Montana's Congressman has a John Boehner problem -- two members of his Republican majority on the subcommittee he chairs think his budget is too big, presumably because it doesn't condemn all orphans to starvation or something. This presumably explains why Dennis has repeatedly cancelled his bill's markup. He doesn't have the votes to get something passed.
In other words, Congressman Rehberg hasn't been doing his job because he didn't do his job (assembling the votes needed to pass the budget).
But here's the other likely explanation: in a Republican Congress where everyone is scared of the Tea Party, Rehberg is keeping his profile low on a fight between the establishment and the Tea Party. The last thing he needs right now is a Tea Party challenger in his primary for bucking the Paul Ryan kill-Medicare budget. But he also can't tow the Paul Ryan kill-Medicare budget line without sinking his chances in the general.
So far--this gambit has largely avoided media coverage. We'll see if that changes in the near future.
"If you're only talking to people you agree with, politics will always disappoint you."
At work, at home, at any point, I am a process guy. Matt Singer and those devoted to voter rights are process folk. That is what it is all about. That is what Obama is devoted to.
Huge hat tip to the most excellent RumpRoast Blog. Here's what we're facing, my friends. We can have political discussions high brow, low brow or no brow. We can focus on candidates or issues or attempt to do both. But ultimately the nemesis to whatever we desire is captured right here in video.
Notice please, this guy isn't an idiot. He's probably very intelligent, just drunk off his ass. I guarantee you, however, that he believed the same BS about the Constitution and Ron Paul upon waking in the new Gallatin County Detention Center that he was hurling at the deputies that night. This guy represents a bunch of folk who have a belly-full of self-interest. They don't care about the issues that the emo-progs so focus on. They don't have any respect for the law that prag-progs such as myself hold dear. They believe in self-interest first and only. They often have money and they vote. This is the portrait of the enemy, folks. 2012 will not be an election about Ron Paul. It will be an election carried by those who think themselves better than you, if you don't see them as the threat that they are.
John Hancock will forever be remembered in this nation for his ostentatious signature appearing on the Declaration of Independence. He isn't hailed for being a revolutionary, a 'founding father' or celebrated for his role as President of the Continental Congress. He is known for penning his name, first and largest, to the document which told of our treason against the English crown. It is apocryphally noted that he then cajoled the rest of the Continental Congress to sign the document, lest he hang alone. The 'John Hancock' has and will remain the symbol for agreement with a cause, a belief or a contract.
Montana needs your 'John Hancock' right now. In fact, it's needed 3 times. D. Gregory Smith presents us an opportunity to help those in need, if only we will sign a petition to sway the will of those who can help the ones who need drugs to stay alive. AIDS cannot be cured (yet) but it can be controlled by medication ... if one can afford it. Many need help to do so. Signing your name might just continue that help, so do it. Sign the petition here.
Montanans overwhelmingly voted to support the use of medical marijuana to aid those in pain and in need. Our legislature of 2011 apparently thought we were joking about that. So they passed a "reform" bill which is nothing of the sort. It allows people to grow marijuana at their own expense and risk, to give it to those who need it, but not too many. That's not reform; it's stupidity. It is repeal of the voters's will. If you need more clarity on the issue, then visit Montanafesto. We have a chance to let the Montana legislature know that we are in charge of our beliefs, not them. You can do that by signing your John Hancock to the petition for IR-124, as offered by Patients for Reform, not Repeal. Time is short, and all they need is a signature. Look for a petitioner near you!
Finally, the Montana legislature decided that it was a good idea to give Canadian power interests control over our private property. IR-125 places the proposition on the ballot, as opposed to leaving it to our 'betters'. Corporations shouldn't have the right of eminent domain over the private lands of Montanans. So, find a signature gatherer, or print the petition off and gather 10 signatures yourself. All that is really needed is your John Hancock, and you won't committing treason by signing.
I don't disagree with Pogie on very much at all. Yet, today I find myself in that very unenviable position.
Jenna Cederberg of the Missoulian penned an article about the newest darling of the Montana online right, Treasure State Politics. (Sorry, Andy.) Pogie posted on the Twitter that he was uncomfortable with the fact that Jenna did not also mention, promote or show the opposition to TSP being the liberal Montana Missoula blogs, most notably 4 & 20.
Pogie tweets:
Just wondering if the @missoulian has ever written a feature about its good local blog?
The "good" is questionable, but obviously the Missoulian did write a feature about a local blog.
Pogie continues:
@jennacederberg Confused about your story today about TSP. Seems odd not to mention a single liberal Missoula blog in the piece.
