Brian Schweitzer possible presidential campaign, 2016
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- See also: Brian Schweitzer
Brian Schweitzer was a potential candidate for the office of President of the United States in 2016.
Schweitzer served as governor of Montana from January 3, 2005, to January 7, 2013.[1][2] During a January 2014 interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," host Mika Brzezinski asked Schweitzer if he would run for president. He replied, "I haven’t decided that. It would ruin my life. Take a look at what has happened to the president. …I have a pretty good life in the private sector right now."[3] Seventeen governors have served as president.[4]
On the issues
Economic and fiscal policies
Taxes
- In 2011, Brian Schweitzer signed Senate Bill No. 372, which reduced the tax on business equipment. According to the Cato Institute, "The bill reduced the rate from 3 to 2 percent on the first $2 million of equipment owned."[5][6]
- According to the Cato Institute's 2012 report, The tax cut was "a good reform, but Schweitzer has blocked larger tax reforms proposed by the legislature, including full repeal of corporate income taxes and property taxes on business equipment."[6]
International trade
- In October 2006, during an interview with The New York Times, Brian Schweitzer said, "I was a critic of Nafta, I was a critic of Cafta and I’ll be a critic of Shafta. Why is it that America supposedly creates the best businessmen in the world, but when we go to the table with the third world, we come away losers?"[7]
Budgets
- Brian Schweitzer received a fiscal policy grade of "C" from the Cato Institute in 2012. According to the report, "Montana general fund spending grew rapidly during Schweitzer’s first few years in office, but spending has been fairly flat in recent years."[6]
- Schweitzer received a fiscal policy grade of "B" from the Cato Institute in 2011. According to the report, "State spending exploded during Governor Schweitzer’s first few years in office. General fund spending rose 52 percent between FY05 and FY08. As a result, the governor scored poorly on the 2008 Cato report card. However, spending has been falling recently, and Schweitzer’s proposed budget for FY11 is 11 percent below spending at the peak in FY08."[8]
Agricultural subsidies
- Brian Schweitzer received a total of $271,271 in farm subsidies from 1995 to 2012, according to the Environmental Working Group.[9]
- In 2009, Schweitzer signed House Bill No. 168, which raised the maximum allowable net worth of an applicant from $250,000 to $450,000, in order to be eligible for an agricultural loan.[10]
Federal assistance programs
- According to an April 2013 Huffington Post article, "Schweitzer is an advocate of expanding Medicare to all Americans, and even sought a waiver from the Affordable Care Act to allow his own state to pursue single payer. Schweitzer explained his support for Canadian-style single payer health care like so: 'Imagine if you went to a gas station, and you looked over at a car with a Canadian license plate. They were paying $1 a gallon for gas, and you're paying $2. Wouldn't that make you mad? That's exactly what's happening. I'm mad for all the people in the country.'"[11]
- In 2011, Schweitzer requested "federal permission to sell cheaper prescription drugs in his state through the federal Medicaid program."[12]
- In 2010, Schweitzer proposed a pilot program to privatize Medicaid. He asked "companies to bid on a contract to manage Medicaid, the state’s $900 million health care program for the poor, in a five-county area," according to The Flathead Beacon. [13]
Labor and employment
- In 2013, Brian Schweitzer approved a 5 percent base pay increase for state workers.[14]
- During a 2011 interview on "PBS Newshour," Schweitzer explained that he prepared Montana for the economic downturn by negotiating with state employees. He said he "negotiated no increase in salaries for the next two years, no increase in benefits, no increase in their insurance benefits. They agreed. And here was the deal. I praised them for doing the work that matters in Montana. I praised them for going first. I cut my own salary by $11,000. And then we started cutting the rest of government."[15]
- During the same interview, Schweitzer explained his position on collective bargaining. He said, "I think, if you eliminate the ability to collectively bargain for our public employees, then they are effectively negotiating one person at a time. And that’s why we created collective bargaining in this country. It is true that some states don’t have collective bargaining for their public employees, and some do. It’s working very well in Montana. And part of the reason it works in Montana is I say that it is a shared responsibility. And when we get into tough times, I ask them to share the responsibility. And, in Montana’s case, it’s worked. We’re running balanced budgets. We have a budget surplus. In fact, we have $328,474,612 in the bank today, partly because our state employees are doing more with less."[15]
Foreign affairs
Iran nuclear deal
- During an interview with Slate in January 2014, Brian Schweitzer discussed the Iran nuclear deal. He said, "The Iranian deal makes sense. We linked up with the Saudis before and after World War II. Look, unlike virtually every member of Congress, I have a pretty good firsthand knowledge of the Middle East. The day after I got out of graduate school, after I defended my thesis, I went straight to Libya. I was there for a year; I was in Saudi Arabia for seven. I learned to speak Arabic. I can explain to you, in a way that almost no one else in the country can, the difference between a Sunni and a Shia. I can explain to you who and what the Wahhabis are in Saudi Arabia. I can talk to you about why we, the United States, initially got involved with the Saudi royal family, what we got out of the deal. I can explain to you why we knew Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. We knew, because we supplied chemical weapons to him so he could poison the Iranians. The Iranians are Persian, not Arab; they haven’t got along for several thousand years. So we’ve had a bad history with Iran because of what we did in 1953, replacing an elected official with a dictator. If we can build a relationship that’s a little more even-handed, if we can get them to back away from their nuclear ambition—let’s face it, their neighbors don’t even like that—if we were to step up and said we’re no longer just going to take the Saudis’ position all the time, you don’t have to worry about us attacking you from Afghanistan or Iraq, if you agree to back away from your nuclear ambitions, we’ll be neutral."[16]
