Tagged: Bowen Greenwood

Posted: May 3, 2013 at 7:20 pm

Is GOP Chief a Francophile?

It turns out that I’ve been wrong about Montana Republicans, insofar as I’ve mocked them for being ignorant and crude and lacking a taste for fine culture.

Bowen Greenwood, the head of the Montana GOP, has been hard at work tweeting about his exciting evening at home watching Les Miserables on DVD.

He even has a Hugh Jackman man-crush, describing him this way:

Alas poor Bowen is an outlier, and leads a party that might not share his tastes. Not so long ago, conservatives in America were renaming things like French Toast to “Freedom Toast” for their hatred of despicable France. The Tea Party despises France for many reasons, among them that the nation did not support our invasion of Iraq, and that all French citizens receive medical care. Tea Partiers do not go to see Les Mis, but rather Atlas Shrugged or Transformers 3.

And consider too that most Tea Partiers believe that to own a passport and visit France is to commit treason.

I worry that Bowen could be making himself vulnerable to accusations that he is a European Socialist, especially given that Les Miserable is about a revolution that germinated a socialist state, now hated by Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.

I wonder if Bowen might have had a little too much Merlot when he sent these tweets.

Posted: October 30, 2012 at 7:39 am

Koopman Crackdown

In a Montana GOP “e-brief” email to party faithful, Republican State Party Chair Will Deschamps came out swinging against Republican legislators who endorsed a democrat over Bozeman crackpot PSC candidate Roger Koopman. Earlier this month, Koopman had threatened party leaders that if leadership did not crack down on the Republicans who endorsed his opponent “Republican blood will flow in the streets.”

Koopman was referring to an ad in the Bozeman Chronicle quoting a GOP legislator. Rep. Jesse O’Hara said Koopman was “one of the most ineffective and divisive people I have ever been around…In one of our committee meetings we had to restrain him from beating up one of the people testifying.” Several other prominent Republican legislators have also endorsed democrat John Vincent for PSC.

Chairman Deschamps says he wants to “discourage that behavior in strong terms.” He ”endorses Koopman wholeheartedly” and writes that “[w]ithout exception, every single Republican nominee in Montana is a better choice for the good of our state than any Democrat nominee.”

Presumably he is including the Nazi candidate on the GOP ticket from Butte and the Republican congressional candidate with KKK ties. Deschamps ends the email with a statement he claims is the “11th commandment” of Ronald Reagan, a man the Montana GOP supposedly reveres: ”thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican.”

As the Bozeman Chronicle pointed out when GOP Director Bowen Greenwood made the same gaffe, it was actually California Republican Party chairman Gaylord Parkinson who said that.

Deschamps’ entire email can be read below:

As Chair of the Montana State Republican Party and a previous legislative candidate, I have been involved in a lot of elections. They have ups and downs, they have times when I have either rejoiced or regretted. Fortunately, it’s been more rejoicing than regretting.

When you’ve been through as much as I have, though, you develop a long-term perspective about the inter-personal conflicts that happen in politics. They seem small, compared to the ideals that we’re working for. The ideas last longer than the personality conflicts ever could.

Lately, there has been some controversy about a few Republicans supporting a Democrat candidate in the election for Public Service Commission. I want to discourage that kind of behavior in strong terms.

There is a distinction between primary elections and general elections. Having a robust and vigorous debate in our primaries only strengthens our party and that is the proper forum for such discourse. But once the primary is over and our voters have nominated our candidates, we need to all rally behind them to achieve success in November.

Let me be perfectly clear: Any Republican who is publicly endorsing a Democrat is doing something that I consider to be wrong. Without exception, every single Republican nominee in Montana is a better choice for the good of our state than any Democrat nominee.
Roger Koopman is our Republican candidate. Speaking as the Chairman of the party, I endorse him wholeheartedly. If the members of the party want a chair who would ever consider any vote for a Democrat, well, they will have the chance to elect one next June. For now, you have me. And I say, vote Republican. Period.

I understand that, in the rough and tumble of elections, some of us get angry at others. Heck, I’ve struggled with that too. But the good of our state is more important than any one interpersonal squabble.

Let’s not forget that, in working to end Democrat policies of the past four years, we are working for the good of our country. When one of us has trouble getting along with another, that isn’t the main issue. If nothing else, the squabble will end when we die. But the country will go on long past that. And electing the Republican candidate is what we do to try and do right by our country and state.

