminder of what I hate about you, NRA.

New Rosendale Ad:

There are so many campaign ads from the U.S. Senate candidates this election cycle and from their supporters that it is hard to keep up with them. Somebody is making a killing producing campaign ads.

A new campaign ad paid for by Matt Rosendale for U.S. Senate caught my eye. The ad is called “Lumber.”

The ad begins with Rosendale in a sawmill with logs in the background. He says, “Jon Tester talks about the handful of times he votes for President Trump, but he won’t tell you about the big votes.”

He then goes on to say Tester votes against Trump 75% of the time and names some of the votes in which Tester voted against something Trump supported.

Then I think Rosendale sticks his foot in his mouth.

He says, “Montana needs a senator who stands with President Trump on the big stuff and doesn’t brag about the little stuff.”

Tester has had 19 of his bills signed into law by Trump. Many of these are important pieces of legislation for veterans and nothing I would classify as “little stuff.” There’s legislation to help rural firefighters, too. Some of the “little stuff” was even bragged about by Trump during his rallies in Montana.

I think Rosendale’s “little stuff” remark is a direct slap in the face of veterans who benefit from these pieces of legislation.

You can view the ad HERE.

Kavanaugh Hail Mary?

U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) supposedly obtained a letter about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh that “describes an incident involving Kavanaugh and a woman while they were in high school.” (TheIntercept.com)

Feinstein released a statement about the letter:

I have received information from an individual concerning the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. That individual strongly requested confidentiality, declined to come forward or press the matter further, and I have honored that decision. I have, however, referred the matter to federal investigative authorities.

This may be a “nothing burger” but we won’t know until it is investigated.

The Senate Judiciary Committee still plans to vote on the Kavanaugh nomination September 20. (Roll Call)

One More Thing:

In two tweets this week, President Donald J. Trump had this to say about the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico:

3000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico. When I left the Island, AFTER the storm had hit, they had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths. As time went by it did not go up by much. Then, a long time later, they started to report really large numbers, like 3000…

…..This was done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible when I was successfully raising Billions of Dollars to help rebuild Puerto Rico. If a person died for any reason, like old age, just add them onto the list. Bad politics. I love Puerto Rico!

Rep. Joe Kennedy, III posted this response:

This is what your math looks like when you count black or brown lives less than white lives.

Amen to that.

 

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