Baucus & Tester vs. The NFL

No Excuse (0.00 / 0)

There's no way to defend this.  This is simply a case of Baucus and Tester pandering to whiny Broncos fans and getting a press release out of it.  The fact of the matter is - like nearly everything else in America - EVERY NFL game is available to nearly every person in the state of Montana... IF THEY PAY FOR IT.  It's well within the NFL's rights to promote their own product on their own network, and if people have a problem with cable or satallite providers not including the NFL Network in their basic packages they should take it up with those companies.  But this is disturbing on so many different levels.  Where were these guys last year when the Broncos played on Thursday night on the NFL network (11/23/06)?  I didn't hear one peep out of them when the Seattle Seahawks played on the NFL Network last year (12/14/06) - maybe us 'Hawks fans should consider that on election day.  Aren't there more important issues our elected leaders should be spending their "valuable" time on?... Like, maybe - steroids in baseball.  Oy, Don't get me started....

---

by: mtpolitricks @ Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 17:08:06 PM CST

So what? (0.00 / 0)

With huge staffs, I'm pretty sure Max and Jon can do more than one thing at once.  Writing this letter didn't prevent the Energy Bill from passing.  Writing this letter didn't submarine SCHIP.  It's not like the Dems in the Senate are really doing much anyway, so as long as they're just sitting there, why not send a letter or two?

There are plenty of good reasons to go after the robot and wonderboy.  This isn't one.

---

by: MTSentinel @ Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 06:20:17 AM CST

Yes, but they're still on the payroll (0.00 / 0)

I don't care if it took someone 10 minutes working at $6.15/hr, it's a waste of time and money . . . my money.  I might have a staff of people working for me, and they might engage in less than efficient work, but there are no unimportant assignments - I don't want to pay for anything wasteful.  

I want our government to be efficient, and that means we need a culture change in DC.  This type of letter is evident of a culture of waste, of extra spending and of indulgence.  

So what indeed!

---

by: Nick Lawyer @ Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 10:04:34 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Efficient (0.00 / 0)

I don't want my government anywhere near efficiency. I want them slow, argumentative, and ineffective. That's the only way you know democracy is alive and in action. Look at the last six years, Mr. Lawyer. The government moves very fast, and fluid. The President got everything he wanted from his Republican controlled Congress. Shame and dark days then. Take a look through history, and see where the most efficient governments were. I'll bet you dollars to donuts they were fascist states.

Big hairy deal. Let them have a little fun. What's wrong with boosting morale? The Senate Democrats don't have anything to do. There are no meetings to be had with the Pubblies. They won't budge so why not do something to let off the frustration. Democrats don't molest the pages. Why can't they have this?

---

by: Mathello @ Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 11:02:32 AM CST

[ Parent ]

ugh (0.00 / 0)

Christ on a crutch! There is no defense for this. THe Broncos are not a Montana team, so who gives a hooey? Colorado already has 2 senators, as does Texas. What's next, tax breaks for Rockies Fans? GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

---

by: alexrosenleaf @ Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 13:54:52 PM CST

I want in on the action (0.00 / 0)

I dunno... I could really use an earmark for my parks and rec winter indoor soccer team.  That $190 fee hurts right before Christmas!

---

by: Nick Domitrovich @ Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 13:58:30 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Football Matters to America... (0.00 / 0)

Ok, first I want to start by saying, screw the Broncos.  I didn't get to watch Steelers and Patriots last week because the local station aired the Broncos game instead.  I don't need my Senators sticking up for them.  

Second, people shouldn't be so down on this topic.  Remember, more Americans watch the Super Bowl than watch Presidential debates.  You don't engage voters by talking about what YOU want to talk about, you engage them by talking about what THEY want to talk about. Watching a discussion like this makes me understand why too many blue collar workers have turned away from progressives; too many progressives act elitest and snobbish towards things they don't think matter.  I'm not saying that Tester and Baucus approach this in a way to engage voters, but if they made this about the need to regulate cable monopolies and brought that into a bigger discussion about how Democrats protect consumers, you have accomplished something.  