So I say to all Republicans, if we disagree with each other, let’s ratchet back the rhetoric. If the infighting works to keep taxes high and regulations higher, is it really worth it?

Ronald Reagan made a famous joke: The 11th commandment is, “thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican.” Republicans ought to live by that.

We are in the right, let’s have faith in our candidates. We can move forward as one single party with many ideas, many diverse concerns, but always with the thought that we will do what is best for the Montana citizens, now and into the future.

Sincerely,

Will Deschamps

Chairman

Montana Republican Party

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Posted: October 13, 2012 at 11:05 am

GOP Candidate Threatens “Republican blood will flow in the streets”

A Bozeman TEA Party candidate for public service commission is threatening that “Republican blood will flow in the streets” if party leaders don’t stop rank-and-file Republicans from speaking out against him.

In an email circulated by Roger Koopman this week to GOP party leaders, Koopman expressed his outrage that three Republican legislators have endorsed John Vincent, Koompan’s democratic opponent for PSC. Koopman writes:

I would like to call upon the executive board to take immediate action to stop any further hemoraging[sic], by publicly censuring Jesse O’Hara. Otherwise, we have not seen the end of this. It will not end until Republican blood is flowing in the streets. I can assure you I will certainly not tolerate any more of this. Not for a minuite. [sic]

Koopman is referring to quotes from Rep. Jesse O’Hara (R-Great Falls) that appeared in a flier supporting his opponent. The flyer is entitled “The Real Roger Koopman! Quotes from Repulbican State Rep. Jesse O’Hara, Great Falls.” It includes the following quotes:

“I would have to rank Koopman as one of the most ineffective and divisive people I have ever been around.”

“In one of our committee meetings we had to restrain him from beating up one of the people testifying.”

“If people want a commissioner who will keep things stirred up so that nobody works together, and everybody is often fighting, and things are in chaos, Roger Koopman is your man.”

Jesse O’Hara, Gary MacLaren, and Walt McNutt have all publicly endorsed John Vincent for PSC. Another prominent Republican, Bob Brown has given Vincent money. And word on the street is that both Alan Olson and Harry Klock — the chairs of the Senate and House energy committees that oversee the PSC — have privately told Republicans that they’ll be voting for Vincent because Koopman is, according to one of them, “another Brad Molnar, only worse.”

This is not the first time Koopman has declared war on the Republican establishment. He’s a former legislator who was the Derek Skees of his day.

In an opinion piece entitled “Is the conservative mandate derailed before leaving the station?”, Koopman expressed outrage over the lack of leadership bones thrown to the GOP’s hard-right ideologues. Koopman believed that the TEA Party delivered the GOP a “a powerful conservative mandate” in the November elections and owed the TEA Party some payback. In the past, Koopman has put out a conservative purity test for state legislators. He’s also had a half dozen PACs operating in past cycles to support primary challenges against Republican candidates who don’t meet his hard right standards.

Koopman’s entire email to Bowen Greenwood, the Executive Director of the state Republican Party, can be read below. The ad Koopman mentions is the above flyer:

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Roger Koopman <koopman@imt.net>
Date: Mon, Oct 8, 2012 at 7:10 PM
Subject: O’Hara attacks Republican for PSC
To: Bowen Greenwood <bowen@mtgop.org>

Bowen,

I would appreciate you forwarding this character assassination Vincent (by Rep. Jesse O’Hara) to the state board. Needless to say, O’Hara’s statement about me wanting to “beat up” a committee witness is an absurd, boldfaced lie. I never even got angry as a legislator, let alone threaten violence! He might as well have said I had sprouted three heads with horns, and had fathered 50 illegitimate kids in southeast Asia….

Bowen, this is getting WAYYYYYY out of hand in a big hurry. Vincent has another ad schedued in the dailies for Wednesday. This treachery threatens to tear our entire party apart.

I would like to call upon the executive board to take immediate action to stop any further hemoraging[sic], by publicly censuring Jesse O’Hara. Otherwise, we have not seen the end of this. It will not end until Republican blood is flowing in the streets. I can assure you I will certainly not tolerate any more of this. Not for a minuite[sic]. I am being defamed, and both my political and professional/business life destroyed.

The state party needs to step in. And long term, we need to establish some poilicies[sic] and official sanctions for this kind of despicable behavior. In the meantime, everything must be done to stop this from continuing.

