Tag: montana

Lots of Primaries today.

According to RCP, we’ve got primaries in California, Iowa, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Virginia.  The news has been dominated by California’s, Nevada’s, and of course South Carolina’s – but they’re all important, so if you’re a voter in that state, hie yourselves and any reliable Republican voters within reach to a polling station.  You can let the Democrats in your life sleep in, particularly in New Jersey and Virginia.

Also: KEEP YOUR VIDEO CAMERAS HANDY, PARTICULARLY IF YOU LIVE IN SOUTH CAROLINA.  Anti-reform opponents of Nikki Haley and Bill Connor may be now past the point where their shenanigans can shape public opinion in time for the actual primary election, but there’s plenty of things that you can do to illicitly affect an election.  Fortunately, sunlight is an excellent disinfectant – and, remember: as Mark Steyn notes here, Helen Thomas was taken down by a flipcam.  There’s a reason that both Instapundit and I keep harping on this…

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

Shorter Max Baucus (D, MT).

“You can get a federal appointment for a little bit of something that you’re having on the side; but it’s unethical to get one for an actual girlfriend.”

See also The Volokh Conspiracy.  I should also point out that a competent Washington press corps might have deigned to notice the fact that Baucus treats ‘sleep with me’ as a job requirement earlier than just after his re-election.  Oh, yes: there’s a history.

Crossposted to RedState.

Worse than you think, Ace.

When you’re a Democrat, not only can you use “I’m sleeping with her” as a stealth job prerequisite for an US Attorney’s position – HI, Senator Max Baucus (D) of Montana! – but when you’re a Democrat you can also publicly disrespect inconveniently conscientious female journalists (even if they’re African-American ones) when they insist on doing their jobs. Although I will admit that at least Bobby Gibbs didn’t use the word ‘uppity’ in public:

Yet.  They’ll be saving it for after the midterms, no doubt.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

More on that Hardin, Montana prison. Sort of.

The original story is here: the short version is that the town of Hardin took advantage of the Gitmo closing thing (back when the administration’s stated plan to close the place was still being taken seriously) to advertise its empty, brand-new correctional facility. Said facility has apparently been now taken over by a mysterious organization… but, alas for the conspiracy theorist living in all of our hearts, one that is explicitly ruling out housing Gitmo detainees.  AoSHQ has more on this, but that’s the gist.

In other words, there’s a company out there that wants to get into the prison business without being publicly associated with it, and it’s being overly goofy in how it created its shell company… and I’m only posting it because I figured that something like this would happen, and I’m no less immune to feeling pleasure at vindication than any other person.

Moe Lane

PS: The town of Hardin would no doubt like to thank all the Left-pundits and bloggers who spread their sales pitch far and wide. I’m sure that they’re very grateful… what? Grateful enough to vote out Dennis Rehberg next year?

Don’t be absurd.

Crossposted to RedState.

Sen. Tester (D, MT) ‘meh’ on public option.

Devastating, in its own way.

It apparently doesn’t excite his interest either way:

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester said that a so-called “public option” in the health care bill is optional for him – and said he is not yet committed to backing the plan being put together by U.S. Sen. Max Baucus.

Tester said Wednesday he could envision voting for a health care reform bill with or without the option that would let the uninsured buy into a Medicare type government program.

“I don’t need it either way,” Tester told The Associated Press between meetings with constituents. “I could either support it or not support it. It’s all in the design.”

Via @seanhackbarth. This is actually worse news for health care rationing proponents than if Tester was adamantly opposed to public/government option; it demonstrates that not only is he indifferent to what many progressive Democrats consider to be a make-or-break part of the bill… but Tester thinks that he can get away with saying so in public. Which he probably can, at that.

Honestly, the sooner that the other side simply admits that government option is off the table, the better; it’s keeping us from discussing the minimum level of tort reform and cross-state insurance availability needed in the final bill before Republicans will seriously consider voting for it…

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

Montana town offers to take Gitmo detainees.

Hardin, Montana – a very small, very poor town with a very new, very empty jail, is willing to take on the responsibility of holding Gitmo detainees:

Hardin borrowed $27 million through bonds to build the Two Rivers Regional Correctional Facility in hopes of creating new employment opportunities. The jail was ready for prisoners two years ago, but has yet to house a single prisoner.

People here say politics in the capital of Helena has kept it empty. But the city council last month voted 5-0 to back a proposal to bring Gitmo detainees — some of the most hardened terrorists in the world — to the facility.

Montanan Senators (both of whom are Democrats) wet themselves in response:

The state’s congressional leaders have lined up against the plan. “Housing potential terrorists in Montana is not good for our state,” Max Baucus, the state’s senior Democratic senator, wrote to [economic development director Greg Smith]. “These people stop at nothing. Their primary goal in life, and death, is to destroy America.”

Adds Sen. Jon Tester, “I just don’t think it’s appropriate, that’s all. I don’t think they know what they’re asking for.”

Continue reading Montana town offers to take Gitmo detainees.