Third, I say Tester and Baucus are behind the times on this.  The NFL has been pushing Congress to put pressure on the cable companies to pick up the NFL Network.  Don't blame the NFL, blame Bresnan for making it a premium channel.  The NFL Network wants to be in every household, but cable companies aren't complying.  I wish Tester and Baucus would write a letter to Bresnan so I could watch ALL the games.  I'm a Cowboys fan and I had to go watch Dallas beat down the Packers at a bar, when I would have rather had my buddies come over to watch the game.  

---

by: Montana Dem @ Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 14:45:45 PM CST

Gotta love those Montana Cowboys fans..... (0.00 / 0)

The reason the cable companies aren't complying is because the NFL is asking too much for thier network.  In fact they are asking the cable companies to pay more than they do for CNN.  I LOVE NFL FOOTBALL, but the NFL network is not worth more to me than CNN.

Peter King at SI.com has been writing about this all year and I think he is spot on for the most part on the subject.  It is due in large part to a lot of arrogance by the NFL (which has been pushing cable companies around for years) because they are the most popular sport in America. They claim the viewers they attract are the reason the have been gouging the networks for all these years to get the contracts to carry their games.  I think this is the cable networks way of saying, kiss our collective a**es for the years of stickin' it up ours...We don't have to pay for your damn network if we don't want to.

If Max and Jon are going to spend time on the issue, I think they ought to look at it from a different angle.  As a lifelong Montanan I have been FORCED to watch the Donkeys and the Seachickens EVERY damn Sunday (minus their bye weeks which I always look forward to)!  I can't even listen to our local ESPN radio affiliate in Missoula on Sunday without having to be forced to listen to the Seahawks play-by-play of the entire game for half the day.  Whoop-de-do. "Hi, my name is Shawn Alexander.  I just signed a 65 million dollar contract last year and now I run on the football field with the commitment of a Liz Taylor marriage."  Barf. How about a little parody up here on a weekly basis?

I can't stand John Elway, sometimes think evil thoughts about Steve Largent, and would like nothing more than to watch Pat Bowlen get his full length fur coat that he used to wear in the 80's vandalized by a bunch of PETA supporters on the side lines of a game at Mile High, I mean Invesco Field.  That's what growing up watching the football crammed down our throats up here in Montana has done to me.

It also seems a little weird to me that they wrote this letter as representatives of the state with the highest per capita use of satellite dishes in the nation.  Those folks on Direct T.V. et al, get the NFL network & have access to the Sunday ticket if they want it.  And frankly if your writing a letter to the commissioner about how important it is to see the Broncos & Texans game, I gotta wonder how much you really watch football.  I'd take the 8 man team version of Big Sandy vs. Drummond over that crappy game any day.

 

---

by: Truxton Rolfe @ Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 15:49:33 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Wow.... (0.00 / 0)

Ok, first, the Shaun Alexander comment, one of the funniest things I've ever read.  I about died laughing.  

Second, you bring up an interesting point about dishes. It is quite strange considering Montanans are less affected by it.

It will be interesting to see where this issues goes next year considering the NFL TV contracts are up again.  My guess is the NFL Network will allott itself more games to force the hand of the cable companies.  Peter King may be right that the NFL may be arrogant, but the fact that I'm looking to get a dish means cable may want to be reconsidering its position.

---

by: Montana Dem @ Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 16:39:49 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Waste of Time (0.00 / 0)

Baucus's Chief of Staff is a big Bronco's fan...huge. The letter has Messina's finger prints all over it.

---

by: bigsage @ Sat Dec 15, 2007 at 10:51:00 AM CST

And today: (0.00 / 0)

I read somewhere that the boys want more guns in our parks.
Our Reagan Democrats are making the Acting president's policies seem more moderate all the time...

---

by: jed @ Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 11:21:31 AM CST