March 2010

Some Overheated Rhetoric from the Right Here in Montana

by Don Pogreba on March 29, 2010 · 1 comment

in Those Wacky Republicans

It’s hard to know what’s the worst element of this delightful piece of fiction by Montana novelist and right wing blogger M.L. Busman—its assassination fantasy, overwrought prose,or its Fox News endorsement—but it certainly seems to capture the prevailing spirit of the demographically and educationally challenged right wing in this country.

A few excerpts can’t really capture its magic, but I’ll give you a little taste before you get this title for stocking stuffers next Christmas.

Fantasizing about Dead Presidents!:

The bureau chief pressed play and listened one last time to the most incriminating Presidential whisper in the history of America.

"Allahu Akbar."

Purple Prose!:

A glance about the room at all the right-wing propaganda, pictures on the walls, brought a smirk to his lips. How stupid were the American People anyway?

He stuffed his weapon in the oversize pocket of the camouflage jacket and locked the door of the house behind him. Twenty minutes from D.C. Thirty minutes from destiny.

Fox News Love!:

"Anyone new, young, inexperienced. Someone tough enough to keep Garrett from getting too close."

"Major Garrett?"

"Can’t have Fox getting even a whiff of the truth. All they do is stir up trouble." He paused, then added, "Martial law would’ve been so much easier."

Now, some might say that I am overreacting to a piece of fiction. That’s just it, though; the entirety of the modern American conservative movement is built on stories so improbable that a good science fiction author would reject them. When a majority of Republicans believe that Obama is a foreign-born socialist in favor of terrorism, that drilling in Alaska will make America energy independent, that climate change is a liberal conspiracy and that 9/11 was the work of Iraqis, it becomes pretty difficult to separate their fantasy from their reality, and that’s the danger.

When Republican leaders stoke the fears of those already in the grasp of paranoid delusions and insane fears, something dreadful could certainly happen. It’s time for Republican leaders to stop using targets on posters, waving on mobs, and questioning the President’s birth certificate. Reasonable people can disagree and have heated debates, but that can’t happen in an environment where this kind of rhetoric takes the fore.

Dennis Rehberg: Champion of Consistency

by Don Pogreba on March 28, 2010 · 2 comments

in Denny Rehberg

Matt Gouras has 133 words up today about Dennis Rehberg, and in 133 words,rehberg the Congressman aptly demonstrates his total dishonesty and incompetence twice.

On his record of earmarks?

Rehberg says he has no idea how much money in earmarks he has secured last year or any other time over his career. But he says it is important to send a message about a spending problem in Washington D.C.

Translation: Sure, I’ve been spending like a drunken sailor to buy votes from constituent groups my whole career, but now when there’s some political heat, you should trust the guy who doesn’t even have the brainpower to keep track of his earmarks to be fiscally responsible.

On the future?

Rehberg did not rule out earmarks next year. He says reform is needed that in some way restores the confidence of the public in the process.

Translation: Hey, I sure hope everyone forgets that when the Republicans controlled all three branches of the federal government, we didn’t do a damn thing to rein in spending.

Seriously, Montana. We can do better than this clown.

Update: The AP story was better developed this morning, and we learned that Rehberg attached his name to $51,000,000 in earmarks last year alone, and he’s not going to pursue earmarks this year, even though he says it doesn’t matter:

Even small, largely symbolic, measures of fiscal discipline will help.
"The point is to make the point," Rehberg said.

Clown, clown, clown.

jhywgirl has more.

Do They Make Tea Flavored Kool-Aid?

by Don Pogreba on March 21, 2010 · 4 comments

in Those Wacky Republicans

I remember the excitement of making a nice big pitcher of Lemon/Lime Kool-Aid at my grandmother’s house.  In retrospect, the cup of sugar probably wasn’t ideal for my health, but at least the flavors were delicious. What I don’t0926 KOOLAID 1938 remember, however, was ever enjoying a nice big glass of tea flavored Kool-Aid. Apparently, they’re making it now, and it’s not just for kids.

Yesterday, African-American Congressman reported being subjected to racial epithets and even spitting from a crowd of worked-up “patriots.” Of course, conservatives can’t take the word of someone like John Lewis, who in his life, has faced down much more serious threats than a bunch of redneck Rush Limbaugh wannabes screaming at him, so in the best tradition of Faux News, they engaged in some “journalism” to prove that all liberals are liars, and they found PROOF:

These radical liars with stop at nothing to ram their socialist agenda down America’s throat. And, the state-run media will report their racist filth without question.

Well, it’s hard to imagine more proof than that: a less than a minute long video in which we can’t see the Congressmen for much of the time and during which we can only hear the inane screams of the people closest to the camera operator. Far from proof that racial epithets weren’t uttered, this video is proof of the crazed atmosphere that the Republicans have worked up in their Tea Party stooges, an atmosphere in which racist speech and even assault seem quite likely.

As for me, I’ll believe John Lewis, a genuine American hero. I’ll leave the Tea Party Kool-Aid to bloggers on the right (who should probably acknowledge the original source of their lame material.)

