Here's a throw out to Secretary of State Brad Johnson. Every day Johnson's office puts together a collection of news stories related to politics and and civic affairs. The Daily News Digest covers a variety of newspapers from across Montana and several blogs.  From our perspective, it has been a proven useful tool to see how different reporters are framing stories. To subscribe to the Daily News Digest by email click here.  Or bookmark this link to check it for yourself.

A rumor floating around Helena has it that former Republican state senator Duane Grimes is preparing to enter the state Auditor's race.  Grimes, a veteran of the 2004 Auditor's race, would enter as an odds-on favorite unless a more-credible candidate emerges to take on Monica Lindeen in the Democratic Primary.  Lindeen was roundly trounced in a 2006 Congressional race, barely mustering 39% of the statewide vote in a year highly-favorable to Democrats.

You’ll have to excuse us here at The Hardliner for the leave of absence. In the future, we’ll be sure to let you know when we will be gone, so you don’t think that we quit. We can assure you that we will be here for much time to come.

Since we began this blog, we have received much positive feedback from many conservatives and liberals for providing information and stories that the mainstream media ignores or just blindly fails to mention for certain reasons. One thing that we can assure you is; that we are not the means know all. This is why we highly encourage you to contact us with any comments, concerns or complaints. Please feel free to contact us via the contact link located on the left menu of the main page. Thanks for your interest in The Hardliner.

Governor Schweitzer is listed as an attendee for the upcoming Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) Convention next week in  Nashville.  That's got to have the dander up among his liberal cheering squad in Montana.

Schweitzer blogger-buddy David Sirota has never had a nice thing to say about the DLC:

• "Let's be clear - the DLC has done masterfully in selling its snake oil by always claiming that Democrats need a coherent 'positive' agenda. No one argues with that. The problem is that the DLC offers neither a coherent agenda, or anything positive."  - July 25, 2005
• "This is why the DLC is dangerous. For all their claims of supposedly wanting to help Democrats, they employ people like Marshall Wittman who specifically try to undermine the Democratic Party, even if it means he has to publicly defecate out the most rank and easily-debunkable lies."  - January 11, 2006
• "I'm hoping the Democrats reject the DLC model and change course. While it might be a fine life to be a comfortable-in-the-minority elitist in the cushy confines of Washington, D.C. where the consequences of selling out are muted, out here in the real world, the results of Democrats' permanent minority status in national politics have very real and very harsh effects -- and it's time for a change." - July 26, 2005

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.  Wonder if Sirota will take any shots at his favorite Gov for rubbing shoulders with the Democrat elite in Tennessee.  We doubt it.

Max Baucus has earned the dubious distinction of Porker of the Month from watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW).  Baucus shares this month's Porker award with Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR).  To earn this dishonor, Baucus is credited with leading the way for a $35 billion expansion of SCHIP, a federal health care program.  According to CAGW, the Baucus expansion of this program "will dramatically increase the power of the government in all healthcare decision-making, including treatments, drug and physician availability, and medical research, paving the way toward universal health care.  Families who currently have private coverage will have a strong incentive to switch to the SCHIP program, crowding out private insurance and raising the price for everyone else."

The SCHIP expansion raised the eligibility level to $61,950 for a family of four but CAGW notes that there is also a push to amend the legislation on the Senate floor to raise that eligibility to $82,600.  To pay for the SCHIP expansion, "Senator Smith proposed raising tobacco taxes by $0.61 and cigar taxes by $9.90...the Heritage Foundation found that the government needs 9 million more smokers in the next five years to pay for the program...Since that is unlikely, projected excise tax revenues will not materialize and all taxpayers will foot the bill for SCHIP in other ways.

Click here to see the full CAGW article. 

The Hardliner has intercepted an invitation for a Schweitzer fundraiser to be held in Spokane, WA later this week (see below).  It's not out of the norm for the Gov to be shaking the money tree in foreign states, but what is interesting about this event is the fact that some of the guests don't exactly adhere to the image that Schweitzer likes to project.

Take for instance Don Barbieri, former President and CEO of WestCoast Hospitality - the parent company of Red Lion Hotels, which has locations in Montana.  Then there's Debbie Reed, the president and CFO of PacifiCAD, a software company with an office in Helena.  According to Schweitzer's Department of Revenue, out-of-state companies that do business in Montana are not paying their fair share of taxes.  While there is no evidence to support this claim, perhaps the Gov will ask these CEO-types to write a check to DOR after they cut a check for his re-elect account.

In any event, the Gov has created a persona that strongly eschews the appearance of any corporate influence in his administration.  That reputation is going to be hard to maintain if he keeps cashing in from corporate bigwigs like Barbieri and Reed.

You'll also notice the menu features "Smoked Lake Trout in Champagne Sauce."  Now there's a new "Western" Democrat for you.

 

 

The AP reports today that Governor Schweitzer met with execs of a Chinese coal company this week about plans for a coal-to-liquids plant in Montana.  The gov hasn't always been so welcoming of outside investment in Montana, particularly on energy issues.  We have to wonder how long it's going to be before we see the Gov quoted saying something like, "Pack your bags and ride a panda back to Shanghai, you're not doing any business here."

Our advice to the Chinese on doing business in Montana: don't let the Gov "help" with the permitting process.

Last week, the Billings Gazette reported that the air quality permit for the Roundup Power Project was rejected by Katherine Orr, a hearing officer with the Montana Board of Environmental Review.  According to Orr, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) improperly extended an air quality permit for the coal project located at Bull Mountain.  On its face, it looks like DEQ made a minor mistake that turned into a major problem for the Roundup Power Project. 

However, the rumors floating around Helena paint a much different picture.  Apparently, DEQ did not want to extend the expired air quality permit; they wanted to start the permit process from the beginning.  The story goes that the governor intervened in order to get the project expedited.  Only after pressure directly from the Governor's office did DEQ dust off the old permit, which was eventually rejected.

Congressman Denny Rehberg has successfully forced OSHA to scrap new "explosives safety" regulations that would have categorized ordinary firearm ammunition as explosives.  Under the proposed rule, any business with any amount of ammunition on the premises would have been subject to impractical restrictions.  Under pressure from Rehberg, OSHA agreed to revise the rule.

"The OSHA proposal to regulate ammunition the same as dynamite was either a very bad idea, or a direct attack on the Second Amendment," commented Montana Shooting Sports Association President Gary Marbut in a press release from the Rehberg Congressional Office.

A lot of Montana politicians like to talk about gun rights and pose for photos with guns.  Denny's the only one who actually walks the walk.

The Hardliner has obtained a copy of a June 26, 2007 internal memo from Schweitzer administration Chief of Staff Bruce Nelson detailing the funding for a newly-created position: Math and Science Initiative Intern.  The interesting part is that to pay for the position, Nelson is asking eight departments to pony up between $4,827 and $12,730.  The total amount necessary to pay for the "intern and associated expenses" is $75,000.  That's the most expensive intern we've ever heard of.  Click here for a copy of the Nelson memo.