Month: April 2020

Kim Dudik: AttorneyGeneral

I served my two terms with Kim. She brings a wide breadth of knowledge to the position which sets her apart. When she declared early, during our last session, I immediately declared support. So here’s why: She’s an attorney with experience at the county government level prosecuting cases. Secondly, she is a nurse who went to law school. Our health care system is hardly that. It’s too expensive and there are many entities at fault. An AG with a medical background will be a significant asset to the position. Third; Kim sits on Appropriations and has knowledge on how the sausage is made. I’ll be bold in saying that less than fifty people have such knowledge. Fourth; she’s a four term legislator who has built bi-partisan relationships. She’s widely respected and very smart. I remember the day in the session that she showed up with a newly born and husband in tow, ready to work. She understands child issues. She a hard working Montanan, worthy of your support in the Democratic primary.

Mike Cooney: Governor

Mike is a Butte guy. Do I need to say more. Mike is a genuinely nice guy, very smart and articulate. He was present a lot in the hallways of the capitol. I think he served as an excellent liaison to the governor’s office. I think there could be a tendency to underestimate his political smarts, tenacity, and intelligence, because he might be perceived as a Butte glad hander. As governor, he will continue to be approachable and a consensus builder. His political resume is impressive; legislator, secretary of state, lieutenant governor.

The Republicans desperately want this position. I fear a conservative Republican in this seat will relish the opportunity to cull programs and shrink government on principal. The legislature will remain solidly GOP. We nee a candidate who can win. Mike Cooney is the best choice for Democrats.

Joe Biden; President

I hope to God he has no baggage in reference to a sexual improprieties with a staffer. Maybe it does’nt matter anymore. I wish his son Hunter had practiced extreme social distancing from Ukrainian natural gas interests. May he pick the perfect vice president candidate.

Before I inject clorox as a tonic for the Covid Blues, we must have a new president. Joe Biden will restore, as John McCain aptly suggested, a regular order to politics. We need department who believe in their missions, a balanced court and a rationale human being, a president who is presidential. This president could be removed by the 25th amendment. I don’t say that lightly. I believe President Trump is mentally unfit for office. We can do better. Joe Biden is the only alternative.

I wanted someone else for president (not Bernie). He chose not to run.

Several months ago, on a whim, I purchased an airlines ticket to San Francisco and three tickets (lower third base side), to an afternoon game (April 15), between my Boston Red Sox and Money Ball, and the always over achieving Oakland Athletics. My son and daughter-en-law agreed (didn’t take any convincing to those non-baseball fans). They are both engineers in Silicone Valley with residency in San Francisco.

Teams are vacating Oakland. The Warriors left to a new arena in San Francisco and then soon after their departure, they lost players to injury and free agency (Kevin Durant goes to Brooklyn). Immediately the once mighty Warriors turned into a group of sub-pedestrian no names, ungraciously shoved off the pinnacle of basketball greatness. We know the Raiders, after a short escape from Oakland, returning from that hiatus as a second rate tenant of the LA Coliseum some years back, once again were leaving for the greener grounds of an indoor extravaganza in Las Vegas, a new stadium, along with the NFL’s acceptance and embracement of gambling and specifically sports betting. (It should be noted that the MT legislature approved sports betting last session and I, though a little guilt ridden about turning my back to the purity of athletics, voted in favor of Senator Blasdel’s bill, money for the state). Generally, Republicans like gambling, go figure.

So what about the Oakland Coliseum? Well, it’s sort of shit hole (I’ll steal that term from PresidentTrump, like this is a game to be played in Haiti or the Congo between earthquakes and ebola outbreaks). Multipurpose stadiums (football and baseball), were mostly extinct by the early 90’s. Oakland, being a progressive hub for city commissions, was not inclined to mortgage the city for the hosting of professional sports. As of now, with an ample amount of community assets thrown into the mix (affordable housing for one), maybe a new baseball stadium will be built in a less desirable area of abandonment. As of right now, a mostly private investment will take place to build a Field of Dreams in Oakland.

Rats once inhabited the stadium. The Coliseum reminds me of Soviet style architecture, stark, practical, and unappealing. (I gotta check this place out!). Baseball aside, the aforementioned was motivation enough to attend a WEEKDAY baseball game. The Coliseum is not gentrified. In a way that’s sort of refreshing but from a business plan: spirals in only one direction, downward.

