Thursday, September 28, 2006
MT-Sen: Conrad Burns Continues to Enjoy Taste of Own Feet
Posted by DavidNYCOh man. Conrad Burns must surely have the worst case of pedontophilia (aka "foot-in-mouth disease") known to man. He just can't shut up and stop making inappropriate remarks:
Republican Sen. Conrad Burns, who has gotten into hot water before for comments seen as disparaging various groups, joshingly remarked Thursday on the number of Italian-Americans at the Federal Aviation Administration.The Montana senator, facing a tough re-election fight against Democrat Jon Tester, was heading an aviation subcommittee hearing of the Commerce Committee when two FAA officials, Michael Cirillo and Nicholas Sabatini, introduced themselves as witnesses.
"I'm wondering if that's all they're hiring," Burns said of the federal agency.
Jebus. Burns is lucky the WaPo is covering for him, because these remarks are pretty awful. ("Joshingly" remarked? Man is that stilted.) Just imagine if he had said something similar about two black men or two Jews. This really is an addiction for Burns, though:
Also during Thursday's hearing, Burns asked witness Matt Andersson, senior aviation consultant for CRA International, about the spelling of his name. Andersson said it's the Swedish spelling."Oh, ja," Burns replied in a mock Swedish accent.
Republicans will tell us, as they always do, that we can't take a joke - in fact, that's the line Burnsie's flack is already taking. But if Conrad wants to keep making inappropriate statements in public settings, that only makes our job easier.
(Hat tip.)
Posted at 08:57 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
MT-Sen: Deeper and Deeper
Posted by DavidNYCI always knew Conrad Burns hated working people. I just didn't realize his hatred ran this deep:
The report contained an account by Gabe Templeton, one of the Augusta Hot Shots, describing what happened to him and fellow team members Jeff Cleek and Jude Waerig. It said the three men were sitting in the Billings airport waiting for their flight when Burns approached them with an outstretched hand and asked if they were firefighters."I shook his hand and replied yes," Templeton wrote. "He shook my hand introduced himself and then replied, 'What a piss poor job' we were doing. I replied, 'Have a nice day.' The senator mentioned that we were 'wasting a lot of money and creating a cottage industry.' He also told us that we needed to listen more to the ranchers. I replied that 'we are pretty low on the totem pole.' Then he walked off."
Just like the Bush administration prefers to blame rank-and-file soldiers for command failures, Conrad Burns likes to castigate hard-working firefighters when his beef is about policies drawn up in air-conditioned conference rooms. To me, that represents a deep sickness of the soul - to attack the people on the very bottom of the totem pole for the failings of their higher-ups. But, of course, if you already view those people with contempt, then it's easy to treat them like dirt. I'm sure Burns is equally odious toward the people who clean out his office at night or prepare his coffee in the morning. You can tell a lot about a person from the way he treats others - and in Burns' case, none of it is good.
Anyhow, I'm still asking: Will Sen. George Allen defend the August Hotshots (based in Virginia) from Connie Burns' outrageous attack?
Posted at 02:44 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Thursday, July 27, 2006
MT-Sen: Burns Attacks Firefighters, Face-to-Face!
Posted by DavidNYCWhat an unbelievable ingrate! Conrad Burns had the gall - the unthinkable gall - to approach a bunch of undoubtedly weary firefighters at Billings Airport last weekend and tell them, right up to their faces, that they had done a "poor job" fighting wildfires in Montana. Amazing! These firefighters had trekked all the way from Virginia to help Montana put out a 92,000-acre forest fire. And instead of thanking these hard-working souls, Conrad Burns went out of his way to insult them. I suppose he's lucky he didn't wind up with a fat lip - most first responders are not exactly known for taking kindly to gross insults.
Of course, I expect nothing less from Burns: He's the ultimate privileged, entitled, out-of-touch fop who has no appreciation or understanding of how hard ordinary people work. It's one thing to, say, criticize Forest Service policy. But to attack the very firefighters who just helped your own home state? That's like dissing the ambulance driver who takes you to the hospital. Unreal.
Oh, and no word yet from Sen. George Allen (R-VA) as to whether he plans on defending these hard-working Virginia firefighters - or, in the alternative, whether he wishes he were born in Montana.
Posted at 10:06 AM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
MT-Sen: Conrad Burns is Out of His Mind
Posted by James L.Burns, in fact, started his speech Saturday by noting the immediate intensity of the general election campaign after the June 6 primary."June 6 of this year is as good as June 6, 1944, D-day," he said. "We launched another attack."
No need to rub your eyes. Conrad Burns just compared Jon Tester and the Montana Democrats to Nazis. (Hat tip to Left in the West)
(PS: Sorry of the lack of postings lately--between the Stanley Cup Finals, work, and studying for the LSAT, I'm starting to feel as swamped as DavidNYC!)
Posted at 06:54 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Monday, June 19, 2006
Why Can't California Be More Like Montana?
Posted by DavidNYCMontana:
Montana Democrats Barnstorm for UnityAfter what could have turned into a divisive primary election, Montana Democrats rallied in four cities Friday to show that the state the party is united behind Jon Tester in what promises to be a no-holds-barred U.S. Senate race against Republican incumbent Conrad Burns this fall.
California:
Tension Builds Between L.A. Mayor, AngelidesTension between Antonio Villaraigosa and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Phil Angelides surfaced Friday as the Los Angeles mayor declined to say whether he backed his own party's candidate to unseat Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
It looks to me like Dems in Cali are living up an old credo: They never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. All I can say is, someone better bash a few heads in over on the left coast before Angelides and Villaraigosa give the media any more fodder for one of their favorite evergreens, "Dems in Disarray." Maybe we should send Brian Schweitzer over there to whoop some ass.
Posted at 03:29 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, 2006 Elections - State, California, Montana | Comments (11) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Tester Wins
Posted by James L.Wow. What a fantastic showing of broad support for Jon Tester tonight. From longshot to upstart to competitor to steamroller, Jon Tester has, without a doubt, scored an absolutely stunning victory in Montana tonight. On Dec. 31, 2004, when Swing State Project dropped his name for the first time, few could foresee that Tester, an organic farmer from Big Sandy, could absolutely wallop one of the most popular and well-funded Democrats in the state, Auditor John Morrison, and do so without slingling mud, without creating an intra-party rift, or without a massive warchest. Jon Tester accomplished what he did today by getting people to genuinely like him, which is a damn rare thing in politics these days. And that's exactly how he's going to convince Montana voters that he should be the next Senator from Montana.
The rebirth of the Democratic Party begins in Big Sky Country.