Military preparedness and budget
- In December 2013, when asked if he was "anti-war," Brian Schweitzer said, "No, I believe that we ought to have a strong defense system. I just don’t think we should be the world’s police. … For the last number of presidents, unfortunately, we were the world policeman," according to The Des Moines Register.[17]
National security
- In December 2013, Brian Schweitzer commented on the Iraq war. He said, "I didn’t vote for that war, and I didn’t think it was a good idea. When we were attacked at 9/11 by 17 Saudis and two Egyptians who called themselves Al-Qaeda, who weren’t welcome in Iraq, and George Bush got a bunch of Democrats to go to that war, I was just shaking my head in Montana," according to The Des Moines Register.[17]
Domestic
Federalism
Judiciary
- In 2010, Brian Schweitzer appointed Judge Michael E. Wheat to the Montana Supreme Court. According to a 2012 Stanford University study, Wheat has a liberal leaning ideology. In the study, he received a campaign finance score (CFscore) of -1.16, which was more liberal than the average CF score of -0.87 that justices in Montana received.[18][19]
First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- Brian Schweitzer criticized the Citizens United ruling during a June 2012 interview with Esquire. He said, "Now, what the Supreme Court is saying is, 'Yeah, you can bribe an American official.' What we're saying in this country now is that if you're an American corporation and you want to bribe an official somewhere in the world, do it in America, where it's legal. And then they say, you know, 'Free speech. Money is speech.' No, money is power. Don't screw around here. Let's just tell it the way it is: They're buying power. You'll see guys that have a business, and they employ a thousand people and they think they're pretty big stuff, and they'll say, 'Yeah, this ought to be okay, a corporation is a person. We want to function as a full person.' So they say, 'Yeah, Citizens United, that's a good thing.' 'You are a dumbass, sir, and I'll tell you why you are. Because the pharmaceutical companies and the military-industrial complex, and the insurance companies, they'll step on you like a big. The $500,000 that you can afford to put into the kitty to induce someone to vote your way? You are a piker.' That's the equivalent of buying someone one drink and thinking you're gonna sleep with them. It doesn't work that way."[20]
Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- In 2011, Brian Schweitzer vetoed HB 271, which would have allowed all law-abiding individuals to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.[21]
- In 2009, Schweitzer signed HB 228 into law. The law protects "the right of Montanans to defend their lives and liberties, as provided in Article II, section 3, of the Montana Constitution, and their right to keep or bear arms in defense of their homes, persons, and property, as provided in Article II, section 12, of the Montana Constitution."[22]
- According to The New Republic, "In his 2008 run, Schweitzer was endorsed by the NRA with an 'A' rating and a personal visit by Wayne LaPierre for a campaign rally. Schweitzer signed an array of NRA-backed bills into law, including a 2009 'stand your ground' bill that the NRA called a 'victory.'"[23]
Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- According to The Weekly Standard, "[I]n 2009, Schweitzer signed a law that exempts Montana-made firearms from federal regulations. 'It’s a gun bill, but it’s another way of demonstrating the sovereignty of the state of Montana,' he said after signing it."[24]
Natural resources
Energy development
- In February 2012, Brian Schweitzer expressed his support for the Keystone XL Pipeline and his frustration with leaders in Washington D.C. for not approving the project.[25]
- In 2010, Schweitzer supported "leasing of state-owned lands in southeast Montana for coal mining," according to The New York Times.[26]
Climate change
- On November 19, 2007, Brian Schweitzer announced that Montana would become part of the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), "a joint effort to reduce regional greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change. ...Under the agreement, by 2008 the member states and provinces will establish a cap-and-trade system to aid in meeting their regional greenhouse gas emissions target of 15% below 2005 levels by 2020. The participants will also set up an emissions registry and tracking system," according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.[27]
- In 2011, Montana, along with five other states, left the WCI and joined North America 2050, a "Regional Plan Association's national infrastructure planning and policy program, providing leadership on a broad range of transportation, sustainability, and economic-development issues impacting America's growth in the 21st century."[28][29]
Healthcare
- During a January 2014 interview with Slate, Brian Schweitzer explained how he would reform the healthcare system. He said, "No. 1: You pass national health insurance laws that say you can’t discriminate against women, charge them higher premiums than men of the same age, you can’t discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions, you can’t have annual caps. Then you allow insurance companies to compete wherever they want, in any state. Boom. The second thing is, you say to every citizen in the United States, now you have the option to buy into Medicare. We just need to act like capitalists, not socialists. We need to negotiate to buy medicine. Now, what’s interesting is that the detractors hear that and say—this is like socialized medicine. No! Are you kidding me? France, the United Kingdom: They negotiate like capitalists to buy their medicine. The United States? We say to the pharmaceutical companies, how much would you like this for? We continue to pay them three times what they sell the same medicines for all over the world. Right after the bill was passed, big pharma was running ads for all the Democrats who voted for this thing. Even in Montana. What’d they get out of it? They now have a lot more money."[16]
