Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines. – Robert H. Schuller

Today these items caught my attention:

• MSU-B Poll
• Ryan for Ryan
• Obamacare
• Enlistment Bonuses

MSU-B Poll:

Montana State University Billings (MSU-B) released their poll yesterday. They surveyed 590 adult Montanans from Oct. 3-10. The survey has a 4% margin of error.

• Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock leads Republican Greg Gianforte 44% – 32%.
• Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke leads Democrat Denise Juneau 50% – 31%.
• Republican Donald Trump leads Democrat Hillary Clinton 43% – 27%.

Both Democrats and Republicans will have a hard time spinning this. A Democrat leads big in one contest (Governor) and a Republican leads big in another (U.S. House).

The most interesting thing to me was the approval rating of Montana’s two U.S. Senators. Both were below 50%. Steve Daines has a 44% approval rating and Jon Tester has a 46% approval rating. When an approval rating is below 50% that tends to attract more opponents for your next election. Tester is up for reelection first.

You can read the MSU-B poll HERE.

Ryan for Ryan:

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin will join Congressman Ryan Zinke for a rally in Billings on Sunday, October 30.

The event will be held in Billings at the airport. The doors will open at 9:00 AM and the rally begins at 10:00 AM.

One interesting piece of information from the press release announcing the event stated, “A small donation will be required at the door for admission.”

This is just a guess, but I’d bet my idea of a “small donation” and Zinke’s idea of a “small donation” is different.

Obamacare:

According to several media reports, like this one from NPR, the cost of health insurance under the Affordable Care Act is expected to rise an average of 22 percent in 2017.

NPR also reported that federal subsidies will also rise, meaning that few people are likely to have to pay the full cost after the rate increases to get insurance coverage.

We can blame Democrats, Republicans, and the Obama Administration for this problem. If they would stop the politics and work together, they could fix Obamacare and/or replace the parts of it that are not working. Congress just can’t repeal it.

Since the Montana congressional delegation are able to work together to name a building maybe they could work together for something more important – like making Obamacare better for all.

Enlistment Bonuses:

When I served in the military I received a couple enlistment bonuses. I would be pissed if after serving my time I was asked to pay it back.

That’s what’s happening to several members of the California National Guard. Some reports say the problem is nationwide.

The Associated Press has the story HERE.

Many people serving in the military don’t make a lot of money – they live paycheck to paycheck.

Several members of Congress have come out against members having to pay back the bonus. Military members did their time; they should not have to repay the bonuses due to someone else’s mistake.

## END ##

It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for something you are not. – Andre Gide

Welcome to “Thursday Numbers!” In case you’re a first-time visitor, this is the weekly column where I take a look at the numbers that are in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary sometimes sprinkled with sarcasm.

This week’s topics include Greg Gianforte, Democratic Governors Association, unemployment, National Education Association, Montana Democratic Party & Dirk Sandefur, FiveThirtyEight predictions, Tribune poll & judges, Twitter, Gannett & Great Falls Tribune, and much more!

43,000,000

That’s how much ($43 million) the Gianforte Family Foundation has donated to nonprofits and cultural organizations, religious education and outreach, and conservative public-policy groups. (MTN)

Hi, Greg – I just wanted you to know the Western Word has a “donate” button on the right side of the screen…

5,100,000

That’s how much ($5.1 million) Bozeman businessman Greg Gianforte has now personally spent in his campaign against Montana Gov. Steve Bullock. (AP)

I imagine he’ll be spending more…

3,350,000

That’s how much the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) has funneled into the Montana Governor’s race through the Good Jobs Montana PAC. (AP)

Money, money, everywhere…

528,000

The National Education Association (NEA) is spending $528,000 to defeat a Montana ballot initiative that would authorize the state to issue $200 million in bonds over the next decade for research into brain injuries and illnesses. (AP)

Shame on the NEA…

258,000

That’s how many new claims for unemployment were filed last week. (USDOL)

60,000

That’s how much the Montana Democratic Party has spent in advertising to support Dirk Sandefur, who is a district judge running for a seat on the Montana Supreme Court. (AP)

That smells. Judges should be appointed, not elected. Will any Montana legislator have the guts to try and change it?

85.7

As of this morning, the FiveThirtyEight blog predicts that Hillary Clinton has an 85.7% chance of winning the presidential election. In case you did not know, FiveThirtyEight is a website that focuses on opinion poll analysis. In the 2012 presidential election, the website correctly predicted the winner in all 50 states.

For my Missouri and Montana readers: The blog also predicts that there’s an 88% chance Donald Trump will win Montana and an 82.3% chance he will win Missouri.

In the Missouri U.S. Senate race, FiveThirtyEight predicts that Jason Kander (D) has a 56.7% chance of beating incumbent Roy Blunt (R).

60

The Great Falls Tribune asked readers, “Do you think past and present judges should be able to influence a judicial race?” As of this morning, almost 150 people responded and 60% said “No.”

Judges should be appointed, not elected.

9

Twitter announced today that it will cut 9% of its global workforce as the social media service continues to struggle generating accelerated growth in its user base. (USA Today)

Please don’t leave us, Twitter…

5

Gannett, which owns USA TODAY and more than 100 local news properties, is reducing its workforce by about 2 percent to help manage costs in a difficult environment for print and digital advertising. Gannett is the parent company of the Great Falls Tribune, which announced five layoffs in the newsroom, advertising and marketing Tuesday. (GF Tribune)

Best of luck and thanks to those who lost their jobs at the Great Falls Tribune.

## END ##

For every good reason there is to lie, there is a better reason to tell the truth. – Bo Bennett

Welcome to the big show to end the week “Caught My Eye” (CME)!

If you are a first-time visitor, CME is posted right here every Friday morning. This is when I take a look at some of the stories I did not have time to write about during the week. I often throw in a touch of sarcasm to make you smile – or to irritate you just a little – maybe both.

Topics this week include Linda’s conspiracy theory, deleting emails, Rick Perry, The Western Word picks the winning candidates (so far), and much more!

Linda’s Conspiracy Theory:

I have always thought very highly of current Montana Secretary of State Linda McCulloch, but it seems lately she is sticking her foot in her mouth about every time I read the paper.

The Associated Press reported that McCulloch said the idea that next month’s elections could be rigged is a conspiracy theory comparable to the U.S. government hiding aliens in Roswell, New Mexico, Elvis Presley faking his death or the 1969 moon landing being a hoax.

Before I go on, I actually saw Elvis the other day. He was sitting between me and Bigfoot on a UFO.

Now let me continue…

We’ve had some shady happenings in Montana this election season and past elections.

People are knocking on doors and asking to take a voter’s ballot to the elections office – but first asking them whom they supported. Some ballots have not shown up at elections offices.(MT Standard)

Personally, I will always remember Montana’s Governor, Brian Schweitzer bragging to a group of attorneys in Philadelphia about using tribal police and local Democratic officials to fix the 2006 Senate election for Jon Tester – an election Tester won by just 3,562 votes – a number that has a permanent place in my mind. (NY Times)

Maybe the ballots will show up and maybe Schweitzer was full of it. Well, I know Schweitzer is full of it, but maybe just maybe he tampered with the 2006 election. Nonetheless, these things cast doubt on Montana’s elections.

Right after Schweitzer made those remarks, the attorney general at that time, his fellow democrat Mike McGrath, refused to investigate. Now McGrath is on the Montana Supreme Court.

I hope that Secretary McCulloch pulls her head out of the sand or wherever she has it these past few months and takes the 2016 election seriously – and is as neutral as she can be. This is her last election as Montana’s Secretary of State – and it’s already tainted with her silly remarks and with her lackadaisical attitude.

Deleting Emails:

When I heard that Chris Hansen was holding a press conference in Great Falls, I figured he was going to announce that his “To Catch a Predator” show was coming to town.

It was the wrong Chris Hansen. Damn it!

The “Kris Hansen” was Republican state senator Kris Hansen. Surprisingly, she said when Democrat Steve Bullock was Attorney General he should not have deleted his emails when he left that office to become governor, blah, blah, blah.

A recent story in the Billings Gazette stated that Republican Attorney General Tim Fox’s “officials do not know when Bullock’s email records were deleted. Believe me, if Fox could get Bullock for something, he would.

It was also reported that Department of Administration officials have previously said emails accounts are deleted when an official moves to a different agency, and Bullock’s emails from his tenure as attorney general were disposed of properly.

Hansen’s stunt was purely political and the local media grabbed the bait. Mission accomplished. Another mission was accomplished – making state Senator Hansen look ignorant.

Rick Perry:

Former Texas Governor Rick Perry was in Montana this week shooting some clay pigeons with Republican candidate for Governor, Greg Gianforte, near Great Falls. I don’t think they went dancing…

Since Perry and Gianforte were both armed, I stayed in my bunker until I heard they were gone.

