Cofer and Cheney

"A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It's a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity."
-- Jimmy Carter

The local Super 1 grocery store had a 12 hour baking supplies sale today (Thursday) and I rode my bicycle over to get some baking supplies. I should know better. As usual with this type of sale the store was crowded with shoppers - mainly women. It was like shopping the day after Thanksgiving. All the checkouts were open and all had lines of people waiting to buy their groceries.

Vice-president Cheney was in Kalispell yesterday afternoon to rally the Republican faithful for the upcoming election. By the grocery store's dairy section I heard a woman with a loud voice talk about Cheney's visit. It was Denise Cofer. She was telling another, elderly, woman about being part of the visit.

For those who don't know of Ms. Cofer, she ran for county commissioner back in 2004. As a Republican, in a heavily Republican county, the race was hers to lose. And she did.

During the 2004 election cycle, the race for Flathead County Commissioner illustrated a significant split in the Republican Party at the local level. Denise Cofer, the candidate aligned with the Flathead County Republican Assembly, labeled her Republican opponent John Hinchey a RINO. Hinchey countered that Cofer and other Republican Assembly members were "“property rights extremists"” and the "“self-appointed ideological police."” The split in the GOP ran so deep that a group of Flathead County Republicans endorsed the Democrat running for the county commission, instead of Cofer. Cal Sweet, one of these Republicans, stated the Republican Assembly was "“the most extreme of the Christian Coalition with a new name."” The Democrat won the election.

There were also allegations during the campaign that she had worked in the past as a bookkeeper or some other job, for an organization in Idaho associated with white supremacists or Aryan nation, or something like that.

I do know she is vocal about property rights as she spoke at the County's growth policy feedback meeting a few months ago. I found it interesting that some of her complaints about the proposed growth policy were on items she thought were new, but actually were what the planning board and comissioners have already been adopting during zone changes the past year or so. Apparently she is not up on what the board and commissioners are doing these days.

Anyway, Denise was telling the other woman that she met vice-president Cheney when he arrived at the airport and was the first person to shake his hand as he exited the plane, and she welcomed him to Kalispell. She also said she rode with him limousine to the rally.

I wasn't interested in hearing any more so I didn't linger as I passed by. I am so tired of politics right now and all the ads. Thankfully I can listen to the Montana Radio Cafe radio station where the owner/operator doesn't play many ads, and no political ads.