Tuesday’s Quick Hits

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Quote for the Day…

Not knowing the truth doesn’t make you ignorant. Not wanting to know the truth is what makes you ignorant. – Unknown

In today’s column, I take a quick look at these people/issues:

  • Great Falls Municipal Election
  • 60 Minutes/Robert Gates
  • The Western Word Poll
  • Reading Assignments

GREAT FALLS MUNICIPAL ELECTION:

Yesterday I wrote about some local conservatives going after Great Falls Mayor Bob Kelly, who is running for reelection.

The perception in the powerful conservative circles in Cascade County is that although the race for mayor/city commission is non-partisan, two of the candidates lean to the left.

On Monday there was what I am calling a “drive-by hit piece” from the conservatives, this time directed toward Susan Wolff who is running for City Commissioner. That’s Dr. Susan Wolff, who just retired as CEO/Dean at Great Falls College Montana State University.

I know how conservatives think – since Wolff was a college dean, she must be a liberal, right?

I read the Tucker Carlson style hit piece that went on and on and on about block grants from years ago and American Rescue Plan Act funds in the future.

It is a nothingburger.

Back to the election. The local conservatives are facing a dilemma. There are five others (besides Wolff) running for the city commission. These five have been declared conservatives. The problem is that only two can be elected. As for the mayor’s race, only two candidates are on the ballot (vote for one).

Asking for a friend: If the lefties in town want to vote for Kelly as Mayor and Wolff as commissioner, should my friend skip voting for a second commission candidate? Or, maybe someone can brief the voters on who is most left-leaning of the remaining five?

Check out a sample ballot HERE.

You can watch extended interviews with the candidates by clicking HERE.

60 MINUTES/ROBERT GATES:

In case you missed it, former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was interviewed by Anderson Cooper. It aired on 60 Minutes Sunday night.

Besides being a fellow Air Force veteran, Gates worked for several Presidents, including as Secretary of Defense for George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

During the interview, the following quote caught my attention:

I’ve worked for eight presidents, Anderson. I– I’ve never encountered a single one of ’em whoever– whoever said, “Well, I really blew that one.”
-Robert Gates when asked if Presidents admit mistakes.

Check out the interview by clicking HERE.

THE WESTERN WORD POLL:

Over the weekend, Lee Newspapers posted an interview with Montana Governor Greg Gianforte in which he “defended his administration’s policies toward the pandemic, which have included signing into law the nation’s only prohibition on private businesses requiring vaccines in the workplace, and several measures that limited the power of local health departments to implement measures to curb the virus’ spread.”

Please read the full interview HERE.

This week’s poll question asks, “What grade would you give Governor Greg Gianforte regarding his response to the pandemic?”

The results will be posted later this week.

READING ASSIGNMENTS:

Here are some articles that you should read…

Memo: Montana GOP can’t appoint joint committee to investigate elections
It is asinine to investigate elections in Montana; there are more important things…

State council endorses updated teacher ethics code, some say it includes CRT
There are some paranoid folks roaming the streets of Montana…

Democrats’ tax and spend spree will hurt Montanans – By Steve Daines
There is more crap in Daines’ opinion piece than in most pig lots…

Trump files lawsuit to keep Jan. 6 documents from Congress
The Republicans will try to stall the committee…

## WEAR A MASK INDOORS IN PUBLIC PLACES ##

8 thoughts on “Tuesday’s Quick Hits”

  1. Gianforte’s grade, on a scale from ‘A’ to ‘F’ ends up as an ‘L’ or ‘M’. And it’s trending down.

  2. Jackie, I wonder if you’d mind if I posted this here in case somebody missed it in your tweets. The malfeasance here is mind boggling and unprecedented. It should be of concern for all Montanans when a rogue AG office goes after our medical system. Along with the medical establishment which is doing it’s part, we must fight back like hell to defeat this unwarranted and unjustified attack on the medical establishment that we all rely on. I’m furious. It’s hard enough to keep doctors here in Montana without Lil Knudey declaring war on them.

    https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/helena-hospital-says-doctors-threatened-by-public-officials-over-ivermectin-request/article_b8333fe9-b0bd-5995-8412-10d3ce7ab867.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share&fbclid=IwAR0E0p2NKqSSETzAT2V2AaK_lylsKfrPuvvcO7ZC2oeFjPAR2eP5nPS8G0A

  3. Re: Attack on Wolff –

    One could wonder when the editor of the local far right wing nutjob blog might take a break from his blog’s ongoing series of scurrilous what-if scenario driveby attacks ostensibly directed at the local good-old-boy network bogeyman, and step up and address the real, current, existing conflict of interest issues surrounding a sitting commissioner who lists himself on LinkedIn as an employee or consultant of that editor’s business, a commissioner who goes ahead anyhow and participates in debates and votes on questions pertaining to a pet issue of that editor, namely the new aquatics center and associated contract awards. My guess: never. For the real focus of that blog seems not to be so much issues of the GF good old boy (or girl) network per se, as “We want US to be the good old boys in Great Falls!”

    In answer to your question above about which right of center candidate a left-leaning (or centrist) voter might want to support as most reasonable, a starting point might be to look for whichever one the editor of that blog seems least enthusiastic about, or maybe one like McKenney who declined to play his blog’s games. A known Republican like McKenney shying away from that blog and its extremist positions says a lot.

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