Some of you probably remember that Josh Clark ran against T.J. McDermott and Bob Parcell in June and he lost. McDermott got 52%, Clark got 30% and Parcell got 18%.
Maybe he’s thinking of his old boss, Sheriff Carl Ibsen, who ran as an Independent and won. Many were claiming, quite vociferously I might add, that Clark wasn’t really a Democrat at all and was really a Republican. Now he’s challenging the winner of the Democratic primary…I guess as a Democrat, since…well, is that what he still is?
I wrote on Thursday that sheriff-elect McDermott would be at the Homecoming gathering of Missoula Democrats on Saturday. Will Josh Clark be there too?
I really don’t know what to think, folks. This kind of came out of left field – even with that lawsuit a short time ago – so I’m probably as shocked by this as you.
One of Clark’s main arguments is that McDermott has “bent rules” before, mainly with some questionable problems he ran into with taxes as well as this latest election scuffle involving the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices, Jonathan Motl.
It’s just not good for Missoula Democrats. We’ve got enough problems in this town as it is, and now this just gives Republicans more fodder. Also, I just don’t see how Clark is going to win as a write-in candidate – do you? He lost overwhelmingly in the primary – McDermott got 7,139 votes to Clark’s 4,153 votes.
It seems silly, like something you’d expect from a wounded child that didn’t get the toy they wanted at the store and now’s devised a plan to destroy a toy at home so you’ll have to buy them another.
I lost to Willis Curdy in the primary and Jennifer Cahoon mopped the floor with me too. Imagine if I went downtown and put my name out there as an Independent for you to write-in if you wanted to.
- First, you’d have to know I was on the ballot again – since I won’t be listed – and that means advertising and campaign funds;
- Next, five weeks isn’t a whole lot of time to get the word out, so I’ll probably have to raise a lot of money and perhaps anger Motl in some other ways;
- Finally, it seems to me the Missoula Democrats will turn their shoulder to you for all time.
Maybe that last’s not such a bad thing. I’m convinced there’s a split in the Democratic Party in Missoula, maybe has been for some time, but lately it’s been widening as dissension forms in the ranks over Engen’s failed policies.
Perhaps I’m doing a fair share to widen that rift with this blog, huh? I don’t know, I just call it being a responsible Democrat myself, but I’m not sure others see it that way…not at all.
What can you do? I guess all you really can do is shake your head and somehow try to get through these next 5 weeks. Could McDermott as sheriff really be that bad?
Friday Bonus: Social Media Sharing in Montana
- First is Facebook. I've already shared this on Facebook, and that's why that icon is showing 'recommended.' You should do this if you want to influence people, and to make your post more attention-grabbing, put in a few numbers or a quote from the article. That will drive up click-through rates, or how often people actually look at what you share.
- Next is Twitter. I shared this, and one thing that's important to remember is that the hashtag (#) groups and individuals (@) will not appear in auto-type boxes. For this reason I often go to Twitter to share links directly. Still, by sharing on this page you will have a shortened .bitly (www.bitly.com) link that will increase the number of characters you can write with (you get 140)
- Google+ is rarely utilized in Montana, but if you have a website or a blog, I'd use this. It'll cue Google into the fact that you're writing about these issues, or at least interested in them. No one really knows how those algorithms work for sure, but gosh, is a few seconds to click and share really that much of a hassle? Google works about the same as sharing on Facebook, but you can share to groups through hashtags (#). Mainly this Google+ sharing will help you more with SEO...which is something else entirely.
Facebook and Twitter are the social media kings in Montana. Facebook does very, very well here in Missoula and western Montana, and trust me folks, its not all young people. Go check out the "You Know You've Lived in Missoula" group and see how many older people are commenting. Oh, and if something hot goes up that they like, they can respond pretty darn quick, as I found out firsthand yesterday.
Twitter really packs a punch, however...or does it? I look at some of the more established #mtpol users, and they do have a lot of followers, but how many are engaged? What is the click-through rate on those retweets? Are you just pissing in the wind a lot of time?
It's always hard to tell, but social media often goes against the age-old axiom that 'doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is insanity.' On social, that actually might be the only way to succeed.