Please pass this email along, together with the infamous Vincent-O’Hara ad. I hope there is no further hesitancy in taking firm action. Thank you.

Regards,

Roger

Posted: August 3, 2012 at 5:39 pm

GOP Write-in Candidate Falls Short

Is this really God’s fault?

Following his failure collect more than 40% of the votes needed to appear on the November ballot as a candidate for Clerk of the Supreme Court, Montana Republican Party executive director Bowen Greenwood had an explanation at the ready.

“I always knew it was not going to happen without God’s help,” Greenwood said Thursday.

Mr. Greenwood said he intended to file for office on the last day allowed, but instead had “made a mistake and failed to do so,” the Helena IR reported. Voters will still have two candidates on the ballot for the position this fall. Democratic incumbent Ed Smith will face libertarian Mike Fellows.

Posted: May 15, 2012 at 8:42 pm

The Jesus Factor

Bowen Greenwood, the head of the Montana GOP, emailed party faithful that he will be running as a write-in candidate for clerk of the Supreme Court this fall.

In the email, Greenwood wrote:

I am first and foremost a follower and friend of a guy named Jesus of Nazareth. Nothing else even comes close.

Aware that his missive would be picked up and transmitted around, Greenwood clearly is keen on sending a message to the holy rollers in his party that he is One Of Them.

As this relates to the governor’s race, it’s been previously assumed that Greenwood is not a Rick Hill supporter, because of Hill’s lack of right-wing bona fides, Greenwood’s appearance in a Ken Miller video, and Greenwood’s support of Rick Santorum. I would say the email supports the notion that Greenwood likes the Miller candidacy.

And recently Miller has become more direct, himself, about highlighting his own status as “A Christian,” on his website and in debates.

Greenwood might also be worried about a religious insurrection within his party, and wants to appear to be a religious nut so that he can keep his job when the wheels come off in November. Right now the Montana GOP is run mostly by Helena insiders, but is staring at the real possibility of twelve straight years of Democratic control of the Governor’s office and 16 straight years controlling the Attorney General’s office and Land Board. If this comes true in November, there will be a Republican Revolution, but not the kind that the GOP enjoys celebrating, unless you happen to be one of the ecstatic rioting Tea Partiers holding the pitchfork that is hoisting the asses of Greenwood and Will Deschamp, the Party Chairman).

And there is another more subtle thing going on here.

Right-wingers have been led into a self-reinforcing delusion, ever since McCain lost to Obama, that if a moderate Republican candidate loses an election it’s because the candidate made the mistake of trying to appeal to independent voters. Be a true right-wing conservative and you will always win, say Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck to their daily audiences of twenty million foaming, gullible ignoramuses.

This thinking allows right-wing leaders and shouters to have their cake and eat it. They can say “I told you so” if and when candidates like Mitt Romney or Rick Hill get defeated. And the purveyors of this Theory of Conservative Purity themselves become more relevant in the off-season. Their followers, meanwhile, can take solace in the fact that arch conservatism is The Way, and that Republicans can only lose elections for failing to follow The Way. This is exactly the bed that has been made for Mitt Romney, by Santorum and Gingrich, Beck and Limbaugh. When Romney loses, they’ll say its because a false conservative, not a true one, was nominated.

For a Party activist like Greenwood, this delusion has a more practical application: it sets up a good position from which to dump on a GOP candidate who loses.

It’s an easy out. For when Rick Hill loses (and he will be the nominee, and will lose to Bullock), Greenwood will signal to the base of his party, “I told you so.” This, even though Ken Miller would himself strand no real chance of winning a general election. But how could this be disproven if Miller never gets the nomination? It can’t, and that’s the beauty of it.

The entire Greenwood email is pasted below the fold.

Continue reading →

Posted: March 9, 2012 at 5:07 pm

Does this Video Suggest a Ken Miller Endorsement by GOP Director?

A campaign video for Republican candidate for Governor Ken Miller includes footage of the Executive Director of the Republican Party talking with Miller interspersed with other prominent and community endorsers of the candidate.

Here’s the video:

It’s certainly not the first time a candidate has used someone’s image in a campaign, but placing it in with his other endorsements–in his endorsement themed video– is a bold move unless he has permission to do so.

Greenwood has not, to my knowledge, come out with a public statement in support of Miller at this time.

