Does money really buy elections? We’re told that it does. I have previously written about the consequences of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision and how third-party and corporate money could have an outsized influence on our elections. Sen. Jon Tester and the man challenging for his seat, Congressman Denny Rehberg, have traded accusations […]

Lobbyists have a really bad name. And associating political opponents with them is increasingly popular as a way to imply “corruption,” “insider status” and “backroom deals.” So goes the race between Sen. Jon Tester and Congressman Denny Rehberg for Tester’s Senate seat. What began last year as general criticism of campaign cash from and ties […]

Real quick, explain how these primaries and caucuses work in layman’s terms. Perhaps you can, but I’ve been following the GOP primary elections more closely than most and still have difficulty understanding it all. It’s as if layers of rules are added specifically to confuse us. Take a look at what happened in Missouri. This […]

Recently, Beacon reporter Myers Reece wrote a short story from an interview with Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg in which he included the congressman’s response to a question about third-party spending. His response went a long way. Rehberg said he wanted “100 percent transparency” in campaign finances. But he added that, in his high-profile contest with […]

What’s interesting about the STOCK Act is why it passed all. It only became a priority after a 60 Minutes investigation, which aired a few months ago, suggested that insider trading among members of Congress and their aides was widespread. In November, CBS News’ Steve Kroft’s began his segment: “Most former congressmen and senators manage […]

The Flathead Valley, at least in terms of its workforce, has radically changed over the past five years. While there are still those who long for the days when manufacturing and construction dominated the landscape, many of those jobs are gone – perhaps for good. That was part of the message delivered last week by […]

When President Barack Obama last week rejected the Keystone XL Pipeline, at least for now, Montana’s U.S. delegation swiftly rebuked him. Their support for the project has been steadfast and they directed a bipartisan chorus of boos at the White House. Then there was Gov. Brian Schweitzer, whose displeasure was aimed at an altogether different […]

It took until the 11th hour for the Kalispell City Council to extend the life of the West Side Tax Increment Finance District. As someone who now lives in the district, I have to wonder why it took so long. The area is in dire need of a facelift and the redevelopment tool has the […]

Sometime late last year, at least according to experts who estimate these sorts of things, Montana surpassed 1 million residents. The milestone was met with both delight and dejection, even if the number is largely symbolic. We have now joined 44 other states that have at least that many people. The six below that mark […]

Iowa has taken a lot of heat. Like previous presidential election years, the rest of the country wonders what makes this state so special that it always gets to cast the first votes at its caucus. The same could be said for New Hampshire, home to the first primary. The importance of these states is […]

Each new year, at least for a short time, we get to press reset and express wild optimism that might otherwise be tempered. Like many of you, I have numerous goals for 2012 and other outcomes I would like to see that I have no control over. Here are a few of the latter: I […]

While struggling to find a perfect gift for my dad, I stumbled upon the water-powered “dolphin jet pack” built by France-based Zapata Racing. It was far out of my price range and weird imagining my father strapped to this machine and hovering above the water. But it was desperation time. A statue of a Hawkeye […]

In the waning days of 2011, Congress is doing its best to reaffirm the perception that it is wholly incapable doing anything, at all. The debate over whether to extend the payroll tax cut no longer just involves the merits of its extension (the economy is awful and increasing taxes is a bad idea), but […]

Two years ago, following an especially nasty local election season, I sat on a panel in Whitefish with then Political Practices Commissioner Dennis Unsworth. I was a bit out of my element, but I did learn something about the agency responsible for refereeing state campaigns: It lacks any sort of teeth. In the audience that […]

Council members have largely praised Kalispell City Manager Jane Howington’s short tenure here. When she arrived in August of 2009, the city was dangerously close to broke. She quickly made cuts, which is why there is another camp that is eager to see Howington pack up her desk and head to Rhode Island. City departments […]