- In 2011, Schweitzer signed SB 125, which prohibited Montana from "administering federal health insurance purchase requirements."[30]
- According to Associated Press reporter Matt Gouras, "Schweitzer has criticized the federal health care law as an insurance industry giveaway. But he also advocates a single-payer health care system like Canada's."[31]
Immigration
| "Governor Brian Schweitzer's Thoughts on Immigration." |
- In 2008, Brian Schweitzer said, "Families who want to come to America, work in America, raise families in America ought to be welcome because that’s the thread that has made this blanket so warm in this country. We need to have a system that allows people a path to citizenship. That’s the way we’ve done it for the last 150 years."[32]
Education
- According to The Missoulian, "Under Schweitzer, state funding for public schools and the university system increased substantially after years of neglect, full-day kindergarten was implemented statewide and teachers’ student loans were repaid by grants of up to $12,000. Tuition at state universities has been frozen for at least half the years during his tenure."[33]
Gay rights
- During a 2013 interview with The Daily Beast, Brian Schweitzer said, "I believe that two people who love each other ought to be legally married ... given the opportunity to support people of the same gender getting married, I do."[34]
Civil liberties
- During a January 2014 interview with Slate, Brian Schweitzer commented on legalizing marijuana. He said, "Each society has to make choices about what’s against the law. You have a large percentage of the population that’s already using this. The war on drugs is another war that appears to have been lost. This experiment with prohibition of marijuana doesn’t seem have to been working. Colorado might have it more right than the rest of us."[16]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Brian + Schweitzer + 2016
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "2004 Statewide General Election Results," accessed April 18, 2015
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "2008 Statewide General Election Results," accessed April 18, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Brian Schweitzer: 2016 bid would ruin life," accessed April 18, 2015
- ↑ Center on the American Governor, "The Governors Who Became President: Brief Biographies," accessed October 30, 2013
- ↑ Montana.gov, "Senate Bill No. 372," accessed April 19, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Cato.org, "Fiscal Policy Report Card on America's Governors 2012," accessed April 19, 2015
- ↑ New York Times, "The Big-Sky Dem," October 8, 2006
- ↑ Cato.org, "Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors: 2010," accessed April 19, 2015
- ↑ EWG.org, "USDA Subsidies," accessed January 6, 2015
- ↑ Montana.gov, "House Bill No. 168," accessed January 6, 2015
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Top 10 Things That Make Brian Schweitzer An Awesome Economic Populist," April 26, 2013
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Brian Schweitzer Seeking Federal Permission For Cheap-Drugs Plan," January 16, 2011
- ↑ Flathead Beacon, "Gov. Schweitzer’s Medicaid Privatization Gets Cool Response," October 15, 2010
- ↑ Billings Gazette, “Unions, Schweitzer agree to pay increase; 2013 Legislature must approve it," June 11, 2012
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 PBS, "Govs. Daniels, Schweitzer on Looming Federal Government Shutdown," February 25, 2011
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Slate.com, "'I Do Not Trust Politicians'," accessed April 19, 2015
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Des Moines Register, "2016 watch: In Iowa, Democrat Brian Schweitzer cautions against future wars," December 18, 2013
- ↑ Montana Judicial Branch, "Supreme Court Justice Biographies, Justice Mike Wheat," accessed April 16, 2014
- ↑ Social Science Research Network, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ Esquire, "Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer Talks Citizens United Sr.," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ Legiscan.com, "MT HB271," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ Montana.gov, "HB0228," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ The New Republic, "Brian Schweitzer, Would-Be Liberal Hero, is an NRA Darling," January 8, 2014
- ↑ Weekly Standard, "Schweitzer Takes Aim," December 23, 2013
- ↑ The Hill, "Montana's Democratic governor slams ‘jackasses’ in DC for Keystone delay," February 24, 2012
- ↑ New York Times, "In Montana, Governor Stirs Ire Over Coal," April 1, 2010
- ↑ Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, “Montana Joins Western Climate Initiative, Establishes 20X10 Initiative," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ Portland Business Journal, "Oregon steps back from Western Climate Initiative," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ America2050.org, "About America 2050," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ Legiscan.com, "SB 125," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ Huffington Post, “Brian Schweitzer, Montana Democratic Governor, Stays Popular In Conservative State," October 15, 2012
- ↑ Montana Immigrant Justice Alliance, "Governor Brian Schweitzer’s Thoughts on Immigration," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ The Missoulian, "Schweitzer's legacy: Governor reflects on feisty tenure," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ The Daily Beast, “Number of Democratic Holdouts Against Gay Marriage Is Dwindling Fast," March 27, 2013
