RUMOR MILL: Farrell was forced out
Jim Farrell, the notorious attack machine and now former Executive Director of the Montana Democrat Party quietly announced that he and two of his key staff members would be moving on to new positions on Friday. Farrell is heading to Iowa, where he will work as the Deputy State Director for Bill Richardson, and staffers Jessica Rhodes and Chris Laslovich are leaving for jobs with left-leaning organizations in Montana.
The timing of this is a bit curious. If there was going to be a major staff exodus, you would expect it to occur after the last election, after the legislative session, or right after the Party held their officer elections more than a month ago. This comes as no surprise to political insiders in Helena whom have long been whispering of internal dissatisfaction with Farrell's tact and tactics. It's no secret that Farrell's support base was limited within the party and that many Democratic lawmakers did not approve of his overly-aggressive demeanor and his habit for stretching the truth.
What's more significant is the wholesale departure of the core of the Democratic Party staff, which points to a house cleaning in favor of a new political shop.
This seems like the kind of tactic we could see from the Governor, who’s been labeled as a bully for years, even by members of his own party. Or perhaps this comes at the behest of Max Baucus and his political team, who have been long rumored to have issues with Farrell in his stint as Executive Director. Whatever the case, this doesn’t smell like a week when all the key democrat staffers just decided on a new career path. It’s clear the Democrat Party in Montana is in disarray and that there is some behind the scenes feuding within the party that will no doubt impact their performance in the 2008 elections.
Carter
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Over at Left in the West, someone named Gadfly left this comment today:
"Today's announced departure of Montana Democratic Party Executive Director Jim Farrell AND the entire Helena staff, with Party Chair Dennis MacDonald "unavailable" for comment is a very worrisome situation. This is finally a publicly visible symptom of the well-known fact that party has been internally in considerable disarray for quite some time and all is not well.
Montana's Democratic Party, under the inept leadership of Mr. Farrell, was the only state in the nation to LOSE state legislative seats in 2006, and the ham-handed approach of Mr. Farrell has run off many long-time devoted supporters of the party, people who have devlted both time and money in the past.
His departure is welcomed, better late than never, but the damage he has done to the party infrastructure bodes ill for future Democratic efforts to hang onto the gains they have made since the 2004 reapportionment plan went into effect.
Someone needs to take a very close look at the finances of the party and the way it has been managed for the past two years. There is a bad stench, something is rotten."
very strange indeed. I wonder what is coming next
When this housecleaning is put in context with the rise of the democrat progressive party, one begins to have the sense that the Schweitzer overlord tactics may be having repercussions deep within Montana's minority party. The longer Schweitzer is in the public eye, the more his persona grates on the nerves.
Yes, the party that can't find a single credible candidate for the two top races in a heavily Republican state should definitely be calling the Democratic Party one "in disarray."
Incidentally, a rumor is not something you make up because you wish it was true. This "story" about the Democratic Party is no more a rumor than this site is grassroots.
Sawdust - I'd hesitate from labeling the Democrats the "minority" party seeing as they hold most of the statewide offices at present. However, your point is well taken and I agree that Schweitzer's management style is beginning to have repercussions.
Pogie - You have to admit that this is a major shakeup in the Montana Democratic Party, and I can't see how that doesn't lead to disarray. Granted, the Republicans are having their own troubles right now, but you don't make a very strong defense of your party simply by pointing out the shortfalls in the other. I know you can do better.
I'll also ask that you stick to the topics at hand. I know you've got a problem with the people commenting on this site, but please use your own space to complain about that. This site is for discourse on the issues of the day, not for petty griping.
I notice that the item that the first comment above was associated with has apparently been removed from Left in the West. Dirty laundry and all that, I guess. But kinda ironic given the recent criticism there of this web site....
Isn't it odd how ad hominem attacks and non sequiturs consistently rear their irrational heads as ((il)legitimate) arguments. I wonder if there is book called "Logic for Dummies?"
i hope that they can hire someone as smart, talented and good looking as erik iverson.
The post at LITW is still there, it is attached to the original article it was posted to.
Sometimes you gotta give the ones you care about a little tough love. Some of us have no interest in seeing the MDP out of power for another 20 years, and if they don't get their act together, that is exactly what is going to happen.
I think we are witnessing a power struggle between the moderate Montana democrats and the MoveOn left-wing nuts. MoveOn leaders have declared that they own the Democrat Party (and certainly they bought and paid for Jon Tester!) and most Montana democrats aren't ready accept the inherently anti-American position of those groups. Watch the attacks on Max from the left over the next few months. It will be interesting to see which way Max blows.
I think I'll go get some popcorn - this could be fun!
Progressive Montanans don't march to the tune of MoveOn or to the tune of Max, who is simply a republican in blue clothing. As for which way Max blows, that's always easy, what is safe and easy? He's incredibly courageous on issues where 70% of all Americans agree with him. He manages to ignore the rest.
I've been Hearing rumors since last September or October that Farrell had gotten Into some hot water with some of the middleweight hitters in his own party. He Kept making charges Against republicans That could have affected democrats as well Evidently. I also heard that the blatantly false press release accusing Randy Vogel of being corrupt damaged Farrel's standing within the party.