MTGOP

Schweitzer's Lie Exposed

There’s been a lot of discussion in the past several weeks about Representative John Sinrud and the recent Cease and Desist Order issued by the Montana Board of Architects against his Bozeman firm.  First, it’s important that we remember the presumption of innocence, and as facts are still coming to light in this case, it seems premature to assume that Representative Sinrud has broken the law, and we’ll continue to take Representative Sinrud at his word.

One person we know we can’t take at his word is Governor Brian Schweitzer, especially since he’s already openly lied on this story.  Just look at these two Schweitzer quotes:

From July 27th, 2006:
“Schweitzer questioned what “a draftsman” like Sinrud would know about it.
From “Kitzenberg Tapped For Unadvertised Post” (Chuck Johnson) Helena IR
http://www.helenair.com/articles/2006/07/27/montana/a01072706_05.txt

Apparently in July of 2006, Schweitzer knew exactly what Sinrud did for a living.  However, when Schweitzer was asked if he had any involvement in the Board of Architects decision, he had a different story:

From December 4th, 2007:
“It would be delusional,” Schweitzer said. “I didn’t even know what he did for a living.”
From “Board of Architects Shuts Down Sinrud” (Chuck Johnson) Helena IR
http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/12/04/montana/a06120407_01.txt

Interesting that the Governor knows what Sinrud does for a living for some news articles, but not for others…

For anyone who’s closely followed the actions of this Governor, this all smells a little fishy, even before you see his flat out lie in black and white print.  When you realize that several of the members of the Board of Architects were appointed by Governor Schweitzer, things look a little more murky.  However, political insiders aren’t surprised by any of this.  For the past few years there have been plenty of rumors whispered in the halls of the capitol about the Governor exerting influence over the jobs of his political opponents, though no one has been willing to go “on the record” about it, likely fearing further retribution.

It’s not hard to imagine a similar scenario impacting the case with Rep. Sinrud.  Most Montanans know Sinrud as a vocal critic of the Governor, and many Montanans have heard of or witnessed the Governor when he’s not pleased.  Even Democrat State Senator Jesse Laslovich referred to Schweitzer as a bully, which begs the question, just how far will Schweitzer go?  At this point there has been no evidence to show that the Governor exerted any influence in this case (though it’s clear at the very least that he lied).  Some folks do find it curious that this story emerges to discredit a critic of Schweitzer and his bloated budgets at a time when Schweitzer faces increased scrutiny for the record spending increases during his administration. 

Karl Ohs: An authentic hero and friend

Montana Loses An Authentic Hero:

Former Lt. Governor Karl Ohs

On Sunday, November 25th, Montana lost an authentic hero when former Lt. Governor and MT GOP Chairman Karl Ohs passed away at his home in Helena. Karl was dedicated to his family, his friends, and committed to serving the people of Montana. His accomplishments as a state legislator, Lieutenant Governor, and as past Chairman of the Montana Republican Party are substantial, and those actions will have a lasting, positive impact on our state. However, for most of us, his legacy isn’t written in the policies he’s promoted or the causes he’s championed. Karl’s legacy will live on in the lives he's touched and the families he’s blessed through his friendship, compassion, and faith.

Karl represented the very best in public service. He was honest, humble and hardworking. But most importantly, he conducted himself with a sense of decency and civility that is the standard any public servant should strive to meet. His kindness, steadfast dedication, and commitment to Montana will be deeply missed.

FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS
Viewing hours will be from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 29, at Retz Funeral Home. Funeral services will be at the Gateway Community Center, 1710 National Ave., Helena, at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 30, with a reception following. Graveside services with military honors accorded by the Montana National Guard Honor Guard will be at the Harrison Cemetery at 3 p.m with a reception following at the firehall in Harrison. Family and friends are invited to Karl and Sherri’s home, 133 Alfalfa Road in Helena, on Thursday evening from 6 to 9 p.m. for an informal reception honoring Karl’s life. Donations can be made to the Missions Fund at Evangelical Covenant Church, 800 N. Hoback, Helena, MT 59601; Intermountain Children’s Home, 500 S. Lamborn, Helena, MT 59601; or the Florence Crittenton Home, 901 N. Harris, Helena, MT 59601.

OBITUARY
Karl, the soft-spoken cowboy and diplomat, who was always the consummate mediator, never wavered from his values, whether in life or death.
Click here to read the complete obituary.

PAYING TRIBUTE
Back in June, Chuck Johnson of Lee Newspapers wrote this about Karl: 

"Politics in Montana, like elsewhere, suffers from more than its share of poseurs, fakers, sharks and snakes. Karl Ohs isn't among them. This Montana cowboy is a thoroughly decent and kind man.  Ohs also is an authentic American hero. At the FBI's request in 1996, Ohs made 19 trips riding his horse into the armed compound occupied by the anti-government Freemen in Garfield County. Ohs played a critical role in negotiating a peaceful settlement that helped prevent the bloodshed of Waco or Ruby Ridge. The FBI later honored Ohs with its top award to civilians." 

