A forum on Montana & Flathead Valley politics.
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Public Policy Polling results released this week show Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich surging to the front of the pack in Montana and gubernatorial candidate Rick Hill maintaining his lead.
PPP surveyed 700 Republican primary voters in the state between Nov. 28 and Nov. 30 and found the former speaker of the House of Representatives opening a healthy lead over the rest of the field, with 37 percent of GOP voters preferring Gingrich for president.
Here are the full results of the survey, which has a +/-3.7% margin of error.
PPP also polled Republican voters in Florida and found Gingrich opening up a big lead in that state, with support from 47 percent of GOP voters. From PPP:
The Democratic polling company also surveyed the Montana GOP gubernatorial primary, in which many voters are still unfamiliar with candidates in the crowded field.
Rick Hill has the most name recognition and is still the early frontrunner, with support from 37 percent of Republican voters. Here are the full results:
PPP surveyed 700 Republican primary voters in the state between Nov. 28 and Nov. 30 and found the former speaker of the House of Representatives opening a healthy lead over the rest of the field, with 37 percent of GOP voters preferring Gingrich for president.
Here are the full results of the survey, which has a +/-3.7% margin of error.
Newt Gingrich: 37%
Ron Paul: 12%
Mitt Romney: 11%
Michele Bachmann: 10%
Herman Cain: 10%
Rick Perry: 5%
Jon Huntsman: 3%
Rick Santorum: 1%
Gary Johnson: 1%
PPP also polled Republican voters in Florida and found Gingrich opening up a big lead in that state, with support from 47 percent of GOP voters. From PPP:
The magnitude of Gingrich's leads now is an indication that he's appealing to every segment of the Republican electorate. He's up with the Tea Party in both states (53% to 24% for Cain and 7% for Romney in Florida, 42% to 18% for Bachmann, 13% for Cain, 10% for Paul, and 5% for Romney in Montana.) But he's winning over party moderates as well (33% to 22% for Romney in Florida, 31% to 17% for Romney in Montana.) Gingrich's favorability in Florida is 72/21 and in Montana it's 65/23. You don't attain those kinds of numbers without having a lot of appeal to every faction in the party.
The Democratic polling company also surveyed the Montana GOP gubernatorial primary, in which many voters are still unfamiliar with candidates in the crowded field.
Rick Hill has the most name recognition and is still the early frontrunner, with support from 37 percent of Republican voters. Here are the full results:
Rick Hill: 37%
Ken Miller: 10%
Jeff Essmann: 5%
Jim Lynch: 4%
Neil Livingstone: 3%
Jim O’Hara: 3%
Corey Stapleton: 2%
Bob Fanning: 1%
Comments (17) TotalOur U.S. delegation took a break from pointing fingers over the supercommittee’s failure to unite in its questioning of ESPN for not televising the University of Montana and Montana State University playoff football games for the vast majority of Montanans. They each worked hard to use football references in their press releases to prove their respective points, which I highlighted in bold below.
For its part, ESPN released the following statement: "ESPN is making an unprecedented commitment to the NCAA Division I Football Championship with more coverage than ever before across our entities, including ESPN3. We are aware of the inquiries from the Montana congressmen and we will follow up with each of them."
For some reason, I doubt ESPN succumbs to this bipartisan pressure.
Sen. Max Baucus: “It’s time for a timeout so we can take a look at this game plan and make sure it works for Montanans.”
“Sen. Jon Tester is throwing a challenge flag at an ESPN decision that will prevent many Montanans from watching the Grizzlies and Bobcats advance in the playoffs in the coming weeks.”
Rep. Denny Rehberg “urges ESPN to call an audible on FCS playoffs coverage.”
For its part, ESPN released the following statement: "ESPN is making an unprecedented commitment to the NCAA Division I Football Championship with more coverage than ever before across our entities, including ESPN3. We are aware of the inquiries from the Montana congressmen and we will follow up with each of them."
For some reason, I doubt ESPN succumbs to this bipartisan pressure.
Comments (0) TotalThis New York Times piece is making rounds today. It involves Montana gubernatorial candidate Neil Livingstone’s offer to help the late Libyan leader Muammar el-Qaddafi leave his country for a fee. From the Times:
You can read the piece in its entirety here.