There is no baseball, high school sports, NHL or NBA. The NFL has a lockdown on speech so no one deviates from the line that stadiums will be filled in September. (True story, the NFL will fine teams for any disparaging or realistic comments).

When I was a kid I went to Fenway Park when tickets were cheap and players were underpaid. I should take no umbrage in this. I worried that I needed to coordinate taxes with game day. Now theres a three month extension and 1.25 billion coming to Montana. (I am relieved that with prudent reserves and federal intervention, we might weather the worst of storms). Sooner than later, the Coliseum will be demolished. Lacking a new stadium, expect a team in a new stadium (maybe in Montreal or the chaos of Mexico City (wouldn’t that be fun?). I’ve got no faith we’ll have baseball with spectators in 2020. and iI have little faith Oakland Progressives will welcome a new stadium despite Bernie Sanders love of the sport. Maybe Bernie will be the next baseball commissioner. Now that would be an oddity!

All Montana’s will have the opportunity to participate in the June 2 primary by mail. County by county, commissioners made the wise choice to protect voters, county staff and poll workers from what I hope will be the remnants of Covid 19.

Last weeks absentee voter and in-person primary in Wisconsin was a mockery of common sense. A Wisconsin legislator was quoted admonishing voters who feared in person participation as experiencing nothing more than picking up a to go order at one’s local restaurant. You think a three hour wait in line and a fast pick-up of dinner are comparable?! The politics of a mail ballot election weighed heavily on the majority (Republican), rulng the legislature along with court appointees. Wisconsin has been a middle of the road state (currently there is Democratic governor and the state voted for President Obama.) Simply said, legislative district lines need to be drawn to fairly replicate voter preference.

Wisconsin is a poster child for the negative effects, the winner take all mentality when gerrymandering is allowed to prevail. Republican or Democrat, redistricting can not be a solely political decision by a highly biased redistricting commission. You can’t blame the politicians. It’s like a high stakes athletic event; rooting for the home team backed by a large wager. Our Federal Supreme Court has weighed in on the matter; political gerrymandering is not unconstitutional. Minus a citizen referendum, those in power prefer gerrymandering in order to support the power structure.

Montana has a redistricting commission of four partisans and neutral fifth member to act as an arbitrator and tie breaker. Not the best set-up, but some assurance fairness will prevail. Maybe equity would comprise a commission of one computer (remember Big Blue the chess player?), a statistician, a political scientist, one Republican, one Democrat and a neutral member such as a retired judge, or university president or maybe just the computer? Who knows.

On the day of this post on April 10, it will be interesting to track the Covid 19 count in Wisconsin. Time will tell if gerrymandering equates to a life or death encounter for the voter.

It’s been a long time since my last entry lamenting the loss of my fellow legislator. These are times of great challenges, tumult and maybe a little self-discovery.

John Prine, the marvelous lyricist a multi-generational singer, maybe folk, maybe a bit of outlaw country died of complications from Covid. If you can’t recollect a Prine song, you’ve heard his songs by others starting in 1971. Search: “John Prine Lyrics” or “MetroLyrics”. Many of his songs became anthems for the plight of humanity.

“Paradise” is a small community of bucolic beauty in Kentucky that was turned into a large surface strip mine, acre by acre taken away by Mr. Peabody’s coal train.

“Sam Stone” is a powerful song recognizing the plight of a returning Vietnam veteran returning from warfare, addicted and suffering the mental wounds of war.

“Hello in There” concerns the loneliness of elderly people:

“Ya’ know old trees just get stronger

And old rivers grow wilder every day

Old people just grow lonesome

Waiting for someone to say, “Hello in there”

John Prine songs are thoughtful, witty, and critical of social norms. “The Tree of Forgiveness” is Prine’s last album released in 2018. It follows serious health setbacks which likely contributed to a compromised immune system and his take down by Covid.

Prine was an original genus, winning numerous awards and recognized by his peers as second to none. I’m glad he was with with me from last days in high school in Rhode Island to days in the Montana Legislature and all in between. He will live with me.