Brian Schweitzer

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Brian Schweitzer
23rd Governor of Montana
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2005
Lieutenant John Bohlinger
Preceded by Judy Martz
Personal details
Born Brian David Schweitzer
September 4, 1955 (1955-09-04) (age 56)
Havre, Montana, U.S.
Political party Democratic Party
Spouse(s) Nancy Hupp; 3 children
Residence Governor's Residence
Alma mater Colorado State University
Montana State University, Bozeman
Profession Rancher
Agribusiness
Religion Roman Catholic
Website Official website

Brian David Schweitzer (born September 4, 1955) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Montana. Schweitzer is its 23rd and current governor, serving since January 2005. Schweitzer currently has one of the highest approval ratings among governors in the nation, with polls regularly showing a rating of above 60 percent.[1][2] Schweitzer chairs the Western Governors Association[3] and formerly chaired the Democratic Governors Association.[4] He currently serves as President of the Council of State Governments. [5]

Contents

[edit] Early life and Education

Schweitzer was born in Havre, Montana, the fourth of six children of Kathleen (née McKernan) and Adam Schweitzer.[6] His maternal grandparents were Irish and his paternal grandparents were ethnic Germans from present-day Russia and Ukraine.[7][8] Following his high school years at The Abbey School, Holy Cross Abbey, Canon City, Colorado in 1973, Schweitzer earned his Bachelor of Science degree in international agronomy from Colorado State University in 1978 and a Master of Science in soil science from Montana State University, Bozeman in 1980.[9]

Upon finishing school, Schweitzer worked as an irrigation developer on projects in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. He spent several years working in Libya[10] and Saudi Arabia, and speaks Arabic.[11] He returned to Montana in 1986 to launch a ranching and irrigation business in Whitefish.

Bill Clinton appointed Schweitzer to the United States Department of Agriculture as a member of the Montana USDA Farm Service Agency committee, where he worked for seven years. While working for the USDA, he was appointed to the Montana Rural Development Board (1996) and the National Drought Task Force (1999).[citation needed]

[edit] US Senate Election

Schweitzer speaking on the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

In 2000, Schweitzer ran for U.S. Senate against the Republican incumbent Conrad Burns. Burns faced a surprisingly difficult reelection campaign. In February 1999, he announced that he would break his 1988 promise to only hold office for two terms, claiming "Circumstances have changed, and I have rethought my position."[12] Later that same month, while giving a speech about U.S. dependence on foreign oil to the Montana Equipment Dealers Association, he referred to Arabs as "ragheads". Burns soon apologized, saying he "became too emotionally involved" during the speech.[13]

While Burns attempted to link Schweitzer with presidential candidate Al Gore, whom Schweitzer never met, Schweitzer "effectively portrayed himself as nonpolitical".[14] Schweitzer primarily challenged Burns on the issue of prescription drugs, organizing busloads of senior citizens to take trips to Canada and Mexico for cheaper medicine.[15] Burns charged that Schweitzer favored "Canadian-style government controls"[14] and claimed that senior citizens went to doctors to have "somebody to visit with. There's nothing wrong with them."[15] Burns also faced trouble regarding deaths from asbestos in Libby, Montana. While he initially supported a bill to limit compensation in such cases, he withdrew his support for the bill, under public criticism, and added $11.5 million for the town to an appropriations bill.[14][16]

Burns spent twice as much money as Schweitzer on the election[14] and only defeated him by a slim margin, 51-47 percent, while the state voted 58% to 33% for the Republican presidential nominee, George W. Bush.

