Big Sky Cairn

Astroturf blogger Lamnidae has made a crusade of criticizing Republicans for daring to fill political roles. Of course, Big Sky Cairn has already taken her to task for her hypocrisy.

It’s ironic, though not unexpected, that on a day when the Great Falls Tribune reports (updated link) that Governor Schweitzer’s official staff is working to cover up his latests controversy using tax-payer funded government computers, she makes another false accusation about a Republican.

This isn’t just a mistake. It’s a willful act of deception. Here’s the quote she includes from a story that she doesn’t link to.

Bridger Pierce, GOP staff member and spokesman for U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, insisted Larson did vote to double taxes on cell phones during the 2007 Legislature.

Now, here’s the story she pulled that from and here’s the quote copy-pasted from the story.

However, Bridger Pierce, GOP staff member and past spokesman for U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, insisted that Larson did vote to double taxes on cell phones during the 2007 Legislature.

Notice the difference. I’ll give you a hint, it’s right before “member and” and “spokesman.” A little word that Lamnidae omitted is “past” which pretty much finishes off what little credibility she may have had left. Particularly telling is the fact that she didn’t link to the article she was quoting, obviously hoping that Montanans would just take her word for it.

Lamnidae, Montana deserves better. We’re not stupid. (Well, not all of us are stupid)

Update: It looks like this might not be Lamnidae telling an outright lie. The Gazette seems to have gotten it wrong in an earlier version and then corrected it. Either way, a little fact-checking would have been in order and an apology would be appropriate (although, I wouldn’t hold my breath).

Update Redux: Lamnidae and Cleveland both posted updates after someone pointed out their errors in the comments.  I suppose that’s as close as we can hope for publicly and erroneously disparaging a Republican.

It seems that Monica Lindeen is well on her way to being a bi-annual election day embarrassment.

Rather than take time to tell us why she is qualified to be State Auditor, she decided to go negative. Understandable as Lindeen has no qualifications for the job.

Just in case her attacks on Sunday were not enough, she decided to launch another partisan shot today. Call me crazy, but I do not think Montanans will reward this sort of petty politics in a race for State Auditor.

Duane Grimes on the other hand clearly understands what job he is running for. We need someone with knowledge and expertise about the insurance industry. What I want out of a State Auditor is similar to what Duane is proposing. Common sense ideas like making insurance costs available online, exercising stronger oversight on the industry, and someone who wants do the job not use it for their political career.

The Auditor’s office suffered under Morrison because he was more concerned about running for higher office. The same would happen with Monica only she is infinitely more unqualified. I won’t feel too bad when she loses to Duane. After all, the next election is only two years away and I am sure she will find another office to run for by then.

Hey guys, I know you’re busy so I’ll keep this brief.

Don’t let up on Governor Schweitzer’s boasting about election tampering for one single second. You got some great press, but keep going. Find a new angle for next week. Be relentless. There is a lot of garbage buried in this man’s back yard, and I think he just handed you a shovel.

In his infamous Philadelphia speech, Governor Schweitzer reminds the Trial Laywers that he guaranteed them that Montana would vote for Tester in 2006. He then talked about all of the underhanded things he did to make sure his promise came through.

Now, in 2008, he has similarly guaranteed that Montana would vote for Obama. Leaving aside the outright arrogance of his promise, we absolutely need to make sure he doesn’t pull any shenanigans this November. Fool me once… Can we appoint a Gov-Watcher trail him the entire election day to make sure he’s not abusing his power like he says he did in 2006?

You are all doing a great job. Keep it up. Montana isn’t turning blue - it’s just the Democrats talk more trash. It’s time to fight back; it’s a fight worth winning.

Love,
Cody

Over the past week I have learned a couple things. If you are a Democrat, insulting Catholics and bragging about election tampering is hilarious. If Brian Schweitzer, or his appointee Larry Anderson’s, word was not enough all I had to do was turn to our friends in the sinistra-sphere for a lesson in politically correct humor.