Others in the Miller endorsement video say they are supporting him because, “Ken is a God fearing humble man” who “takes his wisdom from Jesus Christ.” The supporters, which also include Rep. Derek Skees (R-TEA Whitefish) say Miller ”will push back on the federal government” and that he is “pious.”

One woman is supporting Miller because she was” impressed that he was dressed as Abe Lincoln on a float.”

Presumably that was one of the better reasons to endorse Ken or it wouldn’t have made it into the video.

Posted: March 5, 2012 at 11:07 pm

Case Dismissed

The Republican Party was rebuffed last week, when the state’s top constitutional lawyer dismissed the GOP’s longstanding ethics complaint against Schweitzer.

The complaint alleged that the Governor had broken the law because he ran a public service announcement during an election year, using state funds which the law forbids. Schweitzer has always claimed that he was simply doing his job by promoting Montana agriculture, and also that no funds were expended because the radio ad was free.

The GOP expressed outraged at the determination by Jim Goetz, the Bozeman lawyer who was deputized to decide the case by the recently appointed Commissioner Jim Murray, that Schweitzer had done no wrong. “Laughable” is how the decision was described by Bowen Greenwood, head of the Montana Republican Party. Greenwood also said that the GOP will appeal the decision.

I’d say if a radio station gives free air time to a Governor to do an ad promoting the state’s agriculture sector, then it’s hard to see why Montana citizens would benefit by having such promotional activity be illegal. And recall that the GOP chose to go after Schweitzer on this issue during 2008, when they needed to hit him hard on something, anything, to try to put a dent his numbers during an election year.

But there is also an undercurrent to this whole affair: agriculture no longer appears to be embraced by the GOP in Montana. It has been a long time since a GOP gubernatorial candidate (or governor) has hailed from an Ag background, and Rick Hill/Jon Sonju are continuing the trend. Neither Sonju nor Hill has ever picked up a shovel, planted a seed or poked a cow. Nor had Roy Brown or Steve Daines (two corporate bozos); nor had Bob Brown or Dave Lewis (two career politicians/bureaucrats); nor had Marc Racicot or Judy Martz (a lawyer and an imbecile), nor has Denny Rehberg (he inherited ranch land from his parents and developed condos on it).

On the other hand, Schweitzer and Tester, both farmers, have dominated the Democratic scene in recent years and have eaten into the Agriculture sector that perhaps the GOP once had a much stronger hold on. So it sort of makes sense that the GOP would become so irritated about the Governor doing a radio PSA supporting Montana growers. But rather than just be irritated, they became childish, but have now been slapped down, hard, and probably for good.

Posted: February 14, 2012 at 7:37 am

Nutjobs Only Need Apply

The Montana Republican Party Executive Director, Bowen Greenwood, this week is calling out a fellow Republican legislative candidate for not being a nutjob and accusing him of being a dastardly RINO.

Greenwood made the unusual move of taking sides in a legislative primary the Koch brothers’ former State Director Scott Sales, attacking Sales’ primary opponent in the Bozeman area race. Remember that the Koch brothers gave Greenwood’s predecessor, Jake Eaton, a job after he was forced to leave the Montana GOP in disgrace over his involvement in a Republican voter suppression scheme. Maybe Greenwood is just trying to keep is future options open.

What makes Sales a real Republican, besides his love of Koch, is first his unabashed ability to attribute fake quotes to Abraham Lincoln. This is important, because Lincoln is the one of the only decent Republicans out there. He didn’t say a lot of nutjob nonsense. So, it must be fabricated so that people think the GOP has always been this way.

Anyway, on the first day of the session before last, Scott Sales (R-Bozeman), as the House Minority Leader was looking to set a right winger tone to the session. Sales read a series of quotes that he attributed to former President Abraham Lincoln. A newspaper reporter looked into those quotes and found that Lincoln never said them. Sales was forced to apologize on the House Floor, saying he’d been “duped” because he got his information from the internets.

Sales also proved his real Republican-ness when he declared the session was going to be a “war”. He appointed a nutjob, a Constitution Party member, head of the education committee. And he’s been palling around with the Tea Party, ranting about how the Government should “live within its means, like the vast majority of families do” ever since. Well, not his own family, apparently.

So at least the Montana Republican Party has finally put it out in the open: Nutjobs only need apply.