Roger Koopman and his band of wackos have again worked to hijack the word “conservative”.  Let’s see if some well recognized Montana state legislative scorecards concur with the Koop’s “liberal” inference:

The Montana Chamber of Commerce is the business voice and disagrees: most of the targeted crew had scores in the 90-100 range, some were selected as the Business Champions of the Year for 2009 (Senate: Brown and Peterson, House: Jones and McNutt).  Dave Lewis, Ankney, Arntzen, Berry, Hollandsworth, Klock, McClaren, Ohara, Washburn, and Wellborn all ranked the next highest category.  (http://www.montanachamber.com) These legislators appear to rank very high as business conservatives.

The Montana Family Foundation scores (http://www.montanafamily.org/) the “targets” on the Koop’s list in the 80-100% level.  Koop’s targets tended to be socially conservative. 

What about the extreme environmentalists?  Here a good score for Republicans is a low score.  The Montana Environmental Information Council (MEIC’s) webpage (http://meic.org/) gave those “Senate Liberals” Peterson and Lewis a score of “0”.  On the House side, the “RINO” Ankney, that “troublemaker” Jones, that “notoriously liberal” McNutt, and the “deal maker” OHara got a 0.  In fact, most of the Koop’s list got 0 here.  Thus the state’s lead environmental group does not concur with the Koop. The “Koop” Liberals are certainly not “liberal” according to the environmental groups.
The Montana Stockgrower’s scorecard and the NRA recommendations also rank these Legislators high. (http://www.votesmart.org).  Here the Koop targets often outscored the so called “Koop conservative.
 
In quality reputable legislative scorecards these legislators score in a manner that suggests they are doing a great job of representing their conservative constituents and are anything but liberal. 
The real question: Why would anyone give credence to Koop acid test results from a “gotcha” survey? The best Legislators gave it an appropriate resting place in the trash.  The Koop band of “conservatism” is anti-public education, offer forth concepts of having the state succeed from the union, and want to hunt gophers with silenced machineguns on court house lawns.  Like other zealots today, they are willing to kill someone to save them.  They term any compromise, no matter how principled, as evil, unless the compromise suits them.  Montanans beware, the “perfect” Koop candidate might be best termed: Right wing extreme ideological theological puritan zealot.

Koop’s tact seems to be to deceive and recruit from a very positive conservative movement, the Montana Tea Party. His goal is to get the Tea believing his vision and buying his venom.  The Koop’s targets have more in common with the Tea Party than the Koop.  It is unlikely that real Montanans, including those involved with the Tea Party, will be long fooled.

Wow.  You read a letter like Koopman, aka the Kookster, and you just wait for the punchline… but its not a joke!?!?
Sadly the Kookster and crew are once again trying usurp the Republican Party.  The Montana Conservative Alliance sounds so professional and legit. I wonder how few are in this group? It is actually just the Kookster, Sinrud and Lefer under yet another front, carpetbaggin’ as usual.  Business as usual for them is searching for yet another donor victim to vampire and another “liberal” Republican to replace with a disciple.  Someone needs to check their water because they are seeing liberals everywhere.
Before taking the Kookster seriously consider some of the names he has operated under in 2007: Alliance of Montana Taxpayers, Coalition for Energy & the Environment, Conservative Victory Fund, Montana Citizens for Right to Work, Right to Work Political Action Committee (PAC), Montana Committee to Protect the Unborn, Mothers Against Child Predators, National League of Taxpayers, National Pro-Life Alliance, Sportsmen’s Rights PAC, Western Tradition Partnership.  Checkout: http://www.helenair.com/news/article_db23235f-70a2-5d7c-be2a-1597f29909c7.html  At some point they are going to run out of names, I hope.
This quote from the article is right on, ”What is unusual about most of this latest collection of groups, however, is their formation just before the election and their relative obscurity and secrecy, says Political Practices Commissioner Dennis Unsworth.  ‘They weren’t always forthcoming on names of officers; phone calls (from my office) weren’t returned,’ he said last week. “But we did see some of their handiwork in terms of these ‘hit pieces’ in the mail.”