Even as NATO bombed Libya, the Americans offered to make Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi their client — and charge him a hefty consulting fee. Their price: a $10 million retainer before beginning negotiations with Colonel Qaddafi’s representatives.
“The fees and payments set forth in this contract are MINIMUM NON-REFUNDABLE FEES,” said the draft contract, with capital letters for emphasis. “The fees are an inducement for the ATTORNEYS AND ADVISORS to take the case and nothing else.”
Neil C. Livingstone, 65, the terrorism specialist and consultant, said he helped put together the deal after hearing that one of Colonel Qaddafi’s sons, Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, was interested in an exit strategy for the family. But he and his partners were not going to work for free, Mr. Livingstone said.
“We were not an eleemosynary organization,” he said.
Mr. Livingstone, a television commentator and prolific author who moved home to Montana this year to try a run for governor, said he had long been a vocal critic of Colonel Qaddafi and was briefly jailed by his government on a visit to Libya in the 1970s. The goal of the consulting deal, he insisted, was not to save Colonel Qaddafi but to prevent a bloodbath in Libya by creating a quick way out for the ruler and his family.
You can read the piece in its entirety here.
Comments (0) TotalI meant to post a blog following up on my unemployed veterans story last week, but I think it's still relevant. In the Nov. 9 Beacon cover story, I looked into Montana's unemployment rate for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, which, at 20.1 percent, is the fourth highest in the nation. We didn't have space to include a map of all 50 states' jobless veterans rates for those two wars, so I thought I'd post it on this blog.
It's also worth mentioning that the veterans jobs legislation discussed in the article passed the U.S. Senate with broad bipartisan support on Nov. 10. Arguing on behalf of bill in the Senate, Montana Sen. Max Baucus referenced my story and one of the veterans I interviewed, Apollo Child. Hopefully, with the increased exposure and new legislation, veterans like Child can find work now that they're back home from war.
It's also worth mentioning that the veterans jobs legislation discussed in the article passed the U.S. Senate with broad bipartisan support on Nov. 10. Arguing on behalf of bill in the Senate, Montana Sen. Max Baucus referenced my story and one of the veterans I interviewed, Apollo Child. Hopefully, with the increased exposure and new legislation, veterans like Child can find work now that they're back home from war.
Comments (0) TotalPresident Barack Obama punted on a decision on whether to approve the massive Keystone XL pipeline, which would run from Alberta to the Texas Gulf Coast and cut through eastern Montana, until after next year’s election. The 1,700-mile pipeline came under criticism from environmentalists and Nebraska’s Republican governor and the State Department agreed to look at a new route that will delay a final decision until early 2013.
As the Associated Press reported, “the heavily contested project has become a political trap” for the president.
Montana’s U.S. delegation, Gov. Brian Schweitzer and the state’s labor unions have expressed support for the project. And its delay prompted strong rebukes. A few of their statements:
As the Associated Press reported, “the heavily contested project has become a political trap” for the president.
He risks angering environmental supporters if he approves the pipeline and could face criticism from labor and business groups for thwarting job creation if he rejects it.
Montana’s U.S. delegation, Gov. Brian Schweitzer and the state’s labor unions have expressed support for the project. And its delay prompted strong rebukes. A few of their statements:
MTAFL-CIO Executive Secretary Al Ekblad: “It would be a huge understatement to say that I am disappointed by the announcement that President Obama is going to delay the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline for up to two years. The construction of the Keystone XL pipeline will provide high-paying private sector jobs and increase the tax revenue in several struggling Montana counties without any expenditure of public money. The solution to the economic problems we are facing is the creation of more jobs that support working families. Workers are tired of electing leaders in both parties who refuse to lead and refuse to make hard decisions that provide real solutions to the jobs crisis in this country.”
Rep. Rehberg: “Pushing this important decision off until after the election is another sign that President Obama seems more concerned about his job than he is about creating good paying jobs in Montana and America. Folks in Montana understand the Keystone XL is about jobs. It’s not about who wins or loses an election next year. This is about getting our economy back on track. The Obama Administration set a deadline for a decision by the end of the year, and they need to honor their word. It’s time to put politics aside and get behind this common-sense pro-job policy.”
Sen. Baucus: “Montana jobs and our energy security are on the line here and I will not stand by and watch more bureaucratic red tape dictate our energy policy. Montana families and communities have been waiting too long for the jobs and energy security Keystone XL will provide to our state and our nation. We’ve done enough analysis. It’s time to put Montanans back to work.”