Representative Rehberg’s Latest Grandstanding Will Hurt Montanans, Says Rehberg

by Don Pogreba on March 20, 2010 · 2 comments

in Denny Rehberg, Montana Politics

It makes sense that Representative Rehberg hasn’t had the time to pass anyrehberg meaningful legislation while he’s been in Congress—he’s simply too busy jumping on whatever the latest ideological stunt the brain trust at the Republican Party dreams up happens to be. The latest (albeit recycled from 2008)? Rehberg’s decided not to seek earmarks for Montana next year:

Honoring a House Republican ban on funding requests for pet projects, Rep. Denny Rehberg has notified Montanans that he will not seek earmarks this year.

For the moment, let’s ignore that Rehberg has been running around the state for the past year, taking credit for earmarks he voted against. Let’s ignore the fact that earmark reform is just political grandstanding, without real impact on the budget. What concerns me is that if Rehberg doesn’t request earmarks, Montanans will pay for pet projects in other states.

Who says so? Representative Rehberg:

The fact is not one of my earmarks added a single dollar to these spending bills that wouldn’t have otherwise been spent in states like California.”

No, really. Consider what his staff told the Flathead Beacon:

“It’s easy to think that 323 paved itself or that water projects spring up naturally on the Hi-line when you’re heckling from the sidelines,” Tyler Matthews, Rehberg’s campaign manager, said. “But the folks who roll up their sleeves to work in the trenches with Denny know what he’s done for Montana.

It seems that Representative Rehberg would rather play political games than work to fund programs he has called essential, while letting Montanans pick up the tab for projects in other states.

A Fond Farwell to Ed Butcher

by Don Pogreba on March 16, 2010 · 2 comments

in Montana Legislature, Montana Politics

It’s with some sorrow that I read the news this evening that Ed Butcher has decided to hang up his tinfoil hat and retire from the Montana Legislature. Now, I’m not sorry that he won’t be voting in the House any more, and I’m not sorry that the people of House District 29 are likely to have a sane representative, but I’m deeply sorry that I won’t have Ed to write about any more.

How can I thank the legislator who defended us from the UN’s clever world government designs, who warned us about the threat of a COMMUNIST MUSLIM in the White House, and who boldly led the charge against our great natural enemy –horses?

I can’t thank you enough, Representative Butcher, and today’s story about your retirement makes that abundantly clear. What other legislator would go out of his way to make two absurd statements in his final news story as a member of the House? Only Ed.

I’m certainly going to miss observations like this:

“Basically, what it boils down is right now I’m up to my eyebrows trying to get nuclear energy into Montana,” Butcher said. “The wind thing is nothing but a damn farce and only functions with huge subsidies. The environmentalists have killed coal, and the businesses and the people are going to be destroyed after we lose the power contracts in 2012.”

It’s that kind of clear-headed thinking that characterized Butcher’s time in the Legislature. Who else has the courage to attack the insignificant amount of subsidies currently offered to wind projects while nuclear power advocates are holding their hands out for as much as $1.6 trillion in federal loan guarantees for an historically unprofitable industry?

And who else has the kind of courage it takes to admit that he worked diligently to pass legislation just to line his own pockets?

Butcher also said he’s shepherding his horse slaughterhouse idea by trying to find a market but is purposely keeping it low-key until construction starts because so much “animal-rights stuff” is directed at him.

So long, Representative Butcher. This blog, if not the state, will miss you.

Rehberg Staffer Randy Vogel’s Fascinating Defense

by Don Pogreba on March 11, 2010 · 25 comments

in Denny Rehberg

To some extent, I have to admire Randy Vogel, the top Rehberg aide accused of poaching an elk in November. He seems to work harder than his boss, offering not one, but two credibility straining statements to the press to explain the charges against him.

Statement number one? He’s being framed by political enemies of Representative Rehberg:

In an interview Thursday with The Associated Press, Vogel denied the allegations and said the timing of the citations "was suspicious."

He also said an audio recording of Rehberg’s Democratic opponent, Dennis McDonald, talking about the investigation before it was made public was proof the allegations were being used for political purposes. McDonald spoke about the allegations at a March 3 Democratic event in Yellowstone County.

Vogel, a former police officer in Billings, has apparently decided that it’s appropriate to cast aspersions about the character of wardens in the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department, suggesting they are advancing the political aims of the Democratic machine in Montana. Classy, Randy.

Statement number two? The gun he was using that day has disappeared:

"They said they had found a round in the elk, a .270," he said.

Vogel said that by that time, he had sold the weapon for $350 to an anonymous buyer at a gun show.

I’m certain that Vogel would have believed that story when he was a police officer. It’s certainly a convenient excuse—not to mention an argument for tighter restrictions at gun shows.

Finally, it’s certainly amusing to parse the remarks offered by Vogel’s lawyer today:

Lovell said Vogel intends to plead not guilty in his initial court appearance next week.

“I can adamantly assure you that not only is he presumed innocent, but we are going to vigorously contest these charges,” he said.

I certainly hope if I ever need a lawyer to defend me in a criminal matter that he’ll be able to say more than that I am “presumed” innocent.