[edit] Governorship

Governor Brian Schweitzer campaigning in Billings, Montana for Jon Tester in September 2006

When incumbent Governor Judy Martz announced she would not run for re-election in 2004, Schweitzer announced his candidacy. His running mate was John Bohlinger, a Republican state senator. He won the general election by a margin of 50 to 46 percent over Montana Secretary of State Bob Brown.[17] Both while campaigning and as governor, Schweitzer became known for a folksy public persona. The governor's dog, a Border Collie named Jag, regularly accompanies him on work days at the Capitol, as well as some other official occasions.[18][19]

As Governor, Schweitzer is an active member of the Democratic Governors Association. Prior to becoming Chair, he served as the organization's Vice Chair, Finance Chair, and Recruitment Chair. Montana's electrical generation capacity has increased more during his term as Governor than the previous 16 years combined.[20]

On May 3, 2006, Schweitzer granted posthumous pardons to 78 persons convicted of sedition during World War I for making comments that were critical of the war. These were the first posthumous pardons in Montana history, but the convictions had become notorious in recent years because Montana's sedition law had been one of the broadest and harshest of its time: one man went to prison for calling food rationing a joke, while others were targeted because they refused to physically kiss a U.S. flag or to buy Liberty Bonds. At a public ceremony attended by family members of the pardon recipients, Schweitzer said, "[i]n times when our country is pushed to our limits, those are the times when it is most important to remember individual rights."[21][22]

Schweitzer was to co-lead an energy policy forum at the National Governors Association meeting in Washington, D.C. on February 22, 2009, along with Republican Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, who announced just days before the event that she would not attend, leaving Schweitzer to lead the discussion alone. He caused a minor stir when he ribbed his colleague over the cancellation, joking in a reference to the high-profile purchase of a $150,000 wardrobe for Palin by the Republican Party during the 2008 campaign.[23]

Following General Motors' announced decision to terminate its contract with Columbus-based Stillwater Mining Company to procure palladium, platinum, and rhodium for use in automobiles to reduce air pollution, Schweitzer broke Democratic party ranks to protest a perceived bias against Montana on the part of the Barack Obama administration. He asked the administration to force GM, which is receiving an infusion of around $50 billion as part of the automotive corporation federal recovery plan, to honor its contract in a manner consistent with the "buy American" provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. According to Schweitzer and the mining company, the Montana mines operated by Stillwater are the only source of palladium and platinum outside South Africa and Russia.[24] "When the American people find out that we have spent tens of billions of dollars to bail out General Motors and then they turn around and void a contract with Stillwater Mine, the only source of platinum, palladium and rhodium in the Western Hemisphere, and continues to buy that metal from the Russians and South Africans, they will be outraged", Schweitzer asserted.[25]

Schweitzer speaks during the second day of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.

In March 2005, Schweitzer suggested that Montana's National Guard troops be recalled from service in Iraq to assist firefighting during Montana's wildfire season. He has also gained national attention for his focus on converting Montana's vast coal reserves into fuel, which he has said is one way to wean America off of foreign oil. Schweitzer was interviewed by 60 Minutes in late 2006 or early 2007[26] as well as by Charlie Rose (on March 7, 2007), regarding his work in this field.

Schweitzer is opposed to gun control[17] and is a vehement critic of the REAL ID legislation.[27]

Schweitzer signed into Law the Montana Firearms Freedom Act on April 15, 2009 which became effective October 1, 2009. The law exempts firearms made and kept in Montana from Federal firearms regulations. It applies mostly to non-military types of firearms, along with ammunition and accessories such as silencers,[28] provided that these items are manufactured in the state, and do not leave the state. In 2011, Schweitzer announced his intention to provide single-payer health care in Montana, based on the Saskatchewan plan.[29]

In April 2011, Schweitzer made news with his unconventional use of a branding iron to publicly veto several Republican-led bills that he called "frivolous, unconstitutional, or in direct contradiction to the expressed will of the people of Montana."[30] He has endorsed an expansion of wind, solar, and biofuel technologies as well as a plan to turn coal into diesel fuel.[31]

Schweitzer's reputation led him to be mentioned by some political pundits in the liberal blogosphere as being among the top candidates for Vice President under Democratic nominee Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.[32] Schweitzer gave a speech on American energy independence at the 2008 Democratic National Convention that was widely acclaimed.[33][34][35][36][37]

[edit] Yellow Ribbon Program

Following the suicide of Iraq war veteran Chris Dana in 2007,[38] Governor Schweitzer started the Yellow Ribbon Program.[39] Schweitzer testified in Washington D.C. saying, “the federal government does an excellent job at turning a civilian into a warrior, I think they have an equal responsibility in turning that warrior back into a civilian.”[40] More than 13% of adult Montanans are veterans.[41]

