
Yes, it’s autumn, and its’ getting a little chillier here in Missoula. I’m talking about the weather, but I may as well be talking about Democrats.
Have you noticed the close-mindedness, the defensiveness, the tails between the legs?
The Party’s scared, as they should be – no one gives a fuck about them.
I’m sorry, this post will be vile and noxious and full of vulgarity. Does Montana politics deserve any less?
I’m very ticked off today, and I’m feeling like putting up a monstrous post of discontent.
Hell, why not? What are the consequences?
There are none, there are absolutely no consequences for saying what you think in politics today, except that you’ll do better.
This scares the bejesus out of the establishment, you know, the upper crust that controls the PACs and tells them which candidates to fund?
We’ll be talking a lot more about candidate funding, primarily Montana Governor Steve Bullock’s. But we’ll focus on all the other ones as well.
I think you’ll see a common pattern – the same big industries and big companies will be funding all the candidates, regardless of party affiliation.
Again, why not and what are the consequences?
There are none. Let’s begin.
Money Whores
I just have no value to a Democrat in Montana.
See, I live in poverty.
I can’t give any money to Democratic candidates, like those that are running in the legislature here in Missoula.
Those folks need money and they need it bad. Every get-together, function, or campaign event asks that you give at least $35 and sometimes $50.
And let’s be honest – if you’re going to come in and low-ball us like that, maybe you should just stay home. We all know that chump-change like that just isn’t going to get the job done.
No, Montana Democrats want big money, dark money, or whatever the hell you want to call it. As long as it doesn’t bounce, it’s good.
Do you think some donations are ever given back?
After all, we saw that Steve Bullock is getting a lot of money from Monsanto, the food company that poisons people and then pays of government officials to cover it up.
Well, we saw that and thank God for that – Bullock had the state agency responsible for campaign reporting take down all campaign reports.
That’s right – you can no longer see who gave money to whom.
The state web system is a mess and has been for years, but let’s not give them another excuse to update it again – they always do a horrendous job.
Right now you can’t find any campaign reporting, but don’t expect Jonathan Motl to do anything about it.
Montana Republicans are right to go after him and they’re right to want that office abolished. Do not apologize for this.
Montana Republicans
Remember all that talk about working together? Yeah, whatever happened to that?
Democrats lost in 2014 and again in the 2015 Legislature, that’s what happened.
I’d like to point out that we have some very good Republicans in this state.
I’m very interested in our GOP candidates for 2016, as I have a lot more in common with them than our Democratic candidates.
It’s called conservatism. I feel our current crop of Montana Democrats have forgotten what this is.
They used to know what it was, and anyone that knows the state’s history knows this.
But many of our Democratic legislators are carpetbaggers, so they don’t know it.
So what do I have in common with the GOP?
- First of all, I make my own money and don’t have to rely on a taxpayer funded job for that.
- Next, I like doing business and feel that jobs are important and that we need more.
- Finally, minority issues that don’t affect me also don’t interest me, and actually smack of a waste of time to me.
There are some good Republicans in this state. Here are a few that come to mind:
- Bob Brown: I like Bob Brown. I met him once when I was tearing down the Kim Williams Trail here in Missoula, oh, 2006 or so. I slammed on my bike brakes and skidded to a stop, for I was surprised that a former Secretary of State would be walking down the trail. Gosh, isn’t that guy important? I thought. Well, he is important, and thankfully he reminds you of that once a month when he puts a letter in the paper. Yes, he has discipline, something most of our Democrats don’t.
- Daniel Zolnikov: It’s very hard to be against Zolnikov. This guy has good ideas! I especially like his distrust of the Fed and the feds and his desire for privacy. I was also impressed by his hiring of some legislative staff with his excess campaign funds, something I didn’t hear too many others doing. If this guy doesn’t run for statewide office sometime in the future, I’ll be very surprised. And remember, it’s always easier to do that from the Billings area.
- Nick Schweiderer: Nick Schweiderer is another young GOP-er that is getting some stuff done, or at least making it appear so. He’s good at showing images on Twitter, and hey – the GOP needs as much good PR as it can get. I hope that both parties seriously consider some media ambassadors among their younger members next go-round.
- Mike Hopkins: I like Mike Hopkins and was happy to see him chosen as the Montana Republican Party Treasurer. I wanted him to win a spot in the legislature last time, either in the House or Senate (he was up for both in 2014). Alas, he did not get it, but we’ll be hearing more from him later.