I loved Repbusman’s term acid test.  These Koopman, Sinrud, Lefer believers would boil their best friend in acid if he did not pledge total support and obedience to their brand of conservatism.  What a ridiculous survey.  I have attended Tea events and listened to the Tea Party speak.  This is a remarkable grass roots group advocating for limited government and fiscal responsibility.  Normal folks united in a positive mission in a Statesman manner.  If the Tea Party were to become the engine for the acid venom spewing machine above it would be the end of it.

The republicans he is attacking are great legislators.  I can’t imagine the chaos that would exist in the 2011 Legislature if the majority control went to a group of extremist right folks such as would score well on the Kookster survey. Montanans know their people…they won’t be deceived again by the “hit pieces” and hate attacks.

Maybe Koopman’s test is simply a ‘regional differences’  take on the larger test of the Republican partys platform. 

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5823896n

Roger Koopman calling around recruiting candidates again, like in 2007?  Imagine the conversation….
Roger: Hi Bob, this is Roger Koopman, am I talking to a true conservative?  If you are, I need to tell you your Legislator is a liberal. 
Bob: A Liberal? I thought he was a Republican.  He is an area businessman, Elder in the Church, President of the PTA, and the Chamber loves him.
Roger:  Doesn’t matter.  Out of 1000 votes, he had the nerve to vote his conscience on 5 issues, and his constituent’s wishes on 10.  My TAB score has him as a liberal, and I know my liberals.
Bob:  Give me some examples?
Roger:  Why, there was that bill I had where an 18 year old could be given an alternative certification to teach high school once he graduated from high school.  I even added the section that he could not be a felon just to satisfy the liberals, and your Legislator voted no.  Some nonsense about that a higher standard should be required to meet the public trust.  Then there was that state rights bill put in by one of my followers where Montana was going to succeed from the Union.  One guy even offered an amendment where we could join Canada.  Your man voted no…said we were getting carried away.  Finally there was that time where he voted for that Budget Amendment bill, big spender that he is.  Something about a federal grant to fix your nursing home’s Alzheimer’s unit.  We can’t be wasting money on the elderly.  I know it is hard to accept, but your Legislator is a liberal..A RINO, Republican In Name Only.  The man is not even a patriot. 
Bob:  What does it take to run?
Roger:  Why, I would help.  Sinrud, LeFer and myself have been involved in many campaigns.  What we would do is wait until the last couple weeks before the election, and then we would lambast the liberal with one of our attack PACs.  Sometimes this is a bit unpopular with the people, but you can just deny knowing anything about it.  We won’t even answer the phone if someone calls to see if we are legit.  A great one in your area to use might be Mothers Against Child Predators. Really pulls on the heart strings.
Bob:  Do I do anything?
Roger:  Well, you would need to take a little survey..  Just to check on your conservative principles..and promise allegiance to me or my comrades of course.  Really just a formality… I was an outstanding Legislator myself.  Checkout: http://www.belgrade-news.com/view.php?article=7149
Montanans fell for this nonsense last election, but there are not many folks that will get sucked in again.  Especially since some of the groups, like Western Tradition Partnership and the Coalition for Energy and the Environment are already being investigated by the Commissioner of Political Practices.  http://politicalpractices.mt.gov/content/2recentdecisions/GraybillvWesternTraditionPartnershipComplaint  http://politicalpractices.mt.gov/content/2recentdecisions/GraybillvCoalitionforEnergyandEnvironmentComplaint

Vud, you might be right that the Koop is trying to create a regional “purity” test. Purity test nonsense in itself could put the conservative movement back year..there will always be regional differences and urban/rural differences.  If two “R”  Legislators from different regions always voted the same, then the question that should be asked is: Whose constituents are not being represented? 

