Montana Lowdown
77 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 63 ratingsMontana Lowdown features in-depth conversations with top newsmakers, journalists, politicians, and experts about significant issues facing America's "last best place."
Veteran award-winning journalist John S. Adams, founder and editor of Montana Free Press and the star of the documentary film "Dark Money," hosts the podcast, shedding light on essential news stories and broadening the debate on the hottest topics.
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Episodes
Montana Democrats Test 2020 Messages At Statewide Convention
July 16, 2019 03:11 - 37 minutes - 51.9 MBThe Montana Democratic Party held its Officers and Rules Convention in Helena July 12-13, and journalist Alex Sakariassen and Montana Public Radio capital reporter Corin Cates-Carney were there to cover all the action as the 2020 election season gets underway. One key takeaway was the party's ambition to reconnect with rural voters in Montana. Another was an emphasis on crafting a message that will appeal to both the party base and independent voters who feel disenfranchised by Donald Tru...
Veteran Journalist Mike Dennison on His New Book "Inside Montana Politics: A Reporter’s View from the Trenches"
July 09, 2019 19:42 - 46 minutes - 63.8 MBOn this week's episode of the Montana Lowdown, veteran political reporter and broadcast journalist Mike Dennison discusses his new book, “Inside Montana Politics: A Reporter’s View from the Trenches." Dennison has been covering political campaigns, the Legislature, health care, energy, the environment, and other issues for more than three decades. "Inside Montana Politics" is a fascinating read for anyone with an interest in Montana history, and Dennison brings a cast of notable characte...
2020 Election: Democrat Bryce Bennett's Run For Secretary Of State
July 02, 2019 16:51 - 46 minutes - 64.5 MBThis week we continue our coverage of the candidates vying for state office in 2020, with our first look at the race for Secretary of State with Missoula Democratic State Sen. Bryce Bennett. In his five terms in the Legislature, Bennett has sponsored numerous bills focused on voter access and other election laws. He sees clear threats to Montana elections from voter suppression, dark money, disinformation, hacking, and voter apathy, he said. "There’s a lot of opportunities for the Secret...
2020 Election: Democrat Raph Graybill's Vision For Attorney General
June 25, 2019 19:56 - 44 minutes - 61.6 MBOur coverage of the 2020 Montana Attorney General’s race continues this week with Democratic candidate for Attorney General Raph Graybill. Currently the Chief Legal Counsel for Governor Steve Bullock, Graybill said he’s running on his belief that the Attorney General’s job is to serve as a proactive advocate for consumers against the influence of ideological courts and industrial interests. “I want to live in a world where corporations and the powerful can’t use courts and the legislature...
Montana GOP sets the stage for 2020
June 18, 2019 03:34 - 36 minutes - 50.5 MBThe Montana Republican Party held its annual convention in Helena last week, and we sent veteran Montana political reporter Charles Johnson and longtime Billings reporter and columnist Ed Kemmick to the convention hall to take the pulse on the state GOP as the party gears up for the 2020 elections. With vacancies in nearly every major office, some party leaders are opting to abandon posts they’ve recently won in hopes of staking out new claims to power. It’s becoming clear that the party h...
2020 Election: Republican Jon Bennion vying for Attorney General
June 11, 2019 17:56 - 47 minutes - 66.1 MBDeputy Attorney General Jon Benion is no stranger to Montana politics. He worked on Republican U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg's campaigns in 2000 and 2002, and in 2004 he published a "Big Sky Politics," a detailed book on post-war politics in Montana. After earning his law degree from the University of Montana, Bennion clerked for a district court judge in Billings, and then in 2006 he went to work in Helena as the top lobbyist for the Montana Chamber of Commerce. For the past six-and-a-half ...
The case for less transparency
May 28, 2019 15:14 - 41 minutes - 57.4 MBIn a provocative essay in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs magazine, author James D'Angelo, founder of the Congressional Research Institute, argues that more transparency in the legislative process leads to more corruption. At the heart of D'Angelo's seemingly counterintuitive argument is the notion that recording and making public every procedural vote lawmakers take empowers special interest groups and lobbyists at the expense of the public interest. Hear D'Angelo's case for less...
2020 Election: Democrat Kimberly Dudik on her campaign for attorney general
May 22, 2019 01:14 - 43 minutes - 60.1 MBFour-term Montana Rep. Kimberly Dudik was the first Democrat to throw her hat into the ring to replace outgoing Republican Attorney General Tim Fox, who is termed out of office in 2020. Dudik, a Missoula attorney, announced her candidacy just weeks before the 2019 Legislature convened, even though some people advised her that doing so could hamper her legislative priorities. "I chose not to believe that false narrative, and I did it anyway," Dudik said. "I filed... the week before Chri...
Art, expression and Democracy
May 15, 2019 19:34 - 39 minutes - 54.1 MBLiterary performer and educator, Regie Gibson, has lectured and performed in the U.S., Cuba and Europe. Representing the U.S., Regie competed for and received the Absolute Poetry Award in Monfalcone, Italy and the Europa en Verse Prize in Lagauardia di Como, Italy. He and his work appear in “love jones”: a feature film based on events in his life. He has served as a think-tank member and consultant for both the National Endowment for the Arts “How Art Works” initiative and for the “Mere Di...
