You know what they say about weddings and funerals?  Of course you do, unless you dropped out of the sky, they bring out the worst in people.  Lost invitations, no invitation, slighted guests, left out of the will and uncle John got drunk then told everyone off again.  It never fails and the insult will live on to the next dysfunctional family gathering. But what does this have to do with a primary that took place four months ago?

Well, head on over to Flint Creek Range and check out the race in Senate District 39. In a normal election, this would be a race between a D and an R. Then again 2020 has been no where near ‘normal’. Instead, the tri-county voters will be participants of what has now become a three way race between an unknown republican candidate, Suzzann Nordwick, voter picked primary winner Mark Sweeney and sore loser primary second choice Gordie Pierson. You read that right, Pierson lost fair and square. Rather than accept his 300 vote defeat, Ol’ Gordie has filed as a write in candidate and produced signs to prove it!

So why all the hurt feelings? It’s not like politics aren’t dirty and over the last decade, even dirtier. Historically, an empty legislative seat is assumed to go to the more senior legislator who would qualify for that seat. In this case, Gene Vuckovich has cleaned out his desk in seat number 39. Pierson assumed he was next in line for the Montana Senate, but in doing so failed to properly assess the lack of decorum and courtesy of Mark Sweeney. Gordo has a point here and this is not Sweeney’s first time at pulling a fast one. In fact, this would be his third time in challenging another democrat in a primary. His previous slippery backstabs took place in PSC races in 2012 and 2016. Ultimately, both PSC races ended in a republican victory and you know what that looks like today. Sweeney looks a little like Maryland Matt or Jersey Gianforte in his effort to get elected only to run for a different office in the next cycle. Ok, so we’ve established the fact that Sweeney is a self centered jerk. Now back to the big guy.

Pierson would be a far better Senator than Sweeney given his good nature and ability to get along with people. By no means the brightest bulb in the pack, but willing to listen, take a little guidance and ask questions. On the downside, Gordie is lazy and always has been. Even with the prospect of a challenger in the primary he failed to hit his turbo switch and kick up the pace. Pre Covid, Sweeney was buying coffee and doughnuts for the old folks who vote in the three counties of the district. Gordie spent his time stomping his foot and crying no fair. Fast forward to June 3rd and it all should have been history as the voters have spoken. And yet, here we are watching what will be a very close race between the two. So? Remember, this is a three way race and Sweeney has the magic touch of being the guy who hands an office to the other party. In this case, Pierson will be his accomplice.

District 39 has long been a Democratic stronghold and should remain so given the history of the area. But Dumb and Dumber are putting that at great risk and at a time when the Governor’s office is up for grabs. One of the two should do the noble thing and bow out. That one is Pierson and he should pull his campaign down and endorse Sweeney no matter how rotten of a taste it leaves in his mouth. So come on Gordie, pull up your great big boy pants, pack up the barbecue and head off to better things for now: believe it or not, this is bigger than you.

TGTJ

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

Who needs enemies?  But wait, what friends are we talking about?  Why your own friends within the Democratic Party.  Specifically, two Daves: Dave Hunter and Dave Wanzenried.  Scratching your chin through your mask trying to figure it out?  Let’s break it down.

The Wanzenried story is easy.  This Dave’s history goes way, way back to the mid 80’s when he was the Commissioner of Labor for the state of Montana and was a long time legislator serving in both chambers.  In one sense you could call him a career politician with his terms in the House running from 1990 to 2004 and then the Senate from 2007 to 2015.  Add to that several runs for higher office to include Governor and US Senate, you might even go so far as to say that he has served well as a placeholder while the real candidate prepared their announcement. But wait, there’s more!  He was also the author of the now defunct blog ‘Logicosity’.

So what’s the beef with Wanz?  Well, during the most recent primary he threw his weight behind the second place pony, Kim Dudik in the Attorney General race on the D side of the ballot.  Great, so did a lot of other boomers.  But in this Dave’s case, he went so far as to file a complaint that alleged that the winning candidate, Raph Graybill, was not qualified, by law, to be on the ballot.  OK, so a primary can be almost as important as the general election so Dave was just doing his work in trying to take Graybill out, except that he bet on the wrong horse and his horse dung complaint has now been scooped up by the MTGOP in their effort to put far right wing whacko Austin Knudson in the corner office at the DOJ.  Great work Dave, this is on you and Kim.

