Posted: July 3, 2012 at 5:07 pm
UPDATED: Denny runs from his own Monster
In an unlikely turn of events, a right-wing, racist Tea Party big-wig has suddenly begun fleeing the conservative label in an effort to boost his bid to become US Senator.
Not long ago, Denny Rehberg was running around his state (he is Montana’s lone Congressman) trumpeting Michelle Bachmann as America’s savior, bragging about his role as one of the founders of the “Tea Party Caucus”, and mouthing all of the inane talking points about Obama, liberals, Cap and Tax, Obamacare, Big Government, Illegal Immigrants, and all the rest. He even (proudly) got written up in the New York Times for his violent suggestion that “activist federal judges” be eradicated and be “put on the endangered species list.” And only a month ago, he was claiming that Obama was secretly instructing the EPA to spy on Montana ranchers with drones.
UPDATE: If you are interested in what Dennis Rehberg was saying just a year ago, here’s my coverage of his speech to the 2011 Bat Crap Crazy Legislature. Remember also that Rehberg was the top Republican official in the state for ten years during which time the GOP platform called for imprisoning gay people. He never lifted a finger to do anything about it.
Then election season arrived. Montana is among the more conservative states in America, and so Rehberg had probably always assumed that in the current political climate and with Obama’s numbers low, to move from the House to the Senate in 2012 (and beat Jon Tester, the incumbent Senator) he could just keep reading from the same idiotic right-wing script.
And yet suddenly, about two weeks ago, Rehberg and the Republican Party started running a flood of TV ads talking about how “Denny Rehberg is independent” and “is not afraid to break with the Republican Party” and “refuses to to the party line,” all for the good of the state.
Clearly they did some market research and determined that the reason Jon Tester is more likable than Rehberg, by a wide margin, is that Tester makes an effort to be independent while Rehberg is hyper-partisan-conservative. And so all references to conservatism have now disappeared from Rehberg’s campaign material. Instead, we are being given a list of things that supposedly show that Rehberg votes against the conservative line (though the list is pretty shoddy–he cites his votes against the bailout and a trade agreement as evidence that he is not a conservative).
Then he ran a TV ad showing a Montana couple who adopted a Nepalese child. Speaking to the camera, the father talks about how he was having trouble completing the adoption but that Rehberg’s office stepped in to help. In other words, Rehberg’s not really a provincial ignoramus known for keeping company with bigots, but a global multi-culturalist. Quite a change of tune.
This is all good news for Democrats and even Obama. It tells us that the Tea Party brand is in the toilet, and that Republican partisan-ism, which consists of Republicans nastily saying “no” to everything the President proposes, but rarely offering solutions of their own, is hurting the GOP badly.
you da woman….
So…the only people with low enough truth-telling standards that Dennis can get to spread the lie that he is somehow separate from the Republican Party is…the Republican Party.
Incredible.
How ridiculous is it that the Montana Republican party is paying big bucks to distance their candidate from the party’s own ideas.
Talk about self-loathing.
Montana Republicans are noticeably different from national Republicans. Denny is just underscoring that fact. Tester votes with Obama more than Denny voted with Bush and that’s a FACT.
Wrong again Rnov Tester voted 90% in 2011. Rehberg supported President George W. Bush, a fellow Republican, 82 percent of the time from 2001-2008. Its just party Politics for Rehberg. Its an Act that is annoying other republicans cause he voted 78 percent of the time with his fellow dippy republicans in the 112th congress too:
☠Destroy the economy.
☠Look the other way and never help this fellow Montanans find jobs.
☠He named a lot of post offices, tried to take away black lung therapy and medicine from miners
☠Still wants to give a hundred mile wide slice of Montana to Homeland security while, defunding it at the same time.
His other stupid votes that screw wit Americans were
☣Voted NO on removing US armed forces from Afghanistan. (Mar 2011)
☣Voted NO on investigating Bush impeachment for lying about Iraq. (Jun 2008)
☣Voted NO on redeploying US troops out of Iraq starting in 90 days. (May 2007)
☣Voted YES on declaring Iraq part of War on Terror with no exit date. (Jun 2006)
☣Voted YES on approving removal of Saddam & valiant service of US troops. (Mar 2004)
☣Voted YES on authorizing military force in Iraq. (Oct 2002)
Never asked Bush what the 2 wars cost, while Bush Kept it silent!