Why? The opposition to TSP is not in Missoula. It's made very clear in the article that TSP stands in opposition to the Montana Cowgirl Blog. Only in the FOX-newsian sense would it make any difference to set a false opposition between TSP and 4 & 20 Blackbirds, or other Missoula blog.
When Jenna asked if Pogie was confused or disappointed, Pogie's response was:
@jennacederberg Maybe I'll settle on surprised. :) 4and20 blackbirds, which is also local to MSO, has so much more traffic and influence.
The traffic part remains open to question, and completely beside the point. That reminds me of all the arguments had in the Montana online about how most comments means most traffic and import, all of which is really kind of crap. The influence part is actually significant, but it was dealt with in the article itself:
"In Montana it's very difficult (to keep a conservative blog) because we have blogs like Montana Cowgirl," James said. That anonymously written blog has previously been traced to the Capitol complex computer system, but the governor's office has denied any knowledge of the blogger's identity.
"I mean, how do you compete with insider information by the people that are making the information?" James said. "I think that the true answer to that was that (conservative information on blogs) just wasn't articulated in a manner people wanted to read. I didn't think the arguments had enough beef behind it."
Notice a couple of things. Jenna supports a narrative that has yet to be proven, and still points to the actual opposition that James is concerned about. Any call for 'fair and balanced' coverage of blogging that mentions 4 & 20 Black birds' is kind of silly in the venue of which this column is written in.
Let's be clear about a couple of things. It's not "web log". It's weblog. An article about a wingnut blog does not require discussion of every other blog in the same local. Pointing out that the Montana Cowgirl blog is run anonymously does not favor mention of 4 & 20 Blackbirds when most of those folk also blog anonymously. They just haven't had the press crawl up their ass quite as much. "Influence" among bloggers is always open to question, until someone comes up with a metric by which it can be measured.
I must be on the worst of email lists. I received one today describing how the Kenyon socialist hidden-Muslim Oreo President will use his Chicago thugs to kill Associate Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. He will do so, according to this authoritative source, so that the one term negro President can appoint a "communist activist judge" to replace him. (That is an actual quote). Such a judge will lead the fight to overturn landmark rulings like DC v. Heller and Citizens United v. FEC. ~sigh~
JC has a terrific post up about a ground-up (double entendre totally meant) movement to amend the Constitution, overturning the ridiculous idea of 'corporate personhood'. In truth, that was never part of the Constitution at all. It is hard to know which is more saddening. The idea that corporations are persons, or the notion that we need an amendment to spell the obvious outright, that corporations do not have a voice which speaks as one person.
Strangely, I agree with Dave Budge. This probably isn't an issue that should be tackled at the city level. Tackling it at the Missoula city level is a certain way to garner opposition from most of the rest of the state. I disagree with Dave this much: a city resolution might inspire a state representative to introduce the call for amendment to the Montana Legislature, a much more appropriate venue. Of course, given our current state legislature, that would be as useful as farting in the wind. Still, the call should go forward.
Not that it will matter when the Kenyon's mob kills Justice Kennedy ...
(I disagree that Perry is a lock for the nomination. Still, good points made. - promoted by Rob Kailey)
Ah! Fresh meat!
That's what's on the mind of political pundits this week as they come down off the high of the Iowa Straw Poll in Ames. With nothing to report until--well--something unpredictable happens, or until the Iowa caucuses in January, the media and blogosphere will gush with pedantics about this outsider to the GOP fratricide-fest that has been the 2012 presidential nominating process thus far.
Unless something extraordinary happens, Texas Governor Rick Perry will be the GOP and Tea Party presidential nominee in 2012. He's the darling of the extreme right and can be stomached by party moderates who know Mitt Romney has no chance of winning the top spot on the ticket without flip-flopping on nearly all of his social positions. So, no big deal, we're looking at Rick Perry.
Here is some friendly advice that an opposing campaign should follow--Republican, Democrat or Independent:
In an era of of extreme cynicism about government, maybe it's time for everyone to engage rather than retreat. The overriding reason for the GOP capture of the Montana legislature in 2010 was that Democrats and left-leaning independents didn't vote. On both the national, state and local levels Republicans had better organization and more participation so they won. It's pretty simple.
I propose that more of us need to engage and participate if we really want to fight for our beliefs. Participation is the mother's milk of democracy. Participation stems from basic civics i.e. from simply voting to volunteering, contributing or even running, as I have chosen to do. The recent debate in WDC over the budget cap gave Americans a cynical choice between bad policy by Republicans and bad leadership by Democrats. Here's to trying to boost our side, even just a little.