There are three things I like about Perry. First, he’s a veteran. Second…I can’t remember the second. Come to think of it, I can’t even remember the third…

If The Election Was Held Today:

Almost every week until Election Day (mostly on Friday), I will pick who I think is winning eight key races from President on down to state-wide races in Montana. This does not mean they will be the winners in November or that I am personally supporting them, I just think they are winning their contests at this particular time. These picks are made from what I am hearing, seeing, and from my vast experience in the political world!

If the election was held today, I think the winners would be:

President: Hillary Clinton
–The FiveThirtyEight blog gives Clinton about an 83% chance of winning the election and getting about 329 electoral votes (she needs 270). The news that Obamacare costs are going up helped Donald Trump, but probably not enough.

MT House At-Large: Ryan Zinke
-The MSU-B poll showed Zinke with a large lead over Denise Juneau. Another poll showed him with a large lead, too.

MT Governor: Steve Bullock
-A recent poll showed Bullock with a pretty large lead, but I think it’s a 3-5 point race for Bullock. I think Montana has been oversaturated with Greg Gianforte ads and people are suffering Gianforte stress.

MT Secretary of State: Corey Stapleton
-I’m hearing that Corey Stapleton’s ads are working and he is making some headway in this race. So I changed this from toss-up to leaning slightly toward a Stapleton win over Monica Lindeen.

MT Attorney General: Tim Fox
-Fox should win this race over Larry Jent. What’s next for Fox?

MT State Auditor: Toss-up
-Jesse Laslovich has a good ad up attacking Matt Rosendale. I think this race is closer than a 10 point margin that a recent poll showed.

MT OPI: Toss-up
-Elsie Arntzen has a slight lead in a recent poll over Melissa Romano. Romano is up on TV with an ad that is helping her with name recognition.

The “land board” in Montana may be controlled by Republicans for the first time I can remember.

MT Supreme Court Justice #3: Toss-up
-A recent poll shows Kristen Juras with a slight lead over Dirk Sandefur, but there were many undecideds. Juras has a TV ad up, and this may help her widen her lead and get better known in the closing days. I saw another ad – this one an anti-Juras ad from a third-party group. With all the endorsements and donations he’s received from Montana attorneys, if Sandefur is elected, one would think he may not work much since he would have to recuse himself from many cases.

*Next week are the final picks – I pick the winners!

If you see any of the races differently or just want to yell at me, let me know in the comment section or send me an email (western_word@yahoo.com)

One More Thing:

If there were only “native Montanans” allowed to live in Montana, you would probably be married to your cousin…

## END ##

There is only one rule for being a good talker – learn to listen. – Christopher Morley

Happy Halloween – I love that mask you’re wearing!

We’re approaching the final week of the 2016 election season. This should be fun and full of surprises. Buckle up!

Today I take a look at the Billings rally with Speaker Ryan, the new Montana VA Director, Gianforte’s Whistle Stop Tour, Montana Democrats & Get Out To Vote, campaign fliers, Clinton email investigation, and much more!

The Billings Rally:

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan made a campaign stop in Billings for Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont. Sunday morning.

Several other Republican candidates and elected officials turned out for the event, but it was lacking one thing, people.

Initially, it was reported that “about 100 people” turned out for the event. That report was later revised to say, “about 200 people turned out” for the event.

There are over 100,000 people in Billings and overall about 155,000 in Yellowstone County, so just getting between 100-200 people at an event featuring the Speaker of the House has to be a disappointment for organizers.

Pro-Tip: Don’t hold campaign events on Sunday morning and don’t charge to attend a campaign event.

New Montana VA Director:

It was Albert Einstein who said the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that they had appointed Kathy Berger as the head of the Montana VA. Berger was previously the interim director and served in several other positions within the Department of Veterans Affairs.

That’s the problem with the VA, not just in Montana but nationwide. Just promoting employees from within won’t change the way things are done. The people leading the VA have run it into the ground. They need new leadership from outside the VA to clean things up – to take a fresh approach.

The way U.S. Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines and U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke praised the hiring of Berger shows Montana veterans they are happy with status quo.

Gianforte’s Whistle Stop Tour:

In case you missed it, Republicans candidates for Montana Governor and Lt. Governor Greg Gianforte and Leslie Robinson have started their statewide “whistle stop” tour of Montana.

You can see their schedule HERE.

This is just a guess, but I don’t believe they are taking a train…

Montana Dems & Get Out To Vote:

The Montana Democrats are holding several “Get Out To Vote” events across Montana leading up to Election Day with many of their candidates.

You can see their schedule HERE.

Campaign Fliers:

So far this election season, I have received about 20 pieces of campaign literature in the mail or left on my doorstep.

It’s nice to feel loved…

The FBI Announcement:

FBI Director James Comey said in a letter to Congress on Friday (which was quickly released to the press by Republicans) that the bureau had discovered new emails possibly pertinent to the Hillary Clinton email investigation. (AP)

So far there are more questions than answers. Politics took over from there and “unnamed sources” were running wild.

The Republicans are saying this is the final nail in Clinton’s coffin while praising Comey for being a Boy Scout. They felt differently about him a few months ago.

The Democrats, who just a few months ago were praising Comey for not bringing charges up on Clinton, now believe he is tampering with an election and that he should resign.

Some reports say the extra emails found won’t be completely reviewed until after the election, which was probably a good reason for Comey to wait before sending his vague letter to Congress.

This disclosure does help Trump but it may be too late. It also taints the FBI which should always take the high road and not do anything to make it look like it is taking sides in any election.

## END ##

One of the reasons people hate politics is that truth is rarely a politician’s objective. Election and power are. – Cal Thomas

Today is one of those days that make it great to be an independent blogger!

These items caught my attention for this edition of The Wednesday Read:

• Tester’s Fundraising
• Essmann Tweets
• The Sales Tax Issue
• Deleting emails

Tester’s Fundraising:

I almost called this section, “What Goes Around Comes Around” but decided to keep it simple so U.S. Senator Jon Tester’s people can understand it. (Just kiddin)

If you follow me on Twitter then you were one of the first people to see the story Saturday night from the Boston Globe titled, Prominent Democratic law firm pays questionable ‘bonuses’ to partners for campaign contributions.”

The story was not too kind to Tester, which started with “Jon Tester didn’t come all the way from Montana for the scrambled eggs and bacon.” Then it followed it up with:

Tester, a massive, jovial man who raises livestock on his family farm, was more compelling than many of the other breakfast guests, all of them political candidates the firm hoped would defend the interests of trial attorneys. But the drill was basically the same. The personal injury lawyers listened politely for a few minutes, then returned to their offices. And Tester walked away with $26,400 in checks.

What basically happened is when one of the people at “the firm” donated to people like Tester; they received a “bonus” for about the same amount.

Tester has received a lot more than that $26,000. According to reports, Tester gave the donations he has received from the firm (totaling $51,800) to the U.S. Treasury on Monday, probably thinking that will end that.

Not so fast!

As Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), they received a larger chunk of money from the same folks. They should return all of it.

If we use the Tester method of campaigning we’ll have to ask what that $51,800 bought from Tester. Did he sponsor a bill they supported? Maybe they needed him to vote against a bill? Maybe they needed him to vote for a bill? If we can’t find anything, we’ll make some incredible story up about how he screwed over a group of people. We’ll keep looking. Maybe we can get the FBI to investigate…

Drip, drip drip…

Tester plays the political game as well as anyone, so he must realize that he is ass-deep in something that will haunt him all through his election cycle – as it should. What goes around…

Maybe now Tester realizes how easy it is to receive donations from people and or groups that are not above board.

Meanwhile, whatever happened to those annual ethics reviews?

Essmann Tweets:

Montana Republican Chairman Jeff Essmann posted the story on Twitter about a woman being granted an order of protection against Barry Beach. He then added, “@GovernorBullock Bad Judgement [sic] Bad for Montana”

Seriously?

In the early 1980s Beach was sentenced to serve 100 years in prison, with no possibility of parole, for the 1979 beating death of 17-year-old Kimberly Ness. About a year ago, Bullock granted Beach clemency, which required that he remain on probation for 10 years. The clemency was supported by hundreds if not thousands of people. I would imagine that Beach received more than his fair share of support for his release from the right side of the fence. Many probably donate their hard-earned money to the Republican Party.

It’s amazing what we see and hear the final few days of the campaign season.

Here’s some advice for Essmann. Since he and Beach live in Billings, maybe Essmann can mentor Beach…

The Sales Tax Issue:

I would have been perfectly fine with Republican candidate for Montana Governor Greg Gianforte saying that in 2002 he supported a sales tax, but he didn’t support a sales tax now. I mean there’s proof from an audio tape with him saying it, so he was kind of caught red-handed.

Instead of him just letting that rest, Gianforte is now claiming he never advocated for a sales tax, while also contending that Governor Bullock “won’t rule out a sales tax.”

I didn’t eat that bag of fun-size Butterfingers, either….

I have not heard a recording of Bullock saying a sales tax would be an ideal solution.

Pro-Tip: If you tell the truth, you won’t have to remember anything.

Deleting Emails:

Just because someone says something over and over does not mean it is correct. That is the case of supporters of Republican candidate for Governor Greg Gianforte. They contend that when Governor Steve Bullock (D) was Montana Attorney General he “deleted” his emails. They then try to tie him to Hillary Clinton and her email scandal.

