Finding and renewing the Montana spirit that gave birth to the Constitution

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Paul Weyrich is not a name most Americans would know, but he may be the man who is most responsible for the current state of politics in America. Weyrich, who studied journalism, had fairly humble beginnings to his political career, starting as press secretary to Colorado Sen. Gordon Allott in 1973. But when he came up with the idea for a political think tank, and was able to persuade a member of the Coors family to provide funding for it, Weyrich’s life changed forever. The name of this organization was the Heritage Foundation, and although it seemed to dance along the fringe of Republican politics for a very long time, earning the reputation for being very far to the right, it slowly gained favor with the powerful elements of the Republican Party.

But Weyrich wasn’t done yet. As if to prove that he could actually go even further to the right, he also founded, along with televangelist Jerry Falwell, the Moral Majority in 1979.

There have been many excellent documentaries about the influence of evangelicals on politics in America, but “Bad Faith,” a documentary that recently became available on Amazon Prime, does an excellent job of exploring, in an hour and a half, how this movement has gotten a stranglehold on the Republican Party, and turned it into a movement that not only believes that their candidates are preordained to take control of our country, but that because they are preordained, they have the right, even the obligation, to go to any lengths to gain and to retain that power.

The way this looks here in Montana has become very evident in recent years, as more and more Republican candidates have wrapped themselves up in the self-righteous cloak of religion and used it as a weapon to attack anyone who supports any of the causes that they find unacceptable, particularly women’s rights and the rights of the LGBTQ community.

But the worst part of this dynamic is how they have embraced the concept that doing whatever it takes to win is justified because they are completely in the right. They are the chosen ones.

It’s hard to imagine another political value that completely goes against everything Montana has stood for since we first became a state than the idea that one party should have that kind of power and control. One look at our history and you can see that the reason Montana has what is considered the best state constitution in the country. The constitutional convention of 1972 was organized in such a manner that everyone’s opinion held value. And more importantly, that the main objective was to come up with a document that focused on doing what was best for the people of Montana, not just the Republicans or the Democrats.

I have been interviewing people from both sides of the aisle for my podcast, “The State of Montana,” and one of the questions I have been asking everyone I interview is what the phrase “Montana Values” means to them, and the answers almost always fall in line with very solid foundational issues that have always been revered in our state, which are a sense of cooperation and support for our fellow Montanans. I have always found it important to hear the Republican perspective on policy because I know that if everyone approached politics the same way I do, our government would be broke in a matter of months. We need the balance that all parties bring to the table in order to provide the infrastructure that keeps our state functioning, but we also need that voice of reason that says maybe saving every single person who is failing to meet their responsibilities is not a very realistic goal.

I am insulted that the far right believes so strongly in their way of thinking that they don’t even take my opinions seriously. I am insulted that they believe so strongly that they are right that they are willing to find ways to bend the rules, by gerrymandering, by finding ways to restrict voter access, by constantly lying about their opponents, even though they claim to live my Christian values. It’s an insult to the American way of life that these people honestly believe they have been given a mandate from God. And it’s also an insult to the long-standing Montana spirit of cooperation and support.

Montanans have always believed in giving each other respect. We need to find that spirit again.

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