Beware of "False" Democrats

In my latest research, I uncover the March 27, 2014, issue of the Helena Independent Record that provides information on Medicaid expansion in Montana.  Democratic Gov. Bullock and Lt. Gov. McLean sign a petition to qualify a voter initiative to expand Medicaid.  If they garner enough signatures by June 20, the initiative (I-170) will appear on the November ballot.  This initiative will "ensure 70,000 low-income Montanans no longer live under the threat of financial collapse or catastrophic illness, simply because they do not have adequate health coverage."

The April 3, 2014, issue of the same newspaper describes a second initiative that prohibits Montana "from using funds or staff to administer the Affordable Care Act and forbidding the state from expanding Medicaid..."  This initiative (I-171) also needs to gather enough signatures to appear on the ballot.  "It's a dangerous policy because it would eliminate our CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) and our Medicaid plan, costing thousands of Montanans the health care they depend on."

Meanwhile a lawsuit challenging the fiscal statement of I-170 is filed with the Supreme Court that later rejects the lawsuit.  However, it's the group of three people who file the lawsuit that draws my attention:  one Republican, one Democrat, and one MSU student.  Wait a minute!  A Democrat?!  What is a Democrat doing in such a group?!  Her name is Kathy Hollenback.  The name rings a bell.  I wonder if...

I email Lauren Caldwell, MDLCC Director, for a copy of a list she had sent out early in March.  There it is:  Kathy Hollenback is the last name in a list of 8 Republican Tea Party extremists who are running as "Democrats" in this year's Montana elections.  They all file against true Democrats in primaries.  The problem is first noticed in Gallatin County, where 5 tea Party extremists file.  This same tactic is then seen in both Sanders and Teton Counties.  Its purpose?  To deceive voters and mislead the public.

The following is the list of 8 Republicans running as "Democrats" in Montana:

1.  SD09, Choteau-area -- David Brownell -- primary with Joan Graham (bonafide Democrat).  Brownell runs as Repulican in 2008 for Pandera County Clerk of District Court.  He could not name a Democratic issue he planned to champion (Great Falls Tribune).
2. SD32, Bozeman -- Harry Pennington -- primary with Rep. Franke Wilmer (bonafide Democrat).  Pennington's Facebook page has "racially-charged blather" and calls for Pres. Obama's impeachment (Montana Cowgirl).
3. SD34, Belgrade -- Michael Comstock -- primary with April Bounamici (bonafide Democrat).  Comstock is known as a "one-world conspiracy" theorist and "calls himself a 'Tea Party Extremist'" (Montana Cowgirl).
4. HD13, Thompson Falls/Trout Creek -- Gerald Joseph Cuvillier -- primary with Weylin Achatz (bonafide Democrat).  Cuvillier is "elected in 2011 as Vice-Chair of the Sanders County Republican Central Committee" (Montana Cowgirl).
5. HD14, Superior/Plains -- Gerry Caldwell -- primary with Lloyd Wilkins (bonfide Democrat).  Caldwell is running as a "conservative Democrat".  He could not name a Democratic issue he planned to champion (Great Falls Tribune).
6. HD62, Bozeman -- Dane Peeples -- primary with Rep. Tom Woods (bonafide Democrat).  Peeples "is part of a local militia group called 'the Irregulars' and has an account on the Tea Party 'Patriot' Bulletin Board called the Constitution Club (Montana Cowgirl).
7. HD63, Bozeman -- Laura Springer -- primary with Zach Brown (bonafide Democrat).  Springer is an associate of Peeples (Montana Cowgirl).
8. HD66, Bozeman -- Kathy Hollenback --  primary with Denise Hayman (bonafide Democrat).  Hollenback's filing phone number and address are the same as Gallatin County Republican precinct chairman Dave Ponte (Great Falls Tribune).

Thankfully, the media has been reporting this story:  Montana Cowgirl, The Montana Standard, Great Falls Tribune, Helena IR, and NBC Montana.  If you know any voters in the above areas, pass on this information.