Posted at 12:54 AM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
MT-Sen: Tester Edges Morrison in Billings
Posted by James L.From the Tester Time blog:
9:05 p.m. MT
Results from Yellowstone County:
Tester 2349, Morrison 2207
This is huge. Recall what Matt Singer wrote about Billings, the population capital of Yellowstone County yesterday:
he Ohio of Montana, Billings is the swing city that often decides the winner of the general election, but it's relatively low primary turnout and its swing status makes it slightly less important in the primary election. County Commissioner Bill Kennedy, the only D on the Commission, is Morrison's treasurer (reportedly, he's got his eye on the Auditor's office is Morrison somehow pulls this thing off). Kennedy and Morrison have been working this town hard and it's been an admitted weak spot for Tester's campaign.
This is Tester at his weakest, folks. He's going to win this thing.
Posted at 11:14 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Iowa and Montana Results Open Thread
Posted by James L.Here we go.
MT-SEN, 0% 2.42% 10.73% 33.22% 75.78% of Precincts reporting:
John Morrison (D):1,140 (52.41)2,631 (34.73)6,463 (33.10)15,932 (34.86)27,735 (36.04)
Jon Tester (D):969 (44.55)4,801 (63.37)12,588 (64.48)8,657 (62.70)46,517 (60.44)
These numbers (the 2.42% update) are from Cascade County, which is the Great Falls area. This is fantastic news for Tester, since Matt Singer wrote that "This is one of the few towns where a number of legislators have stayed neutral or are supporting John Morrison, so expect it to be a bit closer here."
Conrad Burns (R-Inc.):1,500 (69.64)4,814 (71.36)10,027 (71.71)24,746 (70.32)Bob Keenan (R):
527 (24.47)1,541 (22.84)3,150 (22.53)8,543 (24.28)
IA-GOV, 10.34% 48.67% 58.53% 67.11% 99.47% Precincts Reporting:
Mike Blouin (D):4,771 (62.50)29,758 (34.40)33,084 (34.18)37,066 (34.30)49,900 (34.02)
Chet Culver (D):1,597 (20.92)31,527 (36.45)35,995 (37.19)40,816 (37.76)57,178 (38.98)
Ed Fallon (D):1,143 (14.97)24,064 (27.82)26,495 (27.37)28,835 (26.68)37,795 (25.77)
IA-01 (see IA-Gov link), 0.3% 42.81% 70.06% 100.00% Precincts Reporting:
Rick Dickinson (D):900 (61.73)6,274 (44.30)7,158 (33.29)9,937 (33.82)
Bill Gluba (D):323 (22.15)2,902 (20.49)6,003 (27.92)7,496 (25.51)
Braley, Bruce (D):207 (14.20)4,545 (32.10)7,487 (34.82)10,797 (36.74)
Bill Dix (R):123 (41.84)2,309 (40.11)4,472 (28.29)8,504 (37.53)
Mike Whalen (R):113 (38.44)2,424 (42.11)8,930 (56.49)10,985 (48.47)
Brian Kennedy (R):58 (19.73)1,024 (17.79)2,407 (15.23)3,173 (14.00)
Posted at 10:15 PM in 2006 Elections - House, 2006 Elections - State, Iowa, Montana | Comments (24) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
California and Montana Predictions Open Thread
Posted by James L.Polls close in under a half hour in these two states Montana, so take a breath and hit me with your best shot. Of course, like Stoller, I'm not going to make any predictions (though I do have a few things rumbling around in my gut besides the stuffed peppers I'm digesting). I don't want to slant your guesses, but the NRCC is sounding pretty confident, according to the Hotline:
NRCC Chair Tom Reynolds (NY) said earlier today that, based on an analysis of absentee returns in CA 50, ex-Rep. Brian Bilbray (R) held about a 10K vote lead. Reynolds added, however, that he wouldn’t make any predictions at this early stage.
Posted at 09:32 PM in 2006 Elections - House, 2006 Elections - Senate, California, Montana | Comments (16) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
MT-Sen: Optimism in the Tester Camp
Posted by James L.Matt Singer of Left in the West gives a personal anecdote on why the Tester camp is feeling upbeat today:
Yesterday, after spending the day at work, I reviewed historical turnout numbers. I spoke with a friend about the size of the two paid media operations. I felt like vomiting. I was terrified, terrified because despite how things felt like they were going, I’ve seen too many victories slip away.That was before I hit the phones.
Understand this, I’m calling Yellowstone County. The most prominent Democratic official in Yellowstone County hasn’t just endorsed John Morrison. He’s serving as his treasurer and has been working hard for him. This is supposed to be among our worst territories.
Twenty calls in and I can’t find anyone voting against us. A friend of mine running another phone bank across town calls, excited. He’s talked to twenty people. He’s got 19 Tester supporters and one person voting for Morrison.
The numbers start piling up. By the end of the night, our phone bank has talked to 150 live ones and left hundreds more messages. Tester supporters outnumber Morrison supporters 4-to-1. If you give Tester the “undecided” voters who have said they lean our way and give Morrison the rest of the undecided voters, we’re up 5-to-2. The margins are unreal. And our people are excited.
We call it a night at 8:45. I talk to a friend on the other side of the state. His calls are going the same way, overwhelmingly favoring Tester.
I hear from someone who knows a Morrison volunteer. Her list in Helena struck out. People are even telling the Morrison campaign that they are voting for Tester.
Meanwhile, our volunteers in Helena can’t find Morrison supporters and our folks in Great Falls are getting positive feedback from across the state.
Honestly, this is my third cycle in Montana politics. I’ve made a lot of calls over the years. I’ve never literally felt like I was witnessing the ground shift under my feet the way it has felt here in recent weeks.
One week ago, calling on the same batch of lists we called on last night, our support-to-oppose ratio was 1:1 or maybe 3:2. Every night it has improved. We’re now talking close to 5:1.
The big question on everyone's mind is whether Tester's late surge will be enough to counter the apparent organizational advantages of Morrison's campaign (which started earlier, and with better funding throughout), not to mention Morrison's broader name recognition. I'm still expecting this one to be tight tonight, but stories like this one are great to hear.
Posted at 12:22 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Saturday, June 03, 2006
MT-Sen: Getting Out the Vote in Big Sky Country
Posted by James L.If San Diego is a little too far out of reach, and you live in--or within driving distance of--Montana, Andy Tweeten of Montanans For Tester writes in to get the word out on how you can help Jon Tester get out the vote in the last few days before the primary:
Volunteers in Montana can contact us at (406) 454-2006, (406) 449-0117 or info@testerforsenate.com to help out. We have activities happening across the state that we'd be happy to direct people to--including literature drops, phone banks, and visibilities.Unfortunately, we do not have capacity to do GOTV phone calls from out of state.
Tester has been getting a remarkable surge of momentum in the last week--racking up big endorsements, including a few from several former staff members of his opponent, MT State Auditor John Morrison. If you have the means, the campaign would greatly appreciate any effort you can make to ensure that Jon Tester comes out on top this Tuesday and keeps this race competitive against the vulnerable Conrad Burns.
