As stated in a previous post, Melinda Gopher is sure to be the most outspoken critic of her competition for the Democratic Party’s nomination. And it already looks like things are shaping up that way. From Gopher’s Facebook page:
The post Gopher is referencing is a pretty heavy-handed attack on Kim Gillan, but there is absolutely no mention of Gopher in the post. In fact, the post goes on to praise Franke Wilmer and, in particular, Dave Strohmaier.
Dave Strohmaier, for his part, has done quite well, picking up a number of endorsements. Strohmaier’s also been hard working and well received around the state. At this weekend forum he got glowing reviews. His answer to the Keystone XL question called for more thorough economic and environmental studies – and he questioned the moving target on the number of long-term jobs it would create.
Franke Wilmer is a strong candidate, having served 3 legislative sessions in the House, representing moderate Bozeman. She’s a scrapper, too – just read her biography).
When I wrote “I’m sure Kim Gillan’s camp is excited to see Gopher get in the race because it only further fractures the left-wing of the party, making her nomination all the more likely,” this is exactly what I meant. Gopher attacks Gillan while bringing positive attention to two other candidates who share her possible base of voters, inevitably dividing that block of voters while leaving Kim’s base untouched.
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Dave Strohmaier is anything but part of "the left-wing" of the democratic party in Montana. Just because he's from Missoula doesn't automatically make him a lefty. If anything he represents the same mainstream democratic thought that Gillan does. Take a look at his issues as expressed on his website. Very traditional democrat. And in Missoula, much of the left think of him as more of a republican given his support of repressive policies favoring downtown businesses over the rights of indigent folks trying to make a living on the streets. And at last week's Move to Amend rally in Missoula, Dave was invited to speak, only to turn his opportunity to show his lefty colors abandoned to a standard stump speech full of classic democrat pablum. The applause for him was tepid and polite compared to all the other speakers.
whether that post by j-girl constitutes a "heavy-handed attack" is a matter of opinion. and criticizing a post (posted January 19th) for not mentioning Gopher, when this author, M. Storin, only mentioned Gopher's possible run 3 days later, is a touch disingenuous, me thinks.
Lefties are the lower class of the Democratic Party, and it's not unusual to see several in primaries. Gillan, on the other hand, faces no opposition*. So she will be the nominee, and lefties will be asked to rally around her as a better alternative to bad-person x, the Republican nominee.
So effectively you are limited to a right wing Democrat and a right wing Republican, pretty shitty, and at this point the intellectuals step in with the concept of 'gradualism', or the idea that the Gillan's of the party are the best hope. Because rank-and-file Democrats only care about winning elections, they will toast glasses high on election night, clueless ablout governing philosophy.
There is no gradualism. There are two choices: rightward drift, or aggressive right-wing advancement. Given that choice, is not the best option to buy a tent, find a location, and occupy?l
*Opposion centrists usually land jobs in or out of government, depending on party in power.
"There are two choices: rightward drift, or aggressive right-wing advancement. Given that choice, is not the best option to buy a tent, find a location, and occupy?"
Remember that conversation you had with Rob about false dilemmas? Go occupy if you think it will help, but that doesn't keep you from voting, and it certainly doesn't mean you have to encourage others not to. Rightward drift sounds a bit more attractive to me than aggressive right-wing advancement. Right Wing drift in the nineties seemed fine; the economy ran fine, our national finances were intact, our soldiers were by and large safe. Come 2000, and a few hundred people like you in Florida decide that the difference between rightward drift and right-wing advancement wasn't big enough, voted for Nader or didn't vote at all, and then we saw just what a big difference it was. And you would blame it on Gore! He wasn't liberal enough; it was his own fault. The fact that 49% of American voters found him too liberal isn't convincing to you.
Now, with trillions of additional debt, thousands of additional soldiers dead, you're still telling me that the difference between rightward drift and aggressive right-wing advancement is insignificant? Are you just hoping that conservatives get more and more powerful, liberals more and more radical, until we hit an extreme, and potentially violent, rock bottom? That's the same thing John Boehner (without the violence) and the right wing militia movements (with) are looking for. Organize, run primary campaigns, occupy, but do it smart. You're not going to elect Bernie Sanders in Montana, and insisting on it will only give the seats to Republicans, and I frankly don't know how many more years of them we can afford.
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