A lot of politicians like the slow Friday.
There’s no real work, no major stories, nothing to rock the boat.
Mike Dennison came along yesterday and mucked that all up, at least for Montana Governor Steve Bullock.
What I’m talking about is the bombshell article that appeared on MTN News yesterday.
It’s called Emails, staffers confirm long-simmering tension between Bullock admin, McLean and I saw it on KXLH’s site.
I suppose the most interesting points in the article are toward the bottom.
“In a May 28 email from McLean to the governor, she said she…knew there had been talk ‘since early this year’ about finding a new running mate.”
There’s no real work, no major stories, nothing to rock the boat.
Mike Dennison came along yesterday and mucked that all up, at least for Montana Governor Steve Bullock.
What I’m talking about is the bombshell article that appeared on MTN News yesterday.
It’s called Emails, staffers confirm long-simmering tension between Bullock admin, McLean and I saw it on KXLH’s site.
I suppose the most interesting points in the article are toward the bottom.
“In a May 28 email from McLean to the governor, she said she…knew there had been talk ‘since early this year’ about finding a new running mate.”
Whoop-dee-doo.
What are we getting at here…that a governor was thinking of replacing his running mate? So what.
Is there anything really wrong with that, besides ruffling some feathers? And besides, I thought the Democratic Party in Montana was rock-solid and there were no cracks, unlike with the GOP, whose cracks they point out continuously.
“Bullock staffers confirmed they had discussed early this year whether McLean would remain on the ticket,” Dennison tells us next, “because of numerous disputes over how she did her job as lieutenant governor.”
Well, that sounds interesting. What were these “disputes,” and what were they over?
If it’s something about duties and such, again, is that really anything to get excited about?
“But they also said that in September, McLean had threatened to quit,” Dennison says.
Wow, that sounds big!
Also, “they heard from others that she was considering running against Bullock in the 2016 Democratic primary for governor.”
Well hot shit – now we’re talking!
Damn, that’s something. I wouldn’t have thought that, and honestly, that sounds a bit far-fetched to me.
While I’m sure many will be quick to label McLean’s talk as sour grapes – if the talk even existed at all – I’d be quicker to point out…who the hell is McLean?
I know it’s true that many know her now, but gosh, do enough know about her or her ideas or policies or plans to vote for her in the primary?
If they were pissed enough at Bullock, maybe. Are they?
I don’t think so.
Could people become pissed enough at Bullock?
I think that’s becoming a real possibility, at least in the minds of Bullock and his inner circle.
After all, when you hear things like this you have to wonder:
“In an Oct. 2 email to the governor, McLean said she’d been asked to imagine a workplace where she no longer had any initiatives – but said she was still determined to stay in her post.
Shortly thereafter, however, according to the emails and confirmed by administration staffers, McLean had been locked out of her lieutenant governor Twitter account, excluded from daily administration meetings and had her meetings with the governor canceled.
McLean also said in the email there had been a hostile “atmosphere” since she’d had a “private conversation” with the governor in December 2014, and had been told she created “sides” and a division within the office.
When asked about these comments, Bullock said there weren’t any “sides drawn up by any means,” but that “there were certainly challenges with many of my co-workers within here.”
Bullock staffers said they considered McLean a talented politician and educator, but that she repeatedly caused friction within the office by demanding she be involved in certain events beyond what they thought appropriate.
For example, they said McLean would sometimes want her own separate briefings on issues, after the governor had been briefed, or arrange her own publicity on events or releases in which the governor was involved.”
What are these “disruptions” that the article mentions?
Oh, I guess that’s governing, something that we don’t see Bullock doing much of.
Sure, he was up in Polson yesterday at some mental health clinic.
Actually, that’s what we want. It’s just that it would have been good if he was doing that stuff for the 8 or 9 days he was out of state.
Ok, maybe he was drumming up interest and business for Montana. It’s just that I can’t help but think he was seeing to his own reelection efforts, as well as the wrap-up of the DGA gig…which is really nothing more than an extension of the reelection efforts.
Now would be a good time to mention that Schweitzer was head of the DGA for a year as well.
He did so in 2008, which was the same year as his reelection. Still, Schweitzer was a lot more popular with Montanans than Bullock is.
For his part, Bullock has mainly been mum, choosing instead to encourage the idea that virtually anyone could be the next lieutenant governor.
“The governor…said he and his senior staff are ‘literally reaching out across the state’ to ‘find out who might have an interest.’”