Posted at 01:03 AM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Monday, May 29, 2006
The Week Ahead in California and Montana
Posted by James L.We have a number of hot races to look forward to next Tuesday, June 6 in California, and my neighbor state Montana. Here's a run-down on what to watch:
CA-50: Busby's all-out battle to steal this open seat from the Republicans will be, without a doubt, the premier event of the night--and the Republicans are on edge:
Staffers from the National Republican Congressional Committee are quietly telling GOP House members to prepare for a possible loss in the June 6 special election to fill the seat of Randy "Duke" Cunningham, now in prison for taking bribes. The Southern California district is heavily Republican, but some GOP insiders believe that Democrat Francine Busby will defeat former GOP Rep. Brian Bilbray and go on to win a full term in November. More alarming some worry that a Bilbray defeat could signal the GOP's loss of control of the House. The NRCC has already pumped $3.1 million into the race. "It is becoming more and more likely," says one GOP strategist, "that Bilbray will squeak out a victory." But another longtime Republican operative isn't so sure. "This is a district we should never lose," he says. "It's the stink of Cunningham, and the Bush problem."
CA-42: If you live in the 42nd district of California (see a map here) or know anyone who does, and you'd like to have the chance to get a Democrat on the ballot this November, you'll have to write in the name of Mark Hull-Richter on the ballot. House Race guru BENAWU has the lowdown. Hull-Richter is gonna need to come up with 2641 write-in votes. That's a huge hill to climb, but it's worth a shot. Afterall, under-the-radar write-in campaigns allowed Democrats to field candidates in previously uncontested races in PA-09 & PA-15.
CA-36: Anti-war activist Marcy Winograd is challenging Rep. Jane Harman, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee. From the L.A. Times:
In sum, Winograd casts her opponent as a Bush Democrat who was too slow to challenge the president on the war, one who moved left only when challenged in the campaign. Winograd could only have been delighted when restless House liberals complained of the same thing in the early jockeying for position in next year's Congress, lobbying to have Harman replaced as the party's voice on the Intelligence Committee.I'm not sure if Winograd has the necessary organization to pull of an upset, but her primary challenge has at least forced Harman to prove her progressive bona fides.
CA-11: Netroots favorite and '04 nominee Jerry McNerney vs. DCCC-favored Steve Filson. The winner will take on scandalized Republican Richard Pombo (he himself is facing a primary challenge from Pete McCloskey, a 78 year-old former Congressman who authored the Endangered Species Act). I don't have a dog in this race.
CA-06: In many ways this is the opposite of CA-36. Incumbent Rep. Diane Lynn Woolsey is one of the most liberal members of Congress, and her challenge is coming from the right:
Democratic Rep. Lynn Woolsey faces a challenge from Assembly member Joe Nation -- her first significant primary contest in more than a decade for the district representing Marin and much of Sonoma counties. Woolsey, elected in 1992, prides herself as being one of the House's most liberal members, attacking the war in Iraq, promoting alternative energy sources, and fighting cuts in health and education spending. Nation, a popular local politician and former economics professor, pitches himself as more moderate and pro-business. He touts his work in the Legislature to push for alternative fuels and his opposition to building a new Death Row at San Quentin Prison in Marin.
MT-Sen: Another huge one to watch. Likeable progressive Jon Tester has got his mojo working and the perceived front-runner, state Auditor John Morrison, has seen his fundraising dip and some of his support shift to the Tester camp in the wake of an extramarital/conflict of interest scandal. Both are still polling ahead of the uber-corrupt Conrad Burns, but it's Tester that has the buzz in this last final stretch. Will it be enough to clinch the nomination? This one will be a nail-biter.
Anything I missed? Consider this a CA and MT-Sen open thread. Have at it.
P.S.: Obviously, I left out the contentious Angelides-Westly battle for the Democratic Nomination for Governor against Schwarzeneggar. The mud-slinging is pretty off-putting in this race, and I'm not inclined to blog much about it other than I hope that the battle will be one more factor to help energize Democratic turn-out in CA-50. But Angelides and Westly fans are more than welcome to duke it out in the comments section.
Posted at 05:18 PM in 2006 Elections - House, 2006 Elections - Senate, California, Montana | Comments (11) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Montana: The Field Is Set
Posted by DavidNYCToday was the filing deadline in Montana. You can see all the Senate and House candidates listed here. Bob Keenan did indeed file to challenge Burns. (as promised). Meanwhile, Denny Rehberg did not jump into the senate race - he filed to run for his House seat once more.
In other words, we probably wound up with the best of all possible scenarios, or close to it. Burns now faces a decidedly non-trivial primary challenge, which is awesome. If Burns wins, he's wasted money and gotten even more bloodied than he already is. If Burns loses, well, Keenan is no Racicot or Rehberg. (Those were the two names which whooped our two guys in the latest Rasmussen poll.) I'm sure Keenan doesn't have comparable name recognition. Speaking of which, Matt Singer speculates that Keenan is simply trying to up his name rec for an eventual run against Brian Schweitzer. Good luck with that, buddy.
The only person who loses out here is Monica Lindeen, who still has to face Rehberg in November. It's a tough fight, but Rehberg's got his own Abramoff problems. If the Montana press stays on this story as aggressively as it has vis-a-vis Conran Burns, Rehberg is going to have some serious troubles.
UPDATE: When a perfect 100 really just ain't too good.
Posted at 07:57 PM in 2006 Elections - House, 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
MT-Sen: Keenan to Challenge Burns
Posted by DavidNYCSo Bob Keenan will indeed challenge Conrad Burns for the MT-Sen GOP nod. Tomorrow is Montana's filing deadline, so we'll see how things finally shake out. (Denny Rehberg is still the question mark.) I think that Burns is definitely in this for the long haul, though, and Keenan's move may wind up being a gift from heaven. If you're about to bail, you don't send forth your minions to say stuff like this:
"Conrad Burns has voted to lower taxes; Bob Keenan has a record of voting" to increase taxes, Jason Klindt said.
Let the games begin!
Posted at 06:21 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Friday, March 17, 2006
MT-Sen: All Hell About to Break Loose?
Posted by DavidNYCWow. This whole race might be on the verge of getting a lot more interesting. The top Republican in the MT state Senate, Bob Keenan, says he's mulling a challenge to Conrad Burns in the primary. Keenan can't run again because of term limits, and he said he won't seek a state House seat as an alternative. When a prominent Republican considers challenging a sitting senator of his own party in a primary, that means said senator is even weaker than you might have imagined.
But things may actually be even crazier still, if you can believe it. Matt Singer noticed this unusual detail:
Speaking of Burns’ race, does anyone find it odd that Rehberg still hasn’t filed for the House seat? With Burns’ seat in a free-for-all and both Max and Brian looking solid for ‘08, Rehberg just may decide that it’s time to cash in his chips. Given that the D.C. establishment reportedly doesn’t want Burns in this race and that they are likely to pick Dennis the Menace over Bob Keenan, it looks like Montana’s Congressman may be weighing the merits of picking a fight with the man he got into office.
