Remember this flap, way back in the dinosaur days of May?
Republican Party Executive Director Jake Eaton, an Army National Guard veteran of the Iraq War, leveled the charge against Hunt on Tuesday, saying Hunt's ad, campaign Web site and press releases violate a February 2008 directive from the U.S. Department of Defense.
The directive says any candidate who mentions his or her military rank or appears in uniform in political material must place a disclaimer on the material, saying neither the Department of Defense nor the branch of the military endorses the candidate.
Take a look at the website for the GOP candidate for SD2 (a battleground race!), Ryan Zinke. I don't see a disclaimer! Hey, Jake! What's your ruling on that?
...crickets...
Honestly, I thought it was a stupid, small thing back in May, and I don't give a rat's *ss if Zinke showers in his uniform now.
Still, wouldn't it be nice if the party hacks were in any way consistent in their outrage? Come on, Jake, if this was so important to you this spring, why lay off now? I'll answer for him: "Because I'm a paid political operator who manufactures outrage for a living, and you should never, ever believe a word I say."
Attention, media: can we have a moratorium on reporting what any paid spokesflack says, regardless of party? It's been a long and dreary election already...let's ignore these folks and enjoy the rest of our summer...
Safe: Dennis Rehberg. Montana's sole U.S. Representative has a relatively low re-elect number right now (52%), but his main opponent Jim Hunt is only picking up 20% of the vote right now. This occurs despite virtually no name recognition. And those numbers are such that it is possible that this could turn into a race. But for now, it is safe.
Safer: Brian Schweitzer. While Montana Republicans would like to think that the Governor's race will heat up, Schweitzer is polling higher than Rehberg. Roy Brown is also polling higher than Jim Hunt -- a reflection of the still general truth in Montana that Republicans have a higher baseline.
Safest: Max Baucus. No one is touching this guy. He's got better than 2:1 leads over both Kirk Bushman and Mike Lange. Against Bushman, his slightly tougher opponent, he draws 90% of D votes, 64% of Independents, and a third of Republicans. As the pollster said, he would have to screw up big time to be in danger. After thirty years in the U.S. Senate, that seems pretty unlikely.
Interesting bottom line? The two narrowest statewide victories at the top of the ticket could be President and U.S. House -- with McCain and Rehberg the likely victors.
What does this mean? Well, it might mean that Dems have more cover than usual down-ticket, despite the (extremely mildly) bad news for Democratic legislative candidates in the polling released yesterday. Or it may mean nothing. Montanans are notorious ticket-splitters. They likely will continue to split those tickets in a big way this year.
(I haven't managed to figure out this entire back-and-forth yet, but I have a real tough time figuring out why the Montana Republican Party is working so hard to highlight Jim Hunt's status as a retired Lt. Col. - promoted by Matt Singer)
By: Lt. Col. (ret.) Jim Hunt
In the same week that my opponent, Congressman Dennis Rehberg, voted against the GI Bill-legislation that cares for our heroes when they return from war-he attacked me with a petty, political distraction. It's a predictable political stunt from a career Washington politician.
Yesterday, the Montana Republican Party and Rehberg attacked me and my 23 years of service in the Montana Army National Guard - citing an obscure, new Pentagon regulation regarding photos of candidates in their old uniforms. They told us to pull down our ad-an ad that speaks about Montana's values and priorities (you can see the ad below).
It appears that Congressman Rehberg, who has never served in the military, has a problem with me using a picture from my years in the Guard.
Nice profile of House candidate, Jim Hunt, in this week's Missoulian, which seems impressed with Hunt's confidence. While it's true Hunt's a long-shot to unseat Rehberg - something that better minds have admitted -- you've got to be impressed that he outraised Rehberg by $30K last quarter.
That, and I've always felt that Dennis is a election-failure time-bomb waiting to go off, what with his voting record indicating a man whose political values are weirdlyout-of-stepwith the state, and his association with folks like Kevin Ring or groups like INSA. Also, given the man's preferred facial expression is the sneer, something like an incoherent You Tube tirade isn't out of the question.
I've already written some on Hunt; in short, he's got the pedigree to make it a race. And Rehberg et al seem to be running a little scared this time around - and why not? The election environment favors Democrats and their policies, an Obama nomination could mean massive Democratic turnout, and Max Baucus and Brian Schweitzer have loads of money and nominal opposition. That, and rumor has national Democrats interested in this race. Rehberg might win, but he'll have a fight on his hands in a race that's do-or-die for the state GOP.
Other House race news:
Erik Iverson took a swipe at Jim Hunt recently over Hunt's (accurate) claim Rehberg initially opposed CHIP ("extremist legislation," anyone?): "'Jim Hunt claims to be on the hunt for change, but the only thing he seems to be changing is the facts,' Iverson said. 'I'm not calling him a liar, but I am calling him a lawyer.'" Incidentally, Iverson himself is a law school graduate. But I'm not calling him a lawyer.
