GUEST COMMENTARY

Montana Democratic Convention, Day 2

By Pete Talbot, 8-05-06

You don’t give ammunition to the enemy: no exceptions. The fight for a U.S. Senate seat, and majorities in the Montana House and Senate, are prime examples of this. Message control at the Democratic Party’s platform convention this weekend in Lewistown, Montana, is job one.

In many respects, it’s grassroots democracy in action. Democratic Party peace advocates, environmentalists, social justice activists, ad infinitum, advance resolutions for the party’s platform. They negotiate language and try to build consensus to get their issues in the platform. Resolutions run the gamut from supporting gay marriage, to getting the troops out of Iraq, to incinerating scrap tires in Three Forks.

But if the resolutions are too outrageous, i.e.: they make candidates and leadership vulnerable, then “staff” steps in. The folks from the Schweitzer, Tester and Baucus camps temper the message and the resolutions. If resolutions, like gay marriage or troop withdrawal, ever make it to floor for a vote, they are considerably watered down. The Democratic Party is building a machine and wants to keep winning. Let’s not throw any wrenches into the works.

Back a decade ago when Montana Democrats were losing races at all levels, these conventions could be depressing events. Heated debates over the party’s direction and message dominated, and because the Democrats didn’t have a lot of ranking elected officials, candidates would try to rally the faithful.

Nothing like winning to lift the spirits. This convention is about as upbeat as you can get. And the greatest cheerleader of them all is Gov. Brian Schweitzer. In the convention’s opening speech he set the agenda while praising the past legislature’s accomplishments and introducing candidates.

But you never know what’s going to bring people to their feet. In the governor’s opening remarks, he said that out-of-staters buying ranches in Montana better check with their realtors first about stream access, “because we Montanans float the rivers that we choose, not the ones that they (out-of-staters) choose.” This brought him a standing ovation.

Hammering Republican Congressman Denny Rehberg and Sen. Conrad Burns also got the crowd going, as did his $400 property tax rebate called the “Square Deal for Montana.”

(A few progressives in the crowd bristled a bit at the governor’s closing statement. He spoke about Montanans redefining what Western Democrats are. “We’re hard working, God fearing, red-meat eating, gun toting Democrats,” he said.)

Senate candidate Jon Tester and House of Representatives candidate Monica Lindeen will address the party faithful tonight, and platform resolutions go to the floor later today for delegates to vote on. We’ll see if anything controversial makes the cut.

Guest columnist Pete Talbot will be writing from the Montana Democratic Convention in Lewistown this weekend. Talbot is a film and video producer who works with WestRidge Creative, an advertising firm in Missoula that provides marketing for nonprofits, and coordinates issue and candidate campaigns. He also does freelance film and video production under the name Sterling Productions, a company he founded nearly 30 years ago. Pete is a board member of Missoula’s Sustainable Business Council and treasurer for Missoula Community Access Television (MCAT). Politically, Pete has served on the Montana Democratic Party Executive Board and was chairman of the Missoula County Democrats.

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