Interesting catch indeed. I doubt that anyone is this clever, but maybe this is just a brilliant ploy by Keenan - goad Rehberg into challenging Burns, and then run for Rehberg's seat. Regardless, if Rehberg jumps in against Burns, then we'd really wind up with a sweet deal: Burnsie staying in, Burnsie getting wounded in a primary - or even losing, and an open seat in MT-AL to boot. We might just hit the trifecta!
Posted at 01:25 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Dropout News Roundup
Posted by DavidNYCThere are two media events going on today in races swirling with confusion. One is taking place as we speak: Elton Gallegly is conducting a press conference right here in DC. We should hopefully get press reports back soon.
The other takes place at 9 o'clock tonight, when Kathy Harris seeks the warm, lickspittle embrace of Sean Hannity to announce her future plans. The rumour du jour is that she will resign from the House to focus only on her Senate race. Personally, I wonder why more people don't do this - after all, it's not like she gets to keep her House seat if she loses the Senate race. But doing so might also require a special election (something I haven't looked into yet).
In other dropout-related news, Markos points to this short note at the Hotline blog which says that Conrad Burns just hired a political director - not the sort of move someone on the verge of dropping out tends to make.
UPDATE: Gallegly will indeed run again. I still say he bails shortly after winning, forcing a special election. We should be ready for that eventuality. What Dems in the area might make strong candidates?
UPDATE: Harris is staying in, too. Haven't heard anything about her resigning from the House, though.
Posted at 04:20 PM in 2006 Elections - House, 2006 Elections - Senate, California, Florida, Montana | Comments (11) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Monday, February 13, 2006
MT-Sen: Poll Has Morrison Leading, Tester Tied with Burns
Posted by DavidNYCA new poll from Rasmussen (likely voters, Jan. in parens):
Tester: 46 (45)
Burns: 46 (45)Morrison: 50 (43)
Burns 43 (46)
(MoE: ±4.5%)
Two strong months in a row for both Dems, with Morrison picking up some more steam recently. Bottom line is that either man could beat Burns. (It wasn't too long ago when things looked like this.) Of course, I'm not saying this is any kind of foregone conclusion - Burns has a lot of money, and much of the year remains. All I'm saying is that both Tester and Morrison could beat him.
The issue, really, is who wins the primary. Right now, Morrison is probably the favorite, by virtue of his higher name rec and better fundraising. We still haven't seen any independent polls on the primary, though. (I don't understand why Rasmussen can't tack that question on to his survey.)
As everyone who reads this site well knows, I'm supporting Tester. But I'll get behind whoever wins the Dem nomination. I mention this because supporters of both candidates need to be considerate of the other side - if Tester wins, he'll need to cultivate Morrison supporters and vice-versa. We're all on the same team here - let's not lose sight of that.
Posted at 02:35 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
MT-Sen: Morrison Swamps Tester, Burns Way Ahead of Both
Posted by DavidNYCBad news, Tester fans:
Tester 4Q Fundraising: $89K
Morrison 4Q Fundraising: $407K
Burns 4Q Fundraising: $814KTester Cash-on-Hand: $167K
Morrison Cash-on-Hand: $753K
Burns Cash-on-Hand: $3.4M
Morrison raised almost 5x as much as Tester, and Burns almost 10x as much. Tester really has got to turn things around, and soon. You can help him by going here.
P.S. Markos rounds up fundraising numbers from a whole bunch of top-tier Senate races. The numbers don't look great for us.
Posted at 03:19 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | Comments (12) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
MT-Sen: Tester Tied with Burns, Morrison Close
Posted by DavidNYCFrom Rasmussen (likely voters, Sept. in parens):
Tester: 45 (38)
Burns: 45 (51)Morrison: 43 (39)
Burns: 46 (51)
(MoE: ±4.5%)
That's a lot of movement, and fantastic news for our side. Burns' cash advantage no longer seems to be helping him, and I can only conclude that the harsh negative fallout from his entanglements with Abramoff is hurting him. Just the other day, Burns had to embarassingly insist that he wasn't going to drop out of the race. He sounded a lot like Janeane Pirro to me - in other words, I wasn't buying his shtick that he was stickin'.
Burns clearly should bail - just think of how much more money he could make (and how many fewer constituents he'd have to worry about) if he took a sweet lobbying job. Doesn't he want to be comfortable in his retirement, and take care of his kids and grandkids? The issue, though, is of course whether he will retire. And here's the thing: If the GOP can't pull a Torricelli on Santorum - hell, if they can't even pull a Gillooly on Katherine Harris - then I don't see how Burns can be pushed aside. The Republican Party is leaderless at the top - Frist is crippled, Liddy Dole is incompetent. I think GOP Senate candidates are just gonna do their own thing from now until November.
Anyhow, as I say, this poll is tremendous for our side, and especially for Tester - Morrison supporters have often said he won't have enough money to compete, but that's clearly not hurting him. I'd love to see an independent poll of the primary matchup, but for now, why not send some coin Tester's way? In the eyes of the traditional media, this poll officially marks this race as a top-tier pickup opportunity, and Tester deserves our help.
Posted at 01:02 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | Comments (10) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Friday, December 30, 2005
MT-Sen: Schweitzer on Tester: "Best Senate Prez Ever"
Posted by DavidNYCA little bit of feel-good as we wrap up the year. MT Gov. Brian Schweitzer declares Jon Tester "the greatest President of the Senate in the history of Montana" at a meeting on educational spending. Political puffery? Sure. But Schweitzer didn't have to say anything about Tester at all, so I'll take it. Enjoy the video clip here.
If I don't post any more until after Jan. 1, have a Happy New Year!
Posted at 02:21 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Monday, December 26, 2005
MT-Sen: As Dem Name Rec Moves Up, Burns Slips
Posted by DavidNYCAh, joy! I love it when independent outfits poll my favorites races. Today, we've got a poll on MT-Sen from Mason-Dixon, and it's good news for Dems ("active" voters, May in parens):
Morrison (D): 40 (34)
Burns (R): 46 (49)
Undecided: 14 (17)Tester (D): 35 (26)
Burns (R): 49 (50)
Undecided: 16 (24)
(MoE: ±4%)
Morrison went from -15 to -6; Tester went from -24 to -14. That's some definite slippage for Burns. Here's the interesting thing: Since the last poll way back in May, Morrison's DK moved down five points, and his total in the head-to-head moved up six. Meanwhile, Tester's DK moved down nine points and his head-to-head score moved up nine. Pretty tight correlation indeed.
If there's any causation (and surely there must be some), then both Dems are in good shape heading into 2006, but especially Tester. Why? His DKs are twice Morrison's - 52% vs. 26%. In other words, Tester has a lot of room to grow. He pulls 35% in a head-to-head with Burns while Morrison gets just 5% more than that, despite being far more well-known.