Problem with the Koop survey is it is off the charts to the right.  Why is Koopman trying to pretend as if he is mainstream Republican and those on his long, long list are on the fringe?  Koopman is a Freeman for pete’s sake.  http://www.thefreemanonline.org/author/roger-koopman/

I think Koopman should have to introduce himself as an extremist. Nothing against Freeman, everyone has a right to their viewpoints. But Koopman hides in the dark and tosses grenades at people just to see how many will be hit by the shrapnel. Come on Koopman, be just a little bit forthright, come back from the dark side… or at least
step out of the dark.

First question. What makes Roger Koopman and his group the Judge and Jury of what makes a legislator conservative? Do we get behind incumbents that vote no on everything just to make a statement? Or do we get behind incumbents that go to Helena to make a difference? I support the ones taking tough votes to make a difference. I hope you do also.

I am a business owner, limited government, free market citizen that respects my legislators making tough votes that make a difference for their home district. That is why I support whom I support. I also respect the work that groups such as the Montana Chamber, the Stockgrowers, Farm Bureau, National Federation of Independent Businesses, etc. do compiling their respective report cards. In every instance, the targeted incumbent has a stellar record of voting for the people who sent them to Helena. Isn’t this what a citizen legislature is supposed to do?

I support the Tea party Movement whole heartedly, and I hope we don’t align ourselves with half baked, has been policy makers, that couldn’t pass a piece of legislation if they were the only one who had a vote.

Remember, this is the same group that ranks the legislators the highest that vote no the most? When these fringe of the party, self proclaimed conservatives who score high on the esteemed Koopman score card, vote no, do they offer a solution? Afraid not folks.

As I watched legislative TV last session, I was dismayed at the votes and statements made by the very people that replaced John Ward, Carol Lambert, and Bruce Malcom. What an embarrassment to the Republican base. These Koopman crusaders actually helped pass horrible legislation at the expense of businesses and working families. Is that what conservatives are supposed to do? Kill small businesses and hurt working families? Don’t think so.

For the record, Harry Klock, who is accused of having a poor record for agriculture, is a rancher himself, just another reminder that Mr. Koopman’s statements are as silly as they are untrue.  If Representative Klock has voted against agriculture interests from time to time, it speaks to his character, in that he isn’t self-serving, but rather voting for the good of all his constituents.

As I stated earlier, I am a proud conservative, and I am a Tea Party advocate, but I’m not angry about it. Let’s all get behind our pro business, limited government, incumbents and first time candidates on this hate list, they deserve our support. These people are the true champions of everything we stand for. I applaud everyone of these people for not being bullied by a survey that is undoubtedly put together by out of state hate groups for the purpose of destroying the diverse makeup of our citizen legislature.

If we let watchdog groups like these divide us as a party, the Democrats will win a solid majority in both chambers of the legislature. Is that what we want in Montana? The choice is yours. I hope you stand up for Montana and send groups like these, with their out of state expense accounts, down the road. We can’t let them destroy our political fabric in Montana.

Should we support candidates that just want to make a statement? Or do we want to support the ones who want to make a difference?  The 20 plus Republicans labeled, as Liberals are the one’s who vote to make a difference. They deserve our support. Please don’t take my word for it, but rather look into it for yourselves.

We must all be very careful what we wish for. The Koopman gang is out to destroy the Tea Party Movement, no question in my mind.

In doing some of my own checking, these guys all hate the public education system. How are we supposed to get our next generation of leaders prepared without education? Home school works part of the time, but will never replace a good public education. We do have to keep our education system (Office of Public Instruction) accountable to the Legislature and Montana tax payers, but the current slate of Republicans that these hate groups (yes they are angry and they do hate anything government) have been doing their best in an evenly divided House of Representatives to keep a hold on spending. Just check out some of the links REP BUS MAN and other have posted and some of the Christian LeFur domain owned sites listed by Tea is on me. Frightening stuff. We can’t let these guys influence elections in Montana. We have too much to lose. Wake up Voters. This has nothing to do with electing conservative candidates, it has everything to do with funding a well oiled political hack machine, and the good people who elect good legislators getting in the cross fire.

