Montana Buzz

Gov. Steve Bullock says the state can't deal with its budget crisis with cuts alone -- it needs to raise revenue via a special session -- but GOP lawmakers are resisting the idea. (Helena IR)

CALENDAR

Bob Seger and band coming to Billings Nov. 13

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AFTER he finished his term as governor and led President George W. Bush's 2004 re-election campaign, former Gov. Marc Racicot dropped out of sight for years. Even close friends were left wondering what had happened to the once-popular politician.

But now Racicot, who lives on Swan Lake, is stepping back into the public eye with a speech at Flathead Lake Community College Monday evening on "The Meaning of Leadership." His primary focus will be on the late Senate Majority Leader and Ambassador Mike Mansfield of Montana.

Racicot told the Flathead Beacon he was stepping back into the limelight because he was impressed by the growth of FVCC and because he always admired Mansfield, with whom he had a chance to spend quite a bit of time.

"He was courageous," Racicot said of Mansfield. "Because of the way he led with such humility and a quiet thoughtful touch with those he served with, he was able to accomplish extraordinary things. But he never would take credit for it. That was probably one of the secrets to his success."

Racicot, who also chaired the Republican National Committee in 2002 and 2003, also decried the current political climate, which he described as a "an all-or-nothing mentality frequently and maybe always." Yet he said he remains hopeful as Americans are resilient and are people of good faith.

Asked if he ever feels the urge to re-enter public public service, Racicot acknowledged that he did. "But I’ve never gotten past that question. I haven’t thought about seriously being a candidate for a long time. But every once in awhile, I surely do."

HOPE TO be the lucky motorist who snags a personalized Montana license plate with President Donald Trump's mystery word: "covfefe?"

Sorry, but you won't be able to get it. Nor will any other Montana motorist, according to Phil Drake of the Great Falls Tribune.

Drake says the Montana Motor Vehicle Division has decided that the word isn't appropriate for a state license plate. Go to the link above for an explanation why. After Trump tweeted "covfefe" -- he apparently meant to say press coverage -- motorists in at least 21 states attempted to see if they could get it on their license plates.

SURPRIZE....err... suprise ... err ... Many Montanans aren't sure how to spell surprise.

Google Trends has produced a study of the words that Americans have the most trouble spelling in each state. It can do this by looking at searches folks do in each state that start with "how to spell..."

And in Montana, believe it or not, that word is surprise. In the United States as a whole, "beautiful" is the word misspelled most often. If you want to see a map showing the top words people have trouble spelling in each state, you can go here.

GREG GIANFORTE's body slam of a reporter inspired a lot of outrage. It's also inspired a new dance track called, of course "Gianforte (Bodyslam)."

The track was put together by Nick Ferrington, a full-time DJ and producer living on the East Coast who grew up in Montana. Ferrington, also known as DJ Nick Minaj, says the track is a "mix between a parody and just kind of taking notice of what happened in Montana..."

If you want to hear "Gianforte (Bodyslam)" you can find it here. Or you can also look for Ferrington's four-city tour of Montana in July.

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