Comments (1) Total
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| Diane Smith, seen in her Whitefish home earlier this year, is running for U.S. Congress as a Democrat. - File photo by Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon |
Diane Smith, a Whitefish-based entrepreneur who co-founded a successful high-tech company, has announced that she is entering the Democratic primary for Montana's lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The state's current congressman, Republican Denny Rehberg, is running against incumbent Jon Tester in the 2012 U.S. Senate race.
I wrote an article about Smith's book "TheNewRural.Com" in April. The book outlines her vision of rural America's capacity for nurturing a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Smith is the co-founder of Avail-TVN, which has an office in Kalispell. According to her press release, the company, which Smith is no longer part of, has grown to more than $190 million in annual sales. She has worked as a consultant with other Montana start-ups.
Smith is a graduate of the George Mason University School of Law and a member of the Montana Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs, according to her release. She has been married to her husband David Pickeral for 31 years and their daughter Ally is part of Whitefish High School's class of 2012. For more information, go to www.dianesmithformontana.com.
“Montana needs Congress to focus on creating jobs, and that is what I have spent my life doing,” Smith said in a press release.
I wrote an article about Smith's book "TheNewRural.Com" in April. The book outlines her vision of rural America's capacity for nurturing a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Smith is the co-founder of Avail-TVN, which has an office in Kalispell. According to her press release, the company, which Smith is no longer part of, has grown to more than $190 million in annual sales. She has worked as a consultant with other Montana start-ups.
Smith is a graduate of the George Mason University School of Law and a member of the Montana Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs, according to her release. She has been married to her husband David Pickeral for 31 years and their daughter Ally is part of Whitefish High School's class of 2012. For more information, go to www.dianesmithformontana.com.
“I have a lot of ideas to simplify government and support our innovation economy," Smith said. "I’m not looking to make elected office a career, but I think my experience as an entrepreneur can be put to good use in Congress. I want to work to get America moving forward again so that Montanans have a better future here at home.”
Comments (4) TotalSecretary of State Linda McCulloch is the latest Montana official to criticize the U.S. Postal Service, and in particular Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe, for major reorganization proposals within the agency.
McCulloch sent a letter dated Oct. 17 to Donahoe blasting the Postal Service's announcement that it may close or relocate several mail processing facilities in Montana. She called the proposal "absurdity." McCulloch told Donahoe that such closures "could prove damaging to the state's elections process" because an "increasing number of our citizens are choosing to vote by mail."
"In the 2010 Federal General Election, 47% of the votes were cast by absentee mail ballot," McCulloch wrote. "That's a large increase from just ten years ago, when only 15% of the votes were cast by absentee ballot."
News of the possible closures of processing facilities initially came in September, on the heels of the Postal Service's announcement that it is reviewing 85 rural post offices in the state for closure. Later in the month, 69 of those post offices, including four in Northwest Montana, received notices of proposed closure. Sen. Jon Tester, however, is pushing legislation through Congress to keep a number of them open.
“In Montana and across rural America, post offices define communities and serve as lifelines to the rest of the world," Tester said in a release. "If post offices are shut down, entire communities will lose their identities and many of them will disappear. We must put sideboards on the Postal Service to prevent closures from disproportionately hurting rural and frontier America.”
McCulloch sent a letter dated Oct. 17 to Donahoe blasting the Postal Service's announcement that it may close or relocate several mail processing facilities in Montana. She called the proposal "absurdity." McCulloch told Donahoe that such closures "could prove damaging to the state's elections process" because an "increasing number of our citizens are choosing to vote by mail."
"In the 2010 Federal General Election, 47% of the votes were cast by absentee mail ballot," McCulloch wrote. "That's a large increase from just ten years ago, when only 15% of the votes were cast by absentee ballot."
News of the possible closures of processing facilities initially came in September, on the heels of the Postal Service's announcement that it is reviewing 85 rural post offices in the state for closure. Later in the month, 69 of those post offices, including four in Northwest Montana, received notices of proposed closure. Sen. Jon Tester, however, is pushing legislation through Congress to keep a number of them open.
