Is Montague's PAC an ICC scam?

This is a huge problem for ICC: unless they disavow every aspect of the Montague PAC and publicly oppose it in every way, it’s going to be very difficult for them to escape the allegation that Montague is acting at their behest, and this is all a scam.

“Paul had clear marching orders and the CRC was his No. 1 priority,” said Scott Milam, Identity Clark County’s board chair.

That he did such a miserable, failure of a job aside, Montague's efforts here smack of ICC revenge.

It’s difficult to believe that the neo-communist effort of the CRC is finally dead.  So, I tend to view it as having achieved a state of suspended animation more than anything else.  After all, Patty Murray is the number 3 ranking Senator or so after Harry Reid and Richard Durbin: combine that with Obama’s “pen and phone,” and at some point soon, I wouldn’t be surprised in the least to see some CRC effort delivered via Executive Order.

And if you’re Obama… then, why not?  So far, there’s been zero push-back over his other executive order hijinks.  Compared to some of the stuff he’s done, mandating a bridge with light rail is a snack.

This as Paul Montague, formerly ICC director and one of the loudest mouths in the CRC Corral, is leaving ICC to run a PAC designed to punish those politicians who thwarted his “evil plans.”

The problem with that is that my sources tell me that he’s already been fired.  He also refuses to list any of the financial backers of this PAC, claiming that it’s “too early.”  And, given the likelihood that no one is backing this effort, save the earned media of the Columbian, that much has the ring of truth to it.

The reason I question all of this is that it appears to be a Kamikaze effort by CRC backers.  Signing onto this PAC would be the equivalent, politically, of setting yourself on fire both in Clark County and in the legislature for all the good it does.

So, a PAC is set up to go after Madore and Mielke (Among others who opposed the CRC) Secondary to that issue is going after Legislators (actually, there was only one House member who actively fought the CRC: Liz Pike) to replace them with democrats more malleable to Montague’s view.

Here are the problems with that.

First at the local level, even if a democrat could be elected, (Which is practically and politically impossible at this point) they would still be on the wrong end of a 2 to 1 vote.

Second, if you’re a business or businessperson funding this effort locally, what kind of love are you going to get at the county?

What kind of help?  Exception?  Ordinance or rule change?  What can you hope for if you’re on the funder list of this PAC?

Third, David Madore could write checks for 5 times this presumed PAC’s money and not even break a sweat.  Anyone even thinking about joining up to this is well aware of all of these factors: is this where they want to waste their money?

Fourth, in the legislature, none of the Senators who successfully blocked this thing is up for re-election from Clark County.  That means two more years… two more sessions of likely GOP/MCC control of the Senate.

Who in their right mind would sign onto a group devoted to the political destruction of those whose help they’d obviously need and then expect those they are out to destroy to provide that help?  Need a bill… an amendment… a budget note?

Sign up for this PAC and see if you get anything out of the legislature.

Fifth, the public backlash.  Any business signing up for this would find a very good likelihood them on the wrong end of a boycott.

At the end of the day, the CRC outcome was and will continue to be what the people of the county as a whole actually wanted.  And while money is an important part of politics, it frequently isn’t the ONLY aspect of politics that matters when you’ve got the position and the messaging on your side: just ask the outspent-8-to-1-last-cycle Tom Mielke if money guarantees a win in the face of the public mood.

While not impossible to find funding, it remains highly unlikely that either it will be funded or that it will have any impact in any election this cycle.

The CRC has become the local third rail of politics.  Marc Boldt touched it… and we see what happened.

Nothing has changed from that.