The following is part of an e-mail between Roger Koopman and a former next door neighbor here in the Gallatin Valley, who has moved out of State, her and Mr. Koopman are still very tight. Check out the hypo here. How he is such a God fearing foot soldier to his Liberty Cause. But check out for yourselves, the on going investigation between Koopman and the Montana Deptartment of Labor for selling Government property to private interests. that is called either theft or fraud, in which either isn’t promoted in the Bible that I read. Read the following from Mr. Koopman and see what I am talking about.


From Roger Koopman to a former Gallatin Valley Resident:

As a legislator, I sought God’s approval first, and my constituents’ approval after that.  I never sought the approval of the “club” in Helena.  When you seek first the approval of your fellow legislators, you become prideful and have abandoned all reason for being there.  The appeals to ego are incredible up there.  Too many so-called conservatives, tragically, have gone down that road.  They act as though it is a game.  It is not a game.  It is a war.  A life and death struggle for liberty itself.  How few indeed recognize that fact, and are prepared to step onto the battlefield.
Thanks Cheryl for all you do.

In the Light of Liberty

Roger

Need I say More????

Let’s all get get behind good solid candidates that will or are working for their constituents needs. Why let these out of state influences to tip elections with smear tactics. Tea Party, please understand that Roger koopman ant these other two guys are working for the highest bidder, not necessarily for your best interests.

Thoughts?

Hmm, perhaps the purist crews of Koopman, LeFer, and Sinrud should head the heroes they aspire to:

Reagan: “Do not speak ill of another Republican.”  That seems to be easy enough to remember.  Not quite as famous, but just as valuable: “Someone who agrees with you 80 per cent of the time is a friend and ally, not a 20 per cent traitor.”

Palin: Some far-right conservatives are enamored of the term “RINO,” standing for “Republican in name only.” But is there an equivalent term “DINO,” standing for Democrat-in-name-only? No, the Party of the Donkey isn’t that politically stubborn. They just call them “Democrats.” They win with their approach—and we lose (too often) with ours.

Wise thoughts: But wait, I forget, it is not about philosophy for these boys..it is about being a gun for hire

Roger Koopman - isnt this the same lunatic that came up with a hit list for “liberal” Republicans a year or two ago?
Who appointed him keeper of the conservative conscience?  Looking through his results; he is obviously not a statitician. Selecting 90 out of hundreds of votes, all according to his viewpoint is hardly a representative sample.  What do we do with the other 700-800 votes; ignore them?
It is obviously slanted to produce his desired results, in keeping with
Kookman’s Konservative Konscience.

Kookman stepped so far right, he fell off the edge and is floating in space.  Judging by his exchange with his former neighbor, above, he is obviously in God space - what else should surround Roger.  I think we’ve heard this mantra before - Gott mit uns!