“In Montana and across rural America, post offices define communities and serve as lifelines to the rest of the world," Tester said in a release. "If post offices are shut down, entire communities will lose their identities and many of them will disappear. We must put sideboards on the Postal Service to prevent closures from disproportionately hurting rural and frontier America.”
Comments (1) TotalUpon hearing about the passing of Elouise Cobell, the Blackfeet woman who led a high-profile fight with the U.S. government over mismanaged American Indian land royalties, Montana's top political figures quickly released statements yesterday honoring the activist. Cobell, 65, died Sunday of complications from cancer.
Cobell was the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit filed in 1996 claiming the Interior Department had misspent, lost or stolen billions of dollars meant for American Indian land trust account holders dating back to the 1880s. In 2009, the two sides agreed to settle for $3.4 billion, the largest government class-action settlement in U.S. history, according to the Associated Press.
Below are comments in their entirety from Montana's three federal lawmakers and governor.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer:
Rep. Denny Rehberg:
Sen. Max Baucus:
Sen. Jon Tester:
Cobell was the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit filed in 1996 claiming the Interior Department had misspent, lost or stolen billions of dollars meant for American Indian land trust account holders dating back to the 1880s. In 2009, the two sides agreed to settle for $3.4 billion, the largest government class-action settlement in U.S. history, according to the Associated Press.
Below are comments in their entirety from Montana's three federal lawmakers and governor.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer:
“Elouise Cobell was an extraordinary Montana leader who had the fortitude to challenge an injustice that started more than one hundred years ago. Nancy and I are praying for her family and friends during this difficult time. The Blackfeet Nation and all of Montana have lost a true inspiration and hero.”
Rep. Denny Rehberg:
“As Jan and I join Montanans who grieve the loss of Elouise Cobell, we can’t help but remember the incredible things she accomplished with her life. Like anyone who had the honor to work side by side with Elouise in the pursuit of justice, I will never forget her determination to do the right thing. Her efforts are an inspiration for generations of Montanans to come.”
Sen. Max Baucus:
"Elouise Cobell was a warrior for justice, a voice for the voiceless, and a dear friend. Our state and our country are better for having known her. Mel’s and my thoughts and prayers go out to her family, her friends and all those who are still waiting to receive the justice Eloise dedicated herself to. Our hearts are heavy with the loss of Eloise, but we know her legacy will live on in all those inspired to carry on her work."
Sen. Jon Tester:
“Elouise Cobell was a star—truly a guiding light that will always lead the way for all Americans who fight for justice and fairness. Elouise’s tireless leadership set this nation on a new course, and what she accomplished reminds us that any person in any part of this country has the power to stand up and right a wrong, no matter how difficult it may be.
Sharla’s and my thoughts and prayers are with Elouise’s husband Alvin, her son Turk, and her entire family. We join the Blackfeet Nation and all Montanans in mourning, honoring and celebrating the life of an extraordinary Montanan. Future generations will learn about Elouise Cobell’s legacy and they will be inspired to follow her lead. She will always be remembered as an American hero.”
Comments (0) TotalRead More Continental Divides
RIGHTOFCENTER said: "Hmmmmmm!! Definition of Congress, “National Legislative Body consisting of the House of Representatives and Senate”. Isn’t Jon “Obama Rubber Stamp” Tester in the Senate??? I…
waterman said: "It might mean that some just do not like successful people or accomplishments."
reggie said: "If “right to work” policy is so great, why don’t we use it in other situations where benifits are provided by funds from dues paying…
Westside2 said: "A comment from another paper: OK, here’s what really happened: A Creator, THE Creator, did not become a creator until He, a male creator, created…
ponymt said: "I’m not sure why it cut my statement short but the following is the complete sentence.. Additionally, consider how “responsible” society has…
Westside2 said: "A comment from another paper: OK, here’s what really happened: A Creator, THE Creator, did not become a creator until He, a male creator, created…
JCW said: "While they’re at it, they should also add that the city government and law enforcement WON’T abide by the NDAA GARBAGE..!! It would also be…
Mark Phillips said: "Might want to check out the late 2010 10th circuit court of appeals decision about crosses along highways in Utah and the supreme courts decision…
skylane said: "I work right next to the airport and used to live on Teal. I hardly notice its there. Haters gonna hate"
reggie said: "If “right to work” policy is so great, why don’t we use it in other situations where benifits are provided by funds from dues paying…