- Mike Miller: I have to say, Mike Miller’s got some issues with corruption and shady dealings. But you know what? I like the guy. He’s got interesting things to say, he sticks to his guns, and unlike most Montana Republicans, he is social media savvy and can carry his own there. Plus he doesn’t cry and pout like so many of our politicians do.
Closing Doors
What does that mean?
It means that huddling up and getting defensive is not to my taste.
That’s what those in the minority often feel they have to do, however, and Democrats are doing that now.
Far from it attracting voters, it’s only turning them away.
I was very impressed with the GOP convention this year compared to the Democrats’ shindig.
The reason for this is evident in my posts on both. I mean, Essman was damn prepared and he had good ideas. He put those out there for the public.
We didn’t see anything like this on the Democratic side.
You know why? Democrats are too old and they don’t learn new tricks.
Louise Bruce is probably a great woman, but if you can’t get your message out there – and she failed to do that – then why bother?
I will admit that the Democratic Party elite kept her down, and one of the big ways of doing that was by having their mouthpiece, MT Cowgirl, not do a post about her.
Oh, and don’t be swayed by this nonsensical talk that Republicans closing their primary is all bad.
Democrats refuse to allow closed voting for things like their Party Chair, which is a form of discrimination that’s even worse – it’s called shunning, and if you’re caught not voting as you should, you’re fucked.
See, people have to vote in the open with their hands raised, and by God, there will be recriminations.
The Corporate Collar
Yeah, you have to rely on Independents in this state if you want unbiased reporting.
Our state newspapers have the “Corporate Collar” now, which is about the same as the old “Copper Collar” was, or the “Gray Blanket” as historian K. Ross Toole used to call it.
Montana Republicans don’t suffer from this problem, as much. For instance, look at legislative leadership.
Wow, putting Knudsen as House Speaker? He’s quite young, don’t you think? But the GOP is doing that – encouraging younger people to take charge.
Maybe they have to, I dunno – I’m no expert on term limits or who’s up soon or what committee assignments are coming or going. But you know what? Hardly anyone is.
That’s not true, though. Lobbyists know that shit like the back of their hand, and there’s probably some schmuck reading this who’s leaning back in a finely-upholstered chair right now going, “yep!”
I can’t wait to see the nincompoops Lee Enterprises gives us for the 2017 Montana Legislative Session.
I’ve already made it plain where you need to go to get information on old sessions, the Montana Historical Society Research Center, though I expect many will ditch that in favor of electronic means like Ballotpedia and Vote Smart.
Hey, that’s fine, but don’t ditch everything and just go with the State and Party talking points. Alas, I feel that’s what will happen.
I will tell you that at the university I was never very good at writing a thesis statement.
Typically I’d try to tack that and the conclusion on at the end, making it up from all the thoughts and ideas I’d thrown out.
The thing with a thesis statement is that it’s an argument. Well, what if I don’t want to argue…what if I just want to tell a story?
No, not good enough. There has to be an argument.
That sucks, because people love stories.
What is the argument of the Democrats or the Republicans to be in the governor’s office or to control the legislature?
I guess what I’m asking is…why should I vote for you?
When Party higher-ups hear that they turn to the nearest person and smile and laugh and say, “what the fuck?!?”
To them it’s so obvious. Why wouldn’t you vote?
Alas, this is the thinking of someone that’s dependent upon a political party for their livelihood, for their daily bread.
It’s the tone one takes when they make their living off of other people’s taxes.
It’s entitlement, pure and simple.
Well, what have you done for me lately?
What Have You Done For Me Lately?
This was the shit if you were growing up back in the day, and if one of your friends’ dad had a copy, oh boy!
The film says “fuck” 223 times, and that was a record, beating out 1983’s Scarface, which had 207.
If you don’t believe me check out the Fuck Count meter on Wikipedia.
Where am I going with this?
I’m getting at 50 seconds into this short bit called “what have you done for me lately?”
Helping my grandpa get a 40-hour work week sure as shit isn’t helping me lately, but you hear things like this all the time from Democrats on why you should vote for them.
Is it any wonder that people are staying home in droves come Election Day?
And let’s not forget that many are coming out to support people like Trump because they are just so Goddamn sick of it all.
We’ll see that in Montana next year, and it’ll hurt incumbents.
