Posted on 06/27/2005 1:42:49 AM PDT by AmericanArchConservative
Marc F. Racicot (born July 24, 1948) is a United States Republican Party politician.
Racicot is of French descent; his surname is pronounced "ROSS-ko".
He has roots that run very deep in Montana's colorful history. His ancestors came to the Montana Territory in the 1860's. Marc's grandfather arrived in Libby in 1917 to work as a logging camp cook in northwestern Montana for J. Neils Lumber Company. Marc Racicot was born to Bill and Pat Racicot on July 24, 1948, in Thompson Falls.
Marc grew up, first in Miles City and then in Libby. His parents opened their home to foster children, taking in nearly 50 youngsters over time and formally adopting two: Phillip and Aimee, to join Marc, Tim, Larry, Pat and Chris in their home on Larch Street.
Under the guidance of his father, a teacher and high school basketball and track coach, Marc was a starter on the Libby High School basketball team. During his senior year in 1966, Marc led the team to its first and only state basketball championship. Marc also played basketball in Helena for Carroll College. At Carroll, Marc was elected student body President and in 1970 set a record for most assists in a basketball game, 32. That record still stands.
While at Carroll, Marc worked summers for the Highway Department, mapping county roads and railroad crossings across the state. This gave Marc his first opportunity to see Montana corner to corner and to meet many individuals who remain good friends. During college, Marc also worked in the Capitol print shop and as a dishwasher, cook and line runner in the college cafeteria. He graduated in 1970 with a degree in English and later that year married Theresa Barber, a Carroll student from Big Timber, Montana. Soon after, Marc enrolled in the University of Montana Law School in Missoula, receiving his Juris Doctorate degree in 1973.
Governor Racicot has a distinguished record of public service that spans nearly three decades.
As an Army ROTC graduate, Marc was immediately assigned to the Judge Advocate General's Corps of the Army and stationed in West Germany where he served as chief prosecutor for the largest U.S. military jurisdiction in Europe (1973-1976). While there, he also managed to teach business and criminal law for the University of Maryland.
After three years, Marc was discharged from the Army as a captain, returning to Montana in 1976 where he became deputy county attorney for Missoula County (1976-1977). There, Marc established the Missoula Drug Treatment Program for people with substance abuse problems.
In 1977, Marc became a state Assistant Attorney General, as well as Montana's first Special Prosecutor, handling major cases for county attorneys across the state until 1988. During those years Marc travelled across the state prosecuting scores of cases with a conviction rate of 95 percent. He lost only two cases in twelve years. One notorious case was State vs. Don and Dan Nichols, the "mountain men" convicted of abducting Kari Swenson, an Olympic athlete, and murdering a would-be rescuer.
In 1980 he ran for chief justice of the Montana Supreme Court, but was unsuccessful. He also ran for district judge in Lewis & Clark and Broadwater counties in 1982 and 1984, respectively, but was also defeated.
Marc was elected Attorney General in 1988 and took office in January, 1989. He planned to run for re-election in 1992. However, Governor Stan Stephens (R) took ill and withdrew from the race. Marc sought the Republican nomination with Lieutenant Governor Dennis Rehberg, a Billings area rancher. After winning a hard-fought primary campaign, the men ran a successful general election race that led to a narrow 51 percent victory in November, 1992. Marc Racicot was sworn in as Montana's 20th Governor on Jan. 4, 1993
He served as governor of Montana from 1993-2001, winning reelection with Judy Martz, a Butte businesswoman, as his running mate, garnering 79 percent of the vote in 1996, the largest winning percentage for a governor in Montana's history and the largest winning percentage for any governor that year, defeating his democratic opponent, Judy Jacobson.
"As governor, Racicot sought to improve government efficiency and bring government services closer to its owners, the people. He favored reducing government wherever possible and eliminated two executive departments. He worked with Montana's legislature to eliminate a $200 million deficit in 1993 and the Racicot Administration helped produce a $22.4 million budget surplus in 1995.
At the Governor's request, the Legislature approved refunding the money to state taxpayers as tangible proof the state kept its budgetary bargain with the people of Montana to live within its means, and improving the transparency of the state's budget. The governor's office staff was reduced to approximately half of the 1977 levels. While reducing the size of government, Racicot was also able to more than double the proportion of women appointed to office in Montana, increasing the proportion from 20 to 41 percent.
Racicot was, at times, sharply criticized for his environmental record, having overseen the deregulation of Montana's electric utilities, but nonetheless governed effectively and decisively, issuing thirty different Executive Orders, covering a variety of needs from states of emergency during wildfire seasons, to continuing state support of a student abstinence education advisory council .
In January 2002, Racicot was nominated by President George Walker Bush and was "unanimously elected Chairman" of the Republican National Committee serving until 2003.
