Trump-style Loyalty Tests Fracture Montana’s Republicans |
CounterPunch Exclusives
CounterPunch Exclusives
Trump-style Loyalty Tests Fracture Montana’s Republicans
Photograph Source: Tony Webster – CC BY-SA 2.0
Montanans are widely known for our individualism — and we hold fast to the tenet that everyone has the right to their own opinion and political affiliation, or no political affiliation at all. Likewise, we expect our lawmakers to respect differences of opinion in public policy and seek the best outcome for all Montanans.
That long-standing approach to governance and each other is now being challenged by the Republican party’s leaders who espouse Donald Trump-style loyalty over skill, ability, and experience. By mimicking the historically unpopular president — now polling in the 30s — the Montana GOP is trying to “purge” candidates who won’t follow leadership’s dictates, regardless of the cost to society.
One need only look how that’s working on the national level to understand it’s a deeply flawed approach to governance. This is especially true in a nation of 340 million individuals in which about 30% are Republicans, 30% are Democrats,........