| The D's, as the nominal majority party, have almost no central office staff. No executive director, no organized fundraising effort, no mission statement and a past party chair who is woefully underperforming in an attempt to win the opportunity to unseat Dennis.
Behind the scenes, there is infighting with Max at the center.
"Max isn't a progressive." No, he's not. Never has been. And, more importantly, he is not up for re-election until 2014. Do you really think he is going to change? Remember in 2002 when he not only supported the Bush tax cut, but then used the footage of Big George signing the legislation in his campaign advertisements? And Max will tell you when the health care war is over not to judge him solely by his work on behalf of the insurance industry. Progressives will, of course.
"We need Brian in Washington, DC to drain the swamp. He's a real progressive." Is he? Likes coal. Likes guns. Can say what he wants to without having to cast a single vote on health care reform. Can we identify a legacy of progressive policies he leaves behind in 2013 of anything besides spending more money on education? And, before you bring it up, please take a careful look what was sacrificed to secure 'clean and green' and how much wind generation capacity would have been expanded no matter who had been elected in 2004. (Does anyone remember Bob Brown?)
And, Tester? Max casts a long shadow. And many "progressives" are wailing over the jobs and timber legislation Jon is rolling out. Depending on how health care reform, financial institutions reform and climate change go in the next 6 months, it will be duck and cover for Congressional D's, including Jon as he prepares for re-election in 2012.
Denny is being challenged by a troika of well-intentioned, but woefully outmatched candidates. The boat crash may actually serve to galvanize his base. After all, he has no record of accomplishments to run on.
Remember: Obama's election was secured without Montana's electoral votes. No, our votes went the way of McCain and Palin. Good Lord!
In the more conservative reaches of the state, where politically savvy progressive D's with solid progressive credentials were running, Obama's race and perceived weakness on guns caused the whacko base to turn out. He lost those counties and took these legislative candidates with him.
Now we have the birthers, tea-baggers, tenthers and more guns.
And, you think it's gonna improve?
The pendulum likely started swinging back toward the right in December and January as worried white suburbia began to have a bit of buyer's remorse. The D's, frankly, have done everything to reinforce those second thoughts and sped up the velocity of the rightward swing, not just for the President, but for D's in a more global sense. Has the D Congress done anything 'progressive' this session? Stopped a war? Reformed a corrupt and inequitable tax system? Reduced our carbon footprint by as much as a ton of carbon?
Given the seats up for re-election in the state Senate next year, the D's will be lucky to hold their 24 seats. In the House it's a crap shoot.
Majority parties come and go. The D's, as the nominal progressive party, will be tested to put a year and one-half of malaise behind them and to pull together. Its base is full of disenchanted dreamers, who expected something in exchange for their sweat and dollars, and may simply sit out the next campaign cycle. D leaders need to start leading and inspire its base to keep the faith as part of a longer-term process to take back the country and Montana.
If they cannot and do not, when it's all over next November, the Treasure State will be shrouded by a reddish hue as a twenty-first century political equivalent of Red Skies Over Montana. |
