Earlier this week Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Fox announced that he’d found a running mate- Jon Knokey.  And while not the first to announce his sidekick pick, Fox is certainly the first legitimate candidate to tap a shoulder.  A one hit wonder out of Bozeman, Knokey accomplished a few things in the 2017 legislative session before bowing out of politics due to family and work commitments.  Now keep in mind that being the Lieutenant Governor is a full time political job so Knokey’s step back into private life was short lived.  But to his credit, Fox has made a smart move in trying to separate himself from his main advisory in this race, Greg ‘The Self Funder’ Gianforte.  Dr. Al stands no real chance of coming out of this primary, but should not go unappreciated for calling a body slammer a body slammer.

Meanwhile over in the strange corner that has become the Democratic primary sits Cooney, Schreiner and Williams.  If you listen carefully in Miller’s you can hear a little gossip about who’s courting who and why.  Both Cooney and Williams have reached out to several folks with some good street cred, yet no takers.  Cooney doesn’t appear to be taking the selection process too seriously thus far. As for Williams, who wants to be part of campaign that looks like an attempt to create a Clinton/Bush looking dynasty here in Montana?  And at this point, Schreiner is looking for an exit door that he may be slipping through very, very soon.  Word has it that Williams asked Casey to join her.  Word also has it that Cooney is being encouraged by a lot of folks who know something about all of this to break bread with Schreiner and get him on board.  And that has yet to happen either.  A Cooney-Schreiner ticket picks up a lot of support and more importantly, a lot of money.  But, those kinds of things only happen when the question gets asked.

But back to that Republican side one more time.  Gainforte is taking a page from his own playbook from his failed run for Governor in 2016 when he tried to bridge the gender gap by picking a woman for his running mate.  He’s been in touch with his first choice and she’s agreed to pray for guidance before deciding.  A divine message is expected soon.

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

TGTJ

How do you know when the temperature in Helena will drop below zero?  When it’s a regular legislative session or the wild idea of a test tube ‘mini’ session.

Montana’s 66th and 1/2 legislative session convened this week with little to no fan fair. The wee session is intended to provide training for current legislators and hold scheduled committee meetings at the same time.  According to the Montana Legislature’s website the purpose is to bring legislators together to ‘cross pollinate’ which, quite honestly, sounds a little creepy.  Meanwhile, the Montana tax payer wants to know what this is costing them and what the end result will be.  Of course there’s plenty of speculation about that end result, or rather, lack thereof.  The dinky session will produce no policy, no fiscal obligations and generate no revenue to the state.  In fact, by the time they announce their tiny Sine Die, the most significant change will be to a more depleted state savings account.

So why this infinitesimal gathering?  Most speculation points to the idea that there is motivation to move to an annual session rather than the current, constitutionally mandated, biannual session.  Which of course then leads to even greater speculation of does the Montana constitution actually mean what it says?  But as it looks today, one party is for and the other against.  It shouldn’t take much work to figure out which is which.  The Republican party see’s it as an opportunity to continue to meddle in state government and the running of the state. Of course, in the not so distant future they may hold the governor’s office so the point could be moot.  Democrats oppose the idea because, well, it’s not their idea.  Regardless of where you sink your boot politically you can look to see the even year session as a spring board into what has become a constant churn of campaigning for office.

But really, who actually gave birth to this notion?  After all, most states currently have an annual session and in some it’s a constant churn so it’s really not cutting edge stuff.  All fingers point to none other than Fred ‘Dr. Deregulation’ Thomas.  Yes, the same Fred Thomas who made sure that Montanans pay plenty for their electricity and assured that little old ladies in Butte who relied on their Montana Power Company stock and pensions can enjoy a delicious bowl of Alpo given their reduced incomes.  Thomas is also responsible, in part, for Montana’s term limits for legislators which some applaud and others despise.  Of course one of the arguments in favor of an annual session is that legislators can get to know each other and form relationships, you know, like they used to before ol’ Fred’s term limits.

So beware Montana, if it comes out of Fred Thomas’s little idea incubator it’s going to cost you in the end.  Then again, if you’re married to the likes of some of those legislators you might think this is a great idea to get them out of the house for a few months every year.

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

TGTJ

 

 

 

 

 

 

Could create more involvement from all legislators. But the truth is that there is the legislative body as a whole and then there are the legislators who make the ‘rules’ and then an even smaller group who make the deals to end the session.

A few weeks ago IBEW 206 announced it had organized the Montana Democratic Party staffers who decided a little stability in their work place just might be a good thing. And, as they should have, party principles agreed to a voluntary recognition lest the union bank vault doors close and the heat gets turned off at party headquarters. For the casual observer all is well. After all, the electricians represent D party staff in other states and in one case, even the Executive Director.

But wait, there’s more! What the casual observer doesn’t know is that party leaders hired Helena attorney Mike Meloy to represent ‘management’ in bargaining with the newborn staff union. It’s important to know that almost every staff member holds some variation of title that contains the word ‘director’. But what do they direct? Party management has decided they direct people and has quietly proposed that two thirds of the union members really can’t be union members. And yes, that’s the same Mike Meloy who’s made plenty of money working for labor unions.  So much for that love fest the casual observer thought they saw. It does bring to mind the old adage ‘with friends like this, who needs enemies?’

And in more recent news the party has announced the hiring of its’ new Executive Director, long time labor staffer Sandi Luckey.  Luckey has traveled the circuit through several unions for some time and most recently made a mysterious exit from the Montana Nurses Association.  More to come on that later.  So this should all be easily fixed.  Or maybe not, the latest cookie cutter ED has never been on the wrong said of the table and much remains to be seen.

Meanwhile over at the Montana Republican Party headquarters there has been some scrambling so as not to be out done. Executive Director Spenser Merwin has contacted the International Association of Police Unions and the Fraternal Order of Police to represent its staff. According to Merwin, both organizations have agreed to meet with staff and he’s pleased given their support and endorsement of Donald Trump in his 2020 re-election bid. The following day Merwin terminated all staff for union activity.

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

TGTJ