Tagged: Gail Gutsche

Posted: February 17, 2012 at 7:00 am

Female Elephants Need Not Apply

No female elephants in today's GOPIn the Republican primary for governor, six male candidates have now chosen six male running mates. It is a male-only field.

And it gets worse: Of the twenty or so Republicans who have announced a run for statewide office, only one is a woman.

At a minimum, you’d think at least one of the idiots running for governor would sense some political value in choosing a woman.  Yet none did.  Perhaps this is why the GOP has been relegated to a fringe sect in Montana. Perhaps this is why an ignoramus like Dennis Rehberg is now the Republicans’ lone statewide office holder, literally the last man standing.

Fortunately, Democrats give no quarter to such sexism.

For starters, Pam Bucy, an accomplished lawyer and deputy attorney general, is poised to become our next Attorney General.  She would become Montana’s first female Attorney General and one of only six in America, and only the second woman in Montana’s 122 year history to occupy a top elected office in Montana (the others are Jeanette Rankin and Judy Martz).

And don’t forget Monica Lindeen, Denise Juneau and Linda McCulloch, who are sitting in the three other executive positions right now, as well as Carol Williams who was Senate President in 2009 and now Senate Majority leader. She is the only woman ever to hold the top legislative post in either house.

And the Democratic nominee for Congress will also be a female, either Kim Gillan, Franke Wilmer or Diane Smith.  In the past, our nominees for Congress have included Tracy Velasquez, Lindeen, and Nancy Keenan for Congress, and Dorothy Bradley ran for Governor.  On the Public Service Commission, we have Gail Gutsche and may also soon have Lynda Moss.

The only females of the species playing a role in the GOP gubernatorial primary are the numerous ex-wives and mistresses of a few of the candidates.  I guess that’s better than nothing.

Posted: December 23, 2011 at 12:54 pm

Oops, Republican Files for Wrong Seat

A Montana Republican is in the Lee Newspapers this week saying he’s running to be “a stabilizing influence” on the Public Service Commission.  If that’s true, he appears to be running in the wrong district.

Montana state legislator Bob Lake, R-Hamilton, announced he’s running for Public Service Commissioner against Democratic incumbent Gail Gutsche.  The position comes with a fat paycheck of $94,500 per year.

Lake said he believes he can bring “a stabilizing influence” on the five-member PSC, which has drawn negative headlines this past year because of some feuding and personal attacks among members.

Lake didn’t come out an mention any of the antics of embattled GOP Commissioners Brad Molnar and Bill Gallagher, but did add:

“I don’t want to accuse the current members of anything,”

If Lake really believes he can be such a stabilizer, he’s running in the wrong seat.  Gail Gutche has proven her ability to work across the aisle and is probably the best PSC Commissioner we have.   The way to oust the destabilizing forces would be to primary Molnar or Gallagher.

One also has to wonder why Bob Lake didn’t bring these stabilizing talents to the Montana legislature.   I mean, if he’s got such mad skillz they could have been employed to stop the TEA Party Caucus from seizing control from GOP leadership.  Instead, Lake and his colleagues allowed the TEA Party to shift the focus of the entire session to time-wasting garbage bills like the gold standard, the Code of the West, and the birther bill.

Posted: August 18, 2010 at 5:07 pm

This is smart

The Montana Women Pipeline Project just announced its endorsed candidates for this November’s legislative races.

The Pipeline describes itself as sort of a local Montana version of Emily’s List (which supports pro-choice women Democratic candidates) This group works to elect progressive Democratic women in Montana.  It looks like a list of new progressive women–there are no incumbents on the list, which may be a strategic decision since its easier for incumbents to win.  Word on the street is that this is one of the groups that helped Lindsay Love beat an anti-woman candidate in Great Falls in the Democratic Primary, by helping to raise funds for Love’s race.  Smart.

Here’s who they’ll be backing in the general:

Denise Du Pont, HD 58 Laurel
Julia Page, SD 21 Gardiner
Donna Zook, HD 20 Great Falls
Pam Erickson, SD 44 Hamilton
Pam Ellis, HD 47 Billings
Mary McNally, HD 49 Billings
Sheila Hogan, HD 77 Clancy

When you look at who’s behind the group, you can see why it’s so effective. Cynthia Wolken staffs the Pipeline.  State Senator Christine Kaufmann is involved, as well as State Superintendent Denise Juneau, Public Service Commissioner Gail Gutsche, Rep. Sue Dickenson [D-Great Falls], and legendary community activists Judy Smith and Terry Kendrick of Missoula.