Tagged: Montana Republicans

Posted: March 14, 2012 at 7:16 am

An Inside Look at Republican Thoughts about Schools

“Dispute not with her: she is lunatic.” ― Shakespeare, Richard III

Perennial GOP letter writer and school board candidate Barbara Rush recently treated Montanans to an inside look into the thinking of Republicans who want to run Montana schools.

Rush rails against the high school DECA (a club for emerging leaders) for doing community service instead of teaching kids to be more capitalist. Then she tells us that the word “community” makes her sick and that she really doesn’t think that she is part of the Helena community at all:

Here’s where it gets really CREEPY,did you know we live in a COMMUNITY? Yes, it’s a STRONG COMMUNITY, AS A COMMUNITY WE…, WE HAVE COMMUNITY AWARENESS, COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, WE HAVE A STRONG COMMUNITY, THE COMMUNITY IS AWARE, OUR COMMUNITY…., we all must be involved in COMMUNITY SERVICE, THE COMMUNITY… If the trustees said COMMUNITY one more time I was ready to throw up. I don’t know about you, but I live in a city…I am not part of any COMMUNITY and I have no intention of having anyone manipulate me or coerce me to belong to any COMMUNITY…Do the socialist pretenders think they can manipulate American’s into giving up their strong individual identity to become a part of some NAMBY PAMBY COMMUNITY ? DO THEY THINK THEY CAN FORCE OR MANIPULATE THE “MASSES” INTO ASSOCIATIONS?

Next, we are treated to Rush’s conspiracy theories on a hodge podge of issues. The fall of Europe, is one. Rush falsely claims that the Governor’s health clinics would kill her husband by not allowing him to go to his doctor (the clinics are optional). She rants about not wanting to support kids who are gay, and concludes with conspiracy theories about allergies, the Americans with Disabilities Act, dress codes, nudists, and school funding losses.

She finally ends it by asking, “ANYBODY READY TO TAKE AMERICA BACK YET??” in all caps. Isn’t that the slogan of the Baldwinites up yonder by the Idaho boarder on the hate watch groups’ lists?

Posted: February 23, 2012 at 6:14 pm

A Poem for Scotty Sales

This has been making the rounds on email today, author unknown. I’ve posted it here in its entirety. –Cowgirl

First, house speaker Scotty Sales,
Libeled Lincoln with his tales,
Sop intended for the right,
They’d stand together in their might

Koop and Butcher heard the call,
In echelon they all stood tall,
Poor Eddie barely reached Scott’s knees,
Koop Dog hugged his barren tree.

Now united they each chanted,
‘The stimulus must be recanted!’
Certain that their plan would hold,
Each man’s actions grew more bold.

Koop began to track his score,
While Butcher bellowed like a boor,
Even Scotty found some fame,
In an illegal poker game.

Each with his own distraction,
Missed the rise of a new faction,
They screamed and made a frightful din,
When the house became a log cabin.

Realizing that they’d been beat,
Each left town in quick retreat,
Saner heads now held the field,
That our boys had had to yield.

Scott returned to Bozeman town,
Where fate again made him a clown,
For there wife Sandy broke the law,
By stealing money from her ma.

Seems she felt that it was hers,
To spend on items such as furs,
She stopped and shopped in each new store,
Until dear Alice had no more!

Scotty claimed he did not see,
The evidence of perfidy,
Saying, ‘Surely it’s not my fault,
That Sandy raided Alice’s vault.’

Why did Scott forsake his wife?
To simply save his public life?
If so, I say with wit most wry,
That the following slogan should apply:

‘Vote for Scott and you shall see,

That he’s as honest as Sandy!’

Posted: January 27, 2012 at 9:25 pm

Dumb and Dumber

If you want to know why the Montana Republican Empire has been on a sure and steady decline in the last several years, all you need to do is see a few of the GOP’s leading legislators in action, trying to hatch a plot against Schweitzer. For that, read Intelligent Discontent on the Associated Press piece about a peach of an e-mail that made the rounds this week, courtesy of GOP Senators Ed Buttrey and Jim Peterson.

Posted: July 7, 2011 at 6:46 am

In Wake of Oil Spill, Republicans Say Exxon Should “Stick It” to Montana Town

As oil spills into Montana’s once pristine Yellowstone River, which flows out of Yellowstone National Park, the Chair of the Montana Republican Party writes in the Missoulian today that ExxonMobil–the company responsible for the oil spill near Billings– “should stick it to Missoula.”

The irony of the screenshot here is really beyond words.

But all irony aside this is a pretty damning letter. Rehberg’s campaign manager has been going on the radio to say Republicans are going after Missoula voters. Too bad now we know how Rehberg’s party really feels about jobs in Missoula…he’s advocating that the company not spend money in local Missoula stores and hotels because they refuse to take a position with him on the megaload shipments.

And it’s not just GOP Chair Will Deschamps. Word on the street is that Republican Rep. Dan Kennedy (R-Laurel) thanked Exxon at an EPA town meeting last night, and GOP Gov candidate Ken Miller (R-Laurel) told listeners to the Voices of Montana program that he thought the Governor, who was critical of Exxon on Rachel Maddow and other national news outlets, was being “too harsh” on the company.

UPDATE: Rob Kailey has a good take on this at Left in the West.

