Gernant More Than Doubles McDonald's Fundraising in Most Recent FEC Filings

According to Open Secrets (4.00 / 1)

his momentum looks to be driven by Lawyers and Lobbyists and Other.  McDonald seems to draw strong support from Agribusiness. See: http://www.opensecrets.org/rac...   I guess we'll see which funding support drives the vote.

---

by: Craig Moore @ Sun May 30, 2010 at 01:46:12 AM UTC

You didn't look at the numbers, did you Craig (0.00 / 0)

Because (a) they put Rehberg in shame and (b) they'd tell you that Gernant is running a grassroots campaign with his money coming from ordinary people.

---

by: jhwygirl @ Sun May 30, 2010 at 02:38:22 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Your asumption is (0.00 / 0)

incorrect.  If Gernant were truly running a grassroots campaign then he woud refuse dontations from Lawyers and Lobbyists mentioned by Open Secrets.  BTW, those OS sectors don't just contribute, they invest for access time. Melinda Gopher did Gernant no favors with her takedown over his endorsements. It will be interesting to see whether Gernant's Missoula base will win over McDonald's agri base east of the Divide.  

---

by: Craig Moore @ Sun May 30, 2010 at 03:08:21 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

What do you have against lawyers? (0.00 / 0)

I always wonder what people have against lawyers.  They are the defenders of constitutional rights.  

Not guns.

And Gopher?  She's a paralegal, so she's seems to have embraced lawyers....and talk about embracing lobbyists...Rehberg's $ and his votes show where his heart lies.

---

by: jhwygirl @ Sun May 30, 2010 at 03:24:07 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Again you assume (0.00 / 0)

too much.  The question is not what I think but what value the voters hold for Lawyers & Lobbyists that presently sit in office and control legislation.  Last I looked the public was rather angry at this bunch.

What I don't get is why you are trolling your own post by changing the subject to Rehberg when you posted about comparing McDonald and Gernant.

As to Melinda Gopher, didn't she say her respect has lessened for Gernant over the endorsements issue and called it a new low in Montana politics?

---

by: Craig Moore @ Sun May 30, 2010 at 03:49:58 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Trolling my own post? (0.00 / 0)

Did you miss the part where I mentioned that Rehberg has raised over a quarter of a million in PAC donations.

That's pure special interest/lobbyist money.

Is Gregg Smith evil?  Is Natelson evil?  Gopher, I suspect, would fall into the same category - as would the former Senator Conrad Burns.

You point to "lawyers and lobbyists" as some sort of evil in politics - I tend to look at PAC's as the big problem.  Here's a clue - that's what people are talking about when they refer to "money in politics."

Rehberg's votes mirror his PAC money.  Have for the 10 years he's been in D.C.

Gopher had a problem with the AFL-CIO endorsement issue - and did call it a new low in Montana politics...only it was Dennis McDonald she was talking about.

---

by: jhwygirl @ Sun May 30, 2010 at 16:25:27 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

And look - (0.00 / 0)

I get that Republican's would love to have Dennis McDonald win this primary for the Democrats.  They have plenty of ammo locked and loaded for that sort of match-up.  

It looks like Democrats, on the other hand, have figured out that he is unelectable.

I'm wondering just how good a showing Mark French is going to make - I see an awful lot of those large, hand-painted Mark French signs around the state and in front of a lot of businesses, large and small.  

Rehberg may end up ruminating his I-don't-campaign attitude, and I'm sure there's a part of him that feels it'll leave him more time for his run at Tester in 2012.

---

by: jhwygirl @ Sun May 30, 2010 at 16:30:34 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

you could make an argument... (0.00 / 0)

...for Natelson being evil.

---

by: Jay Stevens @ Tue Jun 01, 2010 at 15:01:23 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

This is good news for Montanans. (0.00 / 0)

That clean coal endorsement from McDonald is starting to bite him in the butt big time.

