From today’s IR comes an interesting story about the relative integrity of our two senators:

As health-reform has dominated the national news, Montana’s congressional delegation has been swamped with constituent mail and telephone calls on the issue — and it’s certainly not been all positive.
U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, a Republican who’s been opposing Democrat-sponsored health-reform bills, reports that 77 percent of the 16,500 calls, letters, e-mails and faxes his office has received in the past six months have been against the Democratic health-care plans.
The other members of Montana’s delegation — Democratic U.S. Sens. Jon Tester and Max Baucus, who’s been a key figure in crafting the reform bills — say health care has generated more mail and calls than any other topic the past six months.
Yet both offices declined to categorize whether those contacts are running “for” or “against” the bill that Tester and Baucus supported on floor votes last month.
Tester’s spokesman Aaron Murphy said the 40,200 contacts received by the senator the past six months represent a “spirited and evenly divided debate,” while a spokesman for Baucus said the office doesn’t break things down “pro versus con” on its 49,400 health-care contacts from constituents.
“Because health care is a very complex issue, people express a bunch of different views, all in the same call,” said Ty Matsdorf.

Even Craig Wilson, MSU-Billings, can’t buy what they’re selling:

And as for Tester’s and Baucus’ claim that they don’t categorize the nature of the calls, Wilson isn’t buying it.
“If it was running for their position, why wouldn’t they release it?” he said. “The educated guess is that they are getting more negative (comments) than they are positive.”

Which begs the question – Just who the hell do they think they’re representing?

Certainly not Montanans.

Made me think of this. (I saw the original on Broadway a long time ago – nothing’s changed much.)

The verdict is in, but the jury’s still out.

The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision has struck down much of the McCain/Feingold legislation. A few minutes online will provide the reader with a broad variety of responses – everything from “A Landmark Decision in Favor of Free Speech” to “The Horrible Consequences of Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission”. On a more local level, the analysis goes from the judicious to those expressing concerns that go beyond the scope of this case to speculate on how campaigns laws from almost a hundred years ago may fair in light of this ruling.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, generally regarded as the swing vote in the Roberts Court, penned the majority opinion, which came down on the side of the Constitution and our First Amendment right to free speech:

“When government seeks to use its full power, including the criminal law, to command where a person may get his or her information or what distrusted source he or she may not hear, it uses censorship to control thought. This is unlawful. The First Amendment confirms the freedom to think for ourselves.”

It is not the role of the Supreme Court to concern itself with the practical implications of it’s decisions, so it is left to the rest of us to figure out what the real results will be.

What say YOU?

Anyone want the Kleenex concession? Me neither.

I hope that Jon Tester is watching the election returns tonight.

Senator, if you aren’t listening to what your constituents are telling you, please understand: THEY WILL FIRE YOUR SAME SELF!!! If you continue to support the Party over the People, if you take more direction from Obama than you do from Opheim, if you believe what Barack, Harry, and Nancy are telling you over what is coming from Billings, Havre, and Noxon then you should be sent back to the farm in 2012. You have a Constitutional obligation to represent US – the citizens of Montana. You are not a stupid person. There is no way that you can look at the man in mirror and honestly admit that the abomination drafted in the most partisan way imaginable, behind closed doors, in the darkest hours of the night is a good bill. You owe it to the people of Montana to go in to work tomorrow morning and begin working for us.

Today’s election should be a wake-up call for the United States Congress. Martha Coakley offered some very wise advice tonight when she said she respected the people’s voice – even if she didn’t agree with it. Beginning tomorrow morning, the people of this country are going to expect a whole new level of respect from our elected officials. We have a right to disagree with you – and to let you know our opinions. You do not have the right to ignore our concerns and belittle us with derogatory labels. We are your employers. You cannot ignore our concerns in some misguided attempt to push through an agenda that was never communicated to the voters and clearly does not have our support. You cannot pretend that a 2,000 page bill that you haven’t even read, let alone studied and understood, that has never been openly debated, that has required all sorts of bribes and back room deals in order to pass – is something that Montanans – or Americans – deserve.

Start over. Go talk to the junior senator from Massachusetts. He’s been listening – carefully. He gets it.

Just in case you’ve forgotten your Latin from high school, let me reprieve a picture I posted a while back – it translates the message pretty well:

UPDATE: That’s Senator McAwesome to You!!! (My HillBuzz friends will understand the reference.) WAHOO!!!

There’s an old adage that says something to the effect that everyone has a purpose in life, even if it’s only to serve as a bad example.

In that spirit, I have put together a compilation of campaign tactics from the Martha Coakley senate race that ought to be useful now that the 2010 Election Season has officially begun.