A View From the Right: Republican firebrand Derek Skees on conservative losses in the 2019 Legislature
May 07, 2019 15:59 - 1 hour - 84.6 MBHouse Majority Whip Rep. Derek Skees is among the group of conservative Republicans — the self-described “38 specials" — who resisted efforts by 20 or so members of the so-called Solutions Caucus to pass major legislation during the 2019 legislative session. "I honestly think we suffered more losses than we did gains," Skees said in a wide-ranging Montana Lowdown podcast interview. "It was summed up perfectly in the minority leader’s speech on the House Floor: Democrats got everything they...
Seeking Solutions: Republicans Llew Jones and Nancy Ballance reflect on 2019 legislative outcomes
April 30, 2019 17:43 - 1 hour - 96.6 MBReps. Llew Jones and Nancy Ballance are arguably two of the most influential lawmakers in the Montana Legislature. Their admirers see them as pragmatic problem-solvers committed to finding bipartisan solutions to issues facing the state. Their detractors say they are central figures in a group of "Republicans in name only," who are too quick to side with Democrats to pass policy and budget proposals that deviate from conservative principles. A day after the session ended, Jones and ...
“Political Hellraiser: The Life and Times Senator Burton K. Wheeler of Montana.”
April 23, 2019 15:43 - 50 minutes - 69.9 MBBurton K. Wheeler was an original maverick. A “Political Hellraiser,” according to a new full-length biography of the former Montana Senator. B.K. as he was known to his friends, was a champion of organized labor, a one-time vice-presidential candidate on the Progressive Party ticket, an anti-war, pro-New Deal Democrat, and a one-time ally of President Franklin D. Roosevelt who later spearheaded opposition to Roosevelt’s attempt to pack the U.S. Supreme Court. Wheeler was fiercely indep...
Senate Minority Leader Jon Sesso on finding the middle ground
April 16, 2019 14:12 - 44 minutes - 61.7 MBOver in his 16 years serving in the Montana Legislature, Sen. Jon Sesso, D-Butte, has served in Democratic leadership positions in both the House and the Senate. As a freshman in 2005, Sesso was appointed to the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which set him on the path to becoming the Democrats’ top budget negotiator. There are few lawmakers in the capitol with as much experience as Sesso, and as a top leader for the minority party, Sesso says the way to advance Democratic priorit...
Sen. Bob Keenan on what he calls Montana's "unicameral Legislature"
April 09, 2019 13:51 - 43 minutes - 60.3 MBSen. Bob Keenan, a longtime conservative Republican from Bigfork, is one of the longest-serving lawmakers in the state capitol. He served as president of the Montana Senate in 2003, and in 2006 he surprised many in his party when he challenged incumbent U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns in the 2006 Republican primary election. Keenan, who returned to the Legislature in 2015 when he served as vice-chair of the Senate Finance Committee, is an outspoken critic of one of Legislature's most influential...
Exploring the Montana's "Richest Hill"
April 02, 2019 18:21 - 43 minutes - 59.7 MBCopper made Butte the "Richest Hill," and its also the reason the historic city is home to the nation's largest Superfund site. Hosted by Montana Public Radio report Nora Saks, and set in what was once the copper mining capital of the world, Montana Public Radio's "Richest Hill" podcast explores Butte's history, culture and environmental calamity. The New Yorker calls the "Richest Hill" a "must-listen podcast about Butte, Montana." MTPR news director and "Richest Hill" executive prod...
"King Coal": Sen. Duane Ankney on how Senate Bill 331 could save the state budget, and Colstrip
March 25, 2019 02:30 - 45 minutes - 62.7 MBSB 331 is only three pages long, but is widely seen as one of the most significant and far-reaching pieces of legislation state lawmakers are considering this session. The bill would allow NorthWestern Energy to purchase an additional 150 megawatts of power from Colstrip Units 3 & 4 at a cost of no more than $1 and would limit the Public Service Commission’s oversight authority over how NorthWestern passes on the costs of acquiring additional Colstrip generation to its customers. Sen. D...
Blank Check: Environmental advocate Anne Hedges on why Senate Bill 331 is the "worst bill since deregulation"
March 25, 2019 02:12 - 44 minutes - 61.9 MBSenate Bill 331 has emerged as one of the most significant and controversial bills of the 2019 Legislative session. Backers of the proposal say it shores-up baseload electricity generation for the state's largest utility, NorthWestern Energy, while giving some hope to the community and workers in Colstrip, where the Colstrip power plant is located. But opponents say the bill does little more than give the monopoly utility and its shareholders a "blank check" courtesy of NorthWestern Ener...
Gov. Steve Bullock talks presidential ambitions and legislative priorities
March 12, 2019 19:50 - 41 minutes - 57.2 MBMontana Gov. Steve Bullock remained noncommittal about his presidential aspirations, but continued to express interest in potentially joining the ever-growing list of 2020 Democratic hopefuls. Bullock said for the time being he has more pressing priorities to address before he makes a decision. Bullock, who is more than halfway through his second and final term as governor, said that before he decides whether to run for the nation’s highest office, he first wants to finish working with ...