“Brian Schweitzer roughed up a few East Coast lawyers so Montanans could vote!” Oh wow, that is hilarious. Taking the legally protected position of poll-watching, and twisting it into a statement against lawyers…that is a knee slapper Jay. Especially since the Guv’s remarks were at a trial lawyer convention. Now your joke works on whole different level.

Yet, I got to thinking, where was the LiTW brain trust on humor in say March? Oh that is right. They were too busy being offended by a harmless joke. You know the old-fashioned sort. The kind of joke made between friends. The kind that does not brag about violating state and federal law.

The adventure in double standards continues.

Shane Mason, normally a reasonable individual who is not know to overreact had this to say about Rehberg’s joke;

This guy has got to go. Seriously, I am done with him. Finished. Next!.

As to, Brian Schweitzer’s joke we get this. (Update: Shane admonishes the Governor for a “poor choice of words”)

Next up we get the always entertaining jhwygirl who took the time to echo Shane’s well developed thought. Schweitzer, well shoot, there are bigger things going on.

This whole episode has been an exercise in the absurd. Jay Steven’s defense of the Governor’s remark in particular has been mindboggling. I understand being partisan, I am one. But at some point exercise critical thought. Which is more offensive? Joking about about an Idaho Senator or bragging about tampering with an election?

So please my friends on the left, continue to cheerlead the Governor and laugh away.

From a comment by Oscillating Fan here, someone did some legwork to discover exactly how much Schweitzer-interests have donated to Attorney General “I Will Never Investigate Fellow Democrats” Mike McGrath for his bid to ascend to the station of Chief Justice in Montana.  To say this guy is bought and paid for is an understatement.  Check it out:

Bruce Nelson, Governor’s Chief of Staff, 200
Adam Pimley, former Schweitzer appointee, 50
Larry Anderson, the lawyer who says Schweitzer was joking,250
Nancy Anderson, wife of, 250
Hal Harper, Governor’s Chief Policy Advisor, 50
David Hunter, Schweitzer appointee?, 50
Janet Kelly, Schweitzer appointee, 250
Pat Kelly, husband of, 250
Joan Miles, Schweitzer appointee, 100
Brian Schweitzer, stand-up comedian, 250
Nancy Schweitzer, comedian’s wife, 250
Walt Schweitzer, Governor’s office unpaid intern, 250
Richard Opper, Schweitzer appointee, 100
Mike Schweitzer, suspected Schweitzer relation, 50
Eric Stearn, unlicensed Schweitzer counsel, 200
For a grand total of 2,550, or $2,500 if I’m wrong about Mike Schweitzer, or $2,450 if I’m wrong about David Hunter too.

This is dirty, dirty, dirty.  How can anyone think this his uninformed decision that there would be no investigation of Governor Schweitzer isn’t influenced by this sort of back-scratching cronyism?  Wonder if the press will even mention it.

I was a little worried that Jay Stevens would be leaving Montana before I got a chance to use the Blue Jay Watch logo again. Fortunately for me - and unfortunately for anyone who thinks that truth ought to be valued - he isn’t leaving without a fight and his latest target is Congressman Rehberg’s association with Kevin Ring.

Jay, like lots of Montana lefties lately, is trying desperately to divert attention from the ugly mess their Governor has made for himself and also his party. On one hand, you have a politician who bragged about vote tampering to a public audience. You have audio of those boasts. And you have an Attorney General who not only shares a party but has accepted maxed-out campaign donations from this politician refusing to investigate.

And then you have this.

Jay is kind enough to link to an edited AP story posted by an obscure television station in North Dakota. He quotes the following:

Ring was recommended to Carter County by Montana Representative Denny Rehberg. He was hired in 2003 to help obtain federal dollars to pave a portion of gravel highway between the small towns of Alzada and Ekalaka in southeastern Montana.

Prosecutors allege he used his inappropriate relationship with a congressional aide to secure some of that money.

