Local Republican group endorses Democrat

[greendog]

Three losing candidates in June's Republican primary for Flathead County commissioner are part of a political action committee that's committed, in the short term, to electing a Democrat.
John Hinchey, Paul Holland and Allen "Chuck" Sieler are listed as officers for Republicans for the Flathead.

As the Nov. 2 election nears, Hinchey said the group supports Joe Brenneman, the Democratic candidate.

More....

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/articles/2004/10/16/news/news02.txt

[John Q. Citizen]

1. Group rallies to take back Flathead GOP

Group rallies to take back Flathead GOP
By MICHAEL JAMISON of the Missoulian



KALISPELL - In the cold dark of early morning, over steaming mugs at a Kalispell coffee shop that hasn't officially opened for the day, a group of men conspire a revolution of sorts.

These architects of political dissent do not look like revolutionaries; rather, they look like bankers - mature white men, financially secure, nicely dressed, hair graying, munching cookies with their coffee.

They are Republicans, and they want their party back.

To do that, they're supporting a Democrat for Flathead County commissioner, the first time ever that many of these men will cast a vote outside the GOP.

"I think we're just the tip of what you're going to see coming forward," said Cal Sweet, a longtime Kalispell businessman. "Enough is enough. We need some sanity when it comes to conservative politics in the Flathead Valley."

According to Sweet and nearly a dozen others around this table, the local Republican Party has been hijacked by "extremists," a "small, radical group" of religious fundamentalists and Libertarians who have crawled under the flap of the famously big Republican tent and are pushing out any who do not accept their dogma.

(More)
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2004/10/19/news/mtregional/news03.txt

[UL_Approved]

2. The swing of the pendulum

We stand yet again at a schism of politics. Extremism takes hold of the current political party which drives away moderate constituents, and sometimes even its stock supporters. In eastern Montana, Bob Sivertsen , a notorious Republican, is getting disenfranchised with the Republican party, and was quoted in the "Havre Daily News", charging that "What they're saying is we're second-class citizens". This statement was in regards to the 4 for 2 bill which was signed into law in 2001. People of eastern Montana are being systematically denied funding for bills and measures passed and have received most of this treatment on behalf of the GOP, both at the state and national level. This example is one of many we will see if our current status quo is upheld on November 2. If early voting and registration in other states is reflective of the overall voting trend, we should at least see a new administration at the national level.

Source of "Havre Daily News" article:
http://www.havredailynews.com/articles/2004/07/14/local_headlines/hwy2.txt