This is just one of the many tributes to Karl and his life of service appearing around the state, a few of which are included below:

FORMER LT. GOVERNOR OHS DIES AT AGE 61
Former House Speaker John Mercer, R-Polson, called it "a very sad day for all of Montana to lose Karl Ohs because he was the ultimate gentleman for any occasion he was involved with…  "I think he would be the person in politics that any person would aspire to be," Mercer said. "He would be the role model. There aren't many people in politics like Karl Ohs, but there should be."
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/11/26/news/state/23-ohs.txt?rating=true

TRIBUTES HIGHLIGHT OHS’ WORK ON BEHALF OF STATE
"Karl was a good friend and a dedicated public servant," said U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont. "During his years serving Montana, Karl and I worked closely on many projects important to our state."  Secretary of State Brad Johnson, a Republican, called Ohs a "fundamentally decent man and a public servant of the highest caliber" who "served Montana and her people well."
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/11/27/news/state/22-tributes.txt

KARL OHS' NAME WRITTEN ALL OVER MONTANA HISTORY
"Karl Ohs was one of those people that just about everyone liked — a rare trait among political leaders. Said Martz: "Karl was a true friend, first of all, to almost everybody he met. I don't think Karl had an enemy."  …A cowboy we'll all remember for the indelible, positive mark he made on Montana."
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071127/OPINION01/711270304

KARL OHS SERVED STATE WELL
"He may be most remembered for his part in bringing the armed standoff between the anti-government Freemen of Garfield County and federal agents to a nonviolent conclusion. Then a state representative, Ohs gained the trust of Freemen and met with them 19 times during their 81-day standoff in 1996... That no more lives were lost is a credit to many thoughtful people, not the least of whom is Karl Ohs."
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/11/28/opinion/gazette/50-gazetteopinion.txt

Conservatives Perform Well in Local Elections

Montana's Fall 2007 municipal races are in the books, and from Great Falls to Bozeman to the Bitterroot, cities and towns accross Montana  rallied around conservative candidates who favored a fiscally conservative and pro-business approach to government.

While nearly all the races were non-partisan, several candidates have historical ties to one party or the other, and in many cases, towns saw the same organizers squaring off in a non-partisan race that seem to go head to head for every partisan campaign in even numbered years.


For more information, check out these stories:

Great Falls Tribune
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007711080304

Ravalli Republic
http://www.ravallirepublic.com/articles/2007/11/07/news/news02.txt

Insure Montana Rates Rise, Benefits Drop

Need more proof that government run health care doesn't work?

Check out today's Billings Gazette:
http://billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/11/01/news/state/26-plans.txt

Kennedy Chronicles TV

The Montana Republican Party unveiled a new feature for the Kennedy Chronicles - this time featuring web videos highlighting the escapades of Montana's Perennial Candidate Bill Kennedy.  Check out the latest edition of the kennedy chronicles by visiting the MT GOP website, or watch the video included below.

The Kennedy Chronicles

This week Bill Kennedy is in the spotlight again – this time it’s for his dismal campaign finance report.  In his October Quarterly report, Kennedy reported raising a paltry $63,742.  The total reflects a significant drop from his first quarter of reporting back in July,and even falls short of the mark set by Monica Lindeen in her unsuccessful bid to unseat Congressmen Denny Rehberg two years ago.  You may recall that Lindeen was soundly defeated by Rehberg by nearly 20 points – just over 80,000 votes – in the last election.

Falling short of that standard has to be a let down for the perennial candidate that should know the look and feel of a losing campaign when he sees one.  In a quarter where Baucus and Rehberg were raising funds at a record-setting pace, Kennedy’s steep drop spells trouble for the fledgling candidate, and shows that Montanans have grown tired of his endless personal quest for higher office, especially when he’s shown such quests come at the expense of his job as County Commissioner.  His perennial candidacy has become the stuff of urban legend in the Billings community, as he has now run for a different political office in each of the last four elections. In2002 it was a Yellowstone County Commission race, but then apparently holding a County-wide office wasn’t enough so in 2004 he ran for Secretary of State. After losing that race it was back to running again for Yellowstone County Commission in 2006 and now for the 2008 Election cycle he is running for the United State House of Representatives.

By now, Kennedy should know his candidacy is already in real trouble – not in trouble of falling short, but in trouble of never getting off the ground.  Unfortunately for Kennedy, Montanans aren’t interested in shameless self-promotion and political ambition, their interested in leaders who work on behalf of those who elect them.  Bill Kennedy continues to show that he’s only interested in working for his next big opportunity.

Truly Open Government

On September 24th, Secretary of State Brad Johnson became the first state-level official in Montana to begin posting his schedule online.

Following the lead of Montana’s Congressional Delegation, including Congressman Denny Rehberg, Johnson posts each day’s schedule for any member of the public to view.

When he began posting the schedule, Johnson called on all other state elected officials to do likewise.  So far, there has been no move from Governor Schweitzer, Attorney General McGrath, Auditor Morrison, or Superintendent McCulloch to follow suit.

