Seth Bodnar - independent US Senate candidate

[Big Fin]

This is a podcast episode that I did with Seth Bodnar. He is running as an independent candidate for United States Senate.

Most know my frustration and dislike for the symbiotic duopoly of the two party system. It makes me wonder if Montanans are willing to vote independently or if they will fall back to the comfort of their party allegiance. I will be interested to see how Bodnar performs in the upcoming election.

With the stunt that Senator Daines did to handpick a candidate without exposing the candidate to a primary, I’ll be interested to see how many people find that as distasteful as I do. Given the amount of focus and chatter that Republicans are starting to point towards Bodnar, it seems they are more worried about him than they are the Democrat.

Anyhow, here is Seth Bodnar‘s thoughts on hunting, conservation, and public land.

Hunt Talk Radio

Wilderness Podcast · Updated Monthly · Hunt Talk Radio, Randy Newberg Unfiltered is a podcast covering hunting politics, public lands, and conservation topics; even a few things you didn’t need to know. The best hunters you’ve never heard …

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[KingOfTagSoup]

Looking forward to hearing this. I agree the two party "system" is frustratingly dysfunctional. There's too many lobbyists, special interests, donors, etc involved. And when push comes to shove, both parties usually end up being two acts of the same clownshow.

 

[jimh406]

Are you inviting the other Senate candidates to do a podcast?

 

[Big Fin]

Are you inviting the other Senate candidates to do a podcast?

Nope. When I’ve done that in past elections all they do is hack on the other side and ignore the topic we agreed to discuss. If I want to hear how bad the other guy is, all I have to do is read the piles of junk they fill my mail box with.

Daines’s stunt pretty much cleared what ever consideration I might have given to the idea of having the two duopoly puppets come on as guests.

Neither R or D wants to get rid of the Citizens United decision, further pushing me away from those two parties. If Daffy Duck was on my ballot I’d vote for him before either of the puppets.

A freshman R will be a mirror of Mike Lee and Ted Cruz. A freshman D will be carry Schumer’s water. UT, TX, and NY already have two Senators. They don’t need the Montana winner as their voting echo.

Also, if I’m interested in change, giving airtime to either of the entrenched trough hogs is counterproductive to my effort.

 

[SAJ-99]

Independent is still just a label. They eventually want a position of importance (Committees) and have to choose a side to caucus with. Until voters start breaking away from their team and voting for Independent, Green, Libertarian, Constitution, whatever, we keep this shit show. Granted, a coalition government is a different shit show.

I have yet to talk to a democrat for Citizen United, but there is no way to change the Constitution with the current structure. You would need to change the Supreme Court.

 

[SAJ-99]

I thought it was a good interview and think Montanans should thank Big Fin for getting him on to ask the important questions. I am rooting for him.

 

[Gerald Martin]

If Bodnar wins as an independent and then turns out to not accomplish the issues he ran on he’ll be no different than what politicians from both parties have been doing for years. We know that’s going to happen for sure with either an R or a D.

I’m 20 minutes into the podcast. I’m looking forward to hearing the rest of it.

 

[elkduds]

Thanks for a very thorough discussion with an interesting, perhaps promising candidate. I took note of the potential of a small block of independent senators to exert tipping point control on issues that deadlock the 2 parties. Very much agree that SCOTUS decisions monetizing campaign financing in favor of the GOP and DNC are anti-voter. Those now-legal unlimited donations through nat'l parties increase influence of out-of-state interests, threaten to overwhelm independent campaigns like Bodnar's, seem designed to cement our unresponsive, dysfunctional 2 party political duopoly. I wish there were similarly issue-oriented candidates on the Colorado ballot. As predicted by George Washington, our 2 party system now only benefits those parties, while the citizens are disenfranchised by the either-or, no commonality or compromise choices we find on ballots. The result is a pendulum where each administration undoes what the previous one did in reaction to the one that came before. Missing from your discussion was the key question of Who Benefits, beyond the simple answer of the 2 parties. Impressed that Mr. Bodnar made clear who doesn't benefit from this duopoly; that is voters, the interests of any state, and of the nation.

 

[jimh406]

If he won, he'd likely caucus with the Democrats considering he has Tester's support while the Democrat Bankhead has the support of Sanders and AOC. That seems to me Bodnar and Bankhead are splitting the D vote, and there are probably some mad Ds that Bodnar got into the race.

 

[Gerald Martin]

If he won, he'd likely caucus with the Democrats considering he has Tester's support while the Democrat Bankhead has the support of Sanders and AOC. That seems to me Bodnar and Bankhead are splitting the D vote, and there are probably some mad Ds that Bodnar got into the race.

I wouldn’t discount how many right leaning independents will swing to Bodnar that would have voted for Alme if Bankhead were the only option.

He’s going to pull from Republicans as well.

There’s not a snowball’s chance in a hot place that Bankhead wins in a head to head against Alme.

MT Democrats best chance of any representation in the US Senate over the next two years is going to be Bodnar. Best scenario for them would be for Bankhead to withdraw just a few weeks before the election and endorse Bodnar.

