Tagged: national joke

Posted: October 18, 2012 at 6:25 pm

Mailer Touts TEA Partier’s Role in Nutjob Bills

A bizarre mail piece appeared in Whitefish arguing that voters should support Tim Baldwin for legislature because he wrote one of the worst nutjob bills of the 2011 session.

The piece actually brags about Baldwin’s work to write HB 414, one of the infamous nullification bills, an idea so nutty it made national news. As TIME magazine reported in its profile of Montana’s wacky bills, nullification has a sinister history:

It was invoked by South Carolina lawmakers seething over tariff laws in the antebellum South, and again during the civil-rights era, when states opposed to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision of 1954 used the idea of interposition, nullification’s kissing cousin, as a mechanism to resist integration.

Like nullification fanboy Derek Skees, (R-TEA) who currently holds the HD 4 seat Baldwin is running for, Baldwin is a states-rights fanatic. He believes that the fifty states individually can, should and must override federal law when they please. He admittedly does not recognize the supremacy clause of the US Constitution, saying it is a tool of “socialist and nationalist ideologues” designed to bring “state annihilation.”

The concept of nullification was a key feature of the most extreme legislature in Montana history–nearly a dozen bills to declare federal authority “null and void” or unenforceable in Montana were introduced by Republicans during the 2011 session. Gov. Brian Schweitzer in his veto of this particular nullification bill, HB 414, wrote:

“The 2011 Legislature may best be remembered for its efforts to “nullify” numerous federal laws and set records for the greatest number of unconstitutional bills in a legislative session -as identified by its own legal staff.”

Spear-hunting, war on women, nullification and militia bills have taken their toll on the Montana legislature, with polls showing that 61 percent of voters don’t approve of what the lunatics in the state house did, while only 24 percent of voters approve of their behavior.

Baldwin recently moved to Montana from Florida and lives in Kalispell, another trait he shares with Rep. Skees. Baldwin has lived in Kalispell for two years and has never lived in Whitefish.

Contrast that with forester Ed Lieser who has served Whitefish for 22 years.

Posted: July 3, 2012 at 12:27 pm

Another Montana Republican Inducted into Wingnut Hall of Fame

Several of Montana’s TEA Party Republican legislators have made names for themselves in the national news–as laughingstocks anyway.

Yesterday, Rep. Krayton Kerns (R-Laurel) added himself to that list. TEA Party Republican Krayton Kerns was featured in a popular Huffington Post story yesterday for his blog post claiming that moving some bison will “topple the Republic” and lead to $25/gallon gas prices.

The story was first reported last week here at the Montana Cowgirl Blog.

Other inductees include GOP Rep. Alan Hale (R-Basin) who said that DUIs laws are destroying small business was featured on MSNBC (VIDEO here.) Rep. “Birther” Bob Wagner (R-Madison County) has appeared on CNN‘s Anderson Cooper 360 to discuss his belief that President Obama is not a U.S. citizen, and Rep. Joe Read (R-Ronan) was featured on the Colbert Report for his legislative resolution declaring that global warming is good. Then there was Derek Skees, Rep. from Whitefish who proposed that Montana “nullify” all federal laws. Rep. Greg Hinkle (R-Thompson Falls) was mocked on Fox News, as was GOP Sen. Jim Peterson, for his frivolous bill to put the “Code of the West” into Montana law and for his proposal to make spear hunting legal. And there’s David Howard, the legislator whose Facebook page is devoted entirely to anti-gay rhetoric, and Tom Burnett, that programs to combat hunger are not needed in America because we have so many fat children. And let’s not forget our Congressman, who says that the EPA is using drones to spy on ranchers. I’m sure I’m missing some others….there are so many…..

Posted: April 5, 2012 at 6:16 am

Explanation of Tea Party Plot in Ravalli County

As I recently mentioned, there is a nasty plot afoot in Ravalli county, hatched by the local Tea Party. It’s dirty, below-the-belt, highly dishonest stuff. Embarrassed at the fact that they have become a national joke, the Montana Tea Party has resorted to an attempt to invade and infect the Democratic Party, Trojan Horse style, and take it over. Let’s take a closer look at exactly what’s happening.

When you vote in a primary in Montana, there is a place on your ballot to vote for “precinct committee captain.” This is an unusual item to be found on a ballot for a state election because a precinct captain is a Party post, not a government office. Yet Democratic and Republican ballots both provide this opportunity to vote for a candidate for this political position. Sometimes there will be a name, or several names, from which to choose. Other years, the slot will be blank and the voter must either write in a name, or else not cast a vote. It is often left blank, because most people don’t even know what the heck it is.

And what is a precinct committee captain? There is one elected (on primary day) from each voting precinct in every county, and these persons collectively form what is called the “central committee” for the county. A central committee is simply the governing board of the county party.

But this year, a bunch of Tea Partiers (in several precincts in Ravalli county) filed paperwork to run for Democratic precinct Committeeperson. And unless the Ravalli democrats undertake a campaign to inform voters not to vote for these candidates, these idiots will be elected to the county committee and will then exert control of the local Democratic party. The TEA Party candidates are: Lyle E. Goracke, Jan Wisniewski, Donna Gibney, Pamela Nearpass, Catherine Lieberth, Wayne K. Dunkin and David J. Erickson.

