by Mary Fahnestock-Thomas, Hamilton
I have lots of education and still often find it hard to distinguish between solid, workable ideas and high-sounding pap with no substance. Comparing documents side-by-side can be helpful, and Ballotopedia.org makes it easy to compare the Montana state political party platforms at https://ballotpedia.org/Republican_Party_of_Montana and https://ballotpedia.org/Democratic_Party_of_Montana.
I looked at the Republican platform first and thought, “Hmm, looks good – lots of emphasis on personal responsibility, local perspectives, support for the law” – all things I believe in.
Then I looked at the Democratic Party platform and thought, “Hmm, a lot more words … Hey! These are people who really recognize that we’re all in this together and that it’s complicated to work together for the common good! They go into detail about what it means to be responsible in today’s world and don’t fall back on the same old formulations that we’ve been hearing since the 1950s and before!”
I wish it were simpler, but I don’t trust those same old formulations, and I certainly don’t trust Ryan Zinke, who may have been a great Navy Seal but was an ethical disgrace to the U.S. Department of the Interior; or Matt Rosendale or Steve Daines, neither of whom does anything but spout party line; or Donald Trump, who thinks the world is his oyster and ethics be damned.
Please take a look at both Montana party platforms – they’re not long – and think for yourself. It’s easy to be a Republican here and just vote a straight ticket, especially if that’s what your family has always done. But the most comfortable thing doesn’t always work out the way we’d assumed it would.