tagged w/ Montana Politics
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Montana Democrats are optimistic that Obama will turn this historically red state blue tomorrow, as some of our own brilliant political pundits have predicted. Recent polling suggests Obama has lost his lead over McCain in the last few weeks, but several crucial factors are keeping hope alive for Democrats statewide.
Montana holds only three electoral votes so voters are not accustomed much attention from presidential candidates, but Obama changed that trend in ’08 by spending significant time campaigning in the state, even celebrating his 4th of July in Butte.
Montana voters would have to be blind not to notice the widespread presence of the Obama campaign, not to mention the seeming indifference of the McCain campaign over the past few months. Obama spent nearly three times as much money as McCain in Montana and set up 19 offices across the state. McCain set up only six offices in the state, all of which he shared with the state Republican Party, and he just began airing television ads last week.
Another hope for the Democrats is the statewide popularity of Constitution Party candidate Ron Paul. Paul will appear on the ballot tomorrow and demonstrated solid support in the June primary election, garnering 22% of the state’s Republican vote. Montanans have a strong history of supporting third-party candidates: Ross Perot won 26% of the vote in 1992 and 13.6% in 1996. Ralph Nader won 6% in 2000 and many pundits are predicting Paul’s presence on the ballot could spell trouble for McCain.
More promising still is the fact that Democrats have recently enjoyed a streak of victories and political success in Montana . Popular Democratic Governor Brian Schweitzer and Senators Jon Tester and Max Baucus have ushered in a new era of Democratic leadership in Montana that is enjoying high approval ratings.
Read the rest here: http://stonecipher.typepad.com/the_stonecipher_report/2008/11/will-obama-turn-montana-blue.htmlMontana Democrats are optimistic that Obama will turn this historically red state blue... more
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In our second installment of Stonecipher on The Senate, our own Madame Fleur takes a look at the odd race for Montana's seat.
Montana ’s longtime Democratic Senator Max Baucus is facing re-election against “Republican” candidate Bob Kelleher. Political experts give perennial candidate Kelleher little chance against Baucus, but the bushy-browed hopeful remains optimistic, telling reporters this week that he believes he can win this time around.
The reason for the quotes around the GOP candidate's "Republican" label? Kelleher has run for office 16 times in the last 44 years - primarily as a Democrat and Green Party candidate.
The 85 year-old advocates a “nonviolent revolution,” aimed at replacing our current system of government with a parliamentary system. He believes the Presidency has become a monarchy, and that the separation of powers is to blame for the problems we see in America today.
Despite running as a Republican, he has not been claimed by the party in part because he favors large, FDR-style government that would nationalize our oil and gas and health care industries.
Kelleher has only one part-time staffer and has told the Associated Press that he is not actively soliciting campaign donations. So far he has spent about $20,000 of his own money going to parades and county fairs, and in sponsoring billboard and campaign literature...
Read the rest here: http://stonecipher.typepad.com/the_stonecipher_report/2008/10/stonecipher-on-the-senate-montana---baucus-vs-kelleher.html
In our second installment of Stonecipher on The Senate, our own Madame Fleur takes a... more
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GOP efforts to disenfranchise voters are nationwide, but as battles over registration lists sweep the nation, in Montana the state GOP has received a decisive blow to its underhanded efforts to steer the election in favor of McCain.
Several weeks ago in The Treasure State, a state Republican official challenged nearly 6,000 voters over apparent discrepancies in their addresses.
The GOP asked that county election officials make certain voters prove their current address when they attempt to vote. According to then-GOP Executive Director, Jake Eaton, who resigned last week, the voters were selected from counties where Republicans found the greatest discrepancies in voter addresses when comparing data from the statewide voter database with the National Change of Address database. According to Eaton, the case was filed in response to a joke made by Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer in July about tampering with the results of the 2006 U.S. Senate election.
State Democrats went to court to block the challenges, charging that the move was a blatant attempt to suppress Democrat voter turnout: the case primarily targeted voters in six traditionally Democratic-leaning counties.
The Republican antics lost favor even within their own party when further investigation revealed that among the voters in question was a member of the Army Reserve about to deploy to Kuwait , and an 86-year-old World War II hero.
Address discrepancies of this sort are also not critical to ensuring accurate voter counts. There’s no electoral college among counties in Montana. It doesn’t affect the election’s outcome whether a person votes in the precinct where they live, or the one that they recently moved from.
Republicans were all but forced to drop their case last week after a federal judge determined that Republicans filed the case "with the express intent to disenfranchise voters.”
