I'm just back from a Draft Brian Schweitzer rally. The goal of the gathering was to somehow entice the reluctant Brian Schweitzer into running for the seat left open by Max Baucus' (forced) retirement.
Like, we have to form a group of young volunteers to travel the state and hold rallies, to somehow pry Brian out of his sequestered rehabilitation from being Governor of Montana, which finds him mending fence and doctoring calves' screw-worm issues on his remote ranch.
Anyway, I think this evening pretty much made it official, Brian is about to announce. I mean when you get an email that reads "Free food, Free beer, grassroots effort to Draft Brian Schweitzer for Senate" and then you arrive at the gathering and there is a band playing (tasty band, "Jesse Ahmann and Fresh Off the Vine") and indeed it is free food and beer (and wine too) and you corner one of the organizers and ask questions like, "Who paid for the food?" and he says, "Oh, just our grassroots organization!"
And he lets it be known that he's an operative who last worked on the Tester campaign, and I ask, "Are you paid?" And he's stumbling a bit, "Only paid by Draft Brian Schweitzer, the grassroots organization we represent!"
Look, I'm a big fan of Brian, I don't mean to sound cynical here...but it's pretty clear what's going on.
Brian Schweitzer is running for US Senate.
The ground game has begun. Names are being taken (you would think that after three consecutive campaigns Brian would already have the name of every possible supporter, and the colors of their cats, plus how many cattle they run on their acreage, maybe they grow arugula.)
The rally this evening was simply political theater, but joyous to attend, since we Purple State Populists now have a candidate who will solidly put the boots to anyone the Repugs put up against him.
There's no show in the political realm quite as entertaining as Brian Schweitzer in full swing. And the prospect of Brian Schweitzer as Senator allows one to dream a bit.
Like, imagine Brian Schweitzer and Elizabeth Warren working together, chomping down on some Repug bone of idiocy.
Savor that image. It's politics as entertainment, and Brian Schweitzer totally gets it.
So...let's GO!
Draft Brian Schweitzer!
Ok, I know it's theater...but they got me, I'm juiced!
