Max Gives $100k to DSCC

By Montana Street Fighter, on June 19, 2013 | 0 Comments

DSCC_LogoSenator Max Baucus made headlines yesterday for donating $100k to the DSCC (Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee) to help elect more Democratic Senators.  Baucus is solidifying his reputation as one of the Democratic Party’s biggest supporters. Max will “continue to be looking for ways to support the DSCC, the Montana party, Montana Democratic candidates and causes as he always has,” said a spokesperson for Max.

The Hill reported “the Montana senator has consistently been among the very top contributors to the DSCC, and today’s move signals that he’s continuing to be a top supporter of Senate Democrats after announcing that he won’t run again.

… Baucus had given more than half a million dollars to the Democratic committee last year alone. Baucus’s campaign had $4.8 million cash on hand as of the end of March, shortly before he announced his retirement.”

For decades, Max has used his machine to fund and support Democratic candidates, the state and national parties, and countless progressive organizations in Big Sky Country.  As he prepares to leave office at the end of his current term, Max seems to be signaling that he will continue to be an advocate for Democrats, the Party, and progressive causes.
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Steve Daines: ‘No Choice For You!’

By Montana Street Fighter, on June 18, 2013 | 3 Comments

No Choice For You DainesOn Tuesday Congressman Steve Daines will quietly vote to pass one of his most controversial bills.  Chances are most Montanans will hear nothing about it (another reason to keep sending ‘em to Montana Street Fighter).

Daines is one of 184 cosponsors of the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.  The bill, called “the most restrictive abortion bill” to come to a vote in a decade, outlaws the procedure after 22 weeks of pregnancy.  When Daines put his name on the bill, it didn’t even include exceptions for rape or incest.  Lawmakers added the exception at the last minute, but it only applies if victims of rape or incest report the crimes.  By the way, only 14 of those 184 cosponsors are women.

Daines must know his extreme anti-choice beliefs are unpopular in Montana and even among his own party.  That’s why he’s been lighting up his Facebook page with other GOP rhetoric like ObamaCare, Benghazi, and the IRS.

He doesn’t write home about his anti-choice agenda, so we’ll do it for him:

·      In April, Daines cosponsored the controversial Life at Conception Act.  The bill not only turns over Roe v. Wade, it also outlaws birth control pills and in vitro fertilization.   That bill has only 65 sponsors, only four of whom are women.

·      Also in April, Daines cosponsored the PRO-LIFE Act to ban federal education funding to institutions with health centers that make abortion-related materials available to students.

·      Daines also cosponsored a bill to spend more than a half-billion dollars on abstinence-only sex education.

·      In March, Daines cosponsored a bill allowing employers to refuse health care coverage for abortions or “other item or service to which issuer has moral or religious objection.”  This bill got a lot of attention last year, when it was known as the “Blunt Amendment.”

·      And in January, Daines cosponsored legislation to block Title X funding to all entities that provide abortion services.  A reminder: Taxpayer dollars are never used to provide abortions.  Another reminder: 25,000 Montana women rely on health care services – like cancer screenings – from Title X clinics every year.
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Grassroots Momentum Behind Schweitzer Campaign

By Montana Street Fighter, on June 16, 2013 | 0 Comments

The PCCC (Progressive Change Campaign Committee) released a “short video compilation of [their] effective draft” Brian Schweitzer effort.  You can view the video here or below.  While the electronica background music is a bit off-putting, there is no disputing the fact that Brian Schweitzer would enter the race for the U.S. Senate with serious and valuable grassroots momentum.

According to a recent piece by Mike Dennison, many Democrats close to the former Governor are all but certain Schweitzer will be officially entering the race soon.
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Sandy Welch Running For OPI, Again

By Montana Street Fighter, on June 14, 2013 | 1 Comment

Sandy Welch

 

According to the Commissioner of Political Practices , Sandy Welch has already decided to run for the Office of Public Instruction, again.  On January 19th, 2013 Welch filed a C-1 Form or “Statement of Candidate.”  Welch narrowly lost a challenge to Denise Juneau last year, however it seems a bit premature to file as a candidate almost four years in advance of the 2016 election.  In fact, she’s the only candidate on either side of the aisle to be so bold.