Now, if Jay had actually posted a link to a Montana source, he would have been able to read the entire AP story, and he would have avoided the embarrassing implication that Rehberg or a Rehberg aide did anything wrong. For example, he may have learned the aid in question did not work for Rehberg:

Ring discussed the project with Oklahoma Rep. Ernest Istook — then the Republican chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee that controlled highway spending — and Istook’s aide John Albaugh at a fundraiser Ring held for Istook in a luxury suite at Washington’s MCI Center on July 28, 2003, the indictment says.

He might also have discovered that Senator Baucus is also supportive of the projects in question and also received lobbying money:

“Max has been fighting for these projects for years and years because they are good projects, he doesn’t need a bunch of lobbyists to tell him what’s right for Montana,” said his spokesman Barrett Kaiser.

Both Rehberg and Baucus received, and later gave away, donations from members of Abramoff’s team — Rehberg from Abramoff and Ring, Baucus from Michael Smith, who also worked on the Carter County and Dry Prairie projects along with other Abramoff associates.

While I’ve come to expect Jay to take certain liberties with facts - usually by omitting important details - the important thing to notice here is how sensitive he is to the ethical behavior of Republicans while writing a blank check for corrupt Democratic pols. Where is the outrage toward Schweitzer publicly bragging about vote tamping?  Where’s the blustery posts condemning Mike McGrath for not investigating a campaign donor?  Try as he might to detract attention from Schweitzer’s political machine breakdown - and while this post may be seen as evidence to the success - it’s important to remember this fact:

Jay Stevens doesn’t care about ethical propriety beyond its ability to help elect Democrats.  And that, my friends, is partisanship at its worst.

Missoulapolis met with Ron Waterman, the man that Mike McGrath is going to be conceding to in November. I meant to go, but I went to the wrong Montana Club (d’oh!) and by the time I realized, I’d already ordered lunch. Not to fret, Carol posted her thoughts. Some highlights:

Waterman agrees that McGrath is far too partisan.

Waternan didn’t pull any punches. He says McGrath is “too much of a partisan politican to be an impartial justice.” Uh, check.

Waterman wouldn’t really be able to do the job. This is crucial.

Also, since McGrath has been attorney general for the past four years, he’ll have to recuse himself from 50% or about 350 of the cases that will come before the court in the near future that he’s been involved with. I’ll bet the other justices will be happy about that.

If you want to read about the low regard he apparently has for the police, you’ll have to head over to Missoulapolis and read it for yourself.

Ron Waterman needs your help. Go help him!

When Governor Brian Schweitzer boasted to a room full of trial lawyers that he was turning dials to deliver the Montana Senate Election to fellow Democrat Jon Tester (over Republican Conrad Burns who beat him in in an earlier election), he claims he was joking.   Fine.

But whether he was also telling the truth,  is on the minds of Montana, and that would be the subject of an investigation.  In a poll at the Great Falls Tribune, over two third of respondents think that Mike McGrath made the wrong call in denying an election.  In their company are almost all conservatives, most moderates and even lefties like Wulfgar! and Matt Singer.

With a popular demand for an investigation from all corners, the only reason I can think of for a denial is that there is really something to find.  So how about it McGrath?  Are you going to do your job?

We knew that McGrath and Schweitzer share a party and that for the Montana Democrats that’s a bit like being a Corleone. But it turns out there’s a pretty significant financial link too. Via a release by the College Republicans:

Democrat Attorney General Mike McGrath declined to investigate Schweitzer’s activities. Schweitzer and his wife Nancy, as well as his brother Walter, have all contributed the maximum possible donation to McGrath’s campaign for Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court.

Schweitzer once said that politics is about perception. McGrath might need a lesson in perception management because frankly this - letting a maxed-out campaign donor off the hook - smells dirty as hell.

Go and donate to Tim Fox (to get an honest Attorney General into office) and Ron Waterman (to get McGrath out of self public service).