Montana GOP struggles with crisis at annual convention

While the ‘Grand Old Party’ struggles with latest crisis, Montanans want to know if GOP will double down on extremist rhetoric
 
Helena, MT -- With the Montana Republican Party convention underway, Montanans are wondering if the GOP will stay the course of using inflammatory rhetoric for political gain, or if they will double down and cast their lot with most extreme members of the their party.

"The Montana Republican Party is in a state of crisis,” said Chris Saeger, spokesman for the Montana Democratic Party. “Some want to keep following the divisive, extremist path Congressman Rehberg chose for Republican legislators, while others want to take their party completely outside the mainstream. Unfortunately, there’s no good outcome in this debate for Montanans.”

For his part, Montana’s millionaire Congressman Dennis Rehberg, the “undisputed leader of the Montana Republican Party”, has already signaled two possible outcomes:

• He could emerge as the Congressman that pushes a plan to gut safety standards for candy, the blood supply, and children’s health.
• Or he could leave as the Congressman that votes against his own bill when his party bosses tell him to.

Some of Congressman Rehberg’s disciples in the state legislature give insight about the status quo of the Montana Republican Party:

• Wendy Warburton (R-Havre), who followed Congressman Rehberg’s lead in trying to defund Planned Parenthood. Congressman Rehberg also tried to gut Planned Parenthood this year.
• The majority of the Republican legislature, which voted to increase tuition for Montana college students. Congressman Rehberg has called tuition assistance for college students ‘welfare’.
• Keith Regier (R-Kalispell), who compared pregnant women to cattle. 

Or, the Montana Republican Party could follow a new, even more extreme vision for the Party following Tea Party Republicans like these:

• Rep. Alan Hale (R-Basin), who opposes DUI laws that keep our families safe.
• Rep. Bob Wagner (R-Harrison), who wants Montanans to use gold to pay for groceries and supports birther legislation.
• Sen. Greg (R-Thompson Falls), who wants County Sheriffs to run terrorism cases and thinks it’s time for Montana to allow spear hunting.