Over a month ago, the gubernatorial gang over at ID promised to do a series comparing Hunt with incumbent Rehberg on the issues. Well, they got one post done - on support for the military-before fizzing out. Campaigning, fellas?
In Butte today, Hunt called for the rollback of tax breaks for the wealthy, and increased breaks for "low income" people. Rehberg wants to make the Bush cuts permanent, which, he says, averages more than $2,600 a year for a Montanan. Of course, if you take out the tax breaks for folks like Rehberg, that average dips a lot lower. For some middle-class bread earners, taxes actually went up. (All-in-all, the Bush tax cuts were a disaster, unless you're worth more than a million.)
'06 Netroots favorite Jon Tester has picked sides in Montana's Democratic three-way primary for the U.S. House, sending an email out to his supporters, encouraging them to give to Jim Hunt (who also happens to be the only Montana contender to endorse the Responsible Plan):
You and I know what it's like to be the underdog. Two years ago, when the pundits and political establishment dismissed our campaign, we didn't blink. We took them on by building a grassroots network and speaking out about the issues that matter. And on election night, we surprised a whole bunch of folks.
This year, we can surprise a whole bunch of folks again. We can send another real Montanan to bring real change to the U.S. House of Representatives.
"We haven't finished our work," Rehberg, 52, told a small crowd of supporters.
He emphasized his opposition to government-run health care and his support for continued development of fossil fuels. He urged voters not to get swept up in Democratic calls for change, saying that "change isn't always a good thing." And he warned that Democrats appear intent on turning around Republican-sponsored tax cuts made in recent years.
Well, I have to admit I like this -- within 24 hours of its release, Retired Lt. Col. Jim Hunt has signed on with the responsible plan to get out of Iraq. His website features a link that a reader tipped me off to this morning. I don't see a statement yet, but hopefully one will come out sometime soon.
I'm not sure if Jay already posted this and I missed it, but thought I'd flag that it is official -- Jim Hunt has filed:
Hunt said his campaign will point out the distinct differences between the candidates on basic values, such as the right to privacy, the Iraq war and the environment.
"If people become aware of our values, I think people will see a dramatic difference between us," he said Friday.
As an example, Hunt said Rehberg "has supported the president on the Iraq war, at a cost of $12 billion a month, at the expense of our health care and education (programs)."
Billings Republican Michael Lange made his bid for the U.S. Senate official Friday when he plunked down $1,693 at the Montana Secretary of State's office and filed his official candidacy documents.
"We are overwhelmed with support," Lange, a state representative, said shortly after his filing. "Every week we're out on the road campaigning."
The Great Falls Tribune yesterday profiled the challenger to Dennis Rehberg's House seat, Jim Hunt. In short, it seems like Rehberg is going to have a fight on his hands:
Democrat Jim Hunt knows he's got an uphill battle ahead of him, but the Helena attorney said he's confident he can defeat incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg in November.
"I am not the type of person to get into something without doing my best and doing it to win," Hunt said in a recent interview.
The story made clear how Hunt is going to go after Dennis Rehberg: for his support for the worst of the Bush administration policies, a theme we've hit on here, numerous times.
Born on the Hi-line in Chester, Hunt doesn't need to do any phony acting to come across as a genuine Montanan. He's a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association, an avid sportsman, a true conservationist, and a Chancellor for the Episcopal Diocese of Montana. Taken together, that background deflects about 90 percent of what Republicans have traditionally shot at their Democrat challengers. No, Hunt isn't going to take your guns away, and yes, he does know how to use them-and he won't be posing like John Kerry if he shows up in goose-hunting gear. Moreover, he realizes the value of maintaining a clean and healthy environment-just like our state promises-and not just for hunting and fishing, but for all the myriad reasons the drafters found it necessary to include such a groundbreaking provision in our 1972 Montana Constitution.
As I wrote before, I don't really know anything about Jim Hunt. What I do know is that the man announced his race today and already the GOP is unleashing the hounds.
I'm sick of this stuff. It's entirely too common on both sides. Elected officials, even fairly safe ones, throw bombs as early as possible these days.
Hell -- the biggest Republican talking point I've seen on this site is that Jim Hunt must be a crook because of his close relationships with a couple Republicans.
That's insane.
Is there really any reason why reasonable people wouldn't be sick as hell of politics when this is how politicos act?
I've already had several people ask me what I know about Jim Hunt. The honest answer is not a ton -- especially not much more than what has already come out from his campaign. His profile is great in some ways. He's a lifelong Montanan, born and raised in Northcentral Montana, an active gun owner and sportsman, a leader in his church, etc.
Does he have a chance? Sure. We'll see what kind of campaign he runs, but his profile isn't bad and it could be a good year for Democrats nationally and in Montana. We'll see.