Posted: April 28, 2011 at 7:13 pm

POST SESSION PREVIEW: GOP Primed With Unique Leadership Pool for 2012

The GOP has realized it is out of bad ideas and is preparing to abandon ship. So with the end of the session near, it is time for gubernatorial candidates to start campaigning in earnest.

The primary candidates will need to work hard to separate themselves from the pack –I believe there are at least six R’s thought to be running– by winning over key constituencies that are parts of the GOP base. One way to do that is by the strategic recruitment of future political appointees.

Here is a list of potential cabinet level possibilities selected from the GOP’s top leadership –bold minds that a Republican may need to get to get through a full primary field.

Director of the Department of Revenue, Bob Wagner (R-Harrison) was the most outspoken member of the GOP legislature on monetary policy, especially the gold standard.

Wendy Warburton (R-Havre) has positioned herself well as the GOP expert on military affairs, or at least militias, making her a great choice for GOP pick for Director of Military Affairs.

A Lt. Governor pick is key for helping to turn out the vote among key constituencies, and Champ Edmunds (R-Missoula) certainly was the Republican poster boy for voter policy this session (leading their campaign to suppress the vote in Montana) .

For Fish Wildlife and Parks director, the GOP need look no further than ~~spear~~ hunting spokesmodel, Greg Hinkle.

For the right pick for Department of Environmental Quality look no further than GOP visionary, Derek Skees, (R-~~Whitefish~~ Kalispell) who was advocating for nuclear power before Japan, oh..wait…

The Montana GOP already has a man whose making national waves in the climate change discussion, making intelligent science expert Joe Read (R-Ronan) a perfect pick to lead the DNRC.

Alan Hale, expert on driving (especially where drinking is concerned) exemplifies the views of many GOP-ers on transportation issues, making him a leading pick for Director of Transportation.

And for the Department of Health and Human Services – Tom McGillvray (R-Billings) who understands that the best way to help people is to attack and insult women and to keep them down! Sums up the GOP philosophy of keeping government out of everything — except your most personal and private business– perfectly.

Posted: April 13, 2011 at 8:21 am

Analysis: GOP’s “Get Your Women’s Health Care at Walgreens” Strategy Backfires

The national and state budget negotiations are shaping up to be a recipe for disaster for the GOP, largely because the Republican Party is being held hostage by hard-line right-wing forces: the tea party obsessed with cutting the budget (even though here in Montana we have a $300 million surplus) and the religious right are focused on cutting family planning and birth control – the one way to get to their supposed goal of reducing abortions. As Montana GOP Senate Finance Committee Chair Dave Lewis (R-Helena) acknowledged, these groups are calling the shots and the budget is being crafted to please them.

The GOP’s actions will harm their approval ratings with independent voters, which are key to winning elections for either party . Independents aren’t interested in ideology. They’re interested in problem-solving and passing a lean, rational budget. But state House Speaker Milburn (R-Cascade) isn’t worried about independents, he’s worried about the wingnuts in his own caucus, a strategy that will backfire for him like it backfired for the GOP nationally.

As Politico reports, Republicans were forced to give up the ridiculous cuts to family planning at the national level because it made them look absurd, allowing Democratic leaders to depict Republicans as willing to shut down the federal government in order to cut funding for women’s health care services. (It is already illegal for federal funds to be used for abortions, and has been for decades.)

This strategy didn’t work so well for Republicans at the national level, an
Americans don’t want to talk about abortion. When asked to name the most important issues facing the country, abortion ranks very low. They especially don’t want to see the abortion debate sabotage more urgent matters — like getting a federal budget and keeping the government open.

The effects of the national GOP’s strategic bungle aren’t over yet. Here’s the latest from the Colbert Report

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Pap Smears at Walgreens

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Posted: April 9, 2011 at 10:19 pm

House Speaker Susceptible to Napoleon Complex

The brand of Republican House Speaker Mike Milburn (R-Cascade) is significantly smaller than Gov. Schweitzer’s, and appears sort of…ineffectual.

Posted: April 8, 2011 at 7:12 am

Montana GOP Out of Ideas, Gives Up

Now, word on the street is that the GOP’s light-on-jobs, heavy on crazy-pants legislative agenda is out of ideas, and plans to adjourn the session early. Perhaps if Republicans actually had a credible jobs agenda, the schedule would be more robust. But the best they were able to come up with, as reported by the Billings Gazette, isn’t much:

Perhaps the largest piece of the package aims to give metal mines, such as for gold and silver, more assurances up-front they will get their environmental permits.

Their “top” bill is only “a solution in search of a problem.” Over the last six years there have been more new mines and development in Montana than any time within the last 30 years.

On this list of so-called jobs bills are House Bill 100 and Senate Bill 201, which simply create piles of paper in the form of additional reports for legislators on bills.

Another “jobs” bill undoes a new building code requirement that basements are insulated in new home construction. Not sure how less basement insulation creates jobs, as it would seem that the insulation would mean more builders and installers would be needed. Perhaps Republicans will comment here to explain.

The GOP leaders made no mention of the 84 nutty Republican-sponsored bills which Legislative Services has identified as containing potential constitutional problems which has been posted online at www.mtcapitolreport.org/unconstitutionalgopbills. Nor did they bring up any of their bills to restrict Montanans’ voting rights.