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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsKochs defeated in Montana: 6 lessons the country can learn from this rural Western state
Americans for Prosperity spent a bundle to defeat Medicaid expansion in Montana. Here's why they lostERIC STERN
The passage of Medicaid expansion in Montana this weekend was an unlikely defeat for the Koch brothers, who came in as heavy favorites and spent a fortune trying to kill the measure. Sadly for the Kochs, poor people in Montana will now get medical care.
Montana is the only state where the Kochs got beaten down like this. What is to be learned from this episode?
1. Rural America isnt New York. The right-wingers the Koch brothers rub elbows with are the kind that go to Lincoln Center. The ones in Montana are a different breed, something the Kochs may not have fully understood. Their group Americans for Prosperity has cycled through five different leaders in Montana the last few years. The first guy they hired showed up at a committee hearing at the Capitol dressed in leather, like a biker, wearing an American flag bandanna on his head. After that, they tried two different former state senators, one of whom has publicly campaigned to revive sodomy laws. Next they brought in a man who was once part of a religious cult whose members all descended into a bunker on March 15, 1990, believing that the world would end that very day.
For the Medicaid battle the Kochs tried a new strategy, one that never works in the West. They flew in a bunch of high-priced young politicos from Washington to get the job done. These held town meetings in rural communities at which they showed up in slim-fit suits and pointy shoes, looking like they were heading to a nightclub, lecturing farmers and ranches on politics and the dangers of more Obamacare and publicly threatening moderate Republicans. It didnt take long for them to get booed off the stage by their own partisans.
2. Progressives are smarter and savvier. Now lets look at the winning army, a group of young activists with far fewer resources than the Koch team but with an advantage weve seen pay dividends time and again: They understand spreadsheets, data and grass-roots organizing, and are smart; unlike most Tea Partyers who dont, and who are not. They teamed up with hospital executives, doctors and business leaders. These are Republican-leaning types who wanted Medicaid expansion in 2013 but were let down by their own high-priced conservative lobbyists who failed to deliver Republican votes. This time, the progressives took care of business and pressured one in five Republicans to vote for it. Kim Abbott of Montana Human Rights Network, who coordinated the effort, says they banked a record 10,000 calls to legislators. They found citizens with life-ending illnesses who could not afford treatment, who are not eligible for Medicaid nor an ACA-subsidized plan, and paired them with hospital leaders for media appearances and to testify at hearings at the Capitol. The Kochs crew, meanwhile, testified at the same hearings that Americans will no longer have an incentive to work hard if Medicaid is expanded.
more
http://www.salon.com/2015/04/21/kochs_defeated_in_montana_6_lessons_the_country_can_learn_from_this_rural_western_state/
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Kochs defeated in Montana: 6 lessons the country can learn from this rural Western state (Original Post)
DonViejo
Apr 2015
OP
Oregon sent them packing during the last midterms as well, pulled their funding early and
Bluenorthwest
Apr 2015
#4
"...with far fewer resources..." You don't need more $, only enough to do the job.
Eleanors38
Apr 2015
#7
JustAnotherGen
(31,823 posts)1. Rec - because I love it when our side
Gets a win!
aspirant
(3,533 posts)3. It doesn't take much
when visible truth is informing the electorate.
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)4. Oregon sent them packing during the last midterms as well, pulled their funding early and
watched their candidate lose by a good 20 points. This article has some very good points. The west is not the east. Even in Democratic primary politics there are great differences.
appalachiablue
(41,132 posts)5. K & R. Excellent, good for Montana!
WillyT
(72,631 posts)6. HUGE K & R !!! - THANK YOU !!!
Eleanors38
(18,318 posts)7. "...with far fewer resources..." You don't need more $, only enough to do the job.