The editors were praising the Montana Congressional delegation for being the first full delegation to post schedules on the web, and they noted that Republican Secretary of State Brad Johnson is starting to do the same thing (and incidentally plans to retroactively post as much as he can.)
What was the governor's response? Basically that anyone, particularly the press, who wants to ask what he is doing can call and ask.
Funny thing, when Rep. Denny Rehberg gave a similar response when Sen. Tester began posting his schedule, he was lambasted for this by the left.
Maybe MH doesn't spend as much time on the liberal blogs as might be advisable, but there seems to be quite a bit of silence about this, compared to the days of the "where's Denny" campaigns.
Perhaps when a Democratic governor is the one who says "call my office and ask what I'm doing if you want to know," it's different than when a Republican Congressman says it.
But kudos to the Gazette editors for writing:
Gov. Brian Schweitzer and Attorney General Mike McGrath told the Associated Press that their schedules are available to those who ask. But that's not the same as posting them online.
And presumably, concerned Democrats will start calling the governor's office every day, asking for a schedule to see if one is produced, to see how detailed it is, and to see if it matches reality.
The MH opinion is unchanged that while some information on the schedules may be useful, most of it amounts to rather silly gamesmanship. Anyone who thinks that any meetings at which truly unethical things are done would be posted on the web in an undisguised way is, well, spinning a web of dreams.
To quote ourselves from the above link:
There is nothing wrong with Sen. Tester publishing a schedule, and in fact there are good things about it. Perhaps curious bloggers will start e-mailing or calling the Montanans listed on Tester's schedule as having met with him, and asking them what was said in that meeting. Perhaps the responses to those e-mails and phone enquiries will be posted on the internet, and we will all be enlightened.
Again, if that's been happening, we've not noticed it.
2 comments:
Well I can not tell you where the energy Gov is at all times. Because of lack of 911 tapes, we don't know if he was home when the police were called a few months ago, twice! But I will give you a link to track his aircraft from the time the flight plan is filed to the touchdown on the return trip.
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N28KP
I get e-mail updates on any movement of the plane , tail # N28KP. His lovely asst Sarah Elliot Furey will say he isn't always on the plane, but I'm guessing 95% or more.
I was told by a state worker in Helena that Gov. Judy Martz always posted her schedule online on Newslinks.
Now isn't that grand? Remember all the grief she got from the press for one thing or another? She never got any credit for posting her schedule. And she isn't getting any credit now. And the press is essentially giving the current governor a pass on not posting his schedule.
What a double standard. But I guess that's hardly news, is it?
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