Dark vs. Dark
Party bosses seem intent on purging rural Republicans from their own party, replaced by loyalist who pass the ideological purity test
SPLAT! The safe fell from the rope and squashed the dark spy. The light spy looked on with delight, arms crossed, too late to see the lit fuse rapidly burning behind him. POOF!
For 26 years the Cuban refugee, Antonio Prohias, drew Spy vs. Spy comics satirizing the cold war in Mad Magazine viewed by kids and adults. The black and white spies alternated winning, each about half the time. Decades later, that familiar cartoonish, shadowy warfare jumped from magazine into Montana politics.
Montana elections are overrun by dark money. Suddenly big cash appears to some new group to run attack mailers on legislative races across Montana. Over time the public can see where the money was spent. But where it comes from remains a mystery for years.
Republican Party bosses are purging the not-so-fanatical members of their caucus from the circus tent. At convention, they dumped nine caucus members, dubbing the senators the Nasty 9. On the House side, the Dirty Dozen – their latest nickname for RINOs, face dark-ad primaries.
The two dozen Republicans call themselves the Solutions Caucus. Rep. Llew Jones is the most prominent leader. He’s the architect of Montana’s controversial property tax laws that only partially refunded reappraisal taxes back to local homeowners, farmers, and small businesses.
On social media, Jones says the right-wing dark money group, Americans for Prosperity, is spending lavishly to defeat him in the upcoming June primaries. I bet they are. They spend lots against both parties. These right-wing money groups don’t easily disclose their secret donors or who they work for. But they sure spend a lot of money getting Montana to do as they like.
This is the same right-wing versus not-as-right-wing dark money primary battle that Montana saw two years ago, and prior. These same money groups wage fresh battles today with new groups pushing more wheelbarrows of cash, setting the tone on electing the governing party.
Countering Americans for Prosperity are the supporters of Jones, the Conservative4MT folks with their in-state, out-of-state, and dark monies funneled through various PACs, 501C4, and 527 funded groups intent on telling Montanans what to think, how to vote, and whom to elect.
Party bosses seem intent on purging rural Republicans from their own party, replaced by loyalist who pass the ideological purity test, and do as their told. Long gone is the political mantra of voting party last. Republicans today put party before conscience or constituent.
Dark money is sharper in today’s digital world. They’ve likely got more money than ever to spend on elections, lobbying and schmoozing, yet still only win half the time. The other wins are held by the Republicans’ other dark money groups. In true Spy vs. Spy, they each win half.
I recall when Jones came to Helena. He sported short ties, me in my not-so-new suits. We were the freshman class of 2005. Jones remained a fixture in Helena for over 20 years. Most left, he stayed, enjoying the perks, benefits and power. Yes, the power.
That absolute power which another Republican articulated to me on my first days in the Capitol. Wild eyed, he said, can’t you just feel the power, motioning to the grandeur of the House chamber, its glass ceiling and watching-wolf painted behind the Speaker’s lectern.
Voters watch and wonder what the hell is going on, as opposing sides of Republican dark money spend big dollars showing everyone how bad each side of the money game has become. It’d be weirdly entertaining, if not so seriously damning to democracy.
Dark money is a big problem in Montana, with over a $100 million untraceable dollars spent in the last election. Hundreds of thousands of darker dollars are projected to be spent in the next few months. Much here locally in places like Kalispell where the right-wing Freedom Caucus is funding digital politics through their Accountability in State Government group.
Dark money is the thumb on the scale when it comes to local planning, it helped overcharge homeowners with state property taxes. Dark money is involved in healthcare, insurance, and childcare policy. Undisclosed money sows much division in Montana politics.
Dark money is active in Flathead subdivision planning. It’s a big part of Helena lobbying. It funds statewide lawsuits. It sues local towns. It’s active in Democratic and Republican elections and policymaking. Dark money remains loyal to dark money, no matter what they tell you.
Those dozens of dark money groups operating in Montana aren’t going anywhere soon. They operate outside the party, controlling more resources than Democrats and Republicans combined. None will unilaterally disarm. Voters decide what kind of Montana we live in.
When Jeff Mangan, Jon Tester, and Marc Racicot held a forum in Billings on the Transparency Initiative to remove corporate money out of state politics, a reported 800 locals turned out to participate. Give the Montana Plan a look. Everyone agrees there’s too much money in politics.
Western congressional district hopefuls Ryan Busse, Russell Cleveland, Sam Forstag, and Matt Rains will all be at the Performing Arts Center in the Whitefish Middle School on Monday, March 9 at 7 p.m. for a live podcast about politics in Montana. Join us for this roundtable chat.
Dark and light money spies will keep bombing each other until voters cut the fuse. The Republican dark money primaries are here and headed to a legislative district near you.
You’ll know as dark times arrive. The airwaves, internet, phones, and mailboxes will choke on propaganda with funneled money from stateless tycoons living as far away as Switzerland but with an ax to grind in our towns and state. TICK-TOCK, TICK-TOCK. ###