I’m sure there’s a lot of issues that I disagree with Bodnar on and might not vote for him if he were running against a real conservative with a history of protecting public land and environmental resources. But I have no illusions that Alme is going to be anything other than a yes man to a lame duck President for the next two years.

I’d rather my representative in DC during that time have potential to be a foil to the cesspool that “Drain the Swamp!” MAGA Republicans have enlarged.

 

[golfer]

There’s not a snowball’s chance in a hot place that Bankhead wins in a head to head against Alme.

MT Democrats best chance of any representation in the US Senate over the next two years is going to be Bodnar. Best scenario for them would be for Bankhead to withdraw just a few weeks before the election and endorse Bodnar.

Bankhead stand zero chance head to head with Alme.

I disagree Bankhead needs to with draw well before a few weeks. Best case would be if some how Bodnar gets her endorsement and they can pull the democrats nominee off the ballot completely. If there is a R,D, and I people will still vote for that D even if withdrawn prior. Giving Alme an easy W.

 

[SAJ-99]

...a real conservative with a history of protecting public land and environmental resources.

I think you are looking for a unicorn.

 

[6mm Remington]

I haven't listened to it yet. I am curious if you asked him Big Fin what he thinks about the delisting of the grizzly bear and the responsibility for management being returned to the states?

 

[jimh406]

I think you are looking for a unicorn.

Maybe, but Bodnar would have to become one as well. The only political position he’s held is UM President. Of course, you could argue that isn’t a political position. He obviously kept them happy for 8 years. That’s good or bad depending on your perspective. UM isn’t considered conservative. Again, that’s good or bad depending on your perspective.

 

[Forkyfinder]

Maybe, but Bodnar would have to become one as well. The only political position he’s held is UM President. Of course, you could argue that isn’t a political position. He obviously kept them happy for 8 years. That’s good or bad depending on your perspective. UM isn’t considered conservative. Again, that’s good or bad depending on your perspective.

Platform — Seth for Montana

Seth Bodnar is running for U.S. Senate to be Montana's independent voice in Washington. A Green Beret, business leader, and former University of Montana president, Seth is fighting for real solutions outside the two-party system.

www.sethformontana.com

I vote generally red. This is good enough for me (not aligned everywhere) in lieu of voting for a canidate that stole his seat with the RNCs assistance.

The switcharoo that Alme pulled shouldnt be acceptable. Him getting elected would set precident that it is. Fug that.

 

[jimh406]

The switcharoo that Alme pulled shouldnt be acceptable. Him getting elected would set precident that it is.

I agree not a good look. However, Alme has the support of almost every State and National Rs. He would still have won the Primary no matter when Daines dropped out.

 

[Forkyfinder]

He would still have won the Primary no matter when Daines dropped out.

You think Alme wouldnt have had more competition (with less endorsements) if it wasnt gamed?

Not many want to unseat an incumbent. If the seat was open through the primary - someone else could have thrown their name in. That should be obvious.

 

[Straight Arrow]

He would still have won the Primary no matter when Daines dropped out.

That can't be certain, as it likely would have changed the number and political potential of other interested candidates ... most of whom merely sat it out to support the Daines R tribe.

 

[Forkyfinder]

He would still have won the Primary no matter when Daines dropped out.

You think Alme wouldnt have had more competition (with less endorsements) if it wasnt gamed?

Not many want to unseat an incumbent. If the seat was open through the primary - someone else could have thrown their name in.

 

[SAJ-99]

Platform — Seth for Montana

Seth Bodnar is running for U.S. Senate to be Montana's independent voice in Washington. A Green Beret, business leader, and former University of Montana president, Seth is fighting for real solutions outside the two-party system.

www.sethformontana.com

I vote generally red. This is good enough for me (not aligned everywhere) in lieu of voting for a canidate that stole his seat with the RNCs assistance.

The switcharoo that Alme pulled shouldnt be acceptable. Him getting elected would set precident that it is. Fug that.

I think Americans put labels on things for simplicity, like Republican or Democrat. The are "wings" of each party. Dems have Progressive, Centrist, Conservative etc. Reps have Libertarians, Trad Conservatives, and now MAGA. MAGA has taken over the Reps and the Trad Conservatives are dying off. The Progressives are trying to take over the Dems. Voters ultimately make the choice. The hard part is telling the difference. I looked over my voter pamphlet and would bet I could put the write-ups for the Rep and the Dem next to each other and you couldn't tell the difference. They both write about supporting the same things. No one is anti-Family, anti-school, anti-healthcare, anti-veteran, etc. Now the actions of my current rep haven't matched with what he wrote in 2024. Will voters hold him accountable? I doubt it. Too hard to sort through the mess.

Regarding "following party leadership" problem, I think it comes from the fact that Congress rarely votes on clean, one-topic bills. Latest example was a bill on Stock trading ban for Congress. The Reps threw in voter ID requirement so Dems would largely vote against it. Then they can run ads says "Dems voted against stock trading ban!". This is how Mike Lee sticks his crazy ideas in bill. Both sides do it all the time. There is almost never a clean bill.