It’s also a sad state of affairs when Republican or Democrat office holders (in this case Republicans) come out and act in their press conference or in their letter to the editor as if that they are trying to be honest when all they are doing is being partisan. People are sick of that.

I know that facts are hard to come by these days, but MTN reporter Mike Dennison reported about the emails on October 17:

Attorney General Tim Fox’s office says it’s “not able to determine” if his predecessor, Gov. Steve Bullock, deleted email records before leaving office…

By the way, Fox is a Republican.

The 2017 Montana Legislature working with all state-wide officeholders should address this issue and make clearer rules.

Meanwhile, will trying to tie Bullock to Clinton work? We’ll see next Tuesday evening.

*Note: this Friday I give my predictions on who will win all the statewide races in Montana.

## END ##

Baseball is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical. – Yogi Berra

Welcome to “Thursday Numbers!” In case you’re a first-time visitor, this is the weekly column where I take a look at the numbers that are in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary sometimes sprinkled with sarcasm.

This week’s topics include Montana Governor’s race, campaign spending, unemployment, Great Falls Public Schools Foundation, Great Falls & cell phones, Chicago Cubs, the Presidential race, Montana’s absentee ballots, campaign lit, and much more!

15,000,000

Spending on the Montana Governor’s race has topped $15 million. (MTN)

I think people are ready for this election season to end.

500,000

That’s how much Republican candidate for Montana Governor, Greg Gianforte, has “donated” to his campaign. (MTN)

He is approaching the $6 million dollar mark in personal donations to his campaign. I can only guess what the campaign staff bonuses will be if he wins…

By the way, The Western Word “donate” button on the right side of the screen is working!

265,000

That’s how many people filed new claims for unemployment last week. (USDOL)

124,040

That’s how much money was raised by the Great Falls Public Schools Foundation’s Truck Raffle. The money will be used to support schools and education in the district. (GF Tribune)

Applause for the Great Falls Public Schools Foundation’s efforts.

200

Fines will double from $100 to $200 for first-time offenders in Great Falls who use a cell phone or other handheld electronic device when driving a vehicle or bike. The changes go into effect in 30 days. (GF Tribune)

I know you’re thinking that Great Falls is run by a bunch of morons. You, my faithful reader, are correct.

108

It’s been 108 years, but the Chicago Cubs are once again World Series champions. They beat the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in an epic 10-inning game. (AP)

Game seven was one of the best World Series games I have ever seen.

69

That’s the percentage of Americans who say they are dissatisfied with the way Donald Trump’s campaign has been conducted. This level of dissatisfaction is 21 percentage points higher than for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s campaign and 10 points higher than for any nominee’s since Gallup first asked the question in 2000. (Gallup)

I’m not satisfied by the tone of many campaigns…

66.4

As of this morning, the FiveThirtyEight blog reports that Hillary Clinton has a 66.4% chance of winning the presidential election. (FiveThirtyEight)

Back on October 27, the FiveThirtyEight blog had Clinton with an 85.7% chance of winning.

66

That’s the percentage of Montana’s absentee ballots that have been returned as of Monday. (AP)

My ballot is still sitting on the counter waiting until the last moment. I will have to use a coin to decide who to support in a few races…

24

So far this election season, I have received about 24 pieces of campaign literature in the mail or left on my doorstep.

It’s good to be loved…

## END ##

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. – John Quincy Adams

Welcome to the big show to end the week “Caught My Eye” (CME) – the final CME before Election Day!

If you are a first-time visitor, CME is posted right here every Friday morning. This is when I take a look at some of the stories I did not have time to write about during the week. I often throw in a touch of sarcasm to make you smile – or to irritate you just a little – maybe both.

Topics this week include Tschida vs Motl, School Bus Drivers, Gianforte Ads, I pick the 2016 election winners, One More Thing, and much more!

Breaking the Law…

It looks like Republican state Rep. Brad Tschida of Missoula screwed up.

The AP reported:

A Montana lawmaker (Tschida) has revealed a week before Election Day that he filed an ethics complaint against Gov. Steve Bullock, despite a state law saying such complaints are confidential until they are resolved.

By the way, it was about that damned state-owned plane – the PLANE!

Tschida tried to say something like he was a big important state legislator and that he had immunity. Bawhaaaaa…

The AP also reported that Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl put Tschida in his place:

The ethics complaint was filed with Motl’s office. State law says the person filing the complaint and the subject of the complaint must maintain confidentiality until the commissioner issues a decision. Motl said Tschida violated that law and he would seek a severe penalty.

“His issue is not larger than the requirements of the law,” Motl said. “Mr. Tschida is not God.”

Motl said the violation amounts to official misconduct, which carries penalties of a fine up to $500 and up to six months in jail.

Tschida won’t get any jail time, so the maximum fine is a cheap way of helping Republicans. We all know the complaint was leaked to help Bullock’s opponent Greg Gianforte, win the election. That was the reason for filing the complaint, too.

The Great Falls Tribune story reported that Motl said Tschida should have filed the allegations as an election complaint rather than an ethics complaint. I’m guessing that it would have probably sped up the process.

There has been a lot a pettiness this campaign season – from both sides.

School Bus Drivers…

I was wondering how long it would take the Zinke campaign to do an ad blaming Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau for the 64 Montana school bus drivers having criminal records. It was based on a news story from 2013.

I bookmarked that story about three years ago.

I guess the Zinke campaign was waiting toward the end of the campaign to try to put the final nail in the coffin of the Juneau campaign. I think Zinke has two campaign ads airing during the last two weeks about it, which should just about seal the deal for Zinke’s reelection.

Some folks might say it is a stretch to say that Juneau is responsible for hiring the 64 school bus drivers. That’s fine. Put up an ad saying otherwise. Others might say it is a stretch for Juneau to take credit for graduation rates increasing in Montana, too. I think Gov. Steve Bullock is also using that one. Sometimes you have to take the positive with the negative in politics and keep marching up the hill.

In politics, it is often more perception than anything. By the way, they are damned good ads for Zinke – and I never heard him say anything about being a Navy SEAL! Watch one of the ads HERE.

I suggest Juneau keep her campaign motor running because I think Zinke will abandon the House to run for U.S. Senate in two years.

Gianforte Ads:

The Associated Press reported that a nonprofit investigative journalism organization says that candidate for Montana Governor, Greg Gianforte, aired more campaign ads than all other candidates in the nation seeking to win statewide elections.

Another interesting item from the report was that Gianforte’s ads would run for 13 straight days if they were all aired back to back.

Great googly moogly!

Maybe I missed the ad or maybe it’s still coming, but I have not seen an ad where his running mate, Lesley Robinson, had a speaking part. I would think with all the ads there would be one. It might help the campaign to have a calmer, less aggressive person, speak.

The 2016 Election Winners:

For several weeks now I have been picking who I think is winning eight key races from President on down to the state-wide races in Montana. The candidates I picked were winning their contests at that particular time. Today, I pick the winners (I may or may not be voting for them)!

On Tuesday, November 8, the winners will be…

President: Hillary Clinton
–Let’s face it – the choices are not the best in this race. Hillary Clinton has been harmed by the latest email issue and Donald Trump has been coming on lately, but she will still become the next President of the United States. Clinton will win the popular vote by three to four points and easily get between 290-300 electoral votes.By the way, Trump will win Montana by about 10-15 points. 

MT House At-Large: Ryan Zinke
-I don’t ever think the race between Zinke and Denise Juneau was that close. Zinke wins by five points.

MT Governor: Steve Bullock
-The biggest problem with Greg Gianforte is he came across poorly in his ads and apparently with several newspaper boards. Plus, there were too many ads from him and he attacked, attacked, and attacked Bullock. Montana voters are starting to feel sorry for Bullock, a Montana boy, who is being attacked by a millionaire who is from New Jersey. Bullock wins by three points.

MT Secretary of State: Corey Stapleton
-This may actually be Stapleton’s time to win a statewide race. Monica Lindeen is well-known so this race will close. Stapleton will win by two points.

MT Attorney General: Tim Fox
-Larry Jent is the more qualified candidate, but he got a late start and never gained much traction. Fox will win by five points. By the way, I’d like to see the Montana Attorney General appointed instead of being elected.

MT State Auditor: Jesse Laslovich
-Laslovich has come on the past two weeks and has been sending several fliers and has some good ads up on TV. Matt Rosendale has been somewhat quiet. Laslovich will win by three points.

MT OPI: Elsie Arntzen
-I don’t think Melissa Romano gained enough name recognition and received enough help from her supporters against the seasoned campaigner Elsie Arntzen. Arntzen should win this race by three points. If Romano loses, I hope she runs for another office and gains experience.

MT Supreme Court Justice #3: Kristen Juras
-This race is a tough one to pick, but Dirk Sandefur may have harmed himself with his condescending attitude toward Juras in the Face the State debate. The article about the forum in Great Falls was not good for him. His ad that shows him throwing the negative fliers in the trash can was poorly done and he acted pissed that anyone could say anything bad about him because he is a judge. I don’t think having all the attorneys and judges endorsing him was that good for him. It looked like the establishment was picking on her. Juras will win by two points.
I do hope that Montana changes how judges get into office.