This program developed policies and procedures that each Montana Guardsmen would undergo to ensure that physical and mental health were documented before, during, and after deployment. Automatic enrollment into the Veterans Affairs system would also be required of guardsmen to ensure delivery of benefits entitled.[42]

Following its success in Montana, the Yellow Ribbon Program was implemented nationally and is now a part of the National Defense Act.[43]

[edit] Family

Schweitzer married Nancy Hupp in 1981.[44] The couple began a family after returning to Montana, and are the parents of three children: Ben, Khai, and Katrina. As the father of an autistic son (Ben), Schweitzer has also spoken publicly about autism-related issues. In July 2008, he responded to controversial on-air remarks by conservative talk radio host Michael Savage, saying: "I'm very close to some autistic people and I can tell you who is a brat. That would be Michael Savage, not the autistic people of Montana."[45]

[edit] Electoral history

Montana Gubernatorial Election 2008
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Brian Schweitzer (incumbent) 316,509 65.4 +15.0
Republican Roy Brown 157,894 32.6 -13.4
Libertarian Stan Jones 9,790 2.0 +0.3
Montana Gubernatorial Election 2004
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Brian Schweitzer 225,016 50.4
Republican Bob Brown 205,313 46.0
Green Robert Kelleher 8,393 1.9
Libertarian Stan Jones 7,424 1.7
Montana U.S. Senate Election 2000
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Conrad Burns (incumbent) 208,082 50.6
Democratic Brian Schweitzer 194,430 47.2
Reform Gary Lee 9,089 2.2

