| Senator Roy Brown has held on to his Democratic-lean seats in the House and Senate by portraying himself as something of a moderate. His voting record belies this claim over the years. During his days in the House, for example, Roy Brown was one of 22 Representatives who supported issuing Minor in Possession citations to young women reporting sexual assaults. If there's an epitome of "punish the slut" thinking about female sexuality, that vote would have to be it.
But Roy has maintained a moderate tone over the years. This cycle, though, he's apparently spooked, because he is falling all over himself to appeal to the most reactionary elements of the Republican Party. Roy Brown actually returned the Koopman Konservative Kwestionnaire (too far?) and earned a score of 82 -- pretty much off the charts.
Let's be clear, Koopman isn't just a conservative. He's a nutjob that conservatives make pains to distance themselves from. I just heard from a friend that she saw Scott Mendenhall, no liberal himself, and two other GOPers in a Helena coffeeshop loudly mocking Roger Koopman.
Roy Brown, though? He's responding to questionnaires and bending over backwards to get a good score from Koopdog.
Brown's district is, was, and will be a lean Democratic seat. It may be the most Democratic seat currently held by a Republican in Montana. Catering to the far right isn't just bad policy here, it is terrible politics. |
