But while Parcell has gone the way of most primary losers – into obscurity – Josh Clark has refused to do so. Why is that?
I wrote about Josh Clark’s re-entry into the Missoula County sheriff’s race just last week. Since then things have gone a bit downhill, and in a few ways:
- First, there’s virtually no reporting on this story at all;
- Next, supporters of both candidates are just rolling in the mud;
- Finally, I’m not sure this bodes well for Missoula on many levels.
Let’s take a look at these points today to see if we can get to the bottom of this soap dish without getting a lot of shit on ourselves.
No Reporting
I went to Google and looked at what else there was, and it didn’t look like a single blog or newspaper felt this story important.
I find that odd – mainly because there seems to be so much bullshit going on in the comments.
And I also worry that the Missoulian is doing nothing more than protecting T.J. McDermott from some harsh criticism…whatever that may be. KGVO sure has a lot of reporting on this race on their morning talk show, and McDermott was on the show on Monday and Clark showed up on Tuesday.
But other than that? Not a whole lot. That worries me because indifference and lack of knowledge are two of the biggest problems for candidates. Already the County Commission jumped the gun this year and offered an endorsement before the primary.
I can’t help but think this might be tied into their desire for more funding and taxes while people like Clark think we should be more conservative economically, and perhaps he won’t let them control his agency.
Well, that’s what a lot of the idea is that I’m hearing and starting to think, but it’s also one you’ll find in the online comments.
Supporters of Clark and McDermott
Overall, he’s saying that nothing is being done in the current sheriff’s office, that many workers are feeling bad working there and not getting what they need, and that Clark is nothing more than a puppet for Ibsen.
Don’t think this is overblown fluff, folks – the Missoula Independent reported as much on September 4, saying the sheriff’s office was “marred by internal departmental strife.”
Alright, let’s see what others have to say to that:
What does the Sheriff do? Not a whole lot – most of the time is spent collecting delinquent tax payments from citizens that are having problems paying. This is the number one things they spend time on, and I read it in the damn paper!
Folks, if you had to do that shit all day, you’d find excuses to sit around the office and complain about your job too.
“It’s a long process,” Captain Brad Giffin of the Missoula County Sheriff’s Department told the Missoulian on September 16, in a story related to evicting poor people from mobile homes.
“It’s ungodly the number of tax notices we have to post. We have two guys who work civil full time. That’s what they do – they serve civil papers. Then when tax notices come out it requires them and everybody on patrol, when they’re not doing calls they’re doing tax notices.”
Deputies dread it.
You also have to realize, however, that for many residents in Missoula, this isn't important, politics is, and the primary was just bogus:
So I came in and asked a question:
Anyways, head over there to see more fun soap opera shit from this race before the primary. There’s some bad blood here, folks, and it’s really getting to what this last comment is hinting at – the Democratic Party in Missoula moving too far to the left.
I never thought I’d say that, it sounds so silly, but it’s happening and the long-term consequences of that are dire.
There are about 4 more comments on this article of the Missoulian having to deal with shouting at the Josh Clark Parade float and then that’s it – it was taken off the front page of the website and relegated to the same room where Indiana Jones’ box is located.
Fucking Clark had to show up and put his foot in the gears, however, and now there’s a damn good chance he’ll win, mainly because Republicans can vote for him while still voting for Daines.
Fuck, huh? That’s a bit of a problem now, isn't it? That might account for the lack of reporting – don’t let ‘em know he’s running – and it might also account for the reporting you could see – shit, we’ve got to stop him!