If you see any of the races differently or just want to yell at me, let me know in the comment section or send me an email (western_word@yahoo.com).

One More Thing:

I saw this on Facebook and thought it was funny:

## DON’T FORGET TO VOTE ##

Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting. – Franklin D. Roosevelt

Please please please make sure you vote!

Happy Election Eve! I am just like a kid on Christmas Eve today. Is this exciting or what?

Today I take a look at The Campaign Commercial, Montana Governor 2016, Montana’s Four Ballot Initiatives, Election Night coverage, Monday Night poll results, and much more!

The Campaign Commercial:

Often there’s a campaign commercial that stands out, maybe not for how good it is, but for how silly or funny it is. A few years ago, a Montana candidate for U.S. House, Matt Rosendale, pretended to shoot down a drone. That commercial received a lot of attention, but it did not help Rosendale win his race.

This year in Montana, the winner is former Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, who shoots a television because he is upset with an attack ad that aired in the Montana Supreme Court race against his friend Dirk Sandefur.

I don’t understand why Schweitzer was watching television in the forest…

Schweitzer is only shown in the first 15 seconds of the ad and then at the very end, but all the staff (me) at The Western Word picked this ad as the winner. I cannot decide what the ad won, but it is funny and silly:

Every time I see Schweitzer, he reminds me of “Cousin Eddie” from the National Lampoon Vacation movies.

Montana Governor 2016:

If you are still wondering which candidate, Steve Bullock or Greg Gianforte, should get your vote for Montana Governor, you can read my thoughts about each HERE.

Montana’s Four Ballot Initiatives:

If you are wondering about Montana’s four ballot initiatives, I wrote about each one last month. You can read that column HERE.

The shorter version is:

• CI-116 (Crime Victims’ Rights) – Yes
• I-177 (Trapping) – No
• I-181 (Medical Research) – Yes
• I-182 (Medical Marijuana) – Yes.

Election Day/Night Coverage:

You should follow me on Twitter (@TheWesternWord) for Election Night coverage and updates. If you don’t have Twitter, you can see The Western Word’s Twitter feed on this website, TheWesternWord.com (refresh the page often). The Twitter feed is on the right side of the page.

Monday Night:

By Monday night most major campaigns will have a pretty good idea if they will be winners or losers Tuesday. This is because of their internal polling. Some campaigns have been doing rolling polling for several days and have pretty good information on what the outcome will be.

I remember having dinner with a candidate several years ago on Monday night before the election. About 8:00 p.m. the candidate’s phone rang. The candidate was told the winning margin was about 3 points. After the election was over, it was about 3.4.

If any campaign staffers want to email me their internal polling numbers that would be great! Your secret is safe with me!

The only website I pay attention to about the Presidential election and U.S. Senate election is FiveThirtyEight.com.

Thanks to all the candidates who ran for office this election cycle. I appreciate you!

## DON’T FORGET TO VOTE ##

In the state of Montana, the Republicans almost wiped out the Democrats in statewide races. It was a bloodbath.

It all started with Democrat U.S. House candidate Denise Juneau losing to incumbent Republican Ryan Zinke. I never actually thought that race would be close. It wasn’t.

There are still votes to be counted because for some reason election after election it seems the Montana election officials have problems election night counting the votes. I checked some national maps at 6:30 a.m. and states like Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, and Utah all had 99% of their votes counted. Montana had 90% at that time (78% of precincts reporting).

So we wait, and wait, and wait.

I call on the new Secretary of State, Corey Stapleton, to fix this embarrassing problem.

At this time, incumbent Governor Steve Bullock is the only statewide Democrat candidate who is hanging on. If he wins another term, he will be the only thing keeping the Republican-controlled state House and Senate from running wild during the next legislative session. I picked Bullock to win.

Corey Stapleton will be the next Secretary of State. He is easily beating Monica Lindeen. I picked Stapleton to win.

Tim Fox handily beat Larry Jent in the Attorney General’s race. I picked Fox to win.

Jesse Laslovich lost to Matt Rosendale for State Auditor. I thought Laslovich would win.

Melissa Romano is losing to Elsie Arntzen for Superintendent of Public Instruction. I picked Arntzen because Romano was not as well-known.

If all this stays this way, the Republicans will control the state land board, which is a big deal because someone told me the board deals with…state land.

It looks like there will be several job openings in Helena on the staff of the new Republican statewide officeholders.

I really have to applaud the Montana GOP for the work they did in 2016. They put forth some candidates who were pretty well-known and that helped them be successful.

Montana Supreme Court:

The race for Montana Supreme Court Justice #3 was a snoozer. Dirk Sandefur is winning the contest easily over Kristen Juras. I thought Juras would win, but I was wrong big time. Congratulations to Judge Sandefur.

Maybe the 2017 legislature can change the way judges are elected in Montana. It’s terrible to have judges prostitute themselves like politicians.

Montana’s Four Ballot Initiatives:

If you are wondering about Montana’s four ballot initiatives, here is how they stand:

• CI-116 (Crime Victims’ Rights) – is winning. I urged readers to vote yes
• I-177 (Trapping) – the “No” votes are winning. That’s what I picked.
• I-181 (Medical Research) – is losing. I urged people to vote yes
• I-182 (Medical Marijuana) – is winning. I urged voters to vote yes. By approving I-182 it was like a slap across the face of the legislature.

Thanks to all the folks who followed me on Twitter and Facebook during the election returns. Was this fun or what?

To see all the Montana election returns, click HERE.

## END ##

A Veteran is someone, who at one point in their life, wrote a blank check payable to the United States of America for an amount up to, and including, their life. – José N. Harris

To my fellow Veterans: THANK YOU for your service!

Welcome to the big show to end the week “Caught My Eye” (CME) – the first CME since Election Day, so watch out!

If you are a first-time visitor, CME is posted right here every Friday morning. This is when I take a look at some of the stories I did not have time to write about during the week. I often throw in a touch of sarcasm to make you smile – or to irritate you just a little – maybe both.

Topics this week include TWW counseling session, the next two years, Barry Beach, my election night post, the 2018 election, one more thing, and much more!

TWW Counseling Session:

If the 2016 Presidential Election was tough on you and you are having problems accepting the results, please read on. If you are excited about the results, please read on.

You might need to lie on the couch for this…

Take a deep breath. Hold it. Exhale. Repeat.

OK, whether he is qualified or not, on January 20, 2017, Donald J. Trump will be the President of the United States of America.

You can accept it or not. Not accepting it won’t change it. This election is over. Just because Clinton won the popular vote, does not change things, either. That’s not the rules. If it makes you feel better, protest peacefully. If you voted for Trump, spike the ball in the face of the Clinton supporters if you want. Write nasty things on Facebook and Twitter if you want. Un-friend people if you want. Free speech, baby! Thick skin, baby!

This is the United States of America! We can handle this, damn it! Remember that.

Gallup Polling reported that 42% of adults feel “afraid” since the Trump win. Back in 2008 when Barack Obama was first elected 27% felt “afraid.”

Plenty of people never accepted the fact that Obama was President of the United States. We’ve survived that. The world did not end with Obama. I’ll bet you probably still have as many guns as you did eight years ago. I’m betting we survive Trump, too.

If your candidate lost this last election, the good news is in less than four years our country will elect another President. I’m hoping for better choices next time, how about you? In two years, every seat in the U.S. House of Representatives will be up for sale election as will one-third of the seats in the U.S. Senate.

See, things are brighter already!

I’ve worked on several campaigns and found it rewarding. So volunteer on a campaign of someone you support for 2018 and for 2020. There’s a lot more to our political process than posting silly and hateful things to your friends and follows on social media.

Now get out there and make a difference…

Next Two Years:

In 2017-18 the Republicans will have majorities in the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, and Republican Donald Trump will be President.

In other words, they own it. They are in charge.

There are really only two things to keep them from passing just about any bill that is introduced: First, they need 60 votes in the senate to end filibusters, and second, themselves. Republicans may try to end the filibuster so they can pass legislation with a simple majority.

Get your popcorn ready because this is going to be fun to watch!

The Republicans are good at forming a circular firing squad and hurting themselves when they run the show. They seem to implode when they get so much power. It’s happened before when they “had it all” because there are batcrap crazy members of the Republican Party who will fight with the more moderate members.

Although Republicans will have control for two years, after the first year they will need to get back into campaign mode for the 2018 elections.

In Washington, it’s all about the next election….

Barry Beach:

Barry Beach was convicted of a 1979 murder and was granted clemency by Montana Governor Steve Bullock last November and placed on supervised probation. There was support for Beach to be released from prison from all around Montana and from both sides of the political fence. You can read more about Beach by searching this website.

Beach was recently arrested for probation violations. He could end up back in prison, or he could still be free depending on what a judge decides. Read a recent story HERE.