But obviously, Jon Tester needs help to make that happen - it's never automatic. I know that this is a tough time of year to do fundraising, and that many people have probably already spent plenty of money on gift-giving and charitable giving. But if you do have some scratch left over and are looking for a worthy cause, I strongly encourage you to give to Jon Tester. (Act Blue appears to be down right now, but you can use this link instead if it revives later.) The trendlines of this poll are a solid reason to get behind him.
Posted at 01:42 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Friday, December 16, 2005
MT-Sen: Burns to Return Money, Missoulian Says "Don't Run Again"
Posted by DavidNYCScore one for the Hotline blog. From the Helena Independent Record:
U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., will return the estimated $150,000 in campaign donations he has received from indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, his co-workers and tribal clients.
Nevermind the absurd turnabout from just two days ago:
"There's nothing to return, the money has been spent," [Burns spokesman James] Pendleton said.
Of course it was there to return - Burns had over $700K cash-on-hand. That's gotta sting! But even worse for old man Burns is this editorial from the Missoulian:
Montanans in general and the GOP in particular will be best served if he doesn't run for a fourth term and, instead, orchestrates a dignified passing of the baton.
Of course, if Burns does decided not to run again, that would probably make life more difficult for Democrats, since the MT GOP can probably find a stronger (or at least, not as ethically compromised) candidate. However, what this kind of talk does in the short term is make it harder and harder for Burns to raise money. If the media starts to fret that Burns is not a viable candidate, it might wind up becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Posted at 12:00 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Thursday, December 15, 2005
MT-Sen: If Burnsie Retires...
Posted by DavidNYCFirst, Hotline speculated that Connie Burnsie might be holding on to his Abramoff-tainted cash because he's going to step down. I didn't think that theory made much sense - sure, ol' Conrad could find some way to launder his cash-on-hand for his own personal use, but $130Gs seems like chump change for a guy who would make tons more as a lobbyist.
Now, Hotline claims he's gonna give the money back. I'll be watching that one closely to see just how good Hotline's sources are.
But back to the general idea of Burns retiring. I don't see that as being outside the realm of possibility at all - especially if prosecutors' guns wind up trained on him. And after all, he's about to turn 71. So what happens if he bails? You're gonna like this:
13-25-202. Vacancy in office of United States senator.(1) If a vacancy occurs in the office of United States senator, an election to fill the vacancy shall be held at the next general election. If the election is invalid or not held at that time, the election to fill the vacancy shall be held at the next succeeding general election.
(2) The governor may make a temporary appointment to fill the vacancy until the election.
As is the practice in many if not most states, the governor - in this case Democrat Brian Schweitzer - gets to appoint a replacement. Now that sure would be interesting. Whom would he pick? Would he tap Jon Tester or John Morrison, the two top candidates already running to replace Burns? Does anyone know what kind of relationship he has with either man? Or would Schweitzer seek to avoid controversy and name a "caretaker" for the duration? What are your thoughts?
Posted at 09:34 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Friday, December 02, 2005
MT-Sen: Which Is It, Connie?
Posted by DavidNYCConnie Burns (R-The Simpsons) is increasingly under fire for his involvement with the Abramoff web of scandals. His defense now is one we've commonly seen in the post-Enron era: I was asleep at the switch. Just one little problem with trying to make that claim:
"Senator Burns is not hands-on in the donations to his campaign; he doesn't know about them until he sees the quarterly reports.'' - J.P. Pendleton, Burns spokesman. [Bloomberg News, 12/2/05]Burns sent an extensive solicitation recently asking supporters to max out in their contributions to him before the next reporting period, which closes March 31. "By sending your $10,000 political action committee check or your $4,000 individual check today, you help discourage challengers, making the difference between playing defense and playing offense," he wrote. [Roll Call, 3/10/05]
Yet another captain trying to disclaim responsibility for his ship - but in this case, the record plainly indicates otherwise. Why am I not surprised?
Posted at 03:00 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Monday, November 21, 2005
MT-Sen: State Dems Target Burns on Corruption
Posted by DavidNYCFirst, I'm glad to see the Montana Democratic Party is once again opening fire on kleptocrat Conrad Burns on the airwaves. And second, I'm delighted that they are once again making corruption Issue #1. Oh, and they zing him for his retrograde sexist remarks, too. The script of the ad, via Hotline On Call:
"Almost 200,000 women work in Montana. But local newspapers report that Senator Burns told a working mother concerned about losing her job to outsourcing that she could just stay home with the kids.""Burns doesn't get that staying at home won't pay the bills."
"And what is Burns up to?"
"He's taken thousands from Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff, now indicted for fraud and conspiracy."
"Tell Burns to work for Montana's working families, not indicted lobbyists."
"The Montana Democratic Party is responsible for the content of this ad."
This is the second round of ads to hammer Burns on his Abramoff connection. I hope the MT Dems keep it up. And if anyone has a link to an actual video of this ad, it'd be great if you could post it in comments.
Posted at 06:18 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Bush's Pathetic Approval in Montana
Posted by DavidNYCGeorge W. Bush carried Montana last year by over 20%. A different day, a different story. Today, his approval rating there stands at a mere 42-51 according to a new poll by Montana State University-Billings. Watch him crater, year-by-year:
| Year | Approve | Disapprove |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 87 | 10 |
| 2002 | 70 | 26 |
| 2003 | 59 | 34 |
| 2004 | 56 | 38 |
| 2005 | 42 | 51 |
One other finding stands out in the most recent poll. Support for the war in Iraq is at 46% now, down from 53% a year ago. This dovetails nicely with Jon Tester's call (noted below) for a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. It sounds like something most Montanans would support - and it's the right thing to do.
Posted at 04:22 PM in Montana | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
MT-Sen: Tester Calls for a "Clear Exit Strategy" for Iraq
Posted by DavidNYCNo time to waste in turning to the 2006 elections. An important statement from Jon Tester via a campaign e-mail:
Put simply, the time has come for us to put in place a clear exit strategy to bring our troops home from Iraq.This plan is necessary for a number of reasons. The heavy reliance on National Guard and Reserve units has depleted the ranks of our first responders here at home. We simply can’t have that.
Second, the costs and resources needed to pursue the war in Iraq have distracted us from our missions in Afghanistan-- and from the larger war on terror. We need to recommit resources to these important struggles—and we need to bring Osama bin Laden to justice.
Finally, the latest polling in Iraq tells us that the Iraqis want to step up and take responsibility for their own future. Until we make it clear that we believe they can accept that responsibility, the insurgents will spin the worst lies about American troops. A clear exit strategy and timeline establishes America’s faith in Iraq and will be the surest blow we can strike against the insurgents.
No kidding. I personally think that if all (or even most) Democrats across the land were to sign on to this issue - whether you call it an exit strategy, a timetable for withdrawal, what have you - it would be a powerful way to nationalize the 2006 elections. If you couple that with relentless hammering on the Republican culture of corruption, you've got national issues on both the domestic and the foreign fronts. They even intersect at a crucial juncture (see Libby, Irving Lewis "Scooter").