1. After winning a contested primary, treat yourself to a lovely 6-day vacation – less than three weeks before the general election. Not only do you need the rest, but it gives your opponent a chance to have unfettered access to the media.
2. Attempt to paint your campaign finances in the most positive light possible by releasing a number that has no basis in fact: “The $5.2 million number being hyped by Coakley has nothing to do with anything; it’s like the homeowner who brags how much her home used to be worth.”
3. Avoid any and all opportunities to meet voters; minimize campaign appearances and only hang out in Washington DC with power brokers, political elites, and drug lobbyists. Your potential constituents will be impressed that you know all those mucky-mucks.
4. When leaving a DC fundraiser, have a member of your staff assault a reporter and make sure that there are clear pictures of you looking at the victim on the ground with your hands in your pockets. Then go on the record claiming that you didn’t see anything.
5. When debating your opponent and the question turns to your foreign policy experience, be sure to remind the audience that your sister “lives overseas”. It’s also wise to be quoted as an authority on the absence of terrorists in Afghanistan on a day when they killed three Americans there.
6. Always see that the name of your state in your campaign literature is misspelled. You don’t want voters to think you are smarter than they are or that details are important.
7. During a radio interview on the most important issues of the campaign, make stupid assertions guaranteed to insult a large segment of the population by stating that the basic Constitutional freedom of religion does not extend to the workplace if you are Catholic healthcare professional.
8. After dissing the local sports fans by insinuating that they aren’t worthy of your time (see #3 above), add insult to injury by claiming one of the local sports icons is a fan of the team’s rivals. Red Sox fans will chuckle to hear that Curt Schilling is a big Yankee booster.
9. Imply that because your husband is a retired police officer that you have the endorsement of the local union, so that the organization gets above-the-fold headlines when they come out with the announcement that they have formally endorsed your opponent.
10. Use pre-9/11 pictures of the World Trade Center in a campaign ad trying to tie your opponent to Wall Street greed. Hardly anyone will be distracted from the message by the visuals.

BONUS TRACKS

As the campaign comes down to the final weekend, be sure to transmit your sense of panic by insisting that the widow and niece of your presumed predecessor come out of mourning and make campaign speeches on your behalf to remind the electorate that you are entitled to the seat.

Finally, don’t worry about your resume. No one will care that you have a controversial history; particularly that you did everything you possibly could to avoid prosecuting a political ally for sexually molesting his 2 year-old niece with a hot curling iron. Things like that never come back to bite you on the ass.

And always remember, in the end, you can always count on your loyal supporters to be there for you – no matter what.

Alert. The. Media.

President Obama has neutralized the latest threat to his precious healthcare bill. Following hours of intense negotiations with labor union officials, Obama strategically gave in to every demand the union leaders wanted. Ben Nelson could hardly have done better.

The latest concession was given to the unions because they were threatening to pull their support from this really, really popular bill. It seems that the 40% tax on cadillac health plans would have hit their members right square in the wallets. Union leaders are usually pretty diligent about protecting their members’ paychecks – otherwise they might not have enough money to pay their union dues. So the arm wrestling began, and in classic Mob fashion – a concept that is apparently clearly understood by Illinois politicians – they made Obama an offer he couldn’t refuse. So he didn’t.

Unfortunately, there seem to be a couple of minor little issues hanging out there that could prove a touch – uhhh – “challenging” when the WH tries to sell the deal to Congress.

First, there’s been some speculation that the deal may be a little bit unconstitutional, but Obama and his Chicago buddies have never let that kind of thing stand in their way before, so why should they begin now? No problem. One down. What’s the other issue?

The other issue is somewhat trickier. It seems that the whole house of cards could tumble in a New York minute if the money angle doesn’t work. And there have been more financial contortions already in this process than a guy can keep up with. I don’t know how Obama will come up with the revenue to pay for this latest bribe, ahem, compromise – but that’s his problem. The original plan was expected to raise approximately $150 million, the deal negotiated with the unions cuts that revenue by $60 billion.

But what would happen if the insurance companies and larger employers, who are actually self-insured, restructure their “pricing” so that the plans covering union members have higher prices – and thus are not subject to the 40% tax, courtesy of this brilliant Obama deal – and plans for non-union members are priced lower – and thus are below the “cadillac” threshold?

Win-win-win for unions, employers, and millions of non-union employees. As far as escaping an unfair tax, anyway.

If you expand the exempt plans through some kind of repricing, that $60 billion could shrink faster than a cashmere sweater run through the washer and dryer. Which means Congress will have to find a way to restore that money through another tax. There’s already talk this morning that the Democrats in Congress are meeting today at their winter retreat about raising the Medicare tax. Remember those promises about “budget neutral”?

Call me silly, but I think the Democrats may be running out of suckers for this circus.

OMG!!! With friends like these, who needs enemies? From the Independent Record online this afternoon…

Newt Gingrich enlists Schweitzer’s help
By MATT GOURAS – Associated Press Writer | Posted: Thursday, January 14,2010
HELENA, Mont. (AP) – Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says he likes what he sees in Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s handling of state finances.
The conservative Republican called Schweitzer Thursday morning and invited him to help with the American Solutions for Winning the Future project.
Schweitzer, a Democrat, told Gingrich he would be happy to participate.
The governor says Montana is doing better than other states because it set some money aside during good times and was prudent with its budget.
Gingrich says his project is trying to find the best governing ideas for creating jobs, fostering energy independence, protecting workers’ rights and reforming education.

WHAT THE HELL IS NEWT THINKING???? Sheesh!

If Brian gets his ticket punched to DC in 2012 we know who we can thank for the help.