Since Bullock whipped Republican Greg Gianforte in the gubernatorial election Tuesday, some of the Republicans just before the election and afterward have been saying Bullock showed “bad judgment” in releasing Beach.

That’s petty and hypocritical. The Republican-controlled state legislature in Montana overwhelming passed HB 43 last session. That bill was basically introduced to help Beach obtain clemency. If I remember correctly HB 43 passed 50-0 in the state senate and almost unanimous support in the state House with only a dozen or so (out of 100) voting “no” on it.

We already know that the Montana state legislature is like a 90-day circus every two years and few legislators are respected. The “gotcha” politics don’t help.

My Election Night Post:

I posted the following message on Facebook and a shorter version on Twitter when Donald Trump was declared the winner of the Presidential election:

ATTENTION FACEBOOK FRIENDS: To those of you who said you would move to another country if Donald Trump was elected President, please send me your new address so I can update my Christmas card list. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I am an independent. I’ve seen it all in politics up close and personal. I would have sent one with Hillary Clinton’s name if she had won.

That might not have been as funny to some…

2018 Election:

Is it too early to talk 2018 elections? Yes? Then don’t read the following.

Montana’s senior U.S. Senator, Jon Tester, is up for reelection. He’s a Democrat. If he runs, it will be for his third term. Two-term House member Ryan Zinke is up for reelection. He’s a Republican.

I don’t want Zinke to run against Tester. I want someone from Montana to stay in the freakin’ U.S. House of Representatives long enough so the people at the door to the House chambers know their name. Dennis Rehberg ticked me off when he decided to run for U.S. Senate as a member of the House just as he was just getting some clout built up. Steve Daines ticked me off when he did the same thing, only he did it successfully. They did not get my vote. Zinke won’t either.

I wonder what Greg Gianforte will be doing? Jesse Laslovich? Monica Lindeen? Denise Juneau?

Send the rumors my way!

One More Thing:

Let us remember we are all part of one American family. We are united in common values, and that includes belief in equality under the law, basic respect for public order, and the right of peaceful protest. – Barack Obama

## END ##

People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do. – Isaac Asimov

These items caught my attention for this edition of The Wednesday Read:

• Montana Legislature
• Governor’s Budget
• Campaign/Private Emails
• Cabinet & Appointees
• Fake News

Ain’t It Amazing?

It was amazing during the days leading up to the general election the Republican Party was acting like they were waiting for a funeral. Now the Republicans act like it’s Christmas and the Democrats are the ones attending the funeral.

From what I am hearing from sources it sounds like the Republicans are planning on bringing some gifts – like tax breaks or refunds to “we the people” right after the inauguration. Don’t worry fiscal watchdogs; they can just print more money to pay the bills. It’s not like we are $19,000,000,000,000 ($19 trillion) in debt or something.

Montana Legislature:

The Montana Legislature picked their leadership teams for the 2017 session. Yawn. You can see who the leaders are by clicking HERE. Some of them bring some baggage.

Montanans want to see their legislators compromise and work together. They don’t want to see a circus with a bunch of clowns running around the state capitol like in past sessions.

Here at The Western Word, I don’t hold the Montana Legislature in very high regard, but I am holding out hope that they will surprise me. I hope they run this session better than an eighth-grade government class would in a mock session of the legislature.

By the way, don’t forget to vote! Should the Montana lawmakers receive an 82% pay raise? Click HERE to vote in The Western Word poll.

The Governor’s Budget:

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, released his two-year budget plan on Tuesday. The Associated Press has the story HERE.

House Speaker Austin Knudsen and Senate President-elect Scott Sales, both Republicans, shot down the Governor’s plan rather quickly showing that they really haven’t gotten over their man, Greg Gianforte, losing to Bullock.

On the first day of the session of the Montana Legislature, I urge state legislators and the governor to pass a bill making the use of recreational marijuana legal in Montana. If they do that, we probably won’t give a damn what they screw up between January-April.

Campaign/Private Emails:

One of the people I follow on Twitter, Mike Jopek, posted a Tweet saying, “5 out of 6 of the all-male 2017 GOP leadership team chose to use private email during and after the last Legislature.” You can see the Tweet HERE.

I won’t go into all six Republican leaders being male because I think President-elect Donald Trump pretty much set the tone for how Republicans feel about women.

As for using private email, I wrote about soon-to-be Montana Senate President Scott Sales was using his private email back in September.

Sales’ email on his official Legislator Profile page last session (run by the state of Montana) is sales4mtsenate@hotmail.com. There are probably others who use a private campaign email address for their contact info (that does not make it legal), but as long as people are getting nitpicky about the state email crap, we might as well go all in. It’s deliberate campaigning using state government resources.

Just imagine what the Republicans would say if Governor Steve Bullock, a Democrat, listed a private email “Bullock4Governor@” for his contact on the official state page.

Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl should look into this. Maybe someone will write to him about this campaign issue. You can paste this column for reference if you wish.

President-elect’s Cabinet & Appointees:

People can bitch and moan all they want about President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks, but the fact is he was elected and can pick whomever he wants (except for close relatives) to fill his cabinet.

There could be a filibuster on some nominations in the senate, but I look for the Republicans to try and do away with the filibuster if that happens. Harry Reid is retiring from the senate, so will there be any fighters left on the Democrats’ side?

I’ve always thought that Presidents should be able to pick whomever they want on their cabinet unless that person is a felon or mass murderer or white supremacist or someone like that.

I also believed that President Obama should have been allowed to put Merrick Garland on the Supreme Court. That denial of a hearing or vote has probably left a shitty taste in the mouth of some Senate Democrats. Revenge?

I heard some Senators want Trump to nominate U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz for the Supreme Court so the senate could get rid of him.

It will be interesting to see who U.S. Senator Steve Daines recommends to the President to fill some “key” presidential appointments in Montana. They are not really “key” appointments as they are filled with loyal supporters and good ol’ boys and girls. The agencies would run just fine without these people.

There are three spots that I can think of right now that need to be filled in Montana: U.S. Attorney, U.S Marshal, and head of USDA Rural Development. I’m sure Daines will let Rep. Ryan Zinke have input. I would encourage Daines to pick veterans.

Daines should review the history of former Senator Max Baucus to see how not to do the process of recommending a Montanan for a presidential appointment.

Speaking of Baucus, his days are probably numbered as United States Ambassador to China. I imagine he will be heading back to Montana sometime next year with his state director wife for retirement after his replacement is confirmed.

As for me, I’d like to be a Presidential blogger, but I would probably start a war or something. I would want to do it from my bunker in Montana and just visit the White House for parties, state dinners, and the Easter egg roll…

Fake News:

I happened to see that Google and Facebook announced measures aimed at halting the spread of “fake news” on the internet by targeting how some purveyors of phony content make money: advertising. (Reuters)

Does this mean Fox News is shutting down? Just kiddin…

This is good to see. I plan on posting this story on my personal Facebook page because I have several “friends” who are dumb enough that they believe anything they see on the Internet and re-post it.

If you are not one of my “dumb” friends, don’t be offended…

## END ##

Progress is a nice word. But change is its motivator. And change has its enemies. – Robert Kennedy

Welcome to the first “Thursday Numbers” of December! In case you’re a first-time visitor, this is the weekly column where I take a look at the numbers that are in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary sometimes sprinkled with sarcasm.

This week’s topics include Taylor Swift, Victoria’s Secret, Steve Daines, OPEC, unemployment, Jon Tester, Tiger Woods, Nancy Pelosi, Big Mac, Steve Bullock, Montana Republican Party, and much more!

170,000,000

That’s how much money ($170 million) Taylor Swift made in 2016. (Forbes)

That is slightly more than your favorite independent blogger made…

3,000,000

The laciest, if not raciest, catwalk event of the year — aka, the Victoria’s Secret fashion show — is taking place in Paris on Wednesday (last) night. Among the anticipated highlights: performances by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, as well as a $3 million Fantasy bra modelled by Jasmine Tookes. (AP)

1,402,200

U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) announced funding in the amount of $1,402,200 for the Western Transportation Institute (WTI) at Montana State University’s (MSU) College of Engineering. The funding will be used to study how best to improve accessibility and efficiency of rural public transportation.

1,200,000

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) which accounts for a third of global oil supply, agreed to cut production by around 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd), or over 3 percent, to 32.5 million bpd, from January. (Reuters)

268,000

That’s how many people filed new claims for unemployment last week. (USDOL)

5,657

That’s how many users logged on to watch and participate in the Facebook Live event hosted by U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.). According to Tester’s press office, some of the most popular topics and responses included spurring job growth, the importance of a quality education, and the need to combat climate change.

That’s a neat way to connect to constituents – and helping constituents should be every elected official’s first priority.

898

That’s Tiger Woods’ world ranking in golf. Woods, who will turn 41 at the end of December, is making his return to competitive golf Thursday (today) at the Hero World Challenge, with his first round of consequence in 466 days. (Yahoo Sports)

Golf is much better when Tiger Woods is playing.

