by John Grant, Hamilton
The November 15th Opinion page in the Bitterroot Star was 77% dominated (consumed) by the anecdotal, vitriolic musings of two submissions publicly airing the nasty internal squabbles of the Ravalli County Republican Party. Long winded does not begin to explain the excessive amount of column inch consumed in such ramblings.
Adhering to the old adage to not ever get into a urinating contest with skunks, I refrain from engagement with these writers. Their “ capacity to cherry pick such as the US Constitution and the Bible to bolster their belief that any other view but their own is not only deeply flawed but will result in the imminent demise of this country is boring and void of all civility.
Part and parcel of these expressions is the vilification of duly elected members of their own party (Binkley, Bedey, Rusk and internally Nelson) for being insufficiently extreme in their conservatism. I know these representatives of ALL of Ravalli County to be unfailingly true to their conservative values. As well they know what the political process entails and the compromises required in order to “get what you want” because disagreement with those whose convictions differ from their own are neither wrong nor evil.
I disagree with my representatives frequently AND I trust them implicitly to know what good governance is. They also know what it is NOT and that is the “my way or the highway” certitude of many in their own party. I encourage those with such views of certitude to review their 8th grade Civics Class.
Gomez says
Even as someone that leans left, I embrace the belief that we need at least two healthy political parties to help balance things out. Right now the Republican Party is sick, taken over by extremists and conspiracy theorists who have cult like devotion to their orange Jesus.