A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis, serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. © James Conner.

9 February 2016

Billi files for HD-5, Gianforte bungles fundraiser, and more

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Teenaged gun lover Chet Billi files for House District 5 as a Republican. A senior at Whitefish High School, Billi is both running for office and ramrodding an initiative campaign (I-175) to legalize teachers’ packing heat in the classroom. He doesn’t appear to have a campaign website yet, but he does have a Twitter account.

Long term Whitefish school board member David Fern filed for the Democratic nomination for HD-5.

HD-5 (map) is an open seat — two-term Rep. Ed Lieser (D-Whitefish) is retiring — that leans Democratic.

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Greg Gianforte has a campaign advertising quality control problem. Montana Cowgirl reports that just before the Superbowl, he “…sent out a football metaphor-laden fundraising email…” that featured a photograph of Gianforte’s lacrosse team. He had a head of thick hair in those days.

Gianforte needs to hire smarter fundraisers. And he needs to be smarter about hiring them, and smarter about supervising them. Getting the facts right matters.

Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin will be the featured speaker at the Montana Democrats’ Mansfield-Metcalf dinner. That’s 19 March at the fairgrounds in Helena. Tickets are $60 each, but there are ways for Democrats to pay more, a sure sign the economy is improving. Baldwin’s job as speaker is to excoriate Republicans and incite Democrats into a rip-roaring partisan frenzy. I hope she doesn’t take potshots at Bernie Sanders.

Other Democrats will speak. And speak, and speak, and speak. It will be a long evening that requires a special kind of madness to enjoy. I’ll be in Kalispell on 19 March.

Berni Bros dustup is much ado about nothing. Some internet commenters, known as Bernie Bros, are posting demeaning vulgarities about Hillary Clinton. They're independent guttersnipes, not part of Bernie Sanders’ campaign. In fact, some could be pro-Clinton mischief makers conducting a false flag operation. Clinton's campaign is in high dudgeon about the Bros, possibly, asserts Glenn Greenwald, to try to delegitimize all criticism of Clinton, thus precluding a discussion of whether she has the temperament to be President.

This crap, to borrow Bernie Sanders’ term, goes on all the time. Unless it can be traced to a campaign, it’s not a major issue. It’s not a minor issue, either. It’s just an annoyance that’s best ignored.