Havre.
Flat, cold and desolate.
There’s not much there. A big sky over field after field.
About 10,000 live in the city there, and that’s the area that Jacob Bachmeier represented.
He won’t be representing it anymore, as he’s quitting.
This throws a helluva wrench into the Dems’ future plans.
You see, Bachmeier was a rising star in the Party. Now he’s giving it all up...so he can work for a PAC.
I really do have to shake my head at that. It simply makes no sense.
My grandpa used to represent SD 7 up in Havre, which at the time included HD 13 and 14. This was back in the early-90s, before the reservation was gerrymandered out from under the Democrats. It’s now SD 14, held by GOPer Russ Temple.
Bachmeier represents HD 28. This is a city district. These are the only districts that Democrats can hold in Montana, as they’re simply unable to make any kind of headway into the rural areas.
Their message simply does not resonate.
The Havre Herald has a good story up about Bachmeier, and how for two years he was the youngest elected representative in the country.
That’s a remarkable achievement. I’m simply beside myself that he’s throwing it away...and for what?
For Tester?
The guy’s not up again until 2024, so that’s why this whole story makes absolutely no sense to me.
Oh, I’m sorry…let’s step back a moment. Here’s the official reason why Bachmeier is quitting:
“Bachmeier — the youngest serving state senator in the country after winning his seat in 2016 — said his duties with Big Sky 55 Plus, with whom he holds a full-time job, conflicted “time-wise, ethically and legally” with serving simultaneously in the Montana Legislature. He said he is concerned with the ethical implications of working with the PAC while serving as a lawmaker. Big Sky 55 Plus is an advocacy group that focuses on health care, Social Security and other issues of concern to older Montanans.”
What the Herald isn’t telling you is that the Big Sky 55 Plus PAC is nothing more than a money-raising outfit for Tester.
Follow the money.
In 2018, the PAC gave nearly $50,000 to Tester.
$6,000 of that was in mailings and the other $43,000 was for “miscellaneous media,” whatever the hell that is.
This was the only money they raised; the only money they spent.
A Tester outfit.
I don’t know a whole lot more about this PAC. Patrick Sweeney is the treasurer, and he’s one of the people that founded Montana Conservation Voters. Ken Toole is also one of the two chairs of the PAC. The elder Juneau’s were also founding members.
The PAC’s website does have lots of issues. Mostly, they aim to keep social security and medicare intact for senior citizens.
I suspect Democrats are trying to get more seniors to vote for them. To do that, they’re taking one of the youngest people in Montana politics out of office so he can preach the message.
It just makes no sense to me.
I’m also confused about the Tester money. How does raising $50,000 for an incumbent senator help out with social security?
I don’t know.
There’s a lot we don’t know about this story.
One thing we do know is that the 2021 Montana Legislature will be controlled by the GOP, both chambers.
Perhaps we should pull some more of our rising stars down so they can help Tester.
That’ll get the legislature back in Dems’ hands, oh yeah.