I'm glad to see that Tester has seen the wisdom of this, and is making his voice heard on the subject. If a candidate from a conservative district in a red state can start talking about this, then I surely hope other Dems elsewhere can follow soon.
Posted at 12:11 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Saturday, October 29, 2005
MT-Sen: Conrad Burns Declares Bush's Record 'Isn't That Bad'
Posted by Bob BrighamThe Montana Senate race is going to be a great race for the netroots to follow. Conrad Burns has the most exposure of any senator in the Jack Abramoff scandals. Montana is a red state with a vulnerable three-term incumbent. Even Karl Rove is worried about this race amidst all of his other problems.
That, and we have an inspiring challenger in Jon Tester (who is on the Swing State Project Actblue page).
Today, the Montana press headlined, Burns facing tough re-election bid which included the type of quote you don't expect from a GOP Senator:
"The president is having his problems but that could straighten out," Burns said, adding that Bush's record "isn't that bad."
Not that bad, eh? Remember, this is a state where Bush enjoys an approval rating 11% pts. better than the national average -- yet a three term incumbent who has already raised 80% of what he need in 2000 is still running scared from Bush. And Burns sounds worried, here is the story's lede:
In the staid halls of the U.S. Senate, Montana Republican Conrad Burns is known for his booming voice and his cheery, back-slapping confidence. But when it comes to talking about his upcoming bid for re-election, his demeanor turns more serious.
Burns' is up to his cowboy hat in Jack Abramoff's scandals, so he should be worried about coming off as cocky because of how much money he has in the bank:
Democrats plan to make up for their financial disadvantage by leveling ethics charges at Burns. Strategists have already signaled that they plan to exploit Burns' ties to GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who has been indicted on fraud charges.The Montana Democratic Party aired a television ad in August that criticized Burns for what it said was his vote to give one of the nation's wealthiest American Indian tribes $3 million from a federal program intended for cash-strapped tribal schools.
Abramoff was a lobbyist for the Michigan tribe, and also donated to Burns' political action committee along with some of his associates. Abramoff is now under a wide-ranging investigation, accused of bilking his Indian clients.
The Democratic ad said the financial arrangements add up to an "improper relationship" between Burns, chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that wrote the bill, and Abramoff.
Sketchy. Here's another great quote from Burns, not as good as his defense of Bush, but still desperate:
"I'm here and they're not," he said, sitting in his Senate office. "I've got the seniority and they don't. And I'm in the majority and they're not."
My response: Not for long, give Tester time, not for long.
Speaking of which, it is Tester Time.
Posted at 12:38 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Culture of Corruption, Montana, Scandals | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Thursday, October 27, 2005
MT-Sen: So Much for Seniority
Posted by DavidNYCOne argument often made on behalf of incumbents is that their "seniority" is somehow important - that presumably, it allows them greater leverage to get legislation important to their constituents passed. (This is considered so important that federal courts even permit it as a justification in re-districting to protect incumbents.) I happen to think it's bullcrap as often as not - there are a lot of factors that go into whether certain legislation gets passed, and pure seniority is just one of them.
So why am I bringing this up? One issue of important to many Americans - and to a lot of Montanans in particular - is "coutry-of-origin labelling," aka "COOL." It's a simple (and inexpensive) idea which says that all farm products should carry information identifying where they are from. And this law was actually passed at the federal level in 2002. But its implementation has been delayed, thanks to Congressional Republicans.
And guess who's been whining about it loudest lately? Why, our dear friend Connie Burns - a Congressional Republican! Burnsie is in his third term - he oughta be way senior by now, right? Well, then, why the hell hasn't he convinced his colleagues to finally authorize COOL? How pathetic is that? But wait - it gets better (or worse, depending upon your perspective).
While Connie Burns has been proving his utter ineffectiveness on Capitol Hill, Jon Tester, as President of the MT State Senate and working with Gov. Brian Schweitzer, got a state-level COOL bill passed earlier this year - and was heartily thanked by Montana's cattlemen. I guess the farmer and the cow-man can be friends, after all!
Burnsie, you have a year to get this legislation fully enacted. All of Montana - and your friends throughout the country - are watching. Your failure thus far is proof that your claims to seniority are worthless. If you can't get this done by election day, it'll just be one more nail in your electoral coffin.
(Hat tip to a Tester campaign e-mail.)
Posted at 09:11 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
MT-Sen: John Morrison Condones Corruption
Posted by Bob BrighamA couple of weeks ago, the blogs were in an uproar about Montana Senator Max Baucus (D-MT?) feeding from the GOP Culture of Corruption by taking dirty money from the Leo Giacometto. Giacometto has a reputation as being the most crooked hack around and he's one of the key guys in the death of Republican Rep. Paul Sliter. Kos said:
Corruption is corruption, no matter where it takes place, no matter which party engages in it. [...]Keep that shit on their side of the aisle. It's hard to talk "culture of corruption" when our own side starts fraternizing with their sleaziest characters.
Considering the widespread condemnation of such a crooked act, you would think that Montana politicians wouldn't make the same mistake. But not DLC poster boy John Morrison. Instead of standing up for ethics, Morrison's response was to applaud the effort:
State Auditor John Morrison, who is running against state Senate President Jon Tester in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, said he thought it was “great that Max is doing a NASCAR event.’’“Every successful Democrat in Montana gets the support of some Republicans,’’ he said.
Should Morrison prevail in the primary, he will go head-to-head against Giacometto’s former boss Burns.
WTF? This isn't support from a Republican, this is taking dirty money from the most crooked Republican operative to ever set foot in the state of Montana.
Either Morrison has no fucking clue about Montana politics, or he decided to use the newspapers to put a giant FOR SALE sign up next to his name.
Morrison might be a pathetic candidate, but he's no idiot. John Morrison sent a clear signal to every single special interest that he is their guy. If he'll take money from the worst, he'll take it from them all. Meanwhile, Montanans will take it in another place.
John Morrison is a disgrace to the Democratic Party -- either that or he's a complete idiot.
