Today’s must-read article is a strongly worded op-ed column in the New York Times by Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, who writes that Montana has “fresh mountain air” and implores the conservative-dominated Supreme Court not to “blow the stink of Washington” our way.
At issue is the sequel case to Citizens United, called American Tradition Partnership v. Bullock. Montana's Democratic Attorney General Bullock will soon be arguing before the Supreme Court in defense of our anti-corruption law dating back to 1912, which the Supreme Court has forbidden Montana from enforcing because it violates the holding in Citizens United that corporations have free speech rights to influence elections.
Schweitzer tells a colorful history of William Clark bribing his way to becoming US Senator and also discusses what he says is “a rare, pure form of democracy” in Montana that can be traced to strict controls on campaign finance.
The full piece can be found here.
This diary is cross-posted at the Montana Cowgirl Blog.