Failed Leadership: How Republicans Wrecked the 2007 Legislative Session
Legislature in Tatters Following Angry Tirade at Governor: “The Montana Legislature was in tatters Friday, two days after the Republican leader unleashed a profanity-laced tirade at Gov. Brian Schweitzer.
House Majority Leader Michael Lange called the governor an "S.O.B" - one of the milder curses hurled at the Democrat - in a speech that completely derailed tax and spending negotiations.” [Billings Gazette 4-27-07] See the video here!
Train Wreck and Foul Language: “A dissection of this failed session shows that the last clear chance to avoid the train wreck belonged to the House GOP leadership. Speaker Scott Sales, R-Bozeman, refused for 10 days to take any action on any of the major spending bills approved by the Senate.
“Majority Leader Michael Lange, R-Billings, met with Schweitzer on Wednesday morning to discuss a compromise on tax cuts and school funding, then hours later denounced the governor with perhaps the foulest streak of language ever uttered in a public meeting in the Capitol.” [Billings Gazette Opinion 4-29-07]
Obstruction, Playing Hooky, and Extortion: "What is upsetting about Wednesday’s outburst by House Republican Majority Leader Mike Lange of Billings is not so much the profanity. More important, it seemed to be another example of legislators determined from the beginning to obstruct the legislative process. Time after time this session, House leaders have stuck wrenches into the legislative gears, seemingly just because they can. Messing with normal legislative procedures, playing hooky from work, holding bills hostage to extort concessions … what has happened to what most Montanans expect to be a dignified, collegial debate?" [Helena IR 4-27-07]
Foul Play: "The Republican House leadership has been obstructionist all along — remember their choice of a lawmaker opposed to public school funding to head the education committee, their unprecedented partisan stacking of committees, their Valentine’s Day surprise of six new budget bills — but Wednesday’s tirade of profanity by House Majority Leader Michael Lange, R-Billings, crossed the line into the absolutely inexcusable." [Montana Standard 4-27-07]
Stay ‘til May: “The House Republican majority leader, Michael Lange, unleashed a profanity-laced tirade at Gov. Brian Schweitzer… the caucus ended with some House Republicans chanting, “Stay till May! Stay till May!” That was a reference to their willingness to return for a special session next week rather than yield on principle.
What started out as a promising day for resolving the impasse ended in tatters a few hours later, with the specter of a special session appearing more and more likely. [Montana Standard 4-26-07]
Derailed Negotiations:A state lawmaker's profanity-laced tirade against Montana's governor made the rounds on YouTube on Friday, two days after his remarks derailed spending negotiations at the end of the legislative session. [Associated Press 4-27-07]
“It’s War. The bloodletting has started.” Furious after the Senate panel tabled his bill Wednesday, Lange stormed into Democratic leadership offices in both houses and threatened retaliatory action against Democratic bills in the House unless his bill is resurrected.
Senate President Pro Tempore Dan Harrington, D-Butte, said Lange came into his office Wednesday and said, "It's war. The bloodletting has started." Witnesses said he formed each hand into a pistol and pretended as if he were firing shots. [Billings Gazette 3-30-07]
Marching Over a Cliff: Lange is quoted as saying, “Nobody wants a special session.” Hmm. If that’s true, why did some House Republicans end the caucus by chanting, “Stay till May! Still till May!” On a more technical note, House Speaker Scott Sales, R-Bozeman, was quoted as saying, “I loved his passion and I really appreciated what he had to say in terms of content. I would have chosen some different adjectives.” Well, Mr. Speaker, I don’t think anyone is taking issue with Lange’s adjectives. All of Lange’s offensive comments involved verbs and nouns. None of his adjectives gave any offense. [Billings Gazette City Lights Blog 4-26-07]
A Montana Meltdown: Montana's failed legislative session shows what happens when rightwing legislators play politics with working families' lives. The Montana Senate passed first-in-the-nation Tax Disclosure legislation, but, like almost all progressive legislation this year, it died in the state House, blocked by that chamber's rightwing leadership who were fixated on insane proposals such as eliminating all $3 billion in state health and human services programs.
With fringe craziness like this, it's hardly surprising that budget discussions ended up in deadlock with the leader of the House going into a tirade telling the Governor to "stick it up his ass" (to the applause of his fellow caucus members and the outrage of most of the Montana public). With the regular session ending without a budget, the legislature will need to reconvene in special session, but it's clear that Montana will need new House leadership before any real reforms can be enacted. [Progressive States Netword 4.30.07]
Embarrassment to This Great State: “Lange's attack on civil public discourse vulgar, juvenile, destructive. Those words summarize Rep. Michael Lange's expletive-laced attack on Gov. Brian Schweitzer. Lange's Capitol tirade in a public meeting of the GOP House caucus is an embarrassment to this great state and the legislative body Billings voters elected him to represent.
“Lange aimed his words at Schweitzer, but they disgraced the speaker, not the governor. The House majority leader's vulgar speech disgraced the Montana Legislature, where the laws of this great state are to be drafted and debated with proper decorum and respect for the awesome trust and responsibility that the people of Montana have placed in the lawmakers. “As disturbing as Lange's behavior was the approving reaction from some - not all - of the House Republicans. Speaker of the House Scott Sales praised Lange's passion. Some members of the caucus applauded Lange's expletives and began chanting "stay till May," indicating that they didn't care about finishing their work on time. Later Wednesday, Lange stood up on the House floor to reject any notion of bringing the stalled state budget bills forward. [Billings Gazette Opinion 4-27-07]
Republicans Acknowledge Their Failure
Former Republican Legislator Dave Rye: From my own legislative days in the ’90s, I can’t recall that kind of language or vitriol regarding the opposition ever occurring. [Billings Gazette City Lights Blog 4-26-07]
Couple of Thugs: Sen. John Cobb, R-Augusta, tells reporters that House Republicans are being led by "a couple of thugs." [Billings Gazette 4-29-07]
Third World Dictators: After watching Representatives bicker over procedural matters in the House Appropriations Committee, Sen. John Cobb, R-Augusta, told reporters he was disgusted with House Republican leadership and compared them to third-world dictators. "You gotta a couple of thugs that are just taking it over," said Cobb, a moderate Republican who often votes with Democrats. [Billings Gazette 4-27-07]
More Civil Discourse, Please: “Most Montanans will agree with Rep. Bill Jones, R-Bigfork, who said he was not pleased ‘at all’ with Lange's speech: ‘This isn't the way I grew up, in Montana, of doing business or speaking to people. I'd like more civil discourse.’” [Billings Gazette Opinion 4-27-07]