Racicot, as Republican Party chairman, would not accept his $150,000 annual salary, opting instead to earn much more as an active partner in the law firm. The President, said Racicot, had no problem with his wish to "continue on with my occupation." Racicot had planned to spend about half his time at his then-Houston law firm, Bracewell & Patterson, and lobby as RNC head, but agreed not to one month after he was named in December 2001.
That followed criticism that his clients would have special access to the administration. Racicot said his legal work consisted of "corporate projects that do not involve the government". He said he would remain on the boards of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., MassMutual Financial Group and Siebel Systems Inc."
As party chairman, he was necessarily in regular, face-to-face contact with the President, the Vice President, Cabinet secretaries and the senior White House staff, as well as the Speaker of the House and other GOP Congressional leaders. He knew the precise vote counts of all pending legislation before the roll was called, and exactly what legislation the White House planned to introduce on Capitol Hill...
In 2003, he took a leave to join Bush-Cheney '04 Inc. full time. When he was appointed as the chairman of the Bush re-election campaign, he was highly valued by Bush's aides for his calm manner on television.
Throughout his career, Racicot has strongly committed himself to children and community issues. He is a current member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service and Jobs for America's Graduates. He has also served on the Board of the United Way of America and as chairman of America's Promise--The Alliance for Youth, where his predecessor was Secretary of State Colin L. Powell. He has been a member of the Board of Visitors of the University of Montana Law School and was a member of the Board of Trustees at Carroll College from 1989-1993.
In 2000 as well as 2004 he was rumored to be Bush's choice for Attorney General, but unmerited criticism for his allegedly moderate views on gay rights made that choice unlikely at the time.
In a meeting with 11 pro-family leaders at GOP headquarters, Republican Party Committee Chairman Marc Racicot defended his March 7, 2003 meeting with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the largest homosexual pressure group.
“I meet with everybody,” Racicot answered in response to a question from American Family Association (AFA) President Don Wildmon, who had called Tuesday’s meeting. Racicot said he was trying to execute “the directive that the president gave me … to carry our message, our principles, to everybody and anybody.”
Asked if President Bush had asked him to meet with HRC, Racicot replied, “no,” and said that the meeting was just part of “outreach.” He reiterated that he would meet with “anybody.”
Racicot was pressed on whether it was proper to meet with groups organized around advancing “aberrant” sexual behavior. He was asked directly whether it was normal for two men to have sex. Racicot replied, “No, of course not.” He also acknowledged being “naïve” about how “gay” activists might use the meeting with him to advance their cause.
Criticized on Santorum
Asked why GOP officials did not come to the support of Sen. Rick Santorum when he was under attack for defending the Texas sodomy law, Racicot said, “We did, in fact, talk to reporters.” He offered to bring to the meeting the staffer who handled the calls. Asked if the group could see the press releases that his office issued defending Santorum, Racicot replied that his office did not issue any.
When pressed by Gary Bauer that his meeting with HRC “elevated them. You legitimized them,” Racicot said, “I would agree that is a matter of pause to me. I confess to some naivete."
Bauer told Culture & Family Report, “My sense after the meeting was that for reasons I don’t fully understand, we still have a lot of work to do educating the Republican establishment about why this matters.”
Racicot said his own approach to homosexual issues was “a lifelong evolution.”
“There are people I’ve met who are gay — thoughtful people. I know of families with children — some of them are gay. They have a right to be involved in the public discussion," he said.
Racicot also said he didn’t know what caused homosexuality, or how much was “genetic or environment.” He was told that no credible science has found a genetic link to homosexuality.
He noted that he had incurred the wrath of “gay” activists when he had opposed homosexual “marriage” while governor of Montana, but then defended his own issuance of an order adding “sexual orientation” to the state’s nondiscrimination code for state employees. When pressed, he said he would not support a law that imposed it on private employers.
Following an attorney's briefing on the gay rights agenda, Racicot replied to the entire group, “You need to be straight up with it. You want a law that says you can dismiss someone solely on the basis of homosexuality.” Various members of the group said no, they did not want to add laws targeting homosexuals or anyone else, but felt that special rights should not be carved out based on sexual behavior.
Bauer told Mr. Racicot that pro-family Americans viewed the homosexual activist agenda as a grave threat for two reasons: First, homosexuality hurts those who practice it. He recited the many health risks and noted the recent San Francisco Health Department report showing a fourfold rise in syphilis among “gay” men, a doubling of the gonorrhea rate, and many other sexually transmitted diseases specific to homosexual conduct. HRC and groups like GLSEN want children as young as kindergarten to be taught that homosexuality is normal and healthy, despite well-documented medical evidence.
Alienating the GOP base
Racicot listened intently during this overview. After Richard Land noted that the GOP’s flirting with homosexual activism “divides its friends and unites its enemies,” Racicot said, “I’m not as suspicious as you. I don’t have the agenda you think I have.”
