Senators caught in their own trap

Republican leaders in Montana have apparently discovered their true enemies — themselves. Or rather, a wing of their own conservative movement.

As all political leaders sooner or later discover, it is always possible to be outflanked by someone who is willing to take a more radical position.

In the latest case, the outflanking maneuver was performed by those willing to move farther to the right than Montana’s conservative element.

So in the darkest time of year with the longest nights, the sun providing the least warmth and the present looking bleak, Republican leaders made the discovery of dark money, known to the rest of us as money from political action committees. And now they can’t stop talking about it.

From the darkness comes more darkness.

The legislators on the right side of the aisle who consider themselves to be on the vanguard of a gravity shift toward more conservative conservatism were almost undone by people with even more conservative views with deep pockets who were not afraid to call for a return to 1880 when all the seats in the legislature were held by stolid ranchers and mine owners.

Sens. Bruce Tutvedt (R-Kalispell) and John Esp (R-Big Timber) called foul. They wanted to be the most conservative of all the conservatives. They recently filed a complaint with the state political practices office alleging they were attacked during the primary campaign by an organization even more conservative, which would not reveal its sources of funding.

But wait a minute, aren’t members of the conservative wing of the Republican party the same politicians who pushed for allowing political action committees to use unlimited funds to back candidates and to attack their opponents?

Didn’t many of them benefit from anonymous PAC money?

It appears the honorable senators got caught in their own trap. Perhaps it has occurred to them that allowing anonymous political spending by out of state organizations wasn’t such a great idea after all.

Or perhaps anonymous spending is only a good idea when the money is spent on oneself.

It must be humiliating for the honorable senators. Their complaints sound almost, well, liberal.

Why senators, did you wait until after the general election in November to file a complaint when the alleged infractions occurred in May?

Were you hoping to reap some of the anonymously funded advertising during the general election?

Could it be because you were ashamed to file your grievance until you and your cronies occupy Helena for three months?

Good luck aggrieved senators. And good luck in those party caucuses where you will not be able to tell your friends from your enemies. Careful you don’t get outflanked behind closed doors again.

Perhaps you could stand in a corner where no idea can sneak up on you.

Jack Jackson,

Bigfork