Voted YES on terminating funding for National Public Radio. (Mar 2011)
Voted YES on retroactive immunity for telecoms’ warrantless surveillance. (Jun 2008)
Voted NO on establishing “network neutrality” (non-tiered Internet). (Jun 2006)
Prohibit the return of the Fairness Doctrine. (Jan 2009)
No performance royalties for radio music. (Mar 2009)
Voted NO on extending AMT exemptions to avoid hitting middle-income. (Jun 2008)
Voted NO on paying for AMT relief by closing offshore business loopholes. (Dec 2007)
Voted YES on making the Bush tax cuts permanent. (Apr 2002)
Voted YES on $99 B economic stimulus: capital gains & income tax cuts. (Oct 2001)
Signed Norquest’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge: no new taxes. (Aug 2010)
Continues to Support the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. Reaffirming his pledge (Jan 2012)
As of Nov 2006 Denny has not supported the separation of church and state according to Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C.
Voted NO on restricting employer interference in union organizing. (Mar 2007)
Voted NO on increasing minimum wage to $7.25. (Jan 2007)
Voted YES on building a fence along the Mexican border. (Sep 2006)
Rated B by the ALI, indicating an acceptably anti-amnesty stance. (Nov 2010)
Voted NO on requiring FISA warrants for wiretaps in US, but not abroad. (Mar 2008)
Voted YES on allowing electronic surveillance without a warrant. (Sep 2006)
Voted YES on continuing intelligence gathering without civil oversight. (Apr 2006)
Voted NO on giving mental health full equity with physical health. (Mar 2008)
Voted NO on requiring negotiated Rx prices for Medicare part D. (Jan 2007)
Voted YES on denying non-emergency treatment for lack of Medicare co-pay. (Feb 2006)
Voted YES on limited prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients. (Nov 2003)
Voted NO on granting Washington DC an Electoral vote & vote in Congress. (Apr 2007)
Voted NO on protecting whistleblowers from employer recrimination. (Mar 2007)
Voted YES on requiring photo ID for voting in federal elections. (Sep 2006)Voted NO on assisting workers who lose jobs due to globalization. (Oct 2007)
I could go on and on but the point is the man needs to leave Politics, he is no good for our state.
“Montana Republicans are different than national Republicans.” Yeah, they are worse. Much nuttier, much more right wing, much further out of the mainstream.
Even the Wall Street Journal editorial on 27 June decried Denny’s phony ‘independent’ scheme and it takes a lot for the WSJ to do that.
I can understand why a person might be a republican or a conservative or anti “this or that” but what I have never been able to understand is how anyone could work for someone like Rehberg and still look in the mirror in the morning. How in the world does he manage to retain any staff? Do any of them have a moral compass? Is there a 12 step program for republicans?
There are only two kinds of Pubbies, rich dudes and suckers! The rich dudes get everything they want, and the suckers get a big heapin’ helpin’ of JAYsus! And really, when you think about it, ain’t JAYsus good enough for us??? Dopey thinks so. It’s kinda patriotic to be a sucker for JAYsus!
You sick? Why, here’s JAYsus!
You broke? Have some JAYsus!
Need a job? Get some JAYsus!
No health care? NO PROBLEM! JAYsus is here!
PuhhhhhhRAISE Vitory! We may be in the toilet, but swimmin’ right along SIDE us is JAYsus! Doin’ the backstroke! In his red, white and blue Speedo! Makes me want to go right out and fellowship!
“”Montana Republicans are different than national Republicans.” Yeah, they are worse. Much nuttier, much more right wing, much further out of the mainstream.”
Burp….you forgot “much stiffer.”
We will be laughing at you chuckleheads at the Cattleman’s Club in November (or Schwab’s club, it doesn’t matter). You have no idea how successful we have brought Average Joe Montanan on board on our full tilt speedboat across Flathead Lake. Whiskey us now! The election is ours!
God Bless the United States of America, and King George Go To Hell!!!!
Good POINT, DFD! I like your style. We drunks need a seat at the table TOO ya know, or more appropriately, a stool at the bar! We deserve representation TOO! And Dopey is our man! For you see, it’s a slippery slope we’re on. First, they keep lowerin’ the BAC for DUI. Then, no more open containers. And you know what THAT means. Soon, some day,
PROHIBITION!
With Dopey, that ain’t a’gonna happen any time soon!
KEEP BOOZE LEGAL! VOTE FOR A DRUNK!
Well, if Willard becomes President Willard, you can only imagine the anguish that Den Dumb will feel when he is in DC with Willard in Charge……….Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the “Mormon” church) believe in and follow a health code called the ‘Word of Wisdom’, which they believe was given to them by God. This health code prohibits the consumption of alcohol. Not all Mormons follow the Word of Wisdom, but Mormons who actively practice the religion do.
http://www.lcv.org/media/press-releases/HUNTERS-AND-ANGLERS-MCV-LCV-ANNOUNCE-PARTNERSHIP-TO-DEFEAT-REHBERG.html