Posted: December 19, 2011 at 8:36 pm

TEA Party Legislator Defends DUI Rant that Made Him a National Laughing Stock

The Montana TEA Party Republican lawmaker who took to the floor of the House of Representatives to express his opposition to “all DUI laws” on the grounds that they are destroying the state’s time-honored “way of life” took to the internet this week with an attempt defend the speech that made him a national laughing stock:

Here’s the screenshot:

Rep. Alan Hale (R-Basin) writes:

Ron Paul is absolutely right about the seriousness of our oath of office. The majority of State and local pollitical[sic] figures right here in Montana have a problem with that oath. One example is the DUI laws, stop and read our fifth amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Plainly you cannot be compelled to testify against ones self[sic]. Each time I voted in the house I voted to protect our rights and libertys[sic], no matter how popular it was. So all of us needs[sic]to look at ways to stop irresponsable[sic] behavior without endangering our Constitutional Rights.

It is pretty pathetic that Hale would try to sound the Constitution alarm to take a stand defending drunks who don’t care enough about human life to walk home, take a cab, call a friend, or designate a driver. You have to be a real scumbag to fail to do any of those things considering the harm you could cause.

Posted: June 29, 2011 at 12:08 pm

Scary Types in the Flathead: Realtors Have Some ‘Splaining to Do

A national AP article ran across the country last week, highlighting the right-wing nut-jobs that are gravitating toward the Flathead Valley and particularly Kalispell.

These include Chuck Baldwin, Randy Weaver and a long list of others who are on various watch-lists of human rights groups like Southern Poverty Law Center and Montana Human Rights Network.

But there is a great irony to it all.

The business that suffers most from this trend is real estate. To have a community become known as a haven for lunatics is a sure way to cause real estate prices to suffer. And the Flathead valley does not need a drag on real estate right now, because the national real estate crash has hurt the Flathead, and hurt ancillary businesses there like wood products and construction and electricians and so on.

The irony? Realtors are partly responsible for the right-wing colonization effort in the Flathead.

For starters, the National Realtors Association had an enormous influence in creating the Montana Tea Party legislature, having spent over $2 million on Montana this past election cycle to get ultra-right-wing Republicans elected in the legislature by blanketing the airwaves with a series of campaign ads about impending taxes.

It brought new faces in the legislature like Derek Skees, who in turn started actively seeking the spotlight for himself and his crazy buddies and causes in the Flathead. Skees, in fact, was just featured in TIME Magazine, which did a profile about him being the national leader of the nullificaiton movement, headquartered out of the Flathead. And there have been other disturbing articles in the national press, like the recent Associated Press piece, about how right-wing crazies are getting elected in, and moving to, the Flathead valley. Not a good way to keep real estate values high.

But it gets worse. Right-wing Republican John Sinrud (pictured), the current head of the Northwest Montana Realtors (the major real estate group in the Flathead), is the man who assembled the Western Tradition Partnership, a group that spent roughly $700,000 of secret, unreported funds on the 2010 legislative races (this was in addition to the $2 million that the National Realtors brought in). Sinrud has also been active in county and local races up there as well, something that the NWMR group doesn’t seem to mind at all.

So be careful what you wish for. The Realtors came to the 2010 legislative elections loaded for bear. But they are now being chased by a giant, runaway elephant, and might be regretting having gone hunting at all.

Posted: April 1, 2011 at 7:11 am

Another Montana GOP Legislator Makes It Big as a National Laughingstock

Montana Republican Representative (and bar manager) Alan Hale raised eyebrows across Montana yesterday when he defended drunk driving in a passionate speech to the House.

Video of his speech appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe watch the MSNBC VIDEO here, on the Howard Stern show UPDATED, and national political blogs like Wonkette - read the comments for an irreverent, if accurate look at what the rest of the world thinks of our GOP legislators.

Hale is but the latest to make it big as a national laughingstock. Rep. Bob Wagner has appeared on CNN, and Rep. Joe Read was featured on the Colbert Report, and Rep. Greg Hinkle appeared on Fox News. Legislation proposed by Montana Republicans has been mocked by people across America.

Here’s the latest from CNN.

Posted: March 9, 2011 at 9:21 pm

Right-Wing Editor of the Daily Inter Lake is Way Far Gone

A week after writing an editorial in which he offered an impassioned defense of birthers, birther bills and the birther movement, Frank Miele–the ultra-right-wing editor of the Flathead Daily Inter Lake–has outdone himself.

Miele’s latest column takes aim at the “far left wing Associated Press” and the AP’s state-wide profile last week about the Tea Party. That story gave a fairly benign description of all of the bills and proposals that the Tea Party has pushed forward in the legislature.

Laments Miele:

“I wish I could go through the entire story with you, and highlight all of the unfair reporting, but it would just take too long.”

What’s really hilarious (or absolutely frightening) about Miele is how far gone he is. He cites this paragraph in AP reporter Matt Gouras’s article…

“With each bill, newly elected Tea Party lawmakers are offering Montanans a vision of the future. Their state would be a place where officials can ignore U.S. laws, force FBI agents to get a sheriff’s OK before arresting anyone, ban abortions, limit sex education in schools and create armed citizen militias”

…as the “only fair reporting in the AP article.” In other words, Miele agrees with everything in the above paragraph.

What upsets Miele is that Mr. Gouras goes on to suggest that a number of Montanans are turned off by the agenda described above. The nerve of the AP to make such a suggestion. Miele says he sees nothing wrong with abortion bans, states’ rights, nullification and militias. Miele sees all of these items as totally reasonable, and he is outraged the the Associated Press would presume to write an article suggesting that any portion of Montana should be turned off by these elements of the Tea Party agenda.

This guy Miele is half a sandwich shy of a picnic, and no progressive in the Flathead Valley should ever pay 50 cents for the Flathead Interlake. Read it online, and then only for the entertainment value.

Posted: March 1, 2011 at 6:29 pm

Yet Another Montana Legilsator’s Wacky Bill Featured on National TV

The latest TEA Party Republican to garner national attention for wacky legislation is Rep. Joe Read (R-Ronan) who has been busy touting his claims that Montana can legislate the laws of nature and science.