Now this other Dave, Dave Hunter, is not quite so simple or transparent.  Hunter has been snorkeling around Montana politics for quite some time, albeit with limited success and certainly none in the last couple decades.  Like the other Dave, he’s fed face down in the public trough with stints in state government to include Deputy Director of Montana’s tax agency. Among the old school democrats who like to remind us often of their glory days when they were running the show, he continues to insert himself in party politics as well as attempting to influence new comers on the scene with his political prowess.  Still asking what this is about?

Once again, go back to the primary when the GOP filed a complaint against the now Democratic Governor candidate Mike Cooney for using state resources and facilities to campaign. In his response to the complaint, Cooney readily admits to ‘attending’ a meeting from his office in the state capital- not allowed.  Now the behind the scenes details.  The meeting Cooney attended was with other democrats hosted by the party and included team members from both the Cooney and Williams  campaigns.  This Dave was reportedly there too. The unsubstantiated rumor is that he grabbed a screenshot of Cooney in his official office and started spreading it around with the threat of a complaint from the Williams campaign.  Tick away a little time and suddenly it’s in the hands of the Montana Republican Party.  You could call this an approach to solving problems with a greasy bipartisan approach.  As a result of Hunter’s alleged work, Cooney is now labeled by the GOP as more of a criminal than Greg ‘The Body Slammer’ Gianforte.  That worked out well, thank you Dave.

Of course this is nothing new during a primary, but the slop over into the general is where the problems really come to fruition.  If Montana ends up with a Gianforte Governor and a Knudson AG we can thank these guys and their friends as team members to the victors.  With enemies like these, who needs friends like the Dave’s?

TGTJ

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

Sunday April 19, 2020 marked two events.  One, a giant middle finger to science and caution as some 400 angry citizens massed together at the Montana Capitol grounds despite a world pandemic that has rational people looking sideways at their own mother with the slightest cough.  Yep, despite positive outcomes from social distancing and careful measures there could be no stopping the pursuit of liberty and the recovery of personal rights.  If this all sounds like something you’ve heard before, it is.  April 19, 2020 also marked the 25 year anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing in which a homegrown militia member and domestic terrorist, Timothy McVeigh, killed 168 of his fellow Americans in the name of liberty and his God given rights.  If you believe last Sunday’s event taking place on the same day as the tragedy is a coincidence then perhaps you are interested in buying a trunk load of elusive toilet paper.

You can follow the ‘Montana Liberty Rally’ and what appear to be its ‘organizers’ on a public Facebook page.  It’s an odd mixture of cconspiracy, anti-vaxers, angry white men, Tomi Lahren wannabes and now, militia groups.  If you grab a beer and start scrolling you’ll find the phrase ‘civil disobedience’ popping up fairly often, almost as often as ‘liberty’ and ‘my rights’.  Take for example this screen shot that appears to show some frustration with the inability to use public campgrounds.   After all, it’s been an odd spring in Montana and who doesn’t want to get out of the house after being asked to stay home for a month?  Conrad has a point, just not a very good one.  And it’s highly unlikely that this was the same agenda behind the civil rights movement that helped coin the phrase ‘civil disobedience’.  Now, maybe search Conrad’s name on that same page and you’ll find a post that should strike you as troubling.  This time he has a plan and subtly mentioned in that plan is a call to be joined by armed militia.  Well wait, is there another kind?  OK, so maybe not so subtle since he’s asking for the ‘intelligence’ to be shared among the home guard.  Clearly the ask is to gather as many people as possible at a legally closed public campground.  The location, much like the fabled Senior Keg, will be revealed once everyone has been vetted.  The word will be passed and hopefully Johnny Law will be none the wiser of the big gathering.  However, if the top secret public Facebook posting does lead to the discovery of the location, responding officers should be well prepared to be met by an armed citizenry prepared to defend their right to gather and to protect their campfires.  Sounds like another Malheur Refuge standoff in the making, or worse.  And be sure to take in the irony of the use of a pre-reservation Apache photograph.