Posted at 10:24 PM in Montana | Comments (14) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
MT-Sen: Burns is a Repeat Offender
Posted by DavidNYCAs the post below indicates, this isn't the first time Conrad Burns has seriously put his foot in his mouth, revealing the deeply offensive thoughts that lurk within his skull. The DSCC has done all the work of rounding up Burnsie's previous greatest hits:
Burns Refers To Arabs As “Ragheads.” During a 1999 speech to Montana constituents about U.S. dependence on foreign oil, Burns referred to Arabs as "ragheads." The term is a derisive reference to the gutra, the head cloth traditionally worn by Arab men. [Washington Post, 3/12/99]Woman Said Her Nose Ring Prompted “Tribal” Remark By Burns. In March 2000, Angela Warren of Billings said she was offended by a comment Burns made when he visited her office and noticed she wore a nose ring. "What is that thing in your nose? What tribe are you from?" she recalled Burns saying. "It's a nose ring, and I am obviously not from a tribe," Warren said she replied. [Associated Press, 3/2/00]
Burns: “Hell of a Challenge” to Live With Minorities. In 1994, a Washington Post editorial noted that Burns recounted an incident when a rancher asked him, “Conrad, how can you live back there [in Washington] with all those niggers?” Burns reportedly “told the rancher that it was ‘a hell of a challenge.’” The Post then noted that “After protests erupted in the state following publication of his remarks, the senator apologized.” [Washington Post, editorial “Conrad Burns Tells a Story,” 10/26/94]
Burns Said He Was Going To An Auction of Slaves After Voting On Civil Rights Bill. In 1991, Burns “startled lobbyists outside the Senate chamber” following passage of a civil rights bill by saying he was going to an auction of “slaves.” A Burns spokesman attempted to clarify the statement saying the senator was referring to a charity event known as a “slave auction.” [Associated Press, 11/13/91]
Burns Joins Santorum: Santorum Mocked Women Who Seek Careers. In his book, It Takes a Family, Santorum suggests that women seek careers are looking for a false sense of accomplishment. "The radical feminists succeeded in undermining the traditional family and convincing women that professional accomplishments are the key to happiness.” [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 7/6/05]
Better start lining up that lobbying gig soon, Connie.
UPDATE: (Bob): In addition to Burns being a complete asshole, his remarks have real world consequences. After his "ragheads" comment, Pakistan cancelled a huge U.S. wheat shipment and placed an order with Australia instead. Montana farmers really appreciated Burns' blunder.
Posted at 03:33 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
MT-Sen: Connie Burns a Retrograde Sexist
Posted by DavidNYCMan, I am just having too much fun today - fun in the nerdy political junkie blogger sense. Conrad Burns (best known for being a cousin of klepto-plutocrat C. Montogomery Burns) has taken a page from the Rick Santorum playbook in his latest attempt at voter outreach. Just read and enjoy watching a sitting senator shoot himself in the foot so badly:
Sen. Conrad Burns' off-the-cuff remarks have gotten him in trouble in the past.He once called Arabs "rag heads," later apologizing for the comment. Another time, the Montana Republican commented on how challenging it is to live with so many blacks in Washington.
Now, two Northwest Airlines flight attendants say Burns offended them recently when he told one of the women she could stay at home and be a mother if she lost her job to outsourcing.
"He's still living in the '50s," said Karen McElvaney, who is raising two young children in Atlanta while working for Northwest. "If I could stay home, I certainly would love to stay with my kids."
Burns, who is up for re-election next year, said Tuesday morning he did not recall the conversation. He later said through a spokesman that he remembered speaking to the flight attendants but never told one she could stay home with her children.
McElvaney said she approached the lawmaker with her concerns about outsourcing during a Sept. 25 flight from Great Falls to Minneapolis. When McElvaney asked what she would do if she lost her job, Burns replied she could stay home and be a mother, she said.
McElvaney did not reply.
But Kari Johnke-Henzler, a flight attendant from Minneapolis, who listened to the exchange, said she told Burns what both she and McElvaney were thinking: "I am a mother. However, I need to support my family."
The two women, both longtime Northwest employees, said many families can no longer rely solely on a husband's income.
McElvaney repeated the story to another Northwest flight attendant, Jaime Drain, who has a penchant for writing letters to public officials.
"Before you sit in judgment and make such ignorant statements, you really should stop and remember that we don't all live in a Leave it to Beaver world," Drain wrote in a Sept. 28 letter to Burns. "Perhaps it's time for you, Senator Burns, to retire and stay home since it's obvious to me that you have absolutely no concept of what it's like to be a middle-class average working American living in the modern world."
Damn straight, Ms. Drain. Connie can go hang out with Wally, June and the Beave. The rest of us living in the real world can help boot him out of office.
Posted at 01:04 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
MT-AL: Erik Iverson Embarrasses Congressman Dennis Rehberg
Posted by Bob BrighamRepresentative Denny Rehberg, who represents Montana's lone congressional seat is having some serious staffing issues. In a move that is sure to further erode Congressman Rehberg's limited respect from both Republican and Democrats, Rehberg's Chief of Staff is getting a great deal of attention for overshadowing his boss. Now that this is becoming gossip across Montana, it will be interesting to see how long Rehberg waits before getting rid of Erik Iverson:
STEALING THE STAGE
Iverson, Rehberg’s protégé and top advisor, has been tromping around the state under the guise of representing his boss at official events. But to many observers, Iverson is positioning himself to run for high office, even the U.S. Congress.
And then there are Iverson’s countless on-record newspaper antics. In politics, there’s a code Iverson breaks often that says “thou shall not overshadow the boss.” He clearly doesn’t care. Beyond that, the art of subtlety is lost on Mr. Mini Me. [...]
At a Hi-Line event to promote Amtrak last spring, Iverson gave a speech that reportedly left the audience scratching their heads. “I couldn’t tell who the Congressman was,” one observer said. “His whole speech was me, me, me (Mini Me). He barely mentioned Rehberg.” Ouch.
And at the kick off ceremony for the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial in Fort Benton, Iverson was “giving his own campaign speech, no two ways about it,” said another witness.
Congressional Rehberg is a remarkably unremarkable politician best know for living on his capitol hill office couch. The excesses of Erik Iverson provide further reinforcement of the fact his boss is an easily overshadowed lightweight.
Hat tip to Left in the West
Posted at 04:40 PM in Montana | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Friday, October 14, 2005
MT-Sen: Tester Hauls in $324K
Posted by DavidNYCOur man Jon Tester just announced his third-quarter numbers via e-mail, and he did well, raking in $324,000. Some 2,580 people contributed to the campaign, including the awesome readers of this blog. (Jon even took the time to thank us with a phone call. Total class act, not that there was any doubt.) Three quarters of Tester's contributors are from Montana, which is nice to see.
I'm also hearing that Tester materially outperformed his main opponent for the Dem nomination, John Morrison. That would sure as hell be interesting. The National Journal's Chuck Todd took a few unfair shots at Jon Tester recently, based largely on the fact that Jon taught bass to Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament and the two are still friends. Todd thereby concluded that Morrison is the better candidate. Two days ago, Todd retreated somewhat, reducing his preference for Morrison to the following calculus (sub. only):
We're going to stick with our philosophy on Senate races and assume the guy with the most money is the best answer.
So if money - and not friendships with popular musicians - is what matters, and if Tester's better at raising more of it, is Chuck Todd gonna switch horses? I await his answer.
Posted at 08:22 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | Comments (19) | TrackBack (1) | Technorati
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
MT-Sen: Max Baucus Joins Culture of Corruption
Posted by Bob BrighamThe new Hotline On Call (subscription free) yesterday exposed Montana Senator Max Baucus (D?) for his ties to Leo Giacometto. For those unfamiliar with Montana politics, Giacometto has a reputation as being the most crooked hack around -- no matter where in the country he goes. We aren't just talking typical pay-to-play corruption, we're talking one of the key guys in the death of Republican Rep. Paul Sliter. Yet Democrat Max Baucus is now entangled in Giacometto's culture of corruption.
