Last Best News (https://montana-mint.com/lastbestnews/tag/hillary-clinton/)
Do the political parties serve the people they claim to represent, or do they use the people as a tool to advance the agendas of the party power brokers? That’s kind of a chicken-or-egg question I guess. (more…) Continue Reading →
Montana Democrats who supported Bernie Sanders were left scratching their heads after a former national party insider said last week that the 2016 Democratic presidential primary was rigged for Hillary Clinton. In her new book, former Democratic National Committee chairwoman Donna Brazile said she found evidence that Clinton’s campaign rigged the party’s nomination process to favor Clinton over Sanders. (more…) Continue Reading →
Donald Trump has been legitimately elected president of the United States, and Democrats need to get over it and move on. But so does Donald Trump. Although Trump had a big victory it is apparently not big enough. He is now claiming that he should have gotten the majority of the popular vote as well as the Electoral College vote and is claiming that millions of people cast ballots illegally, and all for Clinton. This is the first time I have ever heard of a winning candidate claiming voter fraud. Continue Reading →
With the national political uproar leading to an unprecedented rise in the use of “unprecedented,” it was almost comforting this week to see the Montana Legislature fight familiar battles. (more…) Continue Reading →
Heading into Thanksgiving weekend, I hosted a discussion at Rocky Mountain College on protests. Even though the Coffee and Conversation discussion came after classes were out for the week, and even though a cold front was supposed to be on the way, 20 or so students showed up. Maybe it was the free coffee that brought them out, or the prospect of a long weekend too far from home to spend the holiday traveling. (more…) Continue Reading →
The news media are more biased than ever—as well they should be. Whoever said the media ought to be above petty partisanship, blatant favoritism and payback shenanigans had it all wrong. We do expect some professionals to be above bias. Doctors should mend the homeless as conscientiously as they stitch up millionaires. Court-appointed attorneys, underpaid and overworked though they may be, ought to be as conscientious defending a homeless vagrant as a debutante shoplifter. Continue Reading →
The 2016 election has set many new precedents. Here’s one for me: I will vote a straight Democratic ticket. Never thought that would happen. Even in the yellow dog Democrat days in Texas, my argument never varied: elect the best candidates, regardless of party, and they will find a way to figure out the way forward. Elect some Democrats to get the horses to a gallop, and throw in a few Republicans to pull on the reins. Continue Reading →
Economics Professor Jack Chambless wrote a piece in Wednesday’s Billings Gazette arguing that Hillary Clinton’s proposal for free college tuition is a bad idea. He could have said, “Nice thought, but we can’t afford it.” Instead, he makes a more complicated case. Here’s his argument: (1) free tuition would create an artificial demand for college classes, forcing universities either to expand or to raise admission standards; (2) inept students would be enticed to attend college; (3) those inept students could have spent their time more profitably with an internship or vocational training; (4) the value of a college degree would be reduced; (5) professors would be stuck teaching “educational welfare recipients”; (6) free stuff is poor stuff; and (7) taxpayers should not be forced to pay to educate the children of others. Whew. That’s a lot of weight for a short column to bear. Continue Reading →
A spokesman for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign defended his statement on Monday that Hillary Clinton “lacks the mental and physical stamina to take on ISIS” by saying that Trump was referring to policy differences. “Mental and physical stamina” is a synonym for “policy”? OK, I thought: It is official. Words no longer mean anything at all. It’s kind of a relief. Continue Reading →
In a rare act of political courage, or of political opportunism, U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., became an early and strong supporter of Donald Trump. Initially, this required ignoring or explaining away Trump’s assertion that John McCain was no war hero and the accompanying implication that prisoners of war in general are losers unworthy of our admiration. Now it requires that Zinke somehow excuse Trump’s attack on a Muslim family who spoke at the Democratic National Convention about their son, a U.S. soldier who died an undeniably heroic death fighting in Iraq. In a guest column in Saturday’s Billings Gazette, Zinke tried to get over the hurdle by accusing Trump’s presidential opponent, Hillary Clinton, of equally reprehensible behavior. He wrote: “Both of our candidates for president have picked fights with and said extremely regrettable things to the families of service members who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our great nation. Continue Reading →