You can see that bit in the Missoulian’s piece called Bullock, staff compiling names of potential new lieutenant governors and went up around 5 PM on Friday.
It makes no mention of the Dennison story’s revelations which ran several hours before.
Oh, I guess that’s governing, something that we don’t see Bullock doing much of.
Sure, he was up in Polson yesterday at some mental health clinic.
Actually, that’s what we want. It’s just that it would have been good if he was doing that stuff for the 8 or 9 days he was out of state.
Ok, maybe he was drumming up interest and business for Montana. It’s just that I can’t help but think he was seeing to his own reelection efforts, as well as the wrap-up of the DGA gig…which is really nothing more than an extension of the reelection efforts.
Now would be a good time to mention that Schweitzer was head of the DGA for a year as well.
He did so in 2008, which was the same year as his reelection. Still, Schweitzer was a lot more popular with Montanans than Bullock is.
For his part, Bullock has mainly been mum, choosing instead to encourage the idea that virtually anyone could be the next lieutenant governor.
“The governor…said he and his senior staff are ‘literally reaching out across the state’ to ‘find out who might have an interest.’”
You can see that bit in the Missoulian’s piece called Bullock, staff compiling names of potential new lieutenant governors and went up around 5 PM on Friday.
It makes no mention of the Dennison story’s revelations which ran several hours before.
It kind of sounds like we have a national scenario shaping up here in Montana. Nationally Hillary isn’t popular and lots of Dems don’t want to vote for her.
Now it seems that Bullock is losing popularity, and perhaps some Dem votes.
I personally feel that many of the state’s women might be offended by these recent events.
The whole thing just stinks, to be completely honest, and I don’t really want to dirty myself with it further.
Nationally, I’ll be voting for Bernie Sanders if he makes it that far, or else a third-party candidate.
I won’t be voting for Hillary.
As for the gubernatorial race, I’ll be voting third-party on that one as well, which might very well be Libertarian Mike Fellows.
I won’t be voting for Bullock, but I think most people realized that back when I got all uppity on infrastructure.
Yeah, wanting to save the state $67 million in unneeded interest payments over 20 years – uppity.
Speaking of money, how about that citizen initiative that’s gathering signatures to legalize Montana marijuana?
It’ll generate $4 million a year with a 5-year projection of $20 million.
That’s new tax revenue from people that are actually eager to pay it.
Wow, why the hell are Democrats not all over this? We need to be supporting those signature gathering efforts, and drumming this up all throughout 2016.
This will increase turnout. It’ll create new voters. It’ll help Bullock!
Bullock needs help, he needs help bad. Why he didn’t take my advice to rally ahead and pick a Lt. Gov right away is beyond me.
That was 10 days ago. My, what those days could have brought…besides the speculation and then revelations we saw yesterday. All of that could have been swept under the rug with a popular pick.
Alas, 2016 fundraising took precedence over the state. Again.
I guess Bullock and his group really are serious about keeping someone for the duration…however long that might be, 1 year or 4 more.
Oh well – you can’t win ‘em all.
For now I guess it’s going to be a continued circling-the-wagons approach until Christmas.
He’s only got a week left, and with the new Star Wars movie coming, even political geeks will have their minds elsewhere.
After that it’s the week of Christmas. I dunno – maybe that’d be the week to unveil the pick.
Chances are good the pick has already been made. I mean, c’mon – we put up the list here of possible candidates the afternoon that McLean left. Besides Monica Lindeen (who I forgot about), I think that list is pretty good.
I still have my money on McCullough, though again, maybe women are miffed at Bullock. Maybe there is something deeper here.
Still, I’m not expecting a lot of words to be coming out of people’s mouths.
No, lips are sealed and gums aren’t flapping.
For now.
That could all change. Secrets are hard to keep, especially the more people that know.
What secrets does Steve Bullock have? We already know that he…well, I don’t want to say lied but I will say…misspoke.
How about that – misspoke?
That sounds a little better, don’t you think? Like maybe the reporters had him on edge after a long night of fundraising, er…drumming up business for the state.
Yeah, misspoke. Because we know damn-well that our man Bullock wouldn’t lie to us, certainly not something as simple as a “disruptive” office worker that wanted to take on more tasks.
I don’t know about you, but all the jobs I’ve been in, when I say I need more work I’m always shown the door.
So things don’t make sense.
Will they start to? I’m not holding my breath.