Welch spent the 2013 legislative session as a policy advisor to the dysfunction Republican caucus.
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Tester: Repealing PATRIOT Act ‘One Of The Main Reasons I Ran For This Position’

By Montana Street Fighter, on June 14, 2013 | 1 Comment

This morning, Senator Tester sent out an email asking Montanans to sign a short letter calling for the repeal of the PATRIOT Act.  In 2006, when Tester was running for his first term in the U.S. Senate he said that he did not want to weaken the PATRIOT Act, he wanted to repeal it.

Since serving in the U.S. Senate, Tester has voted at every opportunity to gut the PATRIOT Act.

While appearing on Andrea Mitchell earlier this month, Tester stated that one of the main reasons he ran for the U.S. Senate was because of opposition to the PATRIOT Act.  Tester went on to say that “we need to ask a lot of questions and get a lot of answers” and stop extending the PATRIOT Act and FISA’s immense powers with hurried votes that take place in the dark of night.  It’s time for a real debate on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

Watch Tester’s entire interview here:
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Jon Tester: Montana’s Civil Liberties Champion

By Montana Street Fighter, on June 13, 2013 | 6 Comments

Jon Tester FISA NSA

Jon Tester continues to be one of the Senate’s most outspoken and fierce civil liberties advocates (shouldn’t all U.S. Senators be advocating for our civil liberties?).  Our junior Senator has joined a gang of eight Senators fighting to hold the NSA and FISA accountable for spying on virtually every American.

The Federal Government has been taking advantage of the deeply flawed PATRIOT Act for years in order to implement an intrusive program of surveillance of almost every phone call, Internet search, and email in the United States.

Opposing the PATRIOT Act is nothing new to Mr. Tester.  In 2006, Tester was celebrated by liberals and libertarians and demonized by conservatives for advocating for the repeal of the PATRIOT Act.  During a debate with Republican Senator Conrad Burns, Tester stated, “I think the PATRIOT Act has very little to do with the war on terrorism and has a lot to do with why the terrorists attacked this country: to take away freedoms from regular Americans.”

Burns responded, “[Tester] wants to weaken the PATRIOT Act!”  To which Tester shot back, “let me be clear.  I don’t want to weaken the PATRIOT Act, I want to repeal it.”

Since being elected to the U.S. Senate, Tester has repeatedly slammed the PATRIOT Act and voted time and time again to undo the law.

In recent weeks, the Federal Government’s massive and unconstitutional domestic surveillance program has been exposed and Tester’s opposition to laws like the PATRIOT Act has been more than validated.

What’s disappointing is that only eight U.S. Senators seem to be truly outraged over NSA’s abuses.  The Hill reports, “Eight senators introduced legislation on Tuesday that would require the attorney general to declassify significant opinions made by courts operating under the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

If the bipartisan bill were adopted, the government would be required to reveal the kinds of National Security Agency surveillance activities that came to light last week.

However, “while the legislation has bipartisan backing” it has “received a chilly reception” on Capitol Hill.  “’I just don’t see a freight train coming down the track,’ in terms of getting the White House and Congress behind the Merkley-Wyden bill, Durbin said.

Even if a bill got through the House and Senate, it is unlikely that President Obama would accept it, Durbin said.

The Merkley-Wyden bill was offered in response to the classified information on the two domestic surveillance programs that were leaked by Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old government contractor.“

Nonetheless, Tester has continued to push forward.  Twice, while appearing on MSNBC, Tester has stated that the Snowden leak gives Congress and the American public an opportunity to have an “honest debate” about domestic surveillance.  Tester also strongly disagrees with Republicans who are calling for the punishment of journalists who report on intelligence leaks.  Pure insanity.

Tester has gone on to say that while Snowden “probably shouldn’t have done what he did,” his actions don’t compromise the security of the United States “and quite frankly, it helps [members of congress] become aware of a situation that [we weren’t] aware of…”

You can watch the two interviews here and here.