As a converted Left in the West supporter I’m now wondering where I belong.  I liked the wonderful compromising of Rep’s O’hara, Jones, MacClaren, McNutt and others in the House when they meet with the Governor and agreed to a 30% increase in government spending, well until now.  I see my property tax go up and all of these Reps voted for the property tax bill.  I see that we are in a budget crises and all these guys voted for the stimulus package and the state budget bills for the last 3 sessions.  Now Rep Jones says that he wants to compromise again, in fact the compromise is cutting spending and raising taxes.  That is not what I signed up for when i look at compromise.  Where should I go.  I think it will be the Tea Party.  (Votes on state budget (HB2) and stimulus package (HB645)
http://laws.leg.mt.gov/laws09/LAW0211W$BLAC.VoteTabulation?P_VOTE_SEQ=H1992
http://laws.leg.mt.gov/laws09/LAW0211W$BLAC.VoteTabulation?P_VOTE_SEQ=H934
http://laws.leg.mt.gov/laws09/LAW0211W$BLAC.VoteTabulation?P_VOTE_SEQ=S2034
http://laws.leg.mt.gov/laws09/LAW0211W$BLAC.VoteTabulation?P_VOTE_SEQ=S1687
http://laws.leg.mt.gov/laws09/LAW0211W$BLAC.VoteTabulation?P_VOTE_SEQ=H1995
http://laws.leg.mt.gov/laws09/LAW0211W$BLAC.VoteTabulation?P_VOTE_SEQ=H1188
http://laws.leg.mt.gov/laws09/LAW0211W$BLAC.VoteTabulation?P_VOTE_SEQ=S2036
http://laws.leg.mt.gov/laws09/LAW0211W$BLAC.VoteTabulation?P_VOTE_SEQ=S1771
).  So if i don’t like the spending in state government the choice i get to make is either Koopman’s Conservatives and the compromises that I guess I will have to take kookmans conservatives and i will say go get them boys and girls.  Also if the Montana Family Foundation is so great then why do they support pro-abort candidates that support direct state funding to planned parent hood.  since 2007 Planned parent hood has received over $2million of direct state aid - for the first time in the history of Montana.  So again repbusman is not well informed.

Above comments were deleted based on privacy concerns.

Way to go fedup I heard Sinrud speak at the largest Tea Party gathering on the 4th of July and I agree the they are common sense people advocating limited govt and fiscal responsibility - Sinrud is a good guy and a strong conservative that doesn’t compromise on those principles that the Tea Party belives in.  Since when is it conservative to continually vote for spending increase in the state budget.  Since when is it conservative to vote for paying for state govt programs with stimulus moneys. Acid test waht about the pull the wool over my eyes test.

The old Koop does appear to have a little eye trouble when dealing with the Government. Seems he doesn’t mind living off the government he hates…even if it’s not legal.

One for http://2helenahandbaskets.com/?p=1250&cpage=1#comment-3094

Ah, yes, Left in the West Convert,  the evil of it all., and the sound bite is so bad… Voted for Stimulus,  Budget, and Property Tax…  They must be liberals…
Wait, is there an actual other side..not just a slime bite?

The Budget truth:  Montana is 1 of 2 states in the black as the rest drown in red ink.  The historic 282 million savings that kept Montana in the black was a result of a “compromise” between the “R” Senate, the “D” Executive and the “tied” House.  The ”R” wanted more savings and the “D” wanted more spending. With no one in complete control, compromise was the only viable option. Without compromise, chaos would have ensued as was the case in 2007 with the most likely outcome being Montana drowning in red ink today.  Are fiscal times becoming more challenging now?  Absolutely..imagine where Montana would be without budget compromise. 


Stimulus:  Stimulus creation was a federal decision, not a state decision.  Once the Fed passed stimulus, Montanans were on the hook for the tax bill. Lets be clear here, the state could have said no to receiving the dollars, but the state citizens would still have been stuck paying back the federal tax bill.  It was wonderful that some Legislators could take a protest “no” vote and express the Republican concern with the concept of borrowed dollars.  Fortunately there were enough Legislators that understood the need to vote yes so that the average Montanan would not have to pay for a product they never even saw. If everyone had voted no here the analogy would be that the Legislature gave Montanans a House payment without allowing them access to the House.  Some true statesmen did the right thing even knowing that it would give folks like the Koop,  Sinrud, and LeFer fodder for their slime guns.


Property Tax:  Watched the Joint Committee action on this debate on TV,  and it was an outstanding example of uncompromised pouting and shouting over a mitigation solution to the Constitutional mandate that a property tax reappraisal occur.  None of the business Main-Street Republicans identified above sat on the joint-committee where the nuts and bolts work was being done.  If they had been, perhaps a better “compromise” would have been reached and a better bill would have hit the floor for debate prior to the final day of session.  As it was, the House and Senate floor was left with the option of voting no on a Property Tax bill that was flawed and thus subjecting Montanans to the full impact of reappraisal, or voting yes and having some mitigation for the Montana tax payer.  As is almost always the case, the uncompromising crew left Montana with a terrible choice. A vote between bad and worst.  And, then they took the protest “no” vote on the floor.  Thank heavens enough voted “yes” so there is some mitigation.  The real question here is: How much better off Montana would be today if a true property tax compromise was reached?