People are sick of it!
They’re becoming very anti-establishment, and even the banker’s corralling of Trump on September 3 with some silly pledge isn’t going to make one bit of difference.
We’re also long past the time when you need to apologize for anything.
I feel sorry for the poor bastards that get caught saying they’re sorry now.
Sorry for what?
It’s the establishment and corporations and banks and the whole fucked-up system that should be apologizing to me!
Me apologize? Shit.
You can say anything you want now, and people should.
Are you going to let the corporate media tell you what you can and can’t do? The government? Please.
Who do you think is paying those folks’ bills? You are!
You do it everyday, when you sit your ass down in front of the TV.
Political TV Ads in Montana
Hi, my name’s Greg Strandberg and I’m running for office.
Hello again, Greg Strandberg here.
Oh, it’s you again! Yep, it’s Greg Strandberg and I want your vote.
Shut the fuck up already, you dumb prick!
Do you know what scares Democrats and Republicans more than anything? The TV.
It’s not just the TV though, it’s what can be put on it if you have enough money.
Yeah, I’m talking about those political ads that bombard us for months at a time each election cycle.
I suppose we’ll begin seeing the Bullock/Gianforte ads starting in February or March. Whoever puts one out first will start off the whole shebang.
God, it’ll be awful too, won’t it? I mean…why are you bombarding me with shit all the time!
It doesn’t have to be like this.
We’ve all seen those great political ads, the ones that just hit you right in the heartstrings. Man, they…are…special.
But then we see them again, and again, and a-fucking-gain.
Jesus, are you kidding me?
That’s a great example of the utter stupidity, fear, and ignorance of the two political parties and the corporations that control them.
Who wants to see the same thing all day everyday? Who wants to eat the same food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?
No one! So why are you feeding me that shit?
Don’t ask these questions, just don’t ask.
Montana Democrats and Montana Republicans are so stupid when it comes to TV advertising that it’s not even funny.
I know a lot of people think it’s funny, and maybe I don’t help matters when I put out podcasts like 10 Campaign TV Ad Ideas for John Lewis & Amanda Curtis.
Honestly, those are good ideas!
But you want to know the best idea?
Run an ad once.
Alright, run it more than once, but just one day!
Alright, fine…run it more than once but just a couple of times and only during a few-day period.
Are you getting the idea?
Instead of bombarding voters with the same tired message on the same tired ad, over and over and fucking-over, why not do something different?
Just like me saying my name over and over in the same stupid rural setting, it gets old. People get real tired of that shit really damn quick.
And honestly, how much money does it cost to get some old rancher to stand by a falling-down fence with a cowboy hat on?
Are you fucking kidding me?
Well, we know why it costs so much – PR firms run by K Street in Washington want it to cost so much so they have something to live off of for the next year when there’s no need for their “talents.”
What a load of rubbish.
Why do we put up with this shit?
Well, it’s because most Americans are fat, stupid and lazy and can’t turn off the TV to save their life.
Political parties and the corporations that fund them count on this, and that’s why you see the same shit over and over and fucking over again.
Conclusion
Fucked for whom?
Well, sure as shit not I!
I’ll be making the same money next year and living in the same place. My life isn’t going to change at all no matter who wins!
Montana Democrats want you to think that your life is going to get a lot worse.
Do you know why? Because they think that will allow them to win.
Yep, they’re scared. Here in Missoula they’ll be really scared.
Can you imagine if someone like me ran as an Independent against one of our Democratic legislators in 2016?
Damn, what a gift to the GOP.
- Diane Sands won her race by 35 votes last time and had to go to a recount. An Independent in that race likely would have cost her the election.
- Kim Dudik beat out Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Independent Gary Marbut by 48 votes. An Independent would have cost her that race and put someone that scares the hell out of Montana Democrats right into the Montana House.
- Andrew Person got into office over Lyn Hellegaard by 141 votes. An Independent would have cost him that race.
- There was a Libertarian in HD 97’s race and he got 91 votes. Considering Bill Geer still lost that race by 460 this doesn’t matter. I feel he would have lost by 369 had that Libertarian not been there.
See how these things can work?
Missoula is just one example, though not a very good one. Other areas of the state are closer, and this is a viable strategy for Republican PACs to use to beat out the opposition and take control of both houses of the Legislature in 2017.
Guess our Democratic money whores better start raising some more money, huh?