A famous line of Montana politics came from former Senator William Clark who was exposed for paying state legislators huge amounts of sums to vote for him as Montana's Senator. This was back in the time when state legislatures voted the Senators, not a statewide popular vote.
When it hit the national media, he said, "I've never bought a politician who wasn't for sale."
Some might frown at the bold and unapologetic nature of that comment. To me, it is perfect wisdom and a line I use often. It is absolutely true, you cannot buy a politician unless he/she is for sale.
And that brings me to this article that is running in the largest statewide newspaper. Not because it is the state of Montana, rather because it is a perfect example of politicans being bought and paid for and how low the threshold to buy those politicians in low-population states like Montana.
If you are from Montana, you should be following this story. If you are from another low-population state with mostly conservative votes, you might want to read this story and associated details, as it could very well happen, or be happening in your state.
Link here - http://billingsgazette.com/news/opi...cle_46ea8e12-ff84-579f-9f47-95676ea08808.html
This article is written by a long-serving Republican from Montana, Jesse O'Hara, who was considered a party leader for much of his time in service to the state. He has written this letter very critical of the current leadership of the Republican Party and explains how disgusted he is with where this leadership has taken the Party and now the obvious corruption that is being made public.
O'Hara writes this of the new leadership of the party he once helped lead....
I am sure the current Republican leadership, a group planted firmly on the far edge of the fringe, will come out swinging against one of their former stalwarts. It is their default tactic, and unfortunately, in today's climate, an effective tactic.
In Montana, out of state money has been provided to fringe Republicans to target any Republican who does not follow the Party line as pronounced by the fringe leadership. In this instance, the fringe got caught. A Bozeman attorney who quickly rose to a leadership position and who I have jousted with on many occasion, got caught. In the process of investigating him, the covers have been rolled back and it is really get ugly for the fringe operators here in Montana.
For me, it shows a few things. A little money goes a long ways in rural states like Montana. That in a state with a large majority of voters leaning mostly the same political direction, the ship can get hijacked and party allegiance will cause some very good people to look the other way. Even when the party gets hijacked, there will always be a few bold souls who stand and speak against it from the inside, exposing themselves to direct artillery from their party members, but sleep much better at night.
As much as my beliefs would be categorized as right-of-center, maybe far right in some instances, I am not a Republican. For that matter, nor am I a Democrat. Rather, I am an American, a Montanan, and a citizen hoping for a serious judicial ass kicking for the folks behind this entire debacle that has sent a lot of Montana state policies into the ditch for the foreseeable future.
When it hit the national media, he said, "I've never bought a politician who wasn't for sale."
Some might frown at the bold and unapologetic nature of that comment. To me, it is perfect wisdom and a line I use often. It is absolutely true, you cannot buy a politician unless he/she is for sale.
And that brings me to this article that is running in the largest statewide newspaper. Not because it is the state of Montana, rather because it is a perfect example of politicans being bought and paid for and how low the threshold to buy those politicians in low-population states like Montana.
If you are from Montana, you should be following this story. If you are from another low-population state with mostly conservative votes, you might want to read this story and associated details, as it could very well happen, or be happening in your state.
Link here - http://billingsgazette.com/news/opi...cle_46ea8e12-ff84-579f-9f47-95676ea08808.html
This article is written by a long-serving Republican from Montana, Jesse O'Hara, who was considered a party leader for much of his time in service to the state. He has written this letter very critical of the current leadership of the Republican Party and explains how disgusted he is with where this leadership has taken the Party and now the obvious corruption that is being made public.
O'Hara writes this of the new leadership of the party he once helped lead....
I am sure the current Republican leadership, a group planted firmly on the far edge of the fringe, will come out swinging against one of their former stalwarts. It is their default tactic, and unfortunately, in today's climate, an effective tactic.
In Montana, out of state money has been provided to fringe Republicans to target any Republican who does not follow the Party line as pronounced by the fringe leadership. In this instance, the fringe got caught. A Bozeman attorney who quickly rose to a leadership position and who I have jousted with on many occasion, got caught. In the process of investigating him, the covers have been rolled back and it is really get ugly for the fringe operators here in Montana.
For me, it shows a few things. A little money goes a long ways in rural states like Montana. That in a state with a large majority of voters leaning mostly the same political direction, the ship can get hijacked and party allegiance will cause some very good people to look the other way. Even when the party gets hijacked, there will always be a few bold souls who stand and speak against it from the inside, exposing themselves to direct artillery from their party members, but sleep much better at night.
As much as my beliefs would be categorized as right-of-center, maybe far right in some instances, I am not a Republican. For that matter, nor am I a Democrat. Rather, I am an American, a Montanan, and a citizen hoping for a serious judicial ass kicking for the folks behind this entire debacle that has sent a lot of Montana state policies into the ditch for the foreseeable future.