134

U.S. House Democrats re-elected Nancy Pelosi as their leader Wednesday. The vote was 134-63. (AP)

98

The Pittsburgh-area McDonald’s franchisee who created the Big Mac nearly 50 years ago has died. Michael “Jim” Delligatti was 98. (USA Today)

I am more of a quarter pounder with cheese guy. That’s not exactly true, I’m really more of a double quarter pounder with cheese guy (and a Diet Coke).

19

Happy 19th birthday to my sweetheart (RLB)! I love you!

10

Montana Governor Steve Bullock’s budget proposal for the next two years includes a 10 percent cut for the Montana Highway Patrol — a $7.7 million reduction that would mean the loss of 27 jobs, most of them troopers. (AP)

Let the jockeying begin!

9:1

Montana Republican Party Chairman Jeff Essmann sent a thank you email to Republican supporters in which he wrote:

This was one of the most successful elections for the Montana Republican Party in modern times and we achieved these victories despite being outspent 9:1 by the Montana Democrat Party and their special interest allies.

It was quite a historic victory for the Montana Republicans this year. Congratulations.

## END ##

Let us never know what old age is. Let us know the happiness time brings, not count the years. – Ausonius

These items caught my attention for this edition of The Wednesday Read:

• Anti-Semitism & White Nationalism
• Hey Moe…
• Deaths in 2016
• The NFL – Buffalo
• The NFL – Denver

Anti-Semitism & White Nationalism:

Montana elected officials recently came together against anti-Semitism and white nationalism. U.S. Senators Jon Tester, Steve Daines, U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke, Governor Steve Bullock and Attorney General Tim Fox said in an open letter:

“We stand firmly together to send a clear message that ignorance, hatred and threats of violence are unacceptable and have no place in the town of Whitefish, or in any other community in Montana or across this nation,” Montana’s elected officials wrote. “We say to those few who seek to publicize anti-Semitic views that they shall find no safe haven here.”

While it’s good to see so many people condemn these hateful groups, these groups thrive on getting publicity – and they have received plenty of publicity from here in Montana and around the world in the last week or so.

Hey Moe…

The Great Falls Tribune reported that Great Falls state Senator Mary Sheehy Moe announced that she will resign her seat (SD-12) in the Montana Legislature at some point near the end of January. The reason is so that she will be available to provide more support for her daughter and three newborn grandchildren who were born prematurely.

I’ve watched Moe closely in the legislature since I am a resident of SD-12. She will be missed, but being a mother and grandmother is much more important!

Deaths in 2016:

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems that 2016 has been the year that many notable people died. On a personal note, I also had several friends and family die in 2016 – and they are greatly missed.

Here is a list of “notable” deaths in 2016 from the New York Times, whatever “notable” means…

The NFL – Buffalo:

I thought it was interesting that the Buffalo Bills fired Rex Ryan this week with less than two full seasons under his belt. I’ve always thought head coaches should be given 3-5 years to put their team together, but in today’s world owners and fans want instant gratification.

I’ve always thought that Rex Ryan should go back to doing that he does best – being a defensive coordinator.

The NFL – Denver:

My Kansas City Chiefs put a stake through the heart of the Denver Broncos Sunday night ending the Broncos chances of making the playoffs – the year after winning the Super Bowl.

Although Gary Kubiak led the Broncos to a Super Bowl win last season that was the team that former coach John Fox put together. Fox’s team lost the Super Bowl in 2013, finished 12-4 the next year and was fired and replaced by Gary Kubiak.

I tweeted after the game Sunday night that Denver coach Gary Kubiak has run John Fox’s Super Bowl team into the ditch. We’ll see what tricks they have to get them back to the playoffs in 2017.

In the meantime, Chiefs fans will be cheering for the Broncos to beat the Raiders this Sunday! If the Chiefs win (against the Chargers) and the Raiders lose, the Chiefs will be the #2 seed in the playoffs!

## END ##

We proved that we are still a people capable of doing big things and tackling our biggest challenges. – Barack Obama

Welcome to “Thursday Numbers!” In case you’re a first-time visitor, this is the weekly column where I take a look at the numbers that are in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary sometimes sprinkled with sarcasm.

This week’s topics include the national debt now and in 2008, unemployment, Obama poll, Trump polls, rising temperatures, GOP dinner, Trump donates, Governor’s Inaugural Ball, Twitter followers, NorthWestern Energy, Baseball Hall of Fame, and much more!

19,961,066,100,000

That’s the U.S. National Debt this morning (Thursday) (the last full day of the Obama Administration). (Source)

The U.S. National Debt on this date in 2008 (around the time when President Obama took office) was $9,673,000,000,000. (Source)

234,000

That’s how many people filed new claims for unemployment last week. (USDOL)

60

The latest Washington Post-ABC poll shows President Obama hitting 60 percent approval, with 38 percent disapproving — his highest mark since June of his first year in office, when 65 percent approved of him.

Thank you for your service, Mr. President.

58.69

The average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces in 2016 was 58.69 degrees F or 1.69 degrees F above the 20th century average. This surpassed last year’s record by 0.07 degrees F. Since the start of the 21st century, the annual global temperature record has been broken five times (2005, 2010, 2014, 2015, and 2016). (NOAA)

When the temps in Montana were 15-20 below, I did not feel like 2016 was warmer…

50

For $50 per person or $80 per couple, you can attend a dinner honoring Montana Senate President Scott Sales and Montana Speaker of the House Austin Knudsen benefitting the Montana Republican Party and Montana Republican Legislative Campaign Committee. The event takes place Friday, January 27, 2017, at the Radisson Colonial Hotel in Helena. (Source)

I’m glad State Senator Scott Sales found time for the dinner…

44

President-elect Donald Trump has donated to 44 current members of Congress. (Roll Call)

Keep your enemies closer…

40

Donald Trump will become president Friday with an approval rating of just 40%, according to a new CNN/ORC Poll, the lowest of any recent president and 44 points below that of President Barack Obama, the 44th president. (CNN)

Trump believes the polls are rigged…

35

That’s the price ($35) for a ticket to 2017 Montana Governor’s Inaugural Ball which will be held January 28 in Helena. (Source)

Dance the night away…

32

CBS reported Wednesday that only 32 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of Donald Trump.

I hope he continues Tweeting…

20

That’s how many followers on Twitter I need to get to 1,000. (@TheWesternWord)

Don’t judge me – We all need goals…

6

Customers who use NorthWestern Energy will see an increase in their bills due to an increase in their NorthWestern’s property taxes. For electric customers, there will be a $2 increase per month, and for natural gas customers, the increase will be about $4 a month. (MTN)

They are sticking it to the little guy/gal…

3

Three new members, Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, and Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday. (ESPN)

Pete Rose, Roger Clemens, and Barry Bonds should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

## END ##

It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both. – Niccolo Machiavelli

These items caught my attention for this edition of The Wednesday Read:

• State of the State
• FBI Director James Comey
• Trump’s Voter Fraud Claims
• White House Press Secretary

State of the State:

Last night (Tuesday) Montana Governor Steve Bullock (D) delivered the State of the State address. He told Montanans that he was pleased to report the state of our state is strong.

Yippee! This is great news although it seems the state is always “strong.”

I was worried about the state of our state because to hear the Republicans talk about Montana, we’re just a few days from an apocalypse or from being invaded by refugees.

As an independent, I think Bullock hit on the right tone. No matter what either side says, they need to work together and make some compromises.

As for the rebuttal from the Republicans, about all you need to know is that State Speaker of the House Austin Knudsen went after Bullock in the second paragraph of his speech:

Tonight our Governor outlined his priorities. But so far has provided little to no leadership in how to achieve these priorities.

For contrast, in the Governor’s second paragraph he honored Montana National Guard members serving around the world, snowplow drivers, child protective services workers, and others.

In other words one was a statesman one was not.

Montanans are tired of the partisanship and the game playing in Helena every two years that is splattered throughout with little press conferences to slam the other side. It makes Montana look ridiculous.

You can read the speeches from Bullock and Knudsen and the story from Lee Newspapers HERE.

FBI Director James Comey:

Reuters reported Tuesday that President Donald Trump intends to keep FBI Director James Comey in his post.

Why not? Some people feel that Comey helped Trump win the election, so Trump might want to offer him a pay raise and ask him to announce an investigation into whoever Trump’s opponent will be a few days before the 2020 election.

While we’ll never know if Comey’s announcement that the FBI was investigating more emails regarding Clinton just 11 days before the election made any difference, he should have kept his mouth shut that close to the election. It was out of bounds.

Trump’s Voter Fraud Claims:

President Donald Trump does not seem willing to accept the fact that he lost the popular vote in the 2016 election. The Associated Press reports:

Trump first raised the prospect of illegal voting during the transition. Then, during a reception with lawmakers at the White House Monday evening, he again claimed that he’d lost the popular vote because 3 million to 5 million immigrants living in the U.S. illegally had voted. That’s according to a Democratic aide familiar with the exchange who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting.

Trump and his people seem to have a problem with the truth. The AP also reports:

Trump’s assertion appears to be part of a continuing pattern for him and his new administration in which falsehoods overshadow his outreach efforts. Both Trump and Spicer made false comments over the weekend about the crowds who gathered for the inauguration.

