Wash, rinse, repeat is the same old mantra of the Montana Democratic Party.

The 2016 election cycle dredged up the repetition of all the same old tricks, same old props, and worst of all, the same old players trying to sell the same old believers a worn out message.  Montana Democrats had a similar opportunity as those working the national agenda: continue down the path of established monotony and defeat or break away from the loop and embrace a future of change.  But to change requires self awareness and most of all, courage.  The Democratic Party, on a national and state level, has once again proven it lacks both.

The failure of the party is today and much worse the failure of the party is tomorrow. That failure is in between the lines of a message of defeat.  In reality, Steve Bullock may very well have had the road plowed for him by Tim Fox as moderate Republicans playing the long-game were willing to see four more years of Bullock then a nice eight year stretch of control of the Executive and Legislative branches under presumptive nominee Tim Fox.  For some reason the Democratic Party , the party of the people, fails to grasp the concept of the long-game and continues trumpeting the worth of a goalie at the expense of not playing any offense.

Instead, resources were squandered on Denise Juneau in an unquestionably ill fated race where the choir was consistently spoon-fed the notion that this race was a dead heat when in fact it was dead on arrival.  This is in no way meant to be disparaging of Denise Juneau as a viable candidate.  She has earned her stripes in two state-wide races proving she can win in Montana, but pant-suit nation just doesn’t/didn’t resonate for most Montanans. We can only hope that she is not done in or with Montana politics.

Perhaps the most devastating losses in the Tier B elections occurred with the defeat of Jesse Laslovich for State Auditor and Melissa Romano for Superintendent of Public instruction.  Both of these candidates represent the future of the Democratic Party in Montana.  Their loss will reverberate through the political strata of the Montana Democratic Party but those affected most will be the citizens of Montana.  Had either of these two prevailed, they may well have pulled the other across the line.  Instead, Montana’s Tier B races were a disaster and the effects have created the opportunity to permanently change Montana to a state unrecognizable from today’s beauty and grandeur.

It is difficult to expand on George Ochenski’s  accurate depiction of what’s gone wrong and without naming names, who’s to blame.  The Party establishment is to blame.  The stench and decay of November 8th still overpowers anyone within 100 miles of Helena. Shaking out the sheets, as Ochenski suggests, just won’t do.  It’s time to clear and then raze the house.  The Party has done us no favors and  has left us with a bleak future.  As the saying goes ‘when you’re in a hole, stop digging’.  Today’s party leaders can lug the guts to the neighbor room.  The courageous will embrace the future and take over without you.

TGTJ

‘Maybe all men got one big soul ever’body’s a part of.’