One such militia group did appear at the march to honor McVeigh, err aaahh, honor liberty and personal freedom.  The Yellowstone Militia assembled in full mismatched camouflage, Crocodile Dundee knives, assault weapons and grade school issue walkie talkies.  In all, three militia men and one militia woman, better than none. If you’re looking for adventure, the answer to a mid life crisis or your arrested development, the Yellowstone Militia wants you!!  Not to worry, there appears to be no screening, no grooming standards, no dress code, no physical fitness requirements and judging a book by it’s cover, no aptitude testing.

All attempts at humor and sarcasm aside, this should make the hair stand up on the back of your neck and leave you more than a little concerned for the safety of law enforcement officers in Montana, as well as citizens.  This is not a renewal of a cycle any of us should be glad see appearing.  This is a quickly developing side effect of the ‘Open My State Up’ crowd that will play out badly if left unchecked. Today this unstable minority carries signs, flags, guns, knives and anger.  History repeats itself. Tomorrow they’ll be carrying all of that and a virus.

TGTJ

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

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

Or in this case, Brad Tschida of House District 97 in Missoula.  Think back to the first blizzard of 2019 in February and the only ‘Right to Work’ bill to be brought forward in the 66th Legislative session.  Despite the nasty road conditions, Montana’s union fans showed up in force to oppose the bill and outnumbered any proponents who dared sign in let alone testify.

Back to the here and now.  Whatever happened to Tschida’s baby, House Bill 323?  Well, it’s been amended plenty and now watered down to reflect just one thing and what is already the law of the land as a result of the Janus case.  Today and as amended, Big Bad Brad’s bill contains nothing more than a statute change to make clear that public sector unions can no longer charge a representation fee and make paying that fee a condition of employment.  Once amended the bill actually garnered the support of organized labor in an effort to clarify the law and represent the reality of public employee representation.  MFPE President Eric Feaver cleverly worked the system to hack out the ugly garbage and true Right to Work-ish language in the bill and then actually advocated for passage on Tschida’s behalf.  Strange bed fellows to say the least and certainly unintended.  Not to worry, Tschida will still be sure to wear his signature scowl whenever he stares down a union lobbyist.

So now some oddities in the whole process.  After the bill was amended, and even though it left a foul taste in their mouths, union leaders were fine with the bill.  A reversal of the Janus decision will be a long time in coming and likely not in any of their lifetimes.  Those same leaders even went so far to ask their so called friends to vote for the bill and reassured them it would not be held against them.  ‘I just can’t vote for a right to work bill, I just can’t!’ was the response.  Gee, thanks.  That’s comforting.  But about those privatization bills related to the State Fund and private pre-k, could they hold that same standard to those?  Nope, that herd of cats can’t be corralled.  It’s enough to make one do at least a few head shakes, but certainly shouldn’t create too much a rift between the check writers at the union and the check takers in the Democratic Party.  Unfortunately, it was an undecipherable precursor of things to come.

As for Tschida and his lost cause, he’s been bested by the longest serving President of either an NEA or AFT state affiliate.  And yet his bill still passed, albeit that it lingers on the desk of the Governor who has yet to sign off. More of that ‘I just can’t do it’ act.  Well, given the circumstances today he just may have signed off on the bill as proposed.

TGTJ

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

Last week Governor Bullock’s dream of pre-kindergarten education became somewhat of a nightmare when it was tabled in committee.  All part of the legislative process, right?  Sure, bills pass out of committees and bills get tabled in committees, but rarely do bills get killed anymore.  So the average person would take tabling as part of the game and move along.  Clearly Bullock is not the average person.  Above or below average becomes the question if you read his press release in which he lashed out at his long time partners, unions and education coalitions, as being petty and out of touch.   Never mind that one of those petty special interest groups had a lot to do with the fact that he got to push this bill along in the first place.   In this case you can take ‘a lot’ to mean well over five million dollars in direct and indirect campaign contributions to support his multiple elections.