Those in the media and the public will quickly grow tired of Trump’s “falsehoods.” We may even see a bigger divide between Trump and the media.

White House Press Secretary:

When President Trump appoints someone I think is a good pick (Heather Wilson – AF Secretary) or someone I don’t think is a good pick (Betsy DeVos – Education Secretary) I’ll point it out.

I like the appointment of Sean Spicer as White House Press Secretary. Although the first (five minute) press briefing was a little rough, he rebounded well on Monday for his first full press briefing.

Spicer is a member of U.S. Naval Reserve – we need more veterans serving in the federal government. Being the White House Press Secretary is a tough job. Sometimes the military style of doing things is the best. That might help him with the media in the White House briefing room because it looks as though President Trump and the media will be at odds for most of his term.

## END ##

Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who has done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more, I notice. – Donald J. Trump (Feb. 1, 2017)

Welcome to “Thursday Numbers!” In case you’re a first-time visitor, this is the weekly column where I take a look at the numbers that are in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary sometimes sprinkled with sarcasm.

This week’s topics include campaign fundraising, unemployment, Arthur Lichteof, John Parker, Brett Doney, Robert O’Neill, Jon Tester, Steve Daines, Rex Tillerson, Super Bowl 51, Punxsutawney Phil, Jonathan Motl, Steve Bullock, Betsy DeVos, and much more!

11,000,000

Three of President Donald Trump’s political committees raked in over $11 million in December, according to Federal Election Commission reports. (TheHill.com)

246,000

That’s how many people filed new claims for unemployment last week. (USDOL)

60,000

The Air Force has stripped retired four-star general Arthur Lichteof two ranks and docked him about $60,000 per year in pension payments after determining that he had coerced sex with a subordinate officer three times. (USA Today)

2154.26

Cascade County Attorney John Parker was disciplined by the Office of Disciplinary Counsel for a complaint filed in 2015 for employing three people as deputy county attorney before they had passed the Montana Bar Exam. Parker was publicly admonished by the Commission on Practice and will pay the costs incurred by the Office of Disciplinary Counsel and Commission on Practice in pursuing the complaint. The costs total $2,154.26, including travel expenses, mileage, per-diem meals, paperwork copies and postage. (GF Tribune)

I’m not a fan of Parker.

707

That’s how many “net jobs” were lost in Great Falls during the past 12 months according to Brett Doney, president of the Great Falls Development Authority. (KRTV)

Oh, Doney…

400

Butte (MT) native and Navy SEAL Robert O’Neill’s book “The Operator” will be published April 25. The book will “vividly recount” a career that included some 400 missions, notably the May 2011 raid on bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan. (AP)

56

On Wednesday the U.S. Senate confirmed Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson by a vote of 56-43. (Roll Call)

Montana’s U.S. Senators split their votes; Republican Steve Daines voted for Tillerson and Democrat Jon Tester voted against Tillerson and issued a statement in which he said:

“Rex Tillerson’s connections with Russia and Vladimir Putin are too close for comfort, and his unwillingness to tighten the screws against Russia leads me to believe he may not always act in the best interest of the United States.”

51

Super Bowl 51 is this Sunday! Pick who you think will win the game in The Western Word poll by clicking HERE.

Results will be released Friday.

6

Punxsutawney Phil made his famous weather prediction this morning, emerging from his burrow to see his shadow. That means, according to Groundhog Day tradition, the U.S. will brave another six weeks of winter. (USA Today)

Oh, Phil…

5

The Montana Supreme Court has ruled 5-0 that Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl’s term expired Jan 1, but they said that he can remain in office until a successor is appointed and confirmed. (AP)

I think this is a win by Bullock. Since the state senate has a hard time confirming commissioners of political practices, Motl may be there for quite some time.

2

Donald Trump’s nomination of school choice activist Betsy DeVos as education secretary is on thin ice after two Republican senators (Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska) vowed to vote against her. If all other GOP senators support DeVos, and all Democrats oppose her, she would end up with a 50-50 vote in the Senate and Vice President Mike Pence would have to break the tie to confirm her. (AP)

Contact your senators and tell them to vote no on the nomination of Betsy DeVos.

## END ## 

The Founding Fathers’ instructions were clear: The right to free speech includes bad speech; it means tolerance of ideas that many find obnoxious. – David Ignatius

Welcome to the big show to end the week “Caught My Eye” (CME)!

If you are a first-time visitor, CME is posted right here every Friday morning. This is when I take a look at some of the stories I did not have time to write about during the week. I often throw in a touch of sarcasm to make you smile – or to irritate you just a little – maybe both.

Topics that I am providing commentary on today include Senator Daines & DeVos, Governor Bullock’s veto, Anti-Sharia bill, E-City Beat & State Senator Buttrey, Falcons/Patriots poll results, and much more!

Daines & DeVos:

I sent a tweet this week to U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) asking him to “Please vote NO on the nomination of Betsy DeVos for Sec. of Education.” Several other folks I know told me that they contacted Daines via phone/email about DeVos. I told them not to expect a response from Daines because he and his staff have the reputation of not responding to constituents who disagree with him.

I just don’t believe that DeVos should be in charge of public education in the United States.

Now it’s been revealed that Daines has received several thousand dollars in campaign donations from DeVos and her family. The Missoula Independent blog reported:

According to a search of the National Institute on Money in State Politics’ database, DeVos contributed $5,200 to Daines’ 2014 senate campaign. Additionally, at least seven other members of the DeVos family also donated money to Daines’ 2014 run, adding up to $46,800 all told. Campaign contribution reports filed with the Federal Election Commission also show $2,000 in donations from the Alticor PAC, the political arm of the DeVos-owned corporation Alticor. DeVos disclosed her personal contributions to Daines and scores of other candidates and political groups in her Senate questionnaire, and stated during her confirmation hearing that it’s “possible” her family has donated as much as $200 million to Republican candidates over the years.

That’s like DeVos is buying votes – like she owns Daines.

Daines and others who receive campaign donations from people who are being nominated for positions in the Trump (or any) administration should recuse themselves from that vote. If not, it smells of corruption.

Bullock’s Veto:

The Missoula Current reported that Montana Governor Steve Bullock vetoed the first bill of the Montana legislative session: House Bill 1, which would have increased legislators’ pay by 14 percent for the next legislative session.

Good for Bullock.

Frankly, I don’t believe there are any legislators who deserve a 14 percent pay increase. If the current pay and benefits are not enough for a legislator, then they should quit.

Anti-Sharia Bill:

Sometimes the headline tells just how out of touch some members of the Montana Legislature are with the real world. This headline is from the Associated Press:

Montana Senate endorses anti-Sharia law bill

The bill is Senate Bill 97. You can see who the 28 senators were who wasted time voting for this bill by clicking HERE. That was the “second reading” so there will be a final vote. If it passes the final vote, it heads to the House.

I’ve said it before, but it once again looks like some members found and drank from the “stupid fountain” that must be somewhere down a dark hallway in the capitol. By voting for this bill, these 28 senators have ended end up making asses of themselves and embarrassed Montana.

E-City Beat & Buttrey:

The new blog in Great Falls (E-City Beat) believes that State Senator Ed Buttrey should be nominated by the Republicans to replace Ryan Zinke in the U.S. House.

They rightly pointed out in a column titled, “Why Republicans Should Say, “Thanks, But No Thanks,” To Greg Gianforte” that Gianforte was the only Republican statewide candidate who lost in 2016. They also linked to my column where I said that Gianforte was too far to the right for many people. I appreciate the “link love” from E-City.

ECB staff also closed their column with this:

Greg Gianforte had his turn, and he lost. It’s time for the GOP to look in a new direction, and go “all in” with a personable and proven legislator who won’t leverage this House seat as a stepping stone for higher office.

It is time, finally, for insider Republicans to put Montana voters ahead of party ideology, and the surest, most decisive way to do that is to nominate Ed Buttrey.

Here at The Western Word, I stopped endorsing candidates several years ago, but my number one thing for whoever is running in this upcoming U.S. House special election is for the person not to use it as a stepping stone like Steve Daines did and Ryan Zinke did (or is doing). Montana needs its lone House member to stay there and gain seniority and clout for our state.

I could probably support just about any Republican or Democrat who makes that promise. I’m independent; I can do that…

Super Bowl 51:

The results of The Western Word poll are in and my readers think the Atlanta Falcons will beat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl this Sunday. The Falcons received 60% of the vote and the Patriots received 40% of the vote.

Thanks to all who participated. Enjoy the game!

One More Thing:

In life, as in football, you won’t go far unless you know where the goalposts are. – Arnold H. Glasow

## END ##

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. – Walt Disney

Welcome to the big show to end the week “Caught My Eye” (CME)!

If you are a first-time visitor, CME is posted right here every Friday morning. This is when I take a look at some of the stories I did not have time to write about during the week. I often throw in a touch of sarcasm to make you smile – or to irritate you just a little – maybe both.

