MT-Gov: Schweitzer's Huge Session

Remember the crazy, profane tirade Montana House Majority Leader Michael Lange delivered against Gov. Schweitzer? Not a good idea. His GOP colleagues in the House booted him from his leadership position. But that's just icing on the cake for Schweitzer as the gavel came down on the 2007 legislative session.

The centerpiece was Schweitzer's "square deal with Montanans" proposal:

Unveiled by the governor last summer, the deal includes the $400-per-homeowner property tax rebate passed by the Senate Tuesday and a freeze on college tuition for the next two years included in Schweitzer's budget, which the House also approved Tuesday. Lawmakers also repealed a new fee for water-rights holders, as Schweitzer had proposed, and passed the Military Family Relief Act and $10 million to expand fishing access sites and the state park system.....

Also Tuesday, Schweitzer announced he had signed a bill to "re-regulate" NorthWestern Energy, paving the way for the state's largest utility to build or own power plants again and pass on the costs to ratepayers. The bill is a step toward cheaper electricity for Montanans, he wrote in his signing statement.

It also protects Montana consumers from out-of-state corporations "that place its profits above the economic health of this state and its people," and is the first step toward lowering carbon dioxide emissions by limiting pre-approval to power plants that sequester the greenhouse gas, he said.

Schweitzer had a luxury the other 49 governors would kill for, a budget surplus worth $2500 per taxpayer to play with, but stayed focused on the kinds of programs that would still benefit Montana's families while finding areas to work with the Republican legislature, including some tax cuts.

Some of those Republicans complain that Schweitzer stole their ideas and that others were "gimmicks," but most Montana property owners are probably going to like that $400 rebate gimmick, guaranteed tuition costs over the next few years, and cheaper electricity rates. These are measures that will help families, farmers, and even the state's huge tourist industry--those expanded fishing access sites and state parks will be popular with Montana residents and visitors alike.

There's a reason Schweitzer regularly gets approval ratings as high as 70 percent. That should probably discourage most Republicans thinking about taking him on in 2008, but there's a newcomer to Montana politics I've been keeping my eye on.

Steve Daines is a Bozeman businessman who launched an online campaign, GiveItBack.com, to harrass Schweitzer about the state's surplus. He started running tv and radio ads last week:

The ads urge Montanans to call Schweitzer and insist that he not approve any tax plan that doesn’t give taxpayers back at least half of the $1 billion state general fund surplus.

The TV spot shows a milk carton with a panel, but instead of a missing child, it says, "Missing. Have you seen this governor?" The photo is of Schweitzer. House Republicans have used similar milk cartons to highlight some of Schweitzer’s out-of-state trips.

Schweitzer responded with typical bluntness:

"I already did my work," he said. "I gave a budget when the session started. I can’t do anything till they send me a budget back.... I do have a job to do," he said. "My job comes whether the Legislature is here or not," he said. "My office isn’t sitting in the Capitol building. My office is the rest of Montana."

He also took a shot at GiveItBack.com, calling it a secret group that raises money from out of state.

"They’re good at that," he said of Republicans. "They do not appear to be good at legislating. They’re good at raising out-of-state money and saying mean things about people."

Looking at the Web site for GiveItBack, it sure looks more like a site to launch Steve Daines' campaign than a public interest campaign. Daines might get out of state funding for his project, and from what I hear from friends in Montana, he has plenty of his own money, too. The ads Daines put on the air last week might be the opening salvos in the 2008 governor's race.

Update: MTMofo points out this post about GiveItBack by Matt Singer at Left in the West. Good questions, Matt.