(...and here's an argument made by someone who supports Parker... - promoted by Jay Stevens)
It's no accident why so many Democrats are unifying behind House Democratic Leader John Parker.
In all the time that I've known John, I have been continually impressed with his intelligence, his tenacity, and his core competence at any project he sets himself to.
We're all looking for the same thing here. We want a candidate who will win in November, someone who can take on anything an already weak and disheveled MT GOP has to throw at us. And yet, at the same time, we want someone whose principles mirror our own, a candidate proud of his progressive roots.
I chose John because with him I get both. Steve and Mike are good candidates with interesting life experiences that inform their respective candidacies. But, at the end of the day, it's Parker that I'm most confident in, it's Parker that encourages me the most, and it's Parker that drives my hopes for the future of the progressive movement in Montana.
At once, Parker's prosecutorial experience is a tremendous asset to him. Even though he's in his 30s, he's already prosectued hundreds of felony cases. Mike was a prosecutor for a few years, yes; Steve worked for Mazurek for a few years, yes; but John's been a hard-charging criminal prosecutor his entire career. He hasn't spent his time city-hopping or building a nest egg, he's been busy at work leading Democrats in the state legislature and putting criminals behind bars as a Deputy County Attorney in Great Falls.
Even as John can't SELF-finance his campaign (he's been busy), he has shown an impressive prowess at attracting money, and he's attracted money from inside Montana.
He is the only public employee in the race, and the only union member. He enjoys broad support across the state, from groups ranging from organized labor to law enforcement. And, John's candidacy has excited people.
For the first time in a long, long time we have a real chance at electing a qualified, progressive and young Democrat to a statewide post. I hate to say it, but look to their facebook groups and see who's generating excitement among young people in this race. Look to the candidate who has active student field reps at schools from UM to Carrol all the way to MSU and MSU-B.
Look to the candidate who has made meth and consumer protection a priority, and who has a legislative record to back it up. Remember when Steve, in the LITW interview, spoke about the Office of Consumer Protection was moved to the Attorney General's control? Know whose law that was? John's. Remember Montana's simultaneous toughening of meth-lab operation penalites and the laying of a legal framework for needed drug treatment courts? Those were John's laws too. John's interested in smart policy, and we know so because of his record in the past.
All told, this primary is a tough one for Democrats. It doesn't take more than a few minutes with John, though, to realize that he wants the AG job for what it is. He doesn't want it in order to be governor, he doesn't want it because he's retiring and needs a new hobby, and he doesn't feel entitled to it - John Parker wants to be Attorney General because he knows the importance of good law enforcement, sound environmental policy and plain old hard work.
John's put a lot of sweat equity into this campaign, and yet some people remain unconvinced. They say he's too young. Well, as I've said before, I remember another smart, young Montana politician who was told the same story in 1974, and again in 1976, and again in 1978 when he ran for U.S. Senate. Today, I think Max Sieben Baucus has had the last laugh, and we as a state have been better off for it.
I support John Parker because he is the candidate of progressive change, and represents new leadership in Montana politics. |