Intelligent Discontent has done an outstanding job f documenting Tester’s unwavering dedication to protecting our civil liberties and constitutional rights.  Over the weekend Don Pogreba wrote the following:

“One of the reasons I have so enthusiastically supported Senator Tester has been his consistent opposition to overreaching federal policies like the PATRIOT Act and FISA Amendments of 2008 Act. The latter was specifically identified by James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, as justification for the PRISM program, which allowed the NSA and FBI to tap “directly into the central servers of nine leading U.S. Internet companies, extracting audio and video chats, photographs, e-mails, documents, and connection logs.”

Back in 2008, Senator Tester voted against the FISA Amendments Act, just as he voted against extending the PATRIOT ACT. Representative Rehberg, along with almost the entire Republican House, voted for the bill.

It’s easy for politicians to decry the abuses of the NSA after they’ve been revealed, but we should credit Senator Tester for seeing the danger of NSA overreach five years ago. In fact, Tester was the sole Senator from the Rocky Mountain region to oppose the bill that year.”

And, “Senator Tester has come out swinging against NSA spying–demanding that the government declassify documents so that the American people can decide the scope of the program. On the other hand, Representative Daines has been incredibly quiet on the issue, other than issuing politicized and generic ‘concerns.’ The would-be Senator has had plenty of time to poll test a message. Shouldn’t he tell Montanans what he believes?”

Montanans are lucky to have a Senator so dedicated to protecting our civil liberties.  Let’s hope more Senators join Tester’s effort to declassify important FISA court opinions in the wake of the leaks surrounding National Security Agency surveillance.

We wonder how Rehberg would have handled NSA’s surveillance program had he been elected to the United States Senate.  Yikes.
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The Idaho GOP: Potato Oligarchy

By Montana Street Fighter, on June 13, 2013 | 0 Comments

Yikes!  Here’s a must-read warning from our neighbors to the west.  Idaho’s Associated Press has uncovered a “proposed internal party rule change” to require all Republicans to get the blessing of state GOP leaders prior to becoming candidates for office.

According to the AP, “Idaho’s secretary of state would put only candidates on the GOP primary ballot that had previously secured their party leaders’ blessing.”

This isn’t the only plan to turn Idaho’s Republican Party into a Potato Oligarchy.  Another controversial idea up for consideration during their state convention this weekend would punish GOP lawmakers who vote “in a way that ‘contradicts the Republican ideals.’”

This sounds like something that could come straight out of the Montana GOP playbook.  After all, it appears Idaho’s GOP is as fractured as Montana’s.  And anyone paying attention to the changing Republican Party should tune in.
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Corey “Ironman” Stapleton is not sick, just hungry

By Montana Street Fighter, on June 12, 2013 | 1 Comment

Corey Stapleton is trying to cash in on his 5-minute speech at last weekend’s disastrous GOP meeting in Bozeman with a new fundraising appeal to his supporters. The speech is here but if you’d rather not suffer through it, we’ve broken it down for you:

• @ :10 Admits he’s losing weight. “No worries, I’m not sick. In two weeks I’m competing in an Iron Man triathlon… and so I’m feeling a little lean from the training. A little hungry.”iron man stapleton

• @2:45 Takes a swipe at Congressman Steve Daines for recently supporting bipartisan legislation to keep oil and gas production out of the North Fork of the Flathead River. “Politicians who agree to shut down natural resource production are politically naïve and just trying to go along to get along. If that’s what you want in your U.S. Senator, then I’m not your guy.”

• @3:02: Doesn’t want to be friends with Democrats; would rather be friends with Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz (who aren’t friends). “If you want somebody to stand with Senators Rand Paul, and Mike Lee, and Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz—and not hold hands with the Democrats and try to be friends, then I’m your guy.”

• @3:30: Actually thinks the $140,000 he raised last quarter forced Max Baucus (who raised $1.5 million) to retire. “One week after we filed our finance report, Max Baucus quit this race.”

