Bozeman Rally For Jon Tester Today

Join Jon Tester & Max Baucus in Bozeman on Monday!

Cheer On Jon!
Sign Up To Volunteer!
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Jon Tester & Max Baucus
The Emerson
111 S. Grand
Monday 10/29
5:00 p.m.

Join Montana farmer Jon Tester for a rally in Bozeman! Montanans go to the polls on Nov. 6. Help give Jon the momentum needed to win on Election Day!

Questions? — Email: sam@mtfield.org

Ad for Tester urges conservatives to choose Libertarian over Rehberg (missoulian.com)
Group sympathetic to Tester drops $500K on TV ad – for libertarian (billingsgazette.com)
Veterans, union members rally for Tester in Missoula (missoulian.com)

Baucus And The Koch Bros.

Aug16 by D Gregory Smith

From The Montana Cowgirl:

Kochs (Photo credit: Truthout.org)

“I just learned this a few days ago, but Koch industries is listed as one Max Baucus’s largest donors. The company is listed as having contributed$40,000 to Baucus since 2005. That puts him in an exclusive club: with Paul Ryan, Michelle Bachmann, Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, and Eric Cantor–who have all taken more than $30,000 from the Kochs during the last four campaign cycles.

And it’s eight times what the Koch’s have given to Denny Rehberg, according to FEC reports.

This is a highly disturbing state of affairs and Baucus should promptly return the money.”

All I can say is this (and you may quote me): “Ick.”

Read the rest here

Baucus Endorses Marriage Equality (dgsmith.org)

Rehberg Leads Efforts To Defend Cylon, er, Corporate ‘Personhood’

Jul26 by D Gregory Smith

, member of the United States House of Representatives. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’ve been watching Battlestar Galactica (Yeah, I know, I’m a little behind- but I’m a busy guy) and it occurred to me that the Cylon’s (machines masquerading as people) war with human beings is the perfect model for the Citizens United decision. Both Cylons and Citizens United were created by people- and both threaten to wipe out civilization as we know it. And for those of you who aren’t geeks (like me)- think Frankenstein.

From the Montana Democrats:

Congressman Dennis Rehberg is leading efforts in Montana to defend the notion that corporations have the same constitutional rights as people, calling efforts to undo the Citizens United decision “theater.”

Senator Jon Tester has been a leading opponent of Citizens United and the corrupting influence it brings to Montana’s elections. Tester also supports Senator Max Baucus’ constitutional amendment, which would provide a permanent fix to the Citizens United decision by putting elections back in the hands of Montanans and preventing corporations from drowning out the voices of voters.

According to news reports, Congressman Rehberg, who agrees that corporations are people, is dismissing efforts to undo Citizens United, saying they have “no chance of passing.”

Rehberg is no stranger to campaign secrecy.

Earlier this week he got caught failing to disclose one in seven donors in his most recent fundraising report. Earlier this year, he got caught hiding $25,000 he took from lobbyists in 2011. Rehberg also called measures to improve transparency in political campaigns “unnecessarily difficult.”

Opposition to Citizens United in Montana has been widespread. Montanans in November will vote on a ballot measure (I-166) to state that corporations are not people. As expected, Rehberg won’t say whether he supports the initiative.

“Congressman Rehberg refuses to make our elections more transparent because he refuses to hold himself accountable to Montanans,” said Ted Dick, Executive Director of the Montana Democratic Party. “After 12 long years in DC, Congressman Rehberg is now leading efforts to defend the broken system that lets special interests buy elections, because he knows they want to buy an election for him.”

Scar (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last year, Congressman Rehberg earned an endorsement, and a $10,00 check, from the organization Citizens United. Karl Rove’s secretive special interest group Crossroads GPS recently announced a major television ad buy in Montna to help Congressman Rehberg, and they can spend every penny with no transparency thanks to Rehberg’s Citizens United decision.

Yep, the metaphor works. And for those of you not up to speed, Battlestar Galactica is available streaming on Netflix…

Tester’s Working. Rehberg’s On “Vacation”. (dgsmith.org)
Rehberg has done little to help Montanans (billingsgazette.com)
Initiative declaring corporations aren’t humans certified for Montana ballot (missoulian.com)

Baucus Endorses Marriage Equality

Jun13 by D Gregory Smith

Say what you will about Max Baucus- and we have- but this gives me a moment of pride:

Fair is fair: he hasn’t always done what I would have liked (and it might take something much more major to get me over the healthcare debacle) but mad props for being the first elected statewide Montana official to stand for marriage equality. Thanks, Max. Click the link above to follow his Twitter feed.

Now for a Pride Present, I’d like to hear the other statewide elected officials following suit.

Hell, better yet, I want to see them in the parade this Saturday.

They’ve all been invited.

Update: Reader Karl Olson reminded us that “Pretty sure Justice Nelson came first, however, and by several years, and more openly. Nelson proved you could get a statewide vote with an unwavering pro-equality stance. Its history, but still relevant in the current fervor.”

