Notes on state politics

When Rep. Denny Rehberg visited the Havre Daily News earlier this year, he predicted that by October, a lot of people would be so sick of political commercials, they would want to shoot their television.

He was wrong. Most Montanans don't want to wait until October.

But, while people may not like the commercials, they do talk about them, especially the one where Republicans, with the miracle of Photoshop, gave back to Sen. Jon Tester the fingers he lost in a farm accident years ago.

At least television viewers don't have to sift through the dozens of press releases that newspapers, television...