Posted: April 11, 2013 at 9:36 pm

Montana Lawmaker Makes National News for Bizarre Sex, Ballpoint Pen Comments

Then Tries to Lie to Media about What He Said

by Cowgirl

They’ve done it again. Rep. Dave Hagstrom, of Billings was featured on MSNBC as the latest Montana legislator to become a national laughingstock.

In a segment called “The Sideshow, this week in GOP Jaw Droppers,” Chris Matthews shines a light the most ridiculous things actually said by Republicans across the nation. Here’s the video:

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Joining Rep. Hagstrom in embarrassing their respective states are a Texas Republican who says the Noah’s ark flood proves that global warming is a hoax (because we know it wasn’t caused by oil refineries). Also featured was a gun advocate who called his own legislation “as good as a three-dollar bill.”

Embarrassingly, Rep. Hagstrom is now trying to claim that he never said what he’s caught on video saying:

“I haven’t seen the tape [of my remarks], but it should show I said sex is for procreation and sex is for pleasure,” Montana state Rep. Dave Hagstrom (R) said. “That’s what I said. I don’t know if that’s what the video says I said… Of course sex has two purposes.”

In reality, the entirety of every house floor session is posted online. It shows Rep. Hagstrom exactly what Hagstrom said–and didn’t say. Perhaps if he had known this he wouldn’t have tried to claim otherwise. Anyone who wishes to verify can do so by watching the entire discussion of the bill on the links below. KXLH’s clip of Rep. Hagstrom’s remarks is online here.

House Floor Session - Tuesday Video

04/09/13

01h 48m

Video

Item:

SB 107 – Generally revise deviate sexual conduct laws – Tom Facey

Posted: May 21, 2012 at 7:44 am

Shadow Groups Back at Work in GOP Primaries

The shadow group American Traditions Partnership is back working in Republican legislative races in Montana. American Traditions Partnership (ATP) is the group that sued to deregulate elections and turn back MT’s 100 year old ban on corporate funding of elections.

ATP, which doesn’t disclose its donors, sent out a mailer supporting Dee Brown in the Republican primary for the Whitefish/Columbian Falls State Senate Seat, SD 2. Previously they favored TEA Party poster boy Rep. Derek Skees in the HD4 general.

HB 198 was a Republican bill passed by a Republican controlled Legislature. This demagoguing flier was mailed with heavy saturation in Whitefish and Columbia Falls. Here’s the mailer:

The Center for Responsive Politics estimated that Republican secret money groups outspent Democrats across the U.S. last election cycle by a 7-1 margin. Here in Montana, ATP and other Republican-leaning groups spent an estimated $2-3 million attacking Democratic candidates and supporting TEA Party Republicans–but you can’t find the exact amount or who paid for it. This is just one more reason why the Citizens United decision is so bad. The Supreme Court opined that voters could easily go to the internet to find out who paid for the campaign ads. But GOP political operatives simply set up tax-exempt non-profit front groups like ATP to avoid having to disclose their donors. The front groups claimed that they were educating the public on issues rather than campaigning for candidates. Therefore, they argued, the disclosure wasn’t required.

Christ Matthews told Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer on Hardball recently that fewer than 50 wealthy individuals or corporations are spending the bulk of the money to influence elections this cycle. Schweitzer was on the program to talk about his support for a ballot initiative in Montana to overturn Citizens United.

ATP is the lead plaintiff in the legal challenge to Montana’s ban on corporate spending for candidates. The group touts their organization’s secrecy as a benefit of giving them money and have been under fire for corruption in Montana and other states. Montana TEA Party legislator Art Wittich (R-TEA Bozeman) is said to be the new local figurehead for the entity.