A stroll through some of the conservative blogosphere last night was like being in New Orleans’ French Quarter on Fat Tuesday – or, more appropriately, Boston of the 4th of July. Whooping and hollering was the tenor of the commentary on Ace, Redstate, HillBuzz, and several other sites as the results literally poured in for the “Money Bomb” for Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown who is vying for the seat vacated by the death of Teddy Kennedy.

Anyone who has had the slightest interest in politics during the past 50 years is well aware of the Kennedy dynasty, and most Americans accept that Massachusetts – home of the original Tea Party and the heart of the American Revolution – is a solidly liberal bastion. The only thing keeping it from being a bonafide “left-wing” state is the fact that it is geographically on the right coast of the country. The special election to choose the successor to Edward M Kennedy (D), by all rights, should be a snoozer. Martha Coakley, the current Attorney General, should have been measuring the drapes for her senate office. But a funny thing happened on the way to the voting booth…

Enter former Cosmo centerfold, attorney (Boston College Law School), Lt. Col. (JAG) of the Massachusetts National Guard, and current state senator, who also happens to be the father of two gorgeous daughters – one of whom is an American Idol finalist. So the mere possibility that a republican could be successfully challenging the designated democrat candidate captured the imaginations of thousands of political activists from every state in the nation.

The momentum has been building since Christmas, with the events of yesterday reaching a crescendo heard around the country. The original $500,000 goal was reached and surpassed by early afternoon, and then $750,000 was quickly in the rear-view mirror. Before the end of the evening the thrill of bringing in a cool $1.3 million was shared by contributors from all over the country. And the star of the show was the right there in the spotlight for the real highlight of the whole day:

“It’s not Kennedy’s seat, …it’s the people’s seat!” Every campaign wants THE quotable line from a debate. Brown hit the jackpot with that one.

The experts are befuddled. Poll results are all over the place: Brown is down by 9 points; no, up by 1; down within the margin of error; up within the margin of error. Since it’s a special election – and held in the middle of winter (global warming, notwithstanding) – turnout is the key. Conventional wisdom says that the conservatives are more likely to turn out. Normally the Democrats can count on unions to help with the get out the vote efforts, but this time the rank and file are a little less than enthused – that 40% tax on cadillac health plans isn’t real popular in some households. And the police union actually endorsed Brown. Guess they still have a bit of a beef with the President’s assessment of the Cambridge officer’s handling of the Gates incident (“He acted stupidly”). There are some insults that don’t wash away with a mug of beer.

So basically – all bets are off. This is a race of the best kind. The odds-on favorite stumbled getting out of the gate (she was on vacation over the holidays and didn’t think she had to campaign after the primary) and is now discovering the competition is in it to win it.

The rumble you hear in the background is growing louder and stronger. Next Tuesday just might be the 7.0 earthquake the liberals never imagined – Teddy rolling over in his grave!

No wonder politics is one of the greatest spectator sports around.

As a bonus – listen to Scott’s daughter sing our National Anthem:

Be sure to stay tuned for the final score.

Attention Montana state employees:

If you think you are overpaid and your benefits are too high, ignore this message. On the other hand, if you feel your total compensation is perhaps a bit below market, but your healthcare benefits balances the equation – this one’s for you.

The current debate in Washington DC on the healthcare bills is now taking direct aim at you! President Obama has signaled he would prefer a tax on so-called “cadillac” health plans, rather than an increase on income taxes for “the rich”.

What this means to many Montanans, including all state workers, most local government employees, as well as every teacher in every school district, is that you will be hit with a 40% tax on your insurance plans.

As envisioned in the Senate bill, an excise tax of 40 percent would be imposed on the value of individual health plans over $8,500 annually and family coverage over $23,000. What’s less commonly known is that those dollar maximums include not just the premiums paid by employers and employees for medical insurance, but also for vision and dental coverage, as well as reimbursements from flexible spending accounts and health reimbursement arrangements, and employer contributions to health savings accounts.

If an individual were to withdraw $2,000 from a flexible spending account to help pay for medical care, for example, that amount would count toward the $8,500 ceiling.

Of course, the tax isn’t supposed to take effect until 2013. But take a look at your year-end pay stub and then figure that amount will increase by several percentage points between now and 2013 and then do a little simple math and see if you aren’t going to hit the magic threshold before the kick-in date.

The politicians are saying that the employers will pick-up the tab on this one, but just in case you’ve become a little jaded about politicians keeping their promises, and just in case you don’t have the extra $700 per month that this little tax could cost you, you might want to contact your senators and suggest that this isn’t the kind of healthcare reform you had in mind.

Just saying…

Q. Why don’t they have ice cubes in North Dakota anymore?
A. Because the little old lady with the recipe died.

Q. What’s the best thing to come out of North Dakota in the past 50 years?
A. Interstate 94

Q. What’s the best news to come out of North Dakota in 2010?
A. Senator Byron Dorgan announced he won’t be running for re-election in November.

******JUST BREAKING******

Q. What’s even better news than that?
A. Senator Chris Dodd is following suit.

Bada bing.

Is this a case of the rats deserting the sinking ship?

I report. You decide.