---

by: Situational Lefty @ Sun May 30, 2010 at 04:54:41 AM UTC

LitW a Missoula-centered blog? (4.00 / 1)

jhwygirl and Firehammer have been saturating this blog with pro-Gernant, anti-McDonald postings.  I don't exactly object -- this is a political blog and these postings are not irrelevant.

But it shows how Missoula-centered LitW is.  Gernant is the local favorite and the blog seems to devote a lot of its space rooting for the home-town boy.

A lot of us non-Republicans don't live in Missoula. McDonald has visited us, laid out his positions, and answered our questions. He's a very impressive man who doesn't deserve of all the scorn being heaped on him from a few Missoula progressives.      

---

by: Turner @ Sun May 30, 2010 at 15:09:19 PM UTC

Gernant's money (0.00 / 0)

is coming from all over the state.

LiTW's audience comes from all over the state and all over the U.S.

Write a McDonald diary if you think he hasn't gotten enough coverage.  In my readings, this place was pretty pro-McDonald with MTCowgirl heading up the show.

---

by: jhwygirl @ Sun May 30, 2010 at 16:35:14 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

It'll be McDonald (0.00 / 0)

No matter how the handful of bloggers in Montana vote, the Dem 'establishment' candidate is McDonald, and he will be the nominee -  

---

by: Eric Coobs @ Mon May 31, 2010 at 20:16:26 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I wouldn't bet money on that, Eric (0.00 / 0)

and not just because I'm supporting Gernant.  I read the papers...and the LTE's around the state.  There isn't much for comments that embrace him - and that's been for a while now.

McDonald is unelectable. Dems know that.  He doesn't represent anything new.  People on both sides of the aisle are looking for something different.

His flip-flopping on coal has hurt him, too, in both the east and the west.  You can't say one thing in Bozeman and then another thing here in Missoula.  People find out.

Money talks..as does PAC money.  Gernant has taken nary any. He has, in fact, rejected seeking the stuff out - even when he was the underdog, when it would have come in quite useful.

Think what you want, but I believe Tyler Gernant will be on the Democratic ticket, come 10 p.m., Tuesday, June 8th.

---

by: jhwygirl @ Mon May 31, 2010 at 21:36:03 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Sorry to say (4.00 / 1)

but Gernant's campaign is built on vacuous talking points of the kind that former Dem Guv of Washington, Dixie Lee Ray, called "moonbeams and butterfly wings."  He doesn't go near the substance of the issues like the comparative cost of energy sources. See:  http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ae... He should "man up" and explain the cost of his solutions to the people.

IMHO,the only one with substance and guts on the Dem side is Melinda Gopher.  

---

by: Craig Moore @ Mon May 31, 2010 at 21:49:11 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

The numbers - (0.00 / 0)

Turnout in a Montana primary, with no Presidential race is traditionally low.

In this contest, the union vote will dictate the candidate, and the last union newsletter that made it my way said to support McDonald.

In Yellowstone County, this contest is already over, since the absentee ballots are  3 times greater than the number of the people who'll actually show up at the polls.

Once again, you can write down my prediction, as I am RIGHT all of the time, and CORRECT most of the time - LOL

---

by: Eric Coobs @ Mon May 31, 2010 at 23:07:37 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Gernant's out-of-state (0.00 / 0)

contributions seem to exceed McDonald's according to Open Secrets:  http://www.opensecrets.org/rac...  $9500 to $8700.  I suppose those some of "grass roots" grow from outside of Montana's borders.

---

by: Craig Moore @ Mon May 31, 2010 at 21:42:06 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Missoula-centered... (0.00 / 0)

I do think LiTW is Missoula-centered, but Cowgirl's been heavily pro-McDonald. I don't think you could argue the blog tilts overly much to Gernant.

And, as always, Turner, you have the right to make your argument for the candidate of your choice by writing a post...

---

by: Jay Stevens @ Tue Jun 01, 2010 at 15:06:02 PM UTC

[ Parent ]