And really folks, the position of the Montana Federation of Public Employees and the Montana AFL-CIO shouldn’t come as any surprise.  If you wander back in time to when Ronald Regan made public sector union busting sexy, you’ll understand why public sector unions have opposed privatization on all fronts.  And since those public sector unions now control the density of union members across the country, opposition also comes from state federations like the AFL-CIO.  ‘Opposing’ isn’t just opposing some or a little here and there, it’s as simple as that; privatization is bad, bad, bad.  But hey, it’s the Governor’s bill and he did a little union lawyering back in the day so surely this zebra can change it’s stripes just this once?

So much hay has already been made here, why more?  One week later, and of no surprise to anyone, the solid word going around the Capitol today is that the Governor has found his end around and will jam his HB 755 into another bill that won’t require a hearing, let alone any of that silly public comment.  If he gets his way he’ll have added a new cabinet position through the creation of a Pre-K Czar to be appointed by each sitting Governor.  Couple that up with the opening of the floodgates for publicly funded private schools that can just as easily look like Greg Gianforte’s Petra Academy where only the beautiful and the bright are allowed entrance.

Maybe we shouldn’t go so hard on the Governor, after all it’s not like he’s out there on his own in this venture.  Take House Minority Leader Casey Schreiner who’s got a little personal skin in this game should some of this money dry up at the end of the session.  Or it could also be that the Great Falls representative has an eye on the fancy Czar job given his ramblings about running for Superintendent of Public Instruction.  Imagine if the Democratic Party hadn’t failed the tier B races, maybe Bullock wouldn’t need a Czar and could offer up an olive branch by housing at least the oversight of his privatization project just down the street at OPI.  No such luck as long as Elsie holds that office.

And then there’s the rest of the minority party in the Capitol who have sidled up to Bullock on this idea except for a courageous few.  Could be they should take note that two key legislative objectives for public employee unions have been achieved already and they were not the ones who pulled it off.  Republicans snatched the negotiated state employee pay plan and the school funding bill from the historical grip of Democrats and passed both bills unscathed for the first time in a decade.  While some may have seen this as an effort to move organized labor off of the playing field, it could also be that unions have a new best friend.  Of course the People’s Party likes that influx of international union cash to keep the election fires burning in even years.  Nothing like biting the hand that feeds you.  And now a Governor who has a track record of privatization and continues down that path.  Let’s not forget about his handing over of the Montana Developmental Center to the for profit and private AWAR INC in 2015.

It’s the Governor’s next move.  Success here makes him the Iowa primary candidate of early childhood education and could make him some friends for having beat up on the unions that brought him to the dance, as his former budget director used to say.  While unions may have gotten fat and lazy in the past, they’ve hopefully learned that the only friend they have now is the dues paying member.  Vigilance is the name of the game if they want to continue on with their important work.  As for the lame duck Governor, vengeance will likely be the name of his game.  Fortunately, that game ends in January of 2021.

TGTJ

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

The Union!!!

The inbox brought good news today.  The ballots were counted by the Department of Labor yesterday and the majority of workers at the State Auditor’s office picked the Montana Federation of Public Employees to be their union. A few weeks ago the word went out that Matt Rosendale was facing another election, this time with his staff for a union vote.  Rosendale’s workers have been patiently waiting for this election for almost a year and a half while Team Matt threw up road block after road block to stop this vote and replace as many union supporters as possible.  It could be time for him to find a new team since they have failed him not once, but twice in less than four months.

Unfortunately, the workers at the Auditor’s office are far from getting a contract negotiated and being treated fairly by their boss. Rosendale’s crack legal team has at least one appeal in the courts right now and is sure to make some attempt at litigation over the union vote.  While a wise person would choose their battles, he seems to believe he should choose every battle and especially this one.  It’s no secret that organized labor stands for everything that Matt hates, to include workers and their rights.

Let’s hope those workers can stay strong for a while to come!  As for Matt Rosendale and his cronies, you’ve all just been told your own employees don’t buy into the line you are trying to sell Montana.  So dry your tears Matt, you’ll be out of office soon enough.

TGTJ

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