U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy of Missoula did not rule on the case, but made his assessment of the Republican tactics clear, saying "[t]he timing of these challenges is so transparent that it defies common sense to believe the purpose is anything but political chicanery."
As mentioned above, Montana’s GOP Executive Director resigned last week - just three weeks before the election – no doubt because this partisan debacle sparked such anger and failed so publicly. One hopes that similar tactics to undermine the democratic process are discouraged by the example set in Montana. Ohio, Wisconsin and Alabama take note: Americans will settle for nothing less than an honest, fair election in 2008.
GOP efforts to disenfranchise voters are nationwide, but as battles over registration... more
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Despite the Bush Administration’s insistence that a financial rescue package be drafted and approved before the weekend, the proposed plan was just made available for viewing online and lawmakers will vote on Monday. As we await the final tally of winners and losers of the plan, American taxpayers around the country remain frustrated and without answers.
How are Montanans reacting to the proposed financial rescue package? By and large they are furious and mistrustful. Our elected representatives are, thankfully, speaking out on our behalf.
Senator Jon Tester grilled Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke this week about why the banking committee was not given information or warnings that the banking industry was in such a precarious position. He asked:
“Wasn’t there some opportunity somewhere down the line where we could have been informed of how serious this crisis was so we can take some preventative steps before we got to this point?”
Speaking on Hardball last Tuesday, Tester complained that Bear Stearns failed six months ago and experts in the financial marketplace should have anticipated that this situation would be likely or inevitable.
Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer also expressed dismay and frustration with the handling of the crisis. His and Tester’s offices are both reporting a surge in calls, e-mails, faxes and walk-in complaints from constituents mistrustful of Congress’ handling of the crisis. Speaking about his what he is hearing from his constituents, Schweitzer said:
“"People say, 'Now wait a minute -- my stock has gone down -- I lost 15 or 20 percent.' I had one guy walk up to me and say, 'I invested in Fannie Mae. My value is down to zero and they are going to bail out the big banks -- what gives here?' "
Schweitzer feels that leaving taxpayers to pay the bill for a crisis caused by bankers is a classic case of Washington ’s disconnect with the real world. He’s been touring the state for his re-election campaign and heard widespread frustration from Montanans.
"They say, 'My God, this looks like a condition where the powerful are going to give money to the rich. What's new?' "
Thanks to politicians like Tester and Schweitzer, this bailout plan may even include some potential for American taxpayers to profit after the real estate market rebounds. As Schweitzer said earlier this week:
"If we are going to bail these coyotes out, then why wouldn't we have an equity position? Why wouldn't the taxpayer make a little money if they do turn around instead of just shoving that money out the door and have them pay themselves big golden parachutes?
Americans are justly angry all over the country. Avarice and shortsighted policies have forced a choice between a devastating national financial crisis and a $700 billion bailout for greedy, mismanaged companies. Either way we lose.
Montanans are demanding answers from our representatives. Tester and Schweitzer are doing their best to mitigate the damage to everyday Americans as our country navigates this absurd disaster.
Despite the Bush Administration’s insistence that a financial rescue package be... more
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This year’s competitive Democratic primary brought to Montana something voters here weren’t used to: uncanny access to high-profile, national presidential candidates. Barack Obama cruised to victory over Hillary Clinton here, but that has not caused him to become complacent in this traditionally red state. The Democratic nominee has made four separate campaign stops in Big Sky Country and is in a dead heat with Sen. John McCain for Montana’s three electoral votes. McCain has not set foot in Montana in eight years, making Republican Party leaders here very anxious. Obama continues to mount an all-out effort to win this state, and two Montana voters show in this pod how the Illinois senator won their votes with firm handshakes. This year’s competitive Democratic primary brought to Montana something voters... more
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Guess which Republican US Senate candidate said….
“…No more passing the buck…the party in power is responsible.” As it stands, “we’re headed for a dictatorship.”
On his shocking primary victory a few months ago, the candidate explained “I wanted to have fun…nobody is responsible, really.”
When asked about his long-term plans for the country, he stated “I would keep the president as a figurehead.”
After hearing news of his unlikely victory he proclaimed, “Honest to goodness, I see the hand of the Almighty in this.”
More clues about the mystery man…
Check them out here: http://stonecipher.typepad.com/the_stonecipher_report/2008/07/guess-which-us.htmlGuess which Republican US Senate candidate said….
“…No more... more
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