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_18a3dd5c-d30b-11de-b6ec-001cc4c002e0.html
  2. ^ SurveyUSA - 50 State Governors 10/19/2006, Sort By State
  3. ^ http://www.westgov.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61&catid=78 Govs. Schweitzer, Otter elected to lead WGA, energy and climate change high priorities
  4. ^ http://www.democraticgovernors.org/news/press_releases?id=0295DGA begins 2010 election with a bang
  5. ^ "Council of State Governments". http://www.csg.org/about/leadership.aspx. 
  6. ^ Lemon, Greg; Williams, Pat (2008-06-25). Blue Man in a Red State: Montana's Governor Brian Schweitzer and the New Western Populism. ISBN 9780762744947. http://books.google.com/?id=U9lvtbEyGg0C&pg=PA32&dq=adam+kay+schweitzer#v=snippet&q=in%20montana&f=false. 
  7. ^ Robbins, Jim (May 3, 2006). "Pardons Granted 88 Years After Crimes of Sedition". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/03/us/03pardon.html?ei=5094. Retrieved April 26, 2010. 
  8. ^ Notice of death of Governor Schweitzer's father
  9. ^ Tribune Staff. "125 Montana Newsmakers: Brian Schweitzer". Great Falls Tribune. http://www.greatfallstribune.com/multimedia/125newsmakers6/schweitzer.html. Retrieved August 28, 2011. 
  10. ^ Dickinson, Tim (December 15, 2005). "Schweitzer on Iraq". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/nataffdaily/story/8957654/schweitzer_on_iraq. 
  11. ^ Crummy, Karen E. (November 25, 2006). "Dems look to Big Sky". The Denver Post. http://www.denverpost.com/colleges/ci_4723163. 
  12. ^ George Will, "...Terms Unlimited", The Washington Post, June 24, 1999
  13. ^ Al Kamen, "Burns's A List: African Americans, Arabs", Washington Post, March 12, 1999.
  14. ^ a b c d Michael Barone, The Almanac of American Politics 2004, National Journal Group.
  15. ^ a b William Booth, "Mont. Rancher Mounts Brawny Challenge; Crusty GOP Incumbent Finds Race Tightening Against an Equally Rough-Hewn Opponent", Washington Post, October 31, 2000
  16. ^ Al Kamen, "Town Getting $ 11 Million in Salve From Burns", Washington Post, May 12, 2000.
  17. ^ a b "There's electoral gold in those hills". The Economist. October 26, 2006. http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=8081977. Retrieved August 5, 2007. 
  18. ^ Bob Anez (2005-02-01). "Gov adds four-legged aide to office". Helena Independent Record. http://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/article_1abbd4de-7c1f-5aa4-ac09-24ccb59900a1.html. Retrieved 2011-01-31. 
  19. ^ Tristan Scott (2006-05-12). "Governor, Jag walk afoul of leash law". Missoulian. http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_f7a427d1-0d2c-5ff1-9024-293c5b8ccd83.html. Retrieved 2011-01-31. 
  20. ^ Montana Electric Generation Tables (2007)
  21. ^ "Montana governor to pardon 78 convicted during WWI", USA Today.com, May 3, 2006.
  22. ^ "Pardons granted 88 Years After Crimes of Sedition", New York Times.com, May 3, 2006.
  23. ^ "Palin Ribbed by Montana Guv for Being No Show"
  24. ^ Montana gov blasts GM mine contract cancellation
  25. ^ Schweitzer Supports Stillwater Mine
  26. ^ Diesel Power Magazine website (December 2006 issue)
  27. ^ "Montana Governor on 'Real ID' Act". National Public Radio. March 7, 2008. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87991791. Retrieved April 29, 2008. 
  28. ^ Ernest Hancock (May 4, 2009). "Montana Governor Signs Revolutionary New Gun Law". Republic Magazine. http://www.republicmagazine.com/montana-governor-signs-revolutionary-new-gun-law. Retrieved May 9, 2009. 
  29. ^ Sarah Kliff, Interview: Schweitzer’s plan to bring Canadian health care to Montana, The Washington Post, October 3, 2011
  30. ^ http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_7142652a-68a9-11e0-acee-001cc4c002e0.html
  31. ^ Patrick Mazza, “Montana moving to top ranks in renewable energy, Gov. Brian Schweitzer tells Harvesting Clean Energy Conference”, Climate Solutions, Jan 30, 2009
  32. ^ http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/8/22/123044/624/890/572708
  33. ^ Los Angeles Times (2008). Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer makes the most of the spotlight. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
  34. ^ CBS News (2008). A Star Is Born?. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
  35. ^ Newsweek (2008). Would Someone Please Give This Schweitzer Guy a Keynote Address?. Retrieved August 28, 2008.
  36. ^ Chris Cillizza (September 5, 2009). "The Friday Line: The Best Speeches". Washington Post. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/the-line/the-friday-line-the-best-speec.html. Retrieved July 31, 2009. 
  37. ^ Chris Cillizza (September 10, 2009). "Brian Schweitzer Eyes the Future". Washington Post. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/eye-on-2008/brian-schweitzer-eyes-the-futu.html. Retrieved July 31, 2009. 
  38. ^ http://www.helenair.com/news/local/article_55043c1b-0240-58f4-9e00-ad7009dd44a0.html "War Vet Laid to Rest"], Helena Independent Record, March 10, 2007
  39. ^ Helena Independent Record, April 2, 2007
  40. ^ U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, Fight Now Pay Later: The Future Costs of Funding the Iraq War, June 12, 2008 http://jec.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.HearingsCalendar&ContentRecord_id=792A190B-0DBD-534A-5D1B-5C85FE8807E6
  41. ^ U.S. Census Bureau
  42. ^ Post Deployment Health Reassessment Program http://dma.mt.gov/mvad/documents/MTNG%20DCS%20Campaign%20Plan%2016%20Oct.pdf
  43. ^ S. 3001, the National Defense Authorization Act http://dpc.senate.gov/dpcdoc.cfm?doc_name=lb-110-2-131
  44. ^ Johnson, Charles S. (July 2, 2006). "Growing on the job". Helena Independent Record. http://www.helenair.com/articles/2006/07/02/montana/a01070206_02.txt. Retrieved October 28, 2008. 
  45. ^ "Schweitzer reacts to radio host's autism remarks", KRTV in Great Falls, Montana, July 22, 2008

[edit] External links

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Party political offices
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