Governor Brian Schweitzer visited Spokane, Washington, today to support the candidacy of Peter Goldmark for US Representative against Cathy McMorris.
He took a break in the action between the fundraiser and an event honoring veterans and 9/11 victims to talk with me about Montana, eastern Washington, American sources of clean energy, this year's midterm election (including predictions), and, in a question he asked of himself, who's going to be the next President of the United States.
He started off telling me about his impression of Peter Goldmark and eastern Washington:
I've looked at a lot of congressional candidates, and you know I'm not just blowing smoke here. Not only is he a bright guy, he's a businessman, and a scientist--a PhD scientist--he's running a ranch here, he looks good in boots and jeans, and he's got a big belt buckle just like me. He raised a family and raised five kids.
I hadn't heard him speak. He flew over in his own plane to pick me up in Helena and we flew back together. We talked politics, we talked business, and we talked science. He's clearly a bright guy.
But when he stood up and started speaking, I said, "Oh my God, this guy kicks ass and takes names!" And you can quote me on that! I think that I'm going to give a call to Rahm [Emanuel, DCCC Chair] and I'm going to say you're missing the boat. Get on board here!
Just because the beauty queen [Cathy McMorris] won big last time, the world's changed a lot since then. Eastern Washington is just like Montana; the things that are happening in Montana are the same things that are happening in eastern Washington, and he's [Goldmark's] the kind of guy that plays. This dog hunts in eastern Washington.
I don't know if a guy like he, or me, would play on the east or west coasts. But I can tell you that I know the folks who live here, and he plays here. This is good.
Biofuels and clean coal:
We will use any clean new technology to wean ourselves off of oil. Clearly, we are at peak oil, and every time you fill up your car, you're not only putting money in the pockets of a dictator who would like to destroy our way of life, you're also sending money out of each and every one of our communities.
So, when we're producing wind power, biodiesel, ethanol, coal to liquids, we're producing thousands of jobs right here in the heartland. And each of those technologies produce less carbon dioxide than importing oil from dictators.
Tester/Burns:
Burns is going down!
Let my just say this for people who don't know. Jon Tester's grandparents homesteaded about 15 miles from my grandparents. Jon Tester was born in the same little hospital I was born in, and if I could pick anyone to represent the State of Montana, and represent the rest of this country, and have the kind of heart and the kind of intellect that we need in the United States Senate, it would be Jon Tester.
And Conrad Burns' latest dirty ad:
Here's a little tip for Jon Tester and his campaign. I ran against Burns and every Thursday at 4pm there will be a new ad from now until the election. He's got millions of dollars from Washington, D.C. lobbyists, and he'll say anything--I mean, it will be the nastiest ads since the last time he ran.
It's unusual for an incumbent to be the one who runs a negative campaign. Burns is the complete opposite of everyone else. Usually the incumbent says, "I'm a good guy and look at all the wonderful things I've done." But since Burns hasn't done a heck of a lot for Montana, he says something rotten about the guy who would like to replace him. And, you know, that kind of attitude is one that's not playing in Montana. People are saying, I think we've had enough with this auctioneer. It's time to send him back to Missouri.
On taking the House and Senate:
Let me say categorically that I know where we get the 15 votes. I think that we get to 18 or 19, and we take back the House.
Senate. Let's count them together.
1) Santorum: gone. [Casey over Santorum]
2) I think Chafee loses the primary, which means Whitehouse wins big time in Rhode Island.
3) We're going to win Ohio, too. [Brown over DeWine]
4) We're going to win in Montana. [Tester over Burns]
5) Look at what's happening in Tennessee. It's in the margin of error: it's tied. And, by the way, Harold Ford, Jr. is the most skilled communicator in public service today. He's a great guy.
Webb is kicking ass and taking names against ol' Allen. You know, all we have to do is put a microphone in front of Allen and he'll say something kooky. Not as kooky as Burns, I'd say, but kooky.
Jack Carter. I'm going down to help him in Nevada. He's got a real chance of winning.
So, I can get to five. Maybe we get to six. And when you're doing the Senate map, there's a big difference between five and six. So we'll need a little help from the Creator, the winds, the stars and sun, and we'll at least win the House, and we'll tie in the Senate or better. There's my prediction.
And, one other thing on his mind...who's going to be the next President of the United States?
I don't know. But this will be the most interesting election in this century because there won't be any president or vice president running unless Dick Cheney is smoking his belly button lint and he runs. It looks like it's going to be completely outside.
On the Democratic side, Hillary has the advantage, and she's probably got a 2:1 chance of winning this thing. You've got Edwards and Warner that are 4:1, 5:1. Then you've got my good friend Billy Richardson, and my friend Tom Vilsack. Biden. All of them are great candidates, and we haven't even heard about some.
Oh, and Evan Bayh. And, Al Gore says he's not running, but it could be Al Gore.
On the Republican side, you know they're going to have to find someone who doesn't have both feet in the trough and his nose in there, too. That's tough.
McCain might seem like the most popular among them but he has to win a "Republican" primary, which means Republicans show up on any given day, and they decide who they want to represent them, and a lot of them don't like McCain. I thought Allen might have had the inside track, but it looks like he might even lose his Senate race.
People say Giuliani. I don't know how it plays in New York City, but out in the heartland where I come from, a guy who's living in the Mayor's residence with both his wife and his girlfriend is not something that's going to fly. I'm just saying it's not going to work.
Mitt Romney is a guy people are counting out. They think the "M" word is going to get in his way. But I went to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait with Mitt Romney, and he's a good guy. He's a smart guy, and he's a reasonable guy. So, if his Mormon faith doesn't get in his way out in the Midwest, keep an eye on Mitt.