Political Notebook: Schweitzer + Obama = Populist Power?

By Courtney Lowery, 3-02-10

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer is No. 1 on the Washington Independent’s list of five politicians who could boost Obama’s populist appeal. The list, out today, also includes Iowa Gov. Chet Culver as well as Sens. Jim Webb, Sherrod Brown and Dick Durbin.

The reasons for Schweitzer as the No. 1 choice among “rising stars” that Obama could hitch himself to? For starters, he’s a “‘pickup-driving, gun-loving’ Democrat,” who “possesses the appealing centrist profile that could strengthen Obama’s efforts to court moderate Democrats and independents. Additionally, as head of the Democratic Governors Association, giving speeches in bolo ties, jeans, and cowboy boots, Schweitzer has created a national profile for himself.”

(Note: At least they didn’t mention the cattle dog. Now, I know that all of this is partly the fault of Schweitzer himself, but good golly (as he might say), can’t anyone see anything in Schweitzer other than his guns and his bolo tie? Does it register to anyone in the beltway that he might actually have an actual record to look at?)

In any case, the Independent suggests that come 2012, Schweitzer could have strong appeal as a running mate for President Obama and while they haven’t seen eye to eye on everything, they could be odd, but good bedfellows.

And, although Schweitzer has on numerous occasions insisted Washington was not his next move (last time I asked, he said he might find himself running cattle in Patagonia after his Governorship), we did wonder a few weeks ago why he was at the last minute part of a national press conference on a new national advisory board on sportsmen and conservation. He was in town anyway for a Governors’ meeting on energy, and maybe the press staff just figured they needed a bolo tie to counter the suits. Who knows.

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