Topics that I am providing commentary on today include Trump’s Press Conference, Tester & Facebook Live, Daines’ Telephone Town Hall, Montana GOP Valentine’s Day Cards, and much more!

Trump’s Press Conference:

It was the big news of the day on Thursday – the first solo press conference by President Donald J. Trump! The one hour and 18-minute press conference in which he said the word “great” about 30 times was incredible in more ways than one. You can read the whole thing HERE.

Here are some significant one-liners from the President:

• Incredible progress so far
• Press is dishonest
• I inherited a mess
• I got 306 Electoral votes
• The Democrats have screwed things up royally
• Drugs are becoming cheaper than candy bars
• This will be one of the great cabinets in American history
• The leaks are real. The news is fake.
• I don’t mind a bad story if it’s true
• Nuclear holocaust would be like no other
• I’ve known her (Melania) for a long time

Someone tweeted “This is the longest cold opening in SNL history.” Amen to that. I think it’s kind of like watching a NASCAR race. Many people don’t really watch the races for the racing, but they watch them for the big wrecks. There were some wrecks and fender benders in Trump’s press conference.

In the good-to-know category, Trump boasted to reporters that he is the least anti-Semitic person that they have ever seen in their entire life. He followed that by saying he was the least racist person. A few minutes after that, the president asked a black reporter to arrange a meeting for him with the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).

Trump was asked about a United States response to Russia due to their ship off the coast of the United States and for their flyover by their planes of a U.S. Navy ship, and a response to the North Korean missile test. Trump responded with, “I’m not going to tell you anything about what response I do. I don’t talk about military response.”

For Donald Trump, that was the appropriate response to that question.

Monday will mark the first month of the Trump presidency.

Tester & Facebook Live:

U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) held a Facebook Live event this week. What caught my eye was the Montana Republican Party even advertised for him! They sent an email to subscribers telling them where to log in and the date and time.

It was nice to see them working together. The Montana GOP might as well get used to working with Tester because he will be a senator as long as he wants.

Tester’s press shop said about 15,000 users logged on to watch and participate.

With all the protests and anger we’re seeing across the fruited plains these days, Facebook Live may be the best and safest way to hold town hall meetings.

Daines’ Telephone Town Hall:

U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) held a telephone town hall meeting Thursday night. For some reason, it was not very well advertised.

The Great Falls Tribune has a story about it HERE, and Lee Newspapers has a story about it HERE.

That is all I have to say about that…

Montana GOP Valentine’s Day Cards:

I’ve been known to take a joke or humor just a little too far, but sometimes it’s worth seeing someone cringe or hear their nervous laugh or see the dirty looks or read the comments!

Usually, my favorite issues to joke about are politicians, politics, and the Montana Legislature. They give me a lot of material!

So I was not too upset at the Montana GOP for sending out Valentine’s Day cards that don’t show a lot of love toward those at which the cards are directed.

One card sent via Twitter about 18-year-old Rep. Jacob Bachmeier (D-Havre), being young angered the Montana Democrats enough that they sent a press release about it. I think the Montana GOP deleted it (although nothing is ever really deleted).

I like Bachmeier. I can’t wait to see what his future holds. We need younger people to be involved (on both sides of the aisle).

The Montana GOP sent one about John Walsh that was a cheap shot – even cheaper than the Bachmeier one in my opinion, but hey go ahead and kick someone when they are down.

What goes around comes around.

I’m thinking the Montana GOP should have sent a nice card, flowers, and candy to Montana Governor Steve Bullock, a Democrat. Maybe a bottle of wine would have been nice, too. They did post some not-so-nice ones. The Republicans will need Bullock’s signature on some bills that are heading his way.

One More Thing:

## END ##

Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters. – Albert Einstein

Welcome to “Thursday Numbers!” In case you’re a first-time visitor, this is the weekly column where I take a look at the numbers that are in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary sometimes sprinkled with sarcasm.

This week’s topics include Montana roads, Greg Gianforte, unemployment, Dow Jones, Donald Trump, Yellowstone National Park, Ryan Zinke, town hall, Jon Tester, special election, Steve Bullock, drunk driving, Jeff Sessions & Russia and much more!

874,000,000

According to the Montana Infrastructure Coalition, the state of Montana will face a road construction shortfall of $874 million per year unless the Montana Legislature acts.

The legislature will probably get to that right after they ban Sharia law from Montana courts, and after they prohibit dousing oneself with out-of-state deer urine…

825,000

That’s how much money Republican Greg Gianforte has raised to become Montana’s next U.S. Representative. (MTN)

It was also reported that Brock Lowrance is Gianforte’s campaign manager. Brock is one of the good guys – good pick.

223,000

That’s how many people filed new claims for unemployment last week. (USDOL)

21,000

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 21,000 for the first time, just 24 trading days after closing above 20,000. (Fox News)

5,006

That’s how many words were in President Donald Trump’s joint address to congress speech. (USA Today)

The speech also lasted one hour.

145

Yellowstone National Park turned 145 years old on Wednesday. (GF Tribune)

It should be worth quite a lot when the Trump Administration decides to sell it…

68

That is how many U.S. Senators voted to confirm Ryan Zinke as the Secretary of Interior Wednesday morning. There were 31 senators voting no. (U.S. Senate)

In his travels as Secretary, Zinke should stay away from the states where both senators voted against him… #payback

57

In a poll posted last week here at The Western Word, 57% percent of voters want to see Montana’s U.S. Senators hold town hall meetings in person. Another 36% wanted them to do a town hall together.

U.S. Senator Jon Tester is listening; he scheduled a town hall in Great Falls on Saturday. More details can be found HERE.

25

Montana Governor Steve Bullock has scheduled a special election for Thursday, May 25, 2017, to fill Montana’s vacant House seat. (AP)

It’s great to have campaigns to write about again!

23

Butte (MT) police arrested Clinton Sproles, 54, on Saturday and he admitted on the way to jail that he had 22 prior DUI convictions in various states. (Montana Standard)

Guess what he was arrested for this time – that’s right his 23rd DUI. Maybe this time he will do some serious time in prison. Wait, this is Montana where drunk driving seems to be widely accepted. He may get an award.

2

Then-Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) spoke twice last year with Russia’s ambassador to the United States, Justice Department officials said. These are encounters he did not disclose when asked about possible contacts between members of President Trump’s campaign and representatives of Moscow during Sessions’s confirmation hearing to become attorney general. (WaPo)

Of course, the Democrats say he should resign. Drip, drip, drip…

##END##

A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t. – Jack Dempsey

Today’s quick hits deal with:

• Montana Democrats Pick Quist
• Tester Town Hall
• Closing a State Campus
• Trump Tweets
• Jeff Sessions & Forrest Gump

Montana Democrats Pick Quist:

On Sunday, the Montana Democrats picked musician and songwriter Rob Quist as their nominee to run for the state’s vacant U.S. House seat in a special election May 25. (MTN)

The Montana Republicans pick their nominee today (Monday) starting at 2:00 p.m. The Chairman of the Montana Republicans was quick to issue a statement about Quist.

The 69-year-old Quist has never run for public office before.

According to this CRS report, the average age of Members of the U.S. House at the beginning of the 114th Congress was 57.0 years. In the U.S. Senate, it was 61.0 years.

I’ve mentioned before that Montana needs someone to fill the seat who will stay in the seat to build seniority, instead of using it as a stepping stone. It will take 10-15 years or more to gain some clout in the U.S. House.

This special election is the best chance the Montana Democrats have to win Montana’s lone House seat. They should throw everything they have at winning this race.

Quist has a campaign website that you can visit HERE.

Tester Town Hall:

U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) held a town hall meeting in Great Falls Saturday afternoon. Some reports say 300 people attended the event. It seemed to be pretty uneventful.

This was a good showing by Tester. He is in his re-election cycle and he needs to be seen by Montanans more. Plus, he put the pressure on his fellow Montana Senator, Republican Steve Daines, to hold an “in-person” town hall meeting. A Daines town hall meeting might be more eventful.

Later Saturday afternoon, Tester held a fundraiser at the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls. The “suggested” donation levels ranged from $100 to $2,700.

Closing a State Campus:

Montana Governor Steve Bullock told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle editorial board that he believes the Montana Board of Regents would have to at least consider closing a state campus to make up for the $23.3 million budget cut proposed in the current Legislature.

I think the Montana Board of Regents could really make the process of closing a state campus interesting. They could announce that the loser of this year’s “Brawl of the Wild” football game would have their campus closed.

Trump Tweets:

Early Saturday morning President Donald Trump Tweeted:

Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my “wires tapped” in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!

Is this paranoia or is there something to this accusation?

The next day the White Press Secretary said they had asked congress to look into executive branch abuse of powers by Obama and “Neither the White House nor the President will comment further until such oversight is conducted.”

I can’t wait until the next White House Press briefing…

Jeff Sessions & Forrest Gump:

In case you missed it this weekend, Saturday Night Live featured Attorney General Jeff Sessions, played by Kate McKinnon, in a Forrest Gump themed opening skit.

##END##