This is ironic. Since this is an off-year, off-month, off-week, off-day election, it was almost guaranteed to have a tiny turnout, so many MT Republicans fought against voting by mail, thinking a low turnout would help them. But in the end, they allowed the vote-by-mail to go forward, since it saved millions of dollars. Now it looks like it will help them tremendously, because so many votes have been cast already.
Whether it will help them enough remains to be seen. And of course, in a state that went for Trump by 20 points or so, there are probably lots of voters who would like a Congressman who beats up MSM reporters.
TonySinclair. Agreed, but I am going to give The Good People of Montana the benefit of the doubt. Let’s wait for the election returns. If “The Hammer” wins, I think it will be less than by 20 points. Just say’in.
So this Greg Gianforte guy sounds like a real peach. For example, his position on retirement (and social security):
"There’s nothing in the Bible that talks about retirement. And yet it’s been an accepted concept in our culture today. Nowhere does it say, 'Well, he was a good and faithful servant, so he went to the beach… The example I think of is Noah. How old was Noah when he built the ark? 600. He wasn’t like, cashing Social Security checks, he wasn’t hanging out, he was working. So, I think we have an obligation to work. The role we have in work may change over time, but the concept of retirement is not biblical.
Never heard of him before he assaulted the reporter.
On this subject, yes, at least from the nattering elites who think they know what the poor need.
When he says ignorant shit about gays and foreign policy, by all means pile on. That’s why he’s not President today. Him talking about poverty was part of what sold him originally. He had as much authority on that subject as John Kerry did about riverboat warfare.
I think it’s reasonable to criticize wingnuts for their wingnuttery, even if it’s on subjects they might have personal experience with. General Flynn is a wingnut, and it’s reasonable to criticize his foreign policy and anti-terrorism wingnuttery despite his military experience.
Can’t distinguish fantasy from reality and uses that confusion to hurt people, commits assault on people who piss him off… This guy fits right in with the republican party.
He grew up low-income, and with some serious difficulties, so his story can serve as an inspiration, but he was hardly typical.
He not only graduated first in his class, he got the highest SAT of his high school for 20 years.
So, he has a bit of survivor’s bias going on. He found it possible to make it out of the cycle of poverty, and all it took was the greatest intellect his community had seen in a generation to make it, why can’t everyone be like that?
He does bring up a good point, though, in that poverty is in fact a mind set. I have had years where I did not make much money, and would have been considered impoverished by any standards. But, I still had a middle class mindset, and knew that I could work my way out of this set back. I never applied for or accepted any sort of govt aid, as I really felt that I could make it on my own.
It is hard for those with fiscal literacy to understand that there are others who do not posses that skill, just as most of us would be surprised to meet and adult without reading literacy. But it should not be too surprising, it is something that needs to be learned, just like anything else. Where is someone supposed to learn fiscal literacy and responsibility? Not school, other than the maths that are relevant, school had nothing to do with learning about personal economics. I learned most of that from my parents. If your parents are not responsible with money, then it is very unlikely that you will pick up a new skill spontaneously.