This is just another example of Republicans leading the way on openness in state Government. On constituency funds, Johnson’s disclosure was also more complete than any other state official, and Senator Roy Brown’s bill to ban constituency funds went farther than the Democrat version. On July 27, GOP Chairman Erik Iverson called for greater financial disclosure from the Governor’s office – and still Governor Schweitzer has taken no action.

Tester Caves To MT GOP Pressure and Returns Tainted Money

Many of you have probably seen the continuing news coverage of Hillary Clinton and the controversy over donations received from Norman Hsu.  Clinton announced late Monday that she would be returning all contributions associated with Hsu (read here).

Well, Montana's rookie Senator Jon Tester also took contributions from associates of Hsu, as was first reported by the Wall Street Journal on August 30 (read here).

This is where things get interesting.  The MT GOP issued a call last week for Tester to return the donations that the WSJ had linked to Hsu, and Tester's spokesman responded by saying that they would wait to see if the donations were found to be illegal (McKee, Billings Gazette).  That's not exactly the response you'd expect from a guy who promised to "live by a higher standard" in his ethics pledge in 2006.

Today, 12 days after the WSJ first reported that Tester had received donations linked to Hsu, Tester has backed down and his office has announced that they will return the money.  For the full story on Tester returning the money, click here.

MT GOP Adopts Presidential Caucus

For the first time in memory, Montana will play a role in the Presidential Primary process.  Montana Republicans will hold a Presidential Caucus on February 5th, 2008.

We could go on and on about the merits of this new caucus, but Missoula County Republican Central Committee Chairman Will Deschamps has already done that for us in the following op-ed:

Presidential Caucus A Better Way Forward

By Will Deschamps

As a lifelong Republican, I’m excited about the Montana Republican Party’s proposed Presidential Caucus for February of 2008.  The reason is simple:  it strengthens Montana’s voice on the national landscape without changing or eliminating any rights or privileges Montana voters already have.

Don’t get me wrong, I, along with most Republicans, would like to see the state’s Presidential Primary moved forward to February, as Secretary of State Brad Johnson proposed earlier this year, so every Montanan can vote at a time that makes us relevant to the process.  Unfortunately, that option was taken off the table by Democrats in the State Senate who killed the proposal, but I was glad to see the Montana Republican Party bring forward a new idea to help Montana play a role.

Now, some uninformed critics of this proposal have attacked it as a bad idea.  They say Montana Republicans are taking unprecedented action that takes away the rights of the average voter.  This couldn’t be further from the truth.  In fact, 29 states, including Wyoming and South Dakota use a closed Presidential Primary or Caucus system to help determine who their state supports for the Presidency.  Certainly we haven’t seen democracy crumble in these adjacent states.  Certainly if a majority of states use a similar system, we’re hardly breaking new ground.

The reality that critics don’t want to admit is that under the MT GOP’s proposed caucus, Montana voters still cast a vote for the President during the Primary Election in June, and that vote has the same weight that it did in 2004 and in 2000.  That process remains exactly the same under the Republican Party’s proposal.  Montanans still cast a vote.

The sad reality is that Montana’s primary vote has never mattered all that much to Presidential Campaigns.  As the second-to-last state to vote, the race for President has long been over when Montanans cast a ballot.  Critics of change will tell you that we’re ignored because we’re a small state with only three electoral votes, but the critics and their simple-minded rhetoric are wrong, because nominating a President is unlike any other political process in our country.  Political scientists who take an honest look at the Presidential nominating process will tell you that Montana, with our 25 delegate votes, has the same value to a Presidential Candidate as eight Congressional Districts in California.

It’s not Montana’s size that’s the issue, it’s when we cast our vote.

Some folks may be willing to sit back and let this election cycle pass by, waiting on a hope and prayer that Democrats join Republicans in changing Montana law to allow for an early Presidential Primary in 2012.  I, for one, am not willing to give up for the 2008 election if we, as Montanans, have a chance to matter when it comes to nominating the President.

That’s why I’m so excited about the Republican Party’s Presidential Caucus.  It gives us that chance to matter.

Any time someone proposes a change to the status quo, they’re going to be attacked with distorted arguments and half truths from those people who fear change.  But when we step back and take a look at the facts, it just makes good sense to support an early Presidential Caucus.  Presidential Campaigns will take a hard look at Montana because we will matter.  Our smaller size becomes an advantage because we will be weighing in earlier.  In Big Sky Country, campaigns actually have less territory to cover, and the cost of campaigning is much lower than slugging it out in state’s like California or Florida, where the candidate has to cover a lot more territory at a much higher cost for the same benefit.

As this proposal moves forward, and if it’s adopted, Montanans should keep an open mind.  Ask yourself, do you want the same old irrelevant election, or do you want to hear from candidates and see them traveling our state, or do you want to watch them on the news?  Don’t let the critics and naysayers scare you.  Take a look at what’s really happening and decide for yourself.  Ask yourself if it is better that we sit back and be ignored as always, or if it is time to try something new that gives Montana a real voice.

Schweitzer Prioritizes Movie Stars Over Firefighters

The MT GOP released a new web video today highlighting Governor Schweitzer's real priorities.  Watch the video below:

For the full article by Chuck Johnson, click here.