August 2011

Neil Livingstone: We Should Coddle Gaddafi

by Don Pogreba on August 23, 2011 · 57 comments

in 2012 Statewide, Montana Politics, Neil Livingstone

I know that Neil Livingstone has a somewhat different position on torture and death squads than most Montanans, but it’s fascinating to me that he’s taking a public position that the U.S. government should coddle leaders of authoritarian regimes and even resist putting them on trial.

Livingstone told Beartooth NBC:

…the United States administration made a mistake not offering leader Muammar Gaddafi an exit strategy.
“They said if you leave the country we may put you on trial at the Hague. We’ve frozen all your assets and so on. So what incentive was there for Gaddafi to leave and as a consequence we’ve seen hundreds if not thousands of people killed in the interlude,” says Livingstone.

I’d say that Gaddafi certainly deserves to face trial for his actions as the leader of Libya. He has been charged with any number of crimes which individually warrant a trial before a war crimes tribunal and/or the International Criminal Court. It’s fascinating—but certainly not surprising—that Livingstone would join the Republican chorus criticizing President Obama for helping remove a leader they have wanted ousted for so long.

Of course, Livingstone’s analysis about Libya is suspect on more than just moral grounds. It turns out he was wrong back when the revolt started:

Well, that’s where we really need plan B now. I’m not sure that the administration or the allies have thought this through very well. Look, I don’t think he’s going to be expelled from the country, because he’s got more firepower. His army while not terribly well trained, is better trained and organized than the rebels.

And without some type of foreign intervention, he may be able to hold on there indefinitely. So we need a plan for how we deal with him in the future. I don’t think we want an angry, sullen, isolated Gadhafi in the future, who has whatever revenues that he can still put his arms around, launching acts of terrorism or striking back at the west in some way.

On another note, has anyone considered telling Mr. Livingstone he’s not running for Secretary of State or President?

The Best News Money Can Buy

by Don Pogreba on August 21, 2011 · 10 comments

in Independent Record, The Media

There are certainly signs that the Independent Record isn’t doing as well financially as its parent company, Lee Enterprises, would like: they’ve downsized staff, ~~fired~~ laid off their editor(*), and implemented a paywall blocking online content. Today’s paper seems to brazenly demonstrate a new way to increase revenue, offering a news story and opinion piece that are little more than long advertisements for single companies.

First up, we have an outsourced piece from the Montana Standard extolling the virtues of Sylvan Learning Centers. I can’t even imagine what someone felt was newsworthy about the story. Sylvan is an established business in both Helena and Butte, with nothing new to justify a full story.

Even worse, though, was an IR editorial about Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana. No, it doesn’t discuss the possible dangers of a near-monopoly if BCBS completes its proposed merger with New West. It doesn’t discuss the impact of skyrocketing insurance rates for Montanans. It doesn’t even discuss compensation for the BCBS executives, which grow every year while wages for average Montanans are stagnant.

Instead, it talks about what a great job the company is doing and how hard it is to be the largest insurer in the state.

I’m not naïve enough to think this is the first time that pecuniary interests have motivated coverage in the newspaper; it’s just that it’s rarely been this obvious.

Both stories are a far cry from the paper that was willing to take on St. Peter’s Hospital. I admire the tenacity of the Independent Record when it comes to selling their newspaper. It’s another thing entirely to sell its news.

Just How Much Money Did Rick Hill Lose in a Real Estate Scam?

by Don Pogreba on August 19, 2011 · 4 comments

in 2012 Statewide, Montana Politics, Rick Hill

I spend the better part of the early morning trying unravel more details about Rick Hill’s investment losses and subsequent litigation. I can’t say that I have a full understanding of what happened or have even come close, but one detail really stood out to me. When Congressman Hill went to Delaware to testify against DBSI, he paid for the trip by collecting $10 and $15 donations from other investors:

An attorney for the State Auditor’s Office, Mike Winsor, and former U.S. Congressman Rick Hill, an investor impacted by the matter, traveled to Wilmington, Delaware today to testify as to the need for an independent examiner and a forensic accounting in the bankruptcy case of DBSI, a Boise-based national investment firm. DBSI investors throughout the country pooled their money to pay for Rick Hill’s travel expenses in $10 and $15 increments.
"Many of the investors are seniors who relied on these investments to live independently in their retirement," said Lindeen. "They have a right to know what happened to their money."

