Posted: February 3, 2011 at 12:49 pm
A Tale of Two Rivals
Word on the street is that it was bound to happen sooner or later.
At some point, it was going to come to this between two of the GOP’s most dominant personalities, one old and one new. Whether it’s lovers, siblings, or friends, there comes a point when even the best relationships have their falling out moment. And that moment will certainly show the true colors of both lawmakers.
Jason Priest and Dave Lewis aren’t yet openly at war with each other, rather the rivals have been ostensibly friendly in public.
There are, however, rumors that RNC staff have been out to meet with Priest in his home town, presumably to groom him for a political future, something that must grate on Lewis, whose legislative career is ending with nowhere for him to land.
Some would argue that Jason Priest’s flamboyant, applause-fueled lunatic-filled hearings style is becoming more than irksome to Dave Lewis, who prefers the old-school, deal-making-in-smoke-filled-back-rooms-way of doing business.
Lewis has clearly been somewhat in charge of the GOP caucus in the past as their go-to budget guy. He clearly prefers to be the individual in power behind the scenes more than the wingman of a wingnut. It is Priest who has been bringing forward all the flashy, GOP-campaign-promised health care repeal bills, garnering him the statewide press and constituent accolades.
What’s more, Lewis is “on the government dole”, having been a state employee most of his life, while Priest is a “self-made” (read massive inheritance) businessman. Some say it is this rivalry which prompted Lewis to bring forward his anti-state employee bill to attempt to compensate for his background. The rivalry is also suspected of being behind Lewis’s massive shift to the right – far afield from the views of his district.
Their rather tense relationship will be further tested in coming weeks, as each tries to stake out the ground and the top conservative in the Capitol. Stay tuned.
Im not suprised by this, they are from different wings of the Republican Party, I’d say Dave Lewis is from the Mainstreet Republicans, the guys that want business to do well, and Priest is from the teaparty wing of the party, the guys that want to score political points and that really don’t care about results, they just care about principles.
I have watched a couple of the budget subcommittee hearings on which they both sit, and the atmosphere is palpably tense. From where I sit, the tension comes from both men fighting to see which of their peers they in influence.
What’s the background on Priest? He is from Red Lodge, right? I worked there long ago but I don’t remember the name. Does anyone have any background info on the dude?
According to his official legislative bio, Priest was born in California, then his family moved to Red Lodge in 1973. He must have been pretty old at that point. He went to the Aspen School in Colorado. Hmmm.
huh? i think you’ve been smoking pine cones here cowgirl. dave lewis has always been a behind the scenes budget work horse. he’s never been in leadership, therefore, he’s never been “somewhat in charge of the GOP caucus.”
with actual republican votes being cast against republican bills in the house, you chose to say there is distention between these two? you’re off your game here, although it is a bit humorous.
What a laugh. I have become a great supporter of term limits and am looking forward to the end of my term in 2014. I have signed a blank endorsement of Jason for whatever may come his way in the future. He just has to fill in the office! Nice try guys, but you can’t get me off my game!
Must be tough for the once-powerful budget guru to be told to let the smug pup Jason Priest run the Republican Party’s tactics on the budget. Lewis, like him or not, knew the what-fors of the budget. Hell, even Democrats turned to him with questions during legislative discussions in years past. Jason Priest is pretty enough, but not very smart, which makes me smart for Dave Lewis and Montana tonight.
I was gonna write something along those lines, but then I remembered that Lewis went all teawanker on us. He sold his soul. Guess he read the tea leaves and decided to cast his lot with the teawankers in the hopes of getting a lobbyist job in the future! You just wait and see.
Good point, Larry. There’s a lot of talk about hypocrisy and here’s some more: Dave Lewis worked for Democratic Governor Ted Schwinden as budget director, his wife is a union teacher and his daughter is a public employee. (How about that mix for a family dinner conversation!) It just seems hasty that Republican leadership is boosting Jason Priest at the expense of veteran legislators who could take up budget duties (Llew Jones in the Senate and Walt McNutt in the House).
I do feel kinda’ bad for Lewis. He was a much better Senator before Priest came on the scene. Then Priest comes in with his lack of respect, lack of decorum, and just does whatever he feels like all over Lewis’ committee. I would be annoyed too.
A much more likely scenario? The RNC met with Priest, a mega-millionnaire, about his future as a DONOR, not a politician. This man is not smart. He “bought” his way onto the budget committee with donations to the party or the RNC, or their affiliated PACS, or shadow organizations. The most likely scenario is usually the most accurate.
Jason Priest isn’t really from Red Lodge. He spent summers here with his mom and his grandma. He was a ski racer. He graduated from Aspen High School in Colorado. Yes, THAT Aspen. He went on to Williams College where he earned a degree. Then he went to to Texas and worked as a banker. In Austin, I believe? Looks good in a cowboy hat, but he’s no Montanan.
Thank you Mr. Moore. Very interesting.