Greg, you have had many interesting posts of late. Deep canvassing is the latest money pit for the Montana Democrats. This only works on swing voters and more urban areas. Sure will work in Missoula as already mostly democrats. Because the Democratic Party thinks loser Stacy Abrams is some god and deep canvassing got the U.S. Senate blue it will work as great as Blue Bench. Next week most Democrat County Committees will have their bi annual election. Of course they are all doing it by Zoom which is ridiculous and limits participation so same old people will be elected. Seven months after the wipe out election no plan for future and everyone still has their job at Democratic headquarters.
I received that email a few days ago, and I think it says a lot. I put that last part in bold, for it's what I want to discuss.
It's the idea of being terrible at your job, yet retaining that job...year after year, despite significant and continuous losses.
I decided to visit the FEC website today to look into the Montana Democratic Party finances. Their latest filing is from April, which covers the month of March. Overall, these one-month snapshots encapsulate the priorities of the MT Dems throughout the year.
The MT Dems had $356,000 in the bank at the beginning of March, took in an extra $109,000 and spent $61,000. They had $404,000 in the bank at the end of that month.
After reporting these numbers for years, I’m amazed that people continue to give to these grifters.
But they do.
It’s one of the main reasons the MT Dems keep so many people on staff in their mansion in Helena, and pay them such high salaries - they’re good at fundraising.
This is the main job of the Montana Democratic Party in Helena - raise funds to keep themselves employed. Electing candidates has nothing to do with that, and often gets in the way.
And when we say ‘fundraising,’ what we really mean is bringing in enough money to meet payroll for the current people on staff.
Who are these charlatans?
- Cassandra Luckey: $5,128 a month in pay
- Trent Bolger: $5,042
- Daniel Pereira: $3,440
- Jacob Hopkins: $3,201
- Shelby Fisher: $3,201
- Korbin Bragstad: $2,829
- Jakob Miles: $2,743
- Annie Horowitz: $953
Those eight employees cost the MT Dems $26,000 each month. But that’s not quite accurate, as the party has to pay payroll taxes on those employees.
Amazingly, the taxes cost more than the employees!
$35,000 was spent on payroll taxes in March for the eight employees making $26,000.
March was actually a really good month for the MT Dems - they spent just $59,000 on their employees but managed to bring in $109,000. So they’re nearly $50,000 above ground for the month...something our elected Democrats here in Missoula could learn about.
When you look through the people that actually donate to the Montana Democratic Party, you’re struck by how many current Democratic officeholders are donating. These are mostly legislators.
It really does seem like a pay-to-play kind of scheme, where those that are making their monthly donations to the party are probably rewarded. Likely not with gifts, but with favorable opinions, and the likelihood that they could be chosen for some future role, perhaps a run at a statewide office, or even U.S House.
These are people like Jessica Karjala, John Morrison, Monica Tranel, Mary Sexton, Sue Orr, David Hunter, Moffie Funk, and others.
I’m amazed Dennis Washington has given $4,000 to the Dems this year. For what, exactly?
And then we get to the really rotten donations, those listed in a different category - PACs. Here we find that the Missoula County Democrats knocked $500 up to the state party, and that the Friends of Max Baucus gave them $2,500.
Kathleen Williams for Montana donated $500 and the Montana Credit Unions League PAC gave $1,000. The old Hillary knock-around Democratic Grassroots Victory Fund gave the Montana Democratic Party a whopping $10,000 in March.
What are they expecting in return for that...or did they just have to get it off their books?
The DNC gave the MT Dems $2,900 and the Green the Senate 2020 Victory Fund gave them nearly $2,800. Kind of makes the Flathead Electric Co-op’s $262 payment seem rather miniscule and unimportant, doesn’t it? But they know it’s pay-to-play, and by God...they gotta have some skin in the game.
So what did the Montana Democrats spend money on in March?
Just like the donation-side, the spending side is very important when it comes to a kind of ‘political virtue-signaling.’
Favored groups and firms get money each and every month, have for years. Places like Brock Development here in Missoula, which got $5,000 that month.
The money-laundering that goes on between the various state parties and national is always confusing to me. For instance, why does the DNC give the MT Dems $2,900 during the same month the MT Dems pay them $2,941 for the same voter access file they’ve been paying for each and every month for years?
Why do this? What is the purpose of this? Is it just to keep someone employed pushing paper...because honestly, I think there’s a better use for these funds.
It’s just a huge fucking waste of time. But, that’s the main role of bureaucracy.
It takes a lot of time and money to make sure the Montana Democratic Party is following the rules, dotting it’s t’s and crossing it’s i’s. That’s why Missoula’s Campaign Compliance, Inc. was given $3,500 that month.
The Montana Democrats often say they’re the ‘Party of the People,’ and that they support working families. But when you follow the money, you find this simply isn’t true. I mean, they pay the woman that cleans their mansion just $385 a month.
I can understand that some top-brass Dem from HQ in Helena might need to stay at the Hampton Inn in Great Falls for $122 one night...but why do they need to stay in a hotel in Philly for a night for $125?
What exactly is happening in Pennsylvania that someone on the payroll for the Montana Democrats needs to be there?
The Montana Democrats decided to do some polling March and chose the D.C. firm Lake Research Partners to do it, at a cost of $1,000.
The MT Dems put on some kind of tele-town hall meeting in March, and paid a firm in California $2,650 for the honor of doing so. I’m sorry...but no Montana company could do that?
When you follow the money, you realize that ‘creating Montana jobs’ is just a political talking point, not something that’s actually done.
Finally, $83 was paid to keep the mansion’s lawn looking nice.