That’s just bizarre, unless Hill was financially devastated by the scam. It’s hard to imagine a man with his kind of personal wealth being unable to afford a trip to pursue his own legal interests on his own.

Maybe that’s why his campaign is paying for his car.

Rick Hill’s Idea of Tough Questioning

by Don Pogreba on August 19, 2011 · 72 comments

in 2012 Statewide, Montana Politics, Rick Hill

Delaware-based businessman Rick Hill went on the already GOP-friendly Voices of Montana program Thursday morning, but apparently wanted to make sure that the questions were even more to his liking, by having at least one staffer call in to ask a pre-written question. You can hear the accusation and Congressman Hill’s unconvincing response at 16:25 at this link.

Other highlights from Congressman Hill’s appearance included:

his support for a sales tax.
calls to scrap the retirement system for state workers.
supporting unconstitutional support for private schools.
the assertion that Montana voters are not interested in “allegations” about what happened in his personal life 35 years ago.

Based on the scripted question Hill received, enterprising print reporters might want to look back into some of his real estate deals with the state of Montana. Of course, given that they still haven’t reported on ongoing litigation involving Hill

Whether it’s entirely obvious editing of his online presence or yesterday morning’s awkward phone call, it certainly seems like Congressman Hill is running an incredibly clumsy campaign. Perhaps his lead’s not so insurmountable after all.

The Profound Failure of the Koch Brothers Rally at the Montana Capitol

by Don Pogreba on August 18, 2011 · 81 comments

in Montana Politics, US Politics

Luc de Clapier once wrote that “prosperity makes few friends.” Never was that adage on greater display than this evening at the Montana capitol, when the Koch Brothers-funded Americans for Prosperity tour managed to gather a crowd of maybe twenty people, a “crowd” easily doubled by people opposing their corporate, anti-Montana agenda.

I’m glad that I decided to attend the the Koch Brothers rally and not just because it was so incredibly poorly-attended and planned.

It was more than the disparity in number that gave me hope; it was the realization that the other side has become so emboldened that they aren’t even bothering to hide their naked agenda to enrich those with great wealth at the expense of the people who have built this country.

It’s fair to say that Republicans have been better at messaging than Democrats over the past decade or so. It’s only way to explain voters supporting a party that has systematically embarked on a crusade to undermine the foundations of real American prosperity: unions which protect workers, schools which educate our children, and an environment which is both abundant and clean–all for the sake of profits for an ever-decreasing sliver of the population’s benefit.

The two visions couldn’t offer a more stark contrast. The Koch funded speakers, including Scott Mendenhall (*) and Tim Fox, offered a defense of limitless exploitation of our resources, reduced taxes for the wealthy, and stripped regulations that protect our air, soil, and water.

In their passionate defense of more oil drilling, they neglected to mention the damage done to the Gulf Coast and our own Yellowstone River.

In their attacks on the Obama Administration over gas prices, they neglected to mention profiteering in the oil industry that has given Exxon and other oil companies record profits while they pay less in taxes than teachers.

Fox, Mendenhall and their corporate masters at Koch Brothers don’t understand American prosperity at all. For them, it means no protections for workers, a devastated environment, poorly-funded schools, and seniors scrambling to made ends meet while a few enrich themselves beyond imagining. Of course they oppose regulations and protections for labor, because those things benefit the laborers they despise and fear.

The other side believes that true American prosperity is created when all Americans have the opportunity to work hard and make better lives for themselves and their families.

Maybe it’s not so hard to understand why that second crowd was twice as large after all.

Best Evidence I’ve Seen That College Grades Matter

August 18, 2011

From Rick Perry’s College transcript: Yes, that is a D in Principles of Economics. No wonder he’s leading the GOP field. Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Buzz it up share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments on this post Print for later Tell a friend

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Strange Campaign E-mail From Rick Hill

August 18, 2011

I received a somewhat surprising campaign e-mail from Delaware-based gubernatorial candidate Rick Hill this morning. In part, it read: First I must solicit your confidence in this transaction; this is by virtue of its nature as being utterly confidential and top secret. Though I know that a transaction of this magnitude will make any one [...]

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Today in the Independent Record: Badly Misleading Information About Graduation Rates

August 18, 2011

I actually feel like kind of a jerk for writing this post, but today’s story in the Independent Record about graduation rates in Montana is such an effective example of why a local newspaper needs an on-site editor to ensure accurate, quality information gets to the public that I felt compelled to call attention to [...]

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