The NAACP Endorses Marriage Equality (bilerico.com)
Obama Speaks Out For Maryland Marriage Equality (thinkprogress.org)
Carrie Underwood shows love for marriage equality (examiner.com)
50 Cent endorses marriage equality (thegrio.com)
Denmark Passes a Marriage Equality Law (pamshouseblend.firedoglake.com)

Baucus, Tester Congratulated For Tax Relief

Feb18 by D Gregory Smith

Montana Democratic Party Executive Director Ted Dick today released the following statement in recognition of the payroll tax relief just passed by Congress:

“We are incredibly proud of the hard work Jon Tester and Max Baucus have put in on this issue. Montanans shouldn’t have to lose out on a $1,000 tax break because of petty partisan games in Congress. Thankfully, Jon and Max worked together to get the job done for Montana families.”

“Senator Baucus did something you rarely see in Washington these days: He brought folks from both side of the aisle to the table to give tax relief to working families when they need it most. His work represents the spirit of working together that Montanans expect and deserve in their elected leaders.”

For me, the political races of 2012 come down to one thing: desire for fairness vs the desire to impose dogmatism.

I don’t think I need to tell you which party is for what- or that Denny Rehberg’s history of cooperation is pretty sketchy- and I’m being generous.

Rehberg Invites Rumsfeld (dgsma.wordpress.com)
A Rehberg Tax Reminder (dgsma.wordpress.com)

Rehberg Supports Raising Medicare Premiums

Dec14 by D Gregory Smith

Millionaire Congressman Dennis Rehberg is throwing his support behind a controversial proposal that will raise Medicare premiums for one out of four seniors.

Image by DonkeyHotey via Flickr

After voting twice this year to force major cuts to Medicare, Rehberg falsely claimed he was the “only member of Montana’s delegation who has consistently voted to protect Medicare and Social Security.” [Lee Newspapers, 12/4/2011]

Now he’s poised to hurt Medicare again by supporting the controversial House payroll tax holiday.

According to the Associated Press, Rehberg’s plan will be paid for by raising Medicare premiums on seniors, a proposal that would “expand over time to include the highest-earning one-fourth of seniors.”

Both Senators Jon Tester and Max Baucus have voted for alternative plans to extend the payroll tax holiday for middle class families, through higher taxes on only millionaires.

According to the Associated Press:

“Raising taxes on millionaires may be a non-starter for Republicans, but they seem to have no problem hiking Medicare premiums for retirees making a lot less.” [Associated Press, 12/13/2011]

“This couldn’t be a more clear example of Dennis Rehberg sticking up for his fellow multimillionaires while sticking it to middle-class Montana seniors,” said Ted Dick, Executive Director of the Montana Democratic Party. “Dennis Rehberg has forgotten who he’s working for, and it’s clear whose side he’s on: the special interests who have bankrolled his 35-year career in politics.”

Rehberg recently touted the controversial House payroll tax plan after he inserted a rider in the legislation, despite his promise last year to abandon the practice of inserting irrelevant riders to bills.

MT Democrats: Rehberg’s Long Record Of Taxpayer Handouts To CEO’s (dgsma.wordpress.com)
World AIDS Day in Montana (dgsma.wordpress.com)

The Cowardly Lions That Refuse To Roar

Sep4 by D Gregory Smith

Wow.

It’s not even Halloween and Montana’s political leaders are scared shitless.

Our political leadership has been strangely silent on the subject of the recently discovered homophobic/murderous rants by a leader and members of the Montana Tea Party.

Dennis Rehberg, who is a member of the US House of Representatives Tea Party Caucus should be particularly enthusiastic about these revelations.

And yet, surprisingly, given his homophobic history – silence. Which is probably to be expected given his non-response to the Montana Republican Party’s platform plank calling for the criminalization of homosexual acts. Self-serving at it’s very best- which represents his entire political career, basically.

However, more deeply disappointing and disturbing is the non-response of Max Baucus, a man whose national campaign for the health of all Americans doesn’t seem to give two shits about the safety of his constituents back home. Or maybe he is too frightened to upset a homophobic voter in Central Montana. Or a lobbyist in Manhattan (not the Montana town, that other one on the East Coast). Being politically correct pays the bills – being morally couragous. Not so much.

Maybe Denny and Max are afraid for their safety. But they’re not alone.

Take it from me, some of those constituents are definitely scared. In Montana, apparently, being gay means being the target of violent words advocating the displaying of your tortured body as a decoration or sport for everyone else. That’s scary. One of the most beautiful places in the world, and suddenly I’m not admiring the mountains or the scenery as I’m driving. I’m looking at people in the cars around me wondering, “If they knew me would they would want to kill me and hang my body on a tree like a piece of strange fruit?”

And it’s not okay.

Whose fear is more relevant here? Whose safety is more important? A political leader who has lost touch with his constituents, or the constituents themselves?

If someone targeted any other group of human beings – say, Native Americans, women, children, the handicapped, etc., the cries to heaven and the media would be deafening. The voices would be politicians, clergy, parents, doctors, bankers, rodeo cowboys, hunters and car dealers.

But it’s The Gays. They’re not people- they’re a political liability. Fuck them.

It’s not okay.

And someone who’s been elected as a leader in this state should say so. Brian Schweitzer? Jon Tester?

Who’s the Wizard going to give courage to?

Anyone?