What I find a little interesting is what this is telling us about Republican politics right now. I thought it a clever election ploy when Sen. Daines introduced the bill earlier in the year -- given how important the votes from Indigenous communities had been in Sen. Tester's victory.
But none of that explains at all why he (and Rep. Gianforte!) would expend the effort to get this enacted now, after the election, but before the ruby red trifecta (led by Gov. Gianforte!) takes over in Helena. There had been a little talk about the legislature doing some mischief wrt the CSKT compact -- I'm not hooked into winger culture enough to know how serious this was -- and with some very quick action, Sen Daines has just taken that off the table.
I think the Fort Belknap compact is the only one of the 7 Tribal compacts awaiting ratification by Congress. It doesn't seem to engender nearly as much antipathy as the CSKT compact, so we can hope maybe it gets ratified in the next Congress (if I haven't missed its ratification already) and that'll end this 40+ year endeavor . . .
I totally agree! I was set to write frantic letters to Daines and Tester to see where this was when the news came out, and I wonder why, too--same thinking as you, it made sense earlier in the year but why push it over the finish line when they had nothing to gain? But I'm glad they did.
Cross fingers for the Fort Belknap compact. Anything attached to the Flathead Valley just seems to attract conspiracy theorists and the more extreme of right-wing thinking. I wish it didn't, but at least those of us who think differently can keep trying to speak out. But man some of my neighbors elect a lot of less-than-sensible politicians.
Thanks, another great column, nice to hear some good news. Some excellent insights here that have been chaotically running through my mind that you have crystallized well. I think this far right model of operating started with Newt and then was supported by the Koch brothers. It's gotten to be untenable. As you say, what ever happened to bipartisanship? It seems to be dead as the politicians who get elected and re-elected are beholden to their base. It's interesting to see someone like Lindsay Graham and Rand Paul, their evolution as politicians (or de-evolution) to embrace more far right/non-fact based positions - it's what years of far right lies have done to a large segment of the population.
I recently read that 80% of Repubs believe (don't quote me) that the election of Biden is illegitimate, and that it was stolen from Trump. That is disturbing and depressing to me. If lies are repeated, do they become truth? It's like a lot of the Republican party - not all - has become not interested in governing or seeking compromise, but only in ruling. What happened to all of the Mitt Romneys (who I disagree with on many issues), etc? A large segment of the party seems to have taken on many aspects of cults.
Sorry to ramble so much, your writing triggered a lot of thinking!
I remember talking with my dad early on in the current administration, about Paul Ryan I think, and saying that all I could think of is that enough of them have drunk their own Kool-Aid that they don't realize a lot of what they push for just started out as propaganda and talking points to scare voters. Though Lindsay Graham is different; with him I just wonder what someone has on him because his about-face was fast and complete.
Anyway, I'm with you! And it's not rambling to think out loud, is it? I don't know what the answer is. My county (around 100,000) is heavily conservative, though my town (7-8,000) leans liberal. The conspiracy thinking and insistence on voting the Party line is constant and everywhere. It makes dialogue difficult but at least we can keep trying. That's all I can say. Listen, humanize, find other points of connection, but still work towards justice despite the opposition.
I'm right with you on all of this. I just want to add that I'm a big fan of Shelly Fyant, the CSKT chairwoman too.
I haven't met her but imagine it would be great. At least, she would. I'd probably just fangirl!
What I find a little interesting is what this is telling us about Republican politics right now. I thought it a clever election ploy when Sen. Daines introduced the bill earlier in the year -- given how important the votes from Indigenous communities had been in Sen. Tester's victory.
But none of that explains at all why he (and Rep. Gianforte!) would expend the effort to get this enacted now, after the election, but before the ruby red trifecta (led by Gov. Gianforte!) takes over in Helena. There had been a little talk about the legislature doing some mischief wrt the CSKT compact -- I'm not hooked into winger culture enough to know how serious this was -- and with some very quick action, Sen Daines has just taken that off the table.
I think the Fort Belknap compact is the only one of the 7 Tribal compacts awaiting ratification by Congress. It doesn't seem to engender nearly as much antipathy as the CSKT compact, so we can hope maybe it gets ratified in the next Congress (if I haven't missed its ratification already) and that'll end this 40+ year endeavor . . .
I totally agree! I was set to write frantic letters to Daines and Tester to see where this was when the news came out, and I wonder why, too--same thinking as you, it made sense earlier in the year but why push it over the finish line when they had nothing to gain? But I'm glad they did.
Cross fingers for the Fort Belknap compact. Anything attached to the Flathead Valley just seems to attract conspiracy theorists and the more extreme of right-wing thinking. I wish it didn't, but at least those of us who think differently can keep trying to speak out. But man some of my neighbors elect a lot of less-than-sensible politicians.
Thanks, another great column, nice to hear some good news. Some excellent insights here that have been chaotically running through my mind that you have crystallized well. I think this far right model of operating started with Newt and then was supported by the Koch brothers. It's gotten to be untenable. As you say, what ever happened to bipartisanship? It seems to be dead as the politicians who get elected and re-elected are beholden to their base. It's interesting to see someone like Lindsay Graham and Rand Paul, their evolution as politicians (or de-evolution) to embrace more far right/non-fact based positions - it's what years of far right lies have done to a large segment of the population.
I recently read that 80% of Repubs believe (don't quote me) that the election of Biden is illegitimate, and that it was stolen from Trump. That is disturbing and depressing to me. If lies are repeated, do they become truth? It's like a lot of the Republican party - not all - has become not interested in governing or seeking compromise, but only in ruling. What happened to all of the Mitt Romneys (who I disagree with on many issues), etc? A large segment of the party seems to have taken on many aspects of cults.
Sorry to ramble so much, your writing triggered a lot of thinking!
I remember talking with my dad early on in the current administration, about Paul Ryan I think, and saying that all I could think of is that enough of them have drunk their own Kool-Aid that they don't realize a lot of what they push for just started out as propaganda and talking points to scare voters. Though Lindsay Graham is different; with him I just wonder what someone has on him because his about-face was fast and complete.
Anyway, I'm with you! And it's not rambling to think out loud, is it? I don't know what the answer is. My county (around 100,000) is heavily conservative, though my town (7-8,000) leans liberal. The conspiracy thinking and insistence on voting the Party line is constant and everywhere. It makes dialogue difficult but at least we can keep trying. That's all I can say. Listen, humanize, find other points of connection, but still work towards justice despite the opposition.
Thanks, Antonia! Especially for that last line of great wisdom.
Can't really take credit for that, there are so many good people who've shown the way :)