news, Press Release

Rehberg Blames Montana Media for Filtering his Message

Denny Rehberg said his constituents don’t often know what he’s doing in Washington, D.C., because the Montana media is filtering his message.

Rehberg has urged his supporters to use Facebook and Twitter if they want the “truth” behind his agenda. He says he can’t get his message past the “media filter.”

“We’re being filtered through ABC, NBC, CBS, our local newspapers and such,” Rehberg said in one video session, dubbed “Denny’s Desk,” which was taped at his Washington, D.C., office in mid July.

Rehberg Turns His Back on Sickened 9/11 Firefighters

Denny Rehberg voted Thursday against a bill to aid firefighters sickened during the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.

Less than a month after filing a lawsuit against firefighters in Billings, Rehberg voted to deny aid to emergency workers sickened by World Trade Center dust after 9/11.

“It’s hard to believe Denny would actually turn his back on 10,000 emergency workers who braved dangerous conditions while responding to the worst attack in the nation’s history,” said Martin Kidston, communications director for the Montana Democratic Party. “Given that Denny is suing firefighters in Billings, I guess his latest vote shouldn’t come as a big surprise to Montanans.”

Known as the “James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010,” the bill would have provided free health care and compensation payments to 9/11 rescue and recovery workers who fell ill after working in the ruins of the World Trade Center.

Rehberg: The Secret Congressman in the Secret Party

Republican Denny Rehberg and his secret agenda made national news this week when his secret party blocked a public effort by Democrats to pass the DISCLOSE Act.

Rehberg, who voted against the measure in the House, hasn’t bothered explaining to Montanans why he voted to allow corporations and organizations to remain secret while influencing American elections.

The DISCLOSE Act would have required corporations and organizations to disclose their role in political ads. It would also have required them to disclose the names of donors whose contributions helped pay for those ads.

“Without this legislation, folks in Montana are bound to see more deceptive political ads funded by shadowy organizations who won’t even identify themselves,” Sen. Jon Tester said in official statement this week after Republicans blocked the measure. “Unfortunately, not enough folks in Washington were willing to stand up to those groups today."

Rehberg is one of those Washington folks who continues to bow down to large corporations. He failed to police Wall Street by voting against financial reform, and now, with his vote against the DISCLOSE Act, Rehberg again failed to represent Montanans, selling their electoral voice to corporate operators and Washington insiders.

Rehberg Continues 'Smoke and Mirrors' Tour of Montana

Denny Rehberg has scheduled another round of “listening sessions” across Montana this summer in hopes of diverting attention from his lawsuit against firefighters in Billings.

Rehberg, who blames the “mainstream” Montana media for “filtering” his message, said Monday there is “no substitute for the unfiltered opinions” he gets when standing in front of an audience.

“These half-empty listening sessions are little more than smoke and mirrors, a way for Rehberg to try and win back the confidence of conservative Montanans while deflecting public outrage over his frivolous lawsuit,” said Martin Kidston, communications director for the Montana Democratic Party.

“If Rehberg were truly listening to all Montanans, he would drop his lawsuit against Billings firefighters and stop seeking a personal bailout at the expense of the state’s taxpayers.”

In nearly 10 years in office, Rehberg has sponsored only four bills that have actually become law. Three of those bills included name changes to Montana landmarks. He hasn’t crafted a single piece of legislation of national significance in a decade, despite his Montana listening tours.

Rehberg’s listening session in Red Lodge drew roughly 35 people over the weekend. His listening session in Billings, where he’s currently suing firefighters, drew even less.

“The truth of it is, Montanans have given up on sharing their concerns with Rehberg, because it’s like talking to a brick wall in that nothing ever comes of it,” Kidston said. “Rehberg would rather spend his time suing the people of Montana than working with Max and Jon to accomplish meaningful change.”

On July 2, Rehberg filed suit in District Court alleging that Billings firefighters failed to protect his sprawling subdivision from a brushfire. Rehberg filed the lawsuit two years after the summer blaze, just as the statute of limitations was set to expire.

Montana GOP Endorses Invasion of Privacy in Revised Platform

HELENA---The month of July has not been kind to the Montana Republican Party and its leaders. Coming off of their state convention in mid-June, Republicans were left with a platform that included language calling homosexuality illegal:

"We support the clear will of the people of Montana expressed by legislation to keep homosexual acts illegal."  (http://www.mtgop.org/platform.aspx)

At a recent gathering, Rep. Denny Rehberg was asked about the issue:

See video here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSCoDWBgb3o

MARTIN KIDSTON HIRED AS NEW MDP COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

(Helena) --- Gearing up for the November elections and setting its sights on 2012, the Montana Democratic Party has hired reporter and Marine Corps veteran Martin Kidston to lead its communications team.  Kidston will work from Helena and begins next week. 

A graduate of the University of Montana in Missoula, Kidston has spent the last 11 years at the Helena Independent Record. His most recent beats included the Montana military and the northern U.S. border. 

“I’m excited to be a part of the Democratic Party,” Kidston said Tuesday. “I look forward to sharing the Party's message and working hard to improve the lives of everyday Montanans.  I’ve seen the Party’s accomplishments first-hand and I’m eager to help build on its successes across the state.”

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