John Willke told him that the GOP needs Democratic votes to win elections, and that many Democats have two “hot-button family issues — abortion and homosexuality.”
Racicot was asked if he would meet with a group of former homosexuals hosted by Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays. He said, “Of course.”
He denied using the term “gay-baiting,” which The Washington Blade, a homosexual newspaper, referenced this way in a March 21 account of the HRC meeting: “Racicot said he would not tolerate ‘gay-baiting’ ads in Republican election campaigns under his control.”
Asked if his reported comments meant that Republicans could not oppose homosexuality in any campaign, such as Georgia GOP challenger Saxby Chambliss’ ads depicting then-Sen. Max Cleland (D) as siding with homosexual activists against the Boy Scouts, Racicot replied that he backed the Boy Scouts’ stand. He cited as objectionable a Democratic TV ad used in a Montana campaign against the GOP candidate that used innuendo to imply that the candidate had a “gay” background.
Lou Sheldon noted that, in 2000, liberals made an effort to strip the GOP platform of some pro-family planks, and he asked Racicot if there was any effort underway to do the same in the upcoming platform battle. Racicot replied that he had not heard of any such effort and would not support it in any case.
From a strategic point of view, Racicot would be a wise choice as the former governor of a Western/Rocky mountain state. Winning the election is the name of the game, and electoral votes are the path. In those terms,all the states surrounding Montana went solidly Republican in 2004, and with Racicot as a candidate they likely would do so again. Scant victories pulled out in Nevada and New Mexico (less than 24,000 votes margin between the two) could conceivably be solidified, taking those states out of play earlier on.
California, home to 55 electoral votes has not "gone Republican" on the national scene in a long time, but a Western Governor - Ronald Reagan - carried his home state in a general election landslide. Another well-respected Conservative Western Governor just might be able to approach that. If paired with a compatible running mate - say an across-the-board Conservative sitting Governor from the upper east coast, like Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, a popular Mormon - might just help Racicot (a Catholic) draw enough Mormon, Catholic, and evangelical votes to turn the tide. Then suddenly Florida (which saw substantial Republican gains in November 2004) and Ohio would not only be less worrisome 'issues", but with the possible addition of Romney's state of Massachusetts' 12 electoral votes, a more substantial aggregate of electoral votes than 2004 might be possible.
Senator Bill Frist and Senator George Allen (former Virginia Governor) are both said to have Presidential ambitions, but quite frankly, Frist has yet to prove himself a strong and resolute leader in the face of Senate challenges and confrontations, while Allen's profile is solid but unspectacular, and rather unnoticed out West, not to mention that neither of them excite significant interest or inspiration among voters.
On the other hand, Racicot, having been a political intimate of President George W. Bush - more than any other candidate looming in the field of possible contenders, could have Bush confidently supporting and stumping for someone he knows and knows well - someone who has been himself a staunch supporter of the campaign in Afghanistan, Iraq and the overall WOT. Bush's support would almost certainly mean keeping Texas and its valuable 34 electoral votes in the 'R' column. Moreover, his is a familiar and well-liked presence in GOP fundraising circles...the "deep pocket" contributors would quickly and willingly line up to support a Racicot campaign. As well, former Gov. Racicot was out stumping for the President's tax cut proposals before they were put in place, therefore he could be counted upon during his term in office to keep them in place.
As a former Captain in the Army JAG Corps, he would give and receive the respect and admiration of our men and women in uniform as Commander-in-Chief, and with an exemplary record upon discharge, and a total absence of scandal either in his life or that of Romney, the two would be an almost ideal antidote to the field taking shape among the Democrat ranks - the likes of Hillary, Joe Biden, Al Gore, Howard "Scream" Dean, Bill Richardson, John Kerry...
At age 56 currently, Racicot is a young, active, and energetic man's man. A former high school star athlete, he still runs frequently and is every bit the equal to the world's most demanding government job
On a personal note:
This writer has had the opportunity to hear former governor Racicot in person on several occasions at GOP events, and to shake his hand as well - as RNC chair, and in his capacity for Bush/Cheney 2004. He is warm and affable, well-spoken, a good listener and offers men and women equal respect and equal time. When questioned, he answers directly,honestly and concisely. Racicot is well able to convey his ideas succinctly, to "connect" with a roomful of people in startlingly folksy, yet non-condescending manner, lacking in artifice. He is a natural successor to President George W Bush. In a word, he is genuine and worthy of respect.
Marc Racicot for President of the United States of America in 2008. Mitt Romney for Vice President.
It is not too early. The timing may be perfect, in fact.
Now is the time to begin getting used to saying their names.
Now is the time to begin talking about Racicot and Romney among your friends.
Racicot/Romney 2008.
