In case you were wondering whether Greg Gianforte will ever live down his body slam of a reporter for the Guardian, here’s a clue. The Associated Press reported last week that Gianforte drew boos from the Republican side of the aisle during his brief speech following his swearing in as Montana’s representative in the U.S. House. The murmurs apparently had nothing to do with misdemeanor assault but came in response to Gianforte’s call to “drain the swamp” and for a bill denying pay to members of Congress if they fail to balance the budget. Background noise is pretty hard to evaluate in a recording, but you can judge for yourself here. Perhaps an easier way to determine how Congress feels about tying members’ pay to balancing the budget is to look at the identically titled bill touted by U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont. Continue Reading →
Recent Posts
Daines goes after symbol, not substance
|
So tranquil is life in Washington, D.C., that U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., took time last week to introduce a constitutional amendment banning flag desecration. (more…) Continue Reading →
Filed under: Opinion, Greg Gianforte, Jon Tester, Mitch McConnell, Steve Daines
Big Sky Pride finds magic in Billings
|
The Big Sky Pride parade on Saturday may not have been the longest parade ever in downtown Billings, but it may well have been the most colorful. (more…) Continue Reading →
Filed under: News, Big Sky Pride, Bryce Bennett, Danielle Egnew, Jessica Karjala, Kelly McCarthy
Sanders pushes religious liberty limits
|
If your anti-Trumpian urges keep you glued to CNN and MSNBC, you may have missed a couple of instructive stories getting big play on Fox News. (more…) Continue Reading →
Filed under: Opinion, ACLU, Bernie Sanders, Steve Daines
Conservation Voters score Legislature
|
Montana Conservation Voters didn’t get much of what it wanted in the 2017 Legislature, but it managed to avoid the worst of what it did not want. MCV released its 2017 Montana Legislative Scorecard this week, detailing its positions on 12 bills, plus two resolutions, of concern to the state’s environmental interests. Seven of the bills made it through both houses of the Legislature but were vetoed by Gov. Steve Bullock. The resolutions, both backed by MCV, failed, and none of the five bills MCV supported or the seven it opposed became law. “Special thanks should go to Governor Steve Bullock who stopped the terrible legislation that would have limited access to Montana’s public lands, put more money in the pockets of big polluters, and rolled back our clean energy economy,” Clayton Elliott, MCV’s executive director, said in a news release. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Last Best Blog, Adam Rosendale, Daniel Zolnikov, Jessica Karjala, Margie MacDonald, Montana Legislature, Virginia Court
Incivility, political correctness push all our buttons
|
A 2016 survey found that 70 percent of Americans believe incivility has reached crisis proportions. A 2015 poll found that 68 percent of Americans believe that “a big problem this country has is being politically correct.” (more…) Continue Reading →
Filed under: Opinion, Bill Maher, Greg Gianforte, Kathy Griffin, Marx Brothers
Book review: Former TV newsman turns to first novel
|
Gus Koernig had the unusual distinction of anchoring evening news broadcasts for both KULR-8 and KTVQ-2 in Billings before moving to Arizona in 2005. There he writes news stories for iHeartMedia, has ghostwritten five nonfiction books and now is the co-author of his first work of fiction. (more…) Continue Reading →
Filed under: Culture, Gus Koernig, KTVQ, KULR-8, Loren Marsters, The Redemption of Lonnie Tate
Gianforte learns D.C.’s bullying ways
|
In my salad days as a reporter, an angry source stormed into the newspaper office and reached across the counter to lift a fellow reporter by his collar. (more…) Continue Reading →
Filed under: Opinion, Greg Gianforte, Rob Quist, Steve Daines
Democrats resigned to U.S. House loss
|
Yellowstone County Democrats seemed disappointed but resigned Thursday night as chances for an upset win by Rob Quist over Greg Gianforte slowly faded. (more…) Continue Reading →
Filed under: News, Denise Juneau, Donald Trump, Greg Gianforte, Kelly McCarthy, Rob Quist
Officials weigh in on Gianforte charge
|
Gov. Steve Bullock and two Montana members of Congress have weighed in on assault charges filed against Greg Gianforte after an altercation with a reporter for the Guardian on Wednesday. (more…) Continue Reading →