Way to go repbusman that is the best B.S. job I’ve ever heard.  The facts that’s not the facts.  The fact is that 50% of Montana’s budget is funded by the FEDS (Deficit Spending - is that balanced).  According to the Legislative Fiscal Division our state tax spending increased by over 26% between the 2007 and 2009 budget (and both were compromises) then our over all fund (all taxes, state, federal and fees i.e. gas, hunting and fishing) spending increased by over 15%.  Wow Repbusman that’s great compromise. 
Regarding the stimulus package the polls say Montana’s were against it!!!!!!!!!  Then you took the Stimulus dollars and propped up the on going budget with over $200 million of those dollars leaving a hole of over $200 million that will have to be covered with either more revenues coming in to the state coffers or increases in taxes.
So that is what compromise gets.  Nothing else just bigger government and Repbusman you must be a lover of bigger government.  Oh by the way some state refused the stimulus dollars and Montana is a welfare state and we take more taxes from the FEDS than we give.
Those are the facts and you should be out of the legislature if your facts are so bad

Oh by the was Repbusman there was a concerted effort in the 2007 session to have permanent property tax relief but the compromising Republicans (the Log Cabin 12) refused to work with the Speaker to get it.  They voted to increase spending by over 24% and only Representative LLew Jones got what he wanted - to personally benefit from the new power lines running through his district and maybe even his own property.

So how many Primary Races did the hack and blast crew find for these incumbents?
I thought for a while Jesse O’Hara had a race. Looks as though his (for a very short while) opponent found a district he can win against a Democrat and the good Representative O’Hara doesn’t have to campaign. What happened Roger? What other districts did you fail to screw the the Real Republicans with your mindless games? Go back and shine Congressman Ron Paul’s shoes or what ever you did before you decided to move into our once serene State and fancy yourself as a Political Heavy Weight.

While doing more looking at the Secretary of State’s web site www.sos.mt.gov   Rep Klock is back, give em hell Harry (no opponent) sorry Roger. Rep. Berry also has a clear shot in November.  Hoven and Ankeny each have a Democrat opponent, Koopman probably surfaced the Democrats.

Oh he found opponents for Welborn and McNutt. (last minute it appears) I will be sending contributions ($160 each, count on it fellas) to both of these good vote for the Home District Republicans. Thanks for your hard work on appropriations Rep. McNutt.

Doesn’t it seem strange that Koopman, Sinrud and Lefur want to kill good Republicans and replace them with folks that if elected won’t last more than one session? I hear whispers that the Lefur Money machine that back these two Bozeman crackpots (Koopman and Sinrud) is starting to dry up. Do you suppose that the same people that are being bilked out of big $$$ are starting to wonder why their good business minded legislators are getting beat my smear campaign waging mad men such as Joel Boniek, Mike Miller, Lee Randall and others.

Perhaps the Koopman crew will finally be standing in a circle when they start their firing squad. We as real conservatives in Montana can only hope so.

My schoolteacher wife told me about an e-mail that was floating around the MEA/MFT that Roger Koopman authored calling these un-pure Republicans,  Ankeny, O’hara Jones, Klock, McNutt, Berry, Welborn, Hollandsworth and Glazer “The Nasty Nine”

I am sitting here wondering how someone who, as I showed in an earlier blog, sought the approval of God before he took any vote in his glory days in Helena, can keep a straight face when also asking God for his approval to assassinate the character of these good solid, business minded Republicans?

Perhaps he worships from a different bible than the one that I read.
I wonder if God also approved of his deceptive campaign practices he used (and was charged for by political practices) against John Vincent a few years back?

EZ Roger, you could be in a race to the bottom if you aren’t careful.