Some of Marc's hobbies include running, carpentry and gardening. Marc and his wife Theresa have five children: Annie, Tim, Mary Catherine, Theresa Rose and Joe.
He is a director of MassMutual Financial Group, and a partner at the New York law firm Bracewell & Giuliani.
sources: sourcewatch, The Center For Public Integrity website, wikipedia, www.state.mt.us/racicot/other
Racicot's RNC biography (http://www.rnc.org/rncleadership/chair.html), "Concerned Women For America" website
Saying that he's French isn't going to win him any friends. :D
Pinging my FRiends from my P.R.O.P.* Pinglist to my vanity posting.
This is all about the man I believe could, and should be the next GOP Presidential nominee - former Montana Governor and RNC chairman, Marc Racicot.
I hope you will take the time to read it and understand why I think he is the right man to continue the War On Terror, the George W Bush tax cuts, and the appointing of solid conservatives to the Judiciary. If you agree, please ping in your own FRiends!
Thank you
A.A.C.
I think Racicot would make for an interesting candidate in 2008.
He did a great job running the Bush campaign in 2004.
I seem to remember however, after the campaign he expressed little interest in any other roles in public life.
LOL
I thoughjt the same thing. The French background certainly shouldn't be the opening. Maybe bury it in the 5th graph or not mention it at all.
That said, I was impressed with him back during Ws first campaign. I say go for it. I don't see anyone else looming on the horizon for us...er...no I just can't even bear to think about that one.
RINO Alert!
We're going to have about 45 candidates to choose from. We don't need to draft anyone.
What do the sheep say about him back in Montana?
We best get to work NOW in finding someone that might be palletable to the money-men of the GOP or we can forget having any influence in who represents our part in 2008. Expect their choice to be just like Bush: All tough talk, no tough action as a tool of business interest over national interest.
thanks for the ping.
Look at how many un-winnable GOP candidates the media are trying to foist on us... but the only democrap candidte they ever discuss is hilLIARy
By the way he should lose the French references..
Francois Kerry ruined any references to France. Thats, Still in the voters minds..
Thanks for the ping!
I'd rather him run for Senate.
Racicot is certainly no RINO. C'mon...a pro-life Catholic who has staunchly supported the WOT, Bush tax cuts, school choice vouchers and tuition tax credits, wouldn't impose anti-gay discrimination language into laws on private employers? A former prosecutor, and fiscal Conservative who turned budget problems into surpluses in his home state?
I've heard him speak and he is not known for equivocating much. A RINO he is not. He had the early choice to support McCain before the 2000 election, and explained why he went with Bush instead.
A.A.C.
Sen. Max "Raucus" Baucus (D) ran virtually unopposed. The Republicans lost the Montana legislature for the first time in a generation. Montana elected a wildly popular Democrat governor (Schweitzer), and Sen. Conrad Burns (R) is facing a tough re-election battle.
A state that used to be reliably Republican from top to bottom is now trending Democrat. Racicot has to share some of the blame for this.
I think there are probably more people coming into Montana from Canuckistan than from VicenteFoxville. LOL!
Seriously, though - he never had a nanny, and in Montana there is not exactly the sort of climate or economic base which tends to draw a large number of Mexican or S. American illegals - so it has never been a significant issue. During 12 years as a prosecutor he traveled the state and amassed a 95% conviction rate, so I would infer him to be a "by the book" sort of guy. And with a Juris Doctorate he is not one the media could easily smear as "dumb". In fact the total absence of scandal in his life is one strong part of what makes him an EXCELLENT contender, IMHO.
He is a guy who could survive the MSM proctological probe.
A.A.C.
>"Racicot is great, I agree. But he left the Montana Republican party in shambles.
Sen. Max "Raucus" Baucus (D) ran virtually unopposed. The Republicans lost the Montana legislature for the first time in a generation. Montana elected a wildly popular Democrat governor (Schweitzer), and Sen. Conrad Burns (R) is facing a tough re-election battle.
A state that used to be reliably Republican from top to bottom is now trending Democrat. Racicot has to share some of the blame for this."<
Okay, this is thought-provoking and may offer some reasonable questions and/or criticisms. What did he NOT do that he perhaps should have done - given that he went virtually straight from the Governor's office into his national seat, answering the RNC's call to help get Bush elected? IMHO getting Bush in office was arguably important enough for Racicot to "abandon" the Montana GOP, but are you saying that there is another respect in which he left the party in "shambles", than leaving a void in state party leadership. Or was it a natural result of the party following on the heels of his extremely high popularity?
Should Racicot, at a point, have run opposite Baucus perhaps? It is appreciable that you think Racicot is great, but obviously you have some personal perspectives and I am interested in hearing more of your thoughts.
A.A.C.
Thanks for the ping, and all the info, AAC.
How about Scotus for Racicot?
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