• @4:50 Borrowing lines from Star Wars, tells a room full of Republicans to vote Republican. “I believe the Montana Republican Party is a critical and valiant soldier in that epic battle in the future of America. Battlegrounds like Montana will determine control of the United States Senate and we need everybody in this room—all hands to man your battlestations!”
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The Shrinking Tent Of The Montana GOP

By Montana Street Fighter, on June 11, 2013 | 3 Comments

Fizz

With another disastrous convention behind them, Montana’s shattered Republican Party is beginning this week with a lot of pieces to pick up.  From our view, it’s been fun watching another angry, out-of-touch round of musical chairs and some telling insight about the shrinking tent of the Montana GOP.

Here are the three key takeaways from the Republican rendezvous in Bozeman:

1. The Montana Republican Party can’t shake the narrative that their party is divided, weak and message-less.  Story after story this weekend detailed how GOP speakers acknowledged the rift in the party, pleading to other Republicans to just get along.  What was supposed to be a weekend of reconciliation and message unity became an embarrassingly public airing of dirty laundry.  But no clothes got clean.

2. The Montana Republican Party, apparently not speaking for the majority of “responsible Republicans” in this state, is perfectly fine with moving to the far right.  That’s why they re-elected bitter old man Will Deschamps as party chairman despite Deschamps’ repeated failure of winning for his party.  They ousted a moderate vice chairwoman only to replace her with a Tea Party rubber-stamper.  And they were certainly no apologies from extreme “true Republicans” like Art Wittich and Derek Skees, who used the convention to blast “responsible Republicans” like Jim Peterson and Christy Clark.

3. No one takes the Montana GOP’s two U.S. Senate candidates seriously.  But their battle for relevance, while Steve Daines and Marc Racicot make up their minds, is pretty darn entertaining.  Case in point: Corey Stapleton (described by reporter Mike Dennison as a “financial adviser who finished a distant second in the 2012 GOP primary election for governor”) actually thinks he’s a frontrunner in the race.  That’s because he raised only $140,000 “in the few weeks leading up to his first campaign report.”   Then there’s Champ Edmunds, who actually admitted on record that Brian Schweitzer (a likely formidable Democratic candidate) is “the best politician in the state.”  Edmunds began his amusing, cliché-ridden speech with Bill Clinton’s theme song and ended it by stealing Jon Tester’s “let’s make Washington look more like Montana” line.  Champ Edmunds could probably stand to learn a thing or too from Brian Schweitzer.

Last year, Montana’s GOP convention made national news for including a bullet-ridden outhouse called the “Obama Presidential Library.”  At least this year, Republicans avoided another national embarrassment.  They’re saving that for 2014.
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Does Steve Daines Support NSA Spying?

By Montana Street Fighter, on June 10, 2013 | 0 Comments

DainesMontanans have been outraged ever since news broke that the NSA has been secretly collecting every American’s cellphone, internet, and email records. However, Congressman Steve Daines has been noticeably silent on the issue.

Last week both Senator Tester and Senator Baucus condemned the NSA’s overreach.  KTVQ reports, “Montana Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester are blasting the federal government for monitoring cell phone records of millions of Americans.” And “aucus says everyone wants to do their part to keep America safe, but that doesn’t give the government free reign to ignore civil liberties. Senator Tester says today’s news is Example A for what happens when we ignore the very Constitutional rights that make our nation great and respected around the world.

Both Senators have previously voted to end the FISA surveillance program which allows these types of monitoring programs.”

Montana has been called a “red state” and it’s been called a  “purple state.”  However, the simple truth is that Montanans are simply independent-minded people with strong libertarian leanings.  So, when it comes to the federal government spying on average Americans – well, that just doesn’t fly.  So, it’s odd that our freshman Representative has been so quiet on the issue.  IS he making the same mistake ex-lobbyist Dennis Rehberg made by embracing the PATRIOT Act with both arms?

Rehberg’s political fortunes suffered greatly in 2012 due to his support of the PATRIOT Act, spying on U.S. citizens, and the use of drones along our northern boarded.  Again, that just doesn’t fly in Big Sky Country.  Remember Schweitzer’s famous ad from 2008 where he sticks Federal ID cards to clay pigeons while shooting them out of the air?

This is simply one more example of Congressman Daines being out-of-touch with Montana – not to mention the constitution.
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