1/11/15

Montana GOP split on agenda, closed primaries

Montana's legislature is thick with earth haters but so far Dems lead in bill requests.
One week into Montana’s 2015 Legislature, one thing is clear: The conservative-moderate split in the Republican Party that determined key outcomes of the 2013 Legislature is alive and well, and set to do it again. This time it took only a matter of days to spill messily out into the open, culminating in Thursday’s floor votes on the House rules, giving this same coalition more power to bring to the floor -- and perhaps pass -- bills that conservative Republicans have vowed to stop. And Gov. Bullock? He sounded pretty pleased Friday morning, saying major proposals before the Legislature deserve “an up-or-down vote.” [Mike Dennison]
From the Billings Gazette:
After nearly three hours of comment and debate, Montana Republicans voted overwhelmingly Saturday to join a lawsuit seeking to limit their primary elections to those registered with the GOP. The Republican State Central Committee approved the motion by an 83-43 vote in Helena. They will join a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court against the state and its open primaries. Republican central committees from Ravalli, Gallatin, Sanders, Dawson and Stillwater counties are named in the lawsuit against Secretary of State Linda McCulloch and county election officials over open primary election laws. [Associated Press]
Primaries are expensive and allow far too much mischief: since turnout is so pathetic especially during midterms political parties should end them and choose candidates at the state conventions.

If South Dakota Dems don't boycott the session they are all cowards.


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