Super Dave to Run for Congressional Seat

June 16, 2011 in Montana

By Dave Strohmaier

Posted by CFS

As you may have heard, I’m planning on rolling out my congressional campaign at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 18, down at the Missoula Farmers Market (North Higgins). I value 4&20 as a forum for Montana and national politics, and wanted you to be the first audience where I publically announced my intentions to run for Congress.

Running for the U.S. House of Representatives is a decision I did not lightly make. My wife, Gretchen, and I spent a lot of time soul-searching and considering what this would mean for us and our family.  On the one hand, not having much in the way of personal wealth and having two small children gives me every reason in the world to avoid the intensity and time and commitment it takes to run and win a major political race. But, on the other hand, not having much in the way of personal wealth and having two small children gives me every reason in the world to embrace the intensity and time and commitment is takes to run and win a seat in Congress. My decision to run is about working

Montanans, not the wealthy, and it’s about our children and the future.  I feel strongly that we cannot sit idly by allowing another 14 years elapse with the sort of representation we’ve had in Congress. This will be a huge effort, requiring a great deal of assistance—both financial and otherwise—but since when did choosing the easy path in life or avoiding risks become virtues?

It’s also an opportunity to unite Montana in a way that heals common divisions between east/west or urban/rural.  We owe it to future generations — and not just the next generation, but even out seven generations — of Montanans to keep this a great place to live, work, and raise a family, and for me this boils down to being good stewards of all that we’ve inherited and been entrusted with—be it the landscape of this Crown of the Continent, the public trust, our cultural heritage, our freedoms and liberty, or investments that create the context for economic prosperity (like my unflagging efforts to pursue a multi-modal transportation policy for this nation that includes passenger rail—passenger rail for southern Montana).

Whether it’s addressing the very real specter of climate change or the equally real challenge of mounting national debt that threatens to diminish the well-being of future generations, the time to act is now, and the acting must avoid merely enriching a few at the expense of the many.

My academic, professional, and life experience is completely different from other candidates currently  in the race. As a historian, author, former wildland firefighter, lifelong conservationist, two-term city councilman, and father of two elementary school-age children, I want to offer fresh perspectives on the challenges facing us as a state and a nation.

Please join me on this adventure to reclaim Montana’s lone House seat in Congress.  Again, if you’re in Missoula on Saturday, June 18, help kick off my campaign by joining me at 10:00 a.m.

at the Missoula Farmers Market, at the old Northern Pacific train station.

Forward,

Dave

The Weiner Can’t Stay Out of the News

June 16, 2011 in 2012 Election, Bill Clinton, Congress, Hillary Clinton, Various & Sundry

by Lesley Lotto

So he went and did it.  Caved to the pressure of the masses who said, “you must resign” because he let his third leg do the talking.  For shame.

I’ve been privately hoping Congressman Anthony Weiner of New York would stay in office.  It seemed that things quieted down quite a bit when the Weenie, err, Weiner went off to “rehab”.  Then there was the dumbest press conference I’ve seen in years with who else, Gloria Allred, and her latest victim (I mean “client”) accusing some man of some thing.  Ginger Lee, the “featured dancer” read: stripper and former porn star who may or may not have sent naked pictures of herself to Weiner.  She said Weiner should step down because he lied and encouraged her to lie and lying is bad I guess.  And I care what you say, because?

Seriously, WE. DON’T. CARE.

At least I don’t care.  I always thought the Congressman had an itch in his pants, but not the literal kind.  He was going to be the next Mayor of New York City after all.  At least that’s what Janeane Garafalo said on Bill Maher last week.

For those of you under a rock the last month, Congressman Weiner tweets his stuff to the world, unbeknownst to him… allegedly, a simple typo apparently, an @ instead of a d.  Then the women start coming out of the woodwork, literally, saying he did nasty things to them ONLINE.  What was illegal about that?  So he was indiscreet, being a married man and all.  One of his “victims” even saying she had to tell because she feared for her life, she feared for her toddler and, oh yeah, there’s that $10,000 ABC News paid me to share my private Weiner tweets which came in quite handy while living as a single mom and all.  Now that’s what I call a stimulus!

Some of the “risqué” photos that have now circulated online show Weiner holding his thing all proud, showing off his rather impressive 6 pack and most recently, posing in the House Gym holding himself again.  I’m guessing all the Congress members pose with their stuff in the mirror, but I’m thinking Debbie Wasserman-Schultz doesn’t then tweet the pic to unsuspecting young coeds.

To me, the whole thing boils down to a sad, insecure individual who was clearly not getting anywhere near the attention he desired.

Now his wife, who’s “Hillary Clinton’s Shadow” aka Deputy Chief of Staff comes back from Africa.  (She’s also “newly” pregnant by the way).  She reportedly encouraged her hubby of a year to stay in office, not resign.  But of course that was before all the mega powers in Congress told him to split the scene and make it keen. But he was “defiant”!

Man it would have been awesome to be a fly on the wall in Africa when the wife found out and told Hillary.  I’m guessing Hill had some words of encouragement, like tell him to stay in office but make him sleep on the couch.  Word is Weiner even apologized to Bill Clinton.  A good President, by any measure, with a tiny blemish on his record, remember that?  A B.J. in the Oval Office.

What could Weiner have possibly apologized to President Clinton for?  “I disgraced you because I couldn’t get ‘er done”?  One does wonder…

135 Seconds of Sanity: What’s Wrong with the Economy?

June 16, 2011 in Economy & Business

By JC

“It’s the economy, stupid.” — Bill Clinton’s battle cry against George HW Bush during the 1992 presidential campaign.

Open thread on the state of the economy, and what to do about it. Have at it folks. What are your dots, and how would you connect them?

This is what campaign ’12 will be all about. Nothing more, nothing less. Robert Reich sets the stage. All else is just noise.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention. Robert Reich was Clinton’s first Secretary of Labor. Wouldn’t mind seeing Obama bring him in to bolster his economic team, which seems to have lost all of its free thinkers lately.