Montana blogger Matt Singer is widely respected because he talks truth to power and refuses to give free passes to Democrats when their actions deserve to be criticized. So go check out Left in the West, Singer justifiably takes his Senator to the woodshed.
UPDATE: (Bob) On the most popular Democratic blog (average of more than 750,000 readers a day), the word is:
Corruption is corruption, no matter where it takes place, no matter which party engages in it. [...]Keep that shit on their side of the aisle. It's hard to talk "culture of corruption" when our own side starts fraternizing with their sleaziest characters.
Posted at 01:08 PM in Culture of Corruption, Montana, Scandals | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Friday, October 07, 2005
MT-Sen: Conrad Burns Denies Being Corrupt
Posted by Bob BrighamMontana Senator Conrad Burns is a key figure in multiple investigations (FBI, Justice Department, and the Interior Department Inspector General), the scandals are hurting his re-election chances, and even Karl Rove is worried.
Burns first ran a campaign against Washington politicians, vowing to only serve to terms so he wouldn't become corrupted by Washington politics. But Burns loved Washington politics so he broke his word to the voters and ran for a third term. Now, even though his is up to his cowboy hat in corruption, he is running for his fourth term. And it is playing out in the Montana newspapers.
Today, Conrad Burns had an op-ed distancing himself from his close ties to indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and playing himself off as a victim. He even goes so far as to say:
They have declared me guilty of ethics violations. Absolutely not true. I am not under any investigation, nor have I been.
That is the type of spin you would expect from somebody who has been in DC for too long. As a Swing State Project reader notes in an email:
The Senate Ethics Committee was asked to investigate these claims by Montana Democratic Party Chairman Bob Ream. The Ethics Committee does not comment on ongoing investigation, therefore Sen. Burns cannot honestly say that he knows he is not under investigation. However, this is what we do know:
• The Senate Gifts Rule restricts gifts from lobbyists. Members, officers, and employees of the Senate may not accept “gifts of personal hospitality” from registered lobbyists. Jack Abramoff was a registered lobbyist. As a result, neither Sen. Burns nor any member of his staff was permitted to accept reimbursement for travel expenses from Mr. Abramoff. [Senate Ethics Manual, ch.2, p. 43]
• Members and staff of the Senate are only permitted to accept reimbursement for officially related travel. “Reimbursement for necessary expenses for events which are substantially recreational in nature, however, is not considered to be ‘in connection with the duties of a Member, officer or employee . . . and will not be allowed.’” As examples of travel that may not be accepted, the Senate Ethics Manual includes “charity golf, tennis, fishing, or ski tournaments.” It is extremely difficult to believe that a trip to the Super Bowl with a side trip to a gambling ship wouldn’t fall into the same category. [Rule 35, Senate Ethics Manual, p. 44.]
Burns can play himself off as the victim, but Montanans know Senator Burns is crooked. Montana voters are the victims, the taxpayers are the victim, good government is the victim. Burns is so out of touch, you would think he has been in DC for 17 years. Wait, he has. And during that time, he has become exactly what he campaigned against when he first ran in 1988.
Posted at 12:40 PM in 2006 Elections, 2006 Elections - Senate, Culture of Corruption, Montana, Republicans, Scandals | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Thursday, October 06, 2005
MT-AL: Dennis Rehberg Keeping Tainted Money
Posted by Bob BrighamMontana's lone Congressman Denny Rehberg is taking heat in the local papers for refusing to give back corrupt money. Rep. Rehberg is so out of touch with Montana values he doesn't even seem to have a sense of shame about the devil's money he received for his role in the GOP Culture of Corruption. David Sirota says:
It isn't surprising that Rehberg refuses to give back the tainted money from his indicted leader. As Montana Democratic Party executive director Jim Farrell notes, "It's a lot of money, and it's a lot of money in Montana" - meaning Rehberg is going to do everything he can to hold onto it, no matter how dirty it is.But what is surprising is that Rehberg doesn't even see why he might CONSIDER giving it back in the first place. As Rehberg's chief of staff said, "There is absolutely no reason for him to return the money."
No reason? No reason? A Texas grand jury INDICTED DeLay for his use of PAC money - isn't that reason enough? The answer is yes, at least for some Republicans who have a sense of shame. As the Tribune notes, "at least two Republican House members — Reps. Jeb Bradley of New Hampshire and Heather Wilson of New Mexico — have decided to return campaign contributions received from DeLay's [PAC]." So has Republican Rep. Kenny Hulshof (R-MO) - he gave DeLay's dirty money to charity.
Rehberg's refusal to objectively evaluate the world around him - and realize that pocketing money from someone under indictment is wrong - proves that the GOP is ever more out of touch with reality, only interested in protecting their own corrupt fiefdom in Washington. If other Republicans behave like this, we really could see a Democratic tidal wave in 2006.
Indeed. Take a minute to vote in the Great Falls Tribune poll on the matter.
Rehberg is being challenged by Monica Lindeen.
Use the comments to report other instances where crooked politicians are keep Tom DeLay's dirty money.
Posted at 03:11 PM in Montana | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
MT-Sen: Reid Billboard in Helena
Posted by Bob BrighamThe Montana Senate racing is receiving a great deal of attention from Democratic Party leaders. Former Montana Democratic Party Chair Bob Ream endorsed Jon Tester, saying, "he is the only Democrat who can beat Conrad Burns."
As the Swing State Project reported last week, Senator Harry Reid's new PAC is also getting involved in Montana.
HELENA - New billboards went up in Helena, Phoenix and Albuquerque, N.M., touting a new Web site by U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid that he said will provide Americans with tools to fight for Democratic control of the Senate next year.The Nevada senator's campaign account paid for the three billboards to promote his Web site, www.giveemhellharry.com. The Helena billboard is on the corner of Montana Avenue and Poplar Street.
In a telephone conference, Reid called on Americans to join him to tell the nation's largest oil companies that gas prices are outrageous. Oil executives refused to testify before the Democratic Policy Committee last week on rising oil prices, he said.
The Democratic Western Strategy is coming together...
"I want to do whatever I can to reach out to people in rural America to let them know Democrats care about them," Reid said.The national Democratic Party has believed if the party can win the votes in the big cities around the country, it will win the presidency and control of Congress. Although that theory worked well for years, it no longer does, he said.
"We should own rural America," Reid said. "We're the ones who have saved the family farms. Republicans are doing everything they can to help the bankers."
Democrats pushed for the Medicare changes that saved rural hospitals and saved Social Security from "the Bush onslaught," the Senate Democratic leaders said.
Posted at 02:29 PM in 2006 Elections - Senate, Montana | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0) | Technorati
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
MT-Sen: Bob Ream Endorses Jon Tester
Posted by Bob BrighamIn a major sign of momentum for Montana Senate President Jon Tester