I so agree. Bodner needs to do the right thing and drop out. Alani is perfect to represent all Montanans. I am so tired of the rich, white boys ignoring us while lining their pockets.
Thanks for putting my frustrations into words. One correction, if Substack lets you edit after publishing: Jeannette Rankin is the correct spelling. My memory trick (to share with your editor?): Jeannette voted *No Twice* (to entering World Wars). Two Ns & two Ts in Jeannette. thanks.
Russell: A factual correction: William Golding wrote Lord of the Flies and other novels. William Goldman wrote Princess Bride and many other books and film scripts.
Excellent expression, representative of this plain weird time. Some things just have to be stated (WTF, Jon?), conclusions can't be drawn yet because we are still waiting for the punch line. I wonder if we will even get to know what the heck happened that makes Tester seem unrecognizable right now. Something about the quality of our attention- his in the world of DC and ours here. The guy can't be in 2 places at once, and he was let down, we didn't muster the votes and he wasn't ready to lose that election. It's all very human. And kind of scary.
After we pass the Montana Plan [Initiative-194] and get the Dark Money, Corporate dollars donated as if they were individuals, and get the Very Wealthy’s money out of politics, let’s consider debating a next step: I'd like to get out of the cage of my registering and being required to vote on a Single PARTY-BASED ballot during the Primary Election. Certainly, there must be a way to write a law that isn’t full of sacrifices and one-upmanship of a single party and that allows those to run, who normally might not be considered as “contenders” This Senatorial Election in Montana is a prime example of why we should, in any November’s General Election, just vote for the best and face off the top two or three in November's General Election. [maybe more candidates if they rank within a small percentage of one another] What are the hazards of voting in the primary for the ones with the highest ballot counts?
What we have instead is a three-way race but with an untested Independent candidate, who while gathering lots of pretty, pretty money, he has done so by offering little-to-no platform beyond his: “Duty. Honor. Country", along with his disgraces against women in his portfolio and now we are told he was a General Electric employee [“In 2011, Bodnar joined General Electric, eventually becoming a senior executive in GE's transportation division. As GE’s Transportation's chief digital officer, Bodnar oversaw the development of General Electric's "digital hub", which was responsible for developing locomotive and railway technology.” And also. . . “Then, Bodnar assumed the role of President of the University of Montana in January 2018.” And also. . .”While he has earned two master's degrees—one in Economics and Social History and another in Comparative Social Policy.” According to this site: https://reference.org/facts/Seth_Bodnar/NBaIhk2N.
What I want to know is why I had to research this information?
We know now, how he didn't even have to mount a campaign; that Jon Tester paved his way and suggested he run as an Independent. Now, without any other Independents running for Senate in that district, he automatically will be on the ballot in the autumn election and could go straight to Washington D.C. without passing GO. Seth Bodnar will likely disrupt our Democratic vote in favor of a Republican one in November; it just usually happens. I am old enough to remember Ralph Nader! I get how this is also a three-way contest, but the honor has been lost in the method; Bodnar did not campaign for the primary. I won't fall for Bodnar's strategy, but who else will? My vote will be as it has always been; one vote for Alani Bankhead.
I so agree. Bodner needs to do the right thing and drop out. Alani is perfect to represent all Montanans. I am so tired of the rich, white boys ignoring us while lining their pockets.
Tester has become a real disappointment.
He really has
Thanks for putting my frustrations into words. One correction, if Substack lets you edit after publishing: Jeannette Rankin is the correct spelling. My memory trick (to share with your editor?): Jeannette voted *No Twice* (to entering World Wars). Two Ns & two Ts in Jeannette. thanks.
Thank you, Kathleen! So glad this resonated with you. I will make the correction on Rankin's name. She was a powerhouse.
You make good points.
Russell: A factual correction: William Golding wrote Lord of the Flies and other novels. William Goldman wrote Princess Bride and many other books and film scripts.
Excellent expression, representative of this plain weird time. Some things just have to be stated (WTF, Jon?), conclusions can't be drawn yet because we are still waiting for the punch line. I wonder if we will even get to know what the heck happened that makes Tester seem unrecognizable right now. Something about the quality of our attention- his in the world of DC and ours here. The guy can't be in 2 places at once, and he was let down, we didn't muster the votes and he wasn't ready to lose that election. It's all very human. And kind of scary.
Well said. Thank you for chiming in, Nan.
After we pass the Montana Plan [Initiative-194] and get the Dark Money, Corporate dollars donated as if they were individuals, and get the Very Wealthy’s money out of politics, let’s consider debating a next step: I'd like to get out of the cage of my registering and being required to vote on a Single PARTY-BASED ballot during the Primary Election. Certainly, there must be a way to write a law that isn’t full of sacrifices and one-upmanship of a single party and that allows those to run, who normally might not be considered as “contenders” This Senatorial Election in Montana is a prime example of why we should, in any November’s General Election, just vote for the best and face off the top two or three in November's General Election. [maybe more candidates if they rank within a small percentage of one another] What are the hazards of voting in the primary for the ones with the highest ballot counts?
What we have instead is a three-way race but with an untested Independent candidate, who while gathering lots of pretty, pretty money, he has done so by offering little-to-no platform beyond his: “Duty. Honor. Country", along with his disgraces against women in his portfolio and now we are told he was a General Electric employee [“In 2011, Bodnar joined General Electric, eventually becoming a senior executive in GE's transportation division. As GE’s Transportation's chief digital officer, Bodnar oversaw the development of General Electric's "digital hub", which was responsible for developing locomotive and railway technology.” And also. . . “Then, Bodnar assumed the role of President of the University of Montana in January 2018.” And also. . .”While he has earned two master's degrees—one in Economics and Social History and another in Comparative Social Policy.” According to this site: https://reference.org/facts/Seth_Bodnar/NBaIhk2N.
What I want to know is why I had to research this information?
We know now, how he didn't even have to mount a campaign; that Jon Tester paved his way and suggested he run as an Independent. Now, without any other Independents running for Senate in that district, he automatically will be on the ballot in the autumn election and could go straight to Washington D.C. without passing GO. Seth Bodnar will likely disrupt our Democratic vote in favor of a Republican one in November; it just usually happens. I am old enough to remember Ralph Nader! I get how this is also a three-way contest, but the honor has been lost in the method; Bodnar did not campaign for the primary. I won't fall for Bodnar's strategy, but who else will? My vote will be as it has always been; one vote for Alani Bankhead.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/06/11/an-epstein-files-pop-up-exhibit-leaves-some-visitors-tears/?commentID=ad21010a-0f14-4ff2-aeb5-31422752f93a&utm_campaign=comment-share&utm_medium=soc-share&utm_source=link-share