Two Visions for Medicaid Expansion in Montana
February 25, 2019 16:15 - 41 minutes - 57.1 MBMedicaid expansion is going to be one of the most hotly debated issues the 2019 Montana Legislature will tackle this session, and Rep. Mary Caferro, D-Helena, and Rep. Ed Buttrey, R-Great Falls, will play critical roles in determining the final outcome. In 2015 these two lawmakers worked across the aisle to craft a bipartisan bill that expanded Medicaid health care coverage to nearly 100,000 low-income Montanans. Supporters say Medicaid expansion has been a boon to Montana’s economy. I...
Independence, or blind loyalty?
February 18, 2019 21:50 - 32 minutes - 45.4 MBSen. Steve Fitzpatrick is in the middle of a longstanding political battle over who has rightful control over the Cascade County Republican Central Committee. This is a debate that has gotten pretty ugly in the last couple of years. “From my point of view, I really don’t want to be involved in central committee politics, but I just can’t sit by and have a central committee that espouses racist things in meetings, that threatens people in meetings, and just acts in a way that is so out of ...
A View From the Left: Democratic House Whip Kim Abbott on trust, responsibility and unexpected surprises in the Montana Legislature
February 13, 2019 18:04 - 38 minutes - 53.1 MBRep. Kim Abbott, D-Helena, is in her second term serving House District 83, but she’s been involved with the Legislature a lot longer than that. Prior to serving in the House, Abbott lobbied in the capitol on behalf of the Montana Human Rights network, a state-based grassroots human rights organization that works to promote democratic values such as pluralism, equality, and justice. From increasing access to health care to passing protections from discrimination to protecting public educ...
Bonus Lowdown: Chuck Johnson remembers legendary lawmaker Francis Bardanouve
February 08, 2019 22:29 - 11 minutes - 16 MBIn his more than four decades reporting on the Montana statehouse, Chuck Johnson covered a lot of legislators. Perhaps none was a memorable, effective and influential as the legendary Hi-Line lawmaker Rep. Francis Bardanouve. "Representative Bardanouve overcame a severe speech impediment to become one of the most thoughtful, fair, and articulate members ever to serve in the Montana House of Representatives," reads a plaque in the east wing of the state Capitol honoring the 10-time chai...
The Dean of Montana Politics
February 04, 2019 15:02 - 32 minutes - 45.2 MBIn his 43 years reporting on Montana politics and government, Chuck Johnson covered 23 legislative sessions, eight governors, nine U.S. Senators, 12 U.S. Representatives, and more elections, controversies and political battles than you can count. His reporting was always factual, fair, and infused with a sense history and institutional knowledge that gave readers a broader perspective on the most significant issues of the day. That's why Chuck Johnson is known throughout the state as the “...
Methodology vs. Ideology: Rep. Eric Moore on his plan to reshape the debate over infrastructure funding in Montana
January 28, 2019 10:00 - 32 minutes - 44.5 MBMost lawmakers in Helena agree that improving and upgrading water systems, schools, and public buildings are good investments for the state and put people to work. But despite bipartisan support for infrastructure, it’s been nearly a decade since a bonding bill to pay for it has made it past the governor’s desk. Republican Rep. Eric Moore, who served two terms in the Montana Senate before moving over to the House, is leading a GOP effort to come up with a long-term solution to the state’...
Newsroom Roundtable: Meet the Montana Free Press team
January 22, 2019 14:41 - 32 minutes - 45.2 MBIn this third episode of the Montana Lowdown podcast, we welcome Montana Free Press reporter Leia Larsen and independent freelance data journalist and designer Eric Dietrich into the studio to talk about what inspires them to pursue the news, what's surprising about the Montana Legislature, and their hopes for the future of nonprofit journalism.
Minority Report: Democratic Leader Casey Schreiner on pragmatism and bipartisanship in the Montana House
January 13, 2019 20:31 - 42 minutes - 59.1 MBDemocrats haven't had a ruling majority in the Montana House of Representatives since 1991, and yet they still manage to get some of their legislative priorities passed each session. How? Montana Rep. Casey Schreiner says it comes down to pragmatism and bipartisanship. "Through this whole time in the Legislature, I really have tried to focus my vision on being pragmatic and accomplishing goals," said Schreiner, the House Minority Leader in the 2019 Legislative session. "Let's make s...
House Divided: GOP feud threatens to boil-over in Montana Legislature
January 06, 2019 23:24 - 47 minutes - 109 MBIt’s a new year, and a new legislative session is upon us, but an old rift has re-emerged among Montana’s Republican lawmakers. For more than a decade GOP legislators have been at war with each other over the heart and soul of their party. On one side are hard-line conservatives who view their longstanding legislative majorities as a mandate to oppose Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock's agenda at every turn. On the other side is a growing group of lawmakers, ranging from moderate to conserva...