Gianforte needs to rise to the next level
The managing editor’s profoundly simple “do the math” theme of his June 11 “Editor’s 2 Cents” column makes perfectly good sense. Rep. Gianforte has committed just one lone “violent incident” compared to a couple more such incidents attributed to Sen. Lee Metcalf, thusly, it is concluded, that “Montana’s original hot head in Congress” is not Gianforte, but, indeed, it is Metcalf.
The column, as written has all the necessary elements, it simply failed to connect the dots, to wit: It could have challenged Congressman Gianforte to emulate the other Montana politician, Sen. Lee Metcalf, who as you accurately observe “didn’t merely survive a couple of violent incidents in his professional life, but rather he prevailed and remains “one of the most beloved politicians ever to come out of our state,” and further, you made reference to the proclamation by the Missoulian newspaper heralding the memory and legacy of Metcalf by ranking him 15th on its list of the 100 Most Influential Montanans of the Century. I concur with both the Missoulian ranking and the editor’s description of one of the most beloved politicians.
Congressman Gianforte has now been sworn in as the sole Montana member of the U.S. House of Representatives. It is with that stark fact in mind, and with the most pragmatic of motives, that I recommend to your readers that they expressly convey to Congressman Gianforte support, encouragement, and personal help and assistance, if ever he should perceive the need. This may be no simple task due to conflicts with one’s political affiliation and/or philosophy or even a lingering reluctance to initiate any contact whatsoever in light of his recent assault conviction.
While we ponder the decision to do the right thing, note that the climate in our national capital is dismally obscured by an unprecedented “morass” of conflict, confrontation, and contention “that defies description,” and, indeed, we are living at or near the pinnacle of tumultuous times tantamount with another time in the history of our country when American political activist and revolutionary patriot Thomas Paine poignantly wrote for the inspirational benefit of his fellow colonists on the eve of the American Revolutionary War that, “these are the times that try men’s souls.”
As we contemplate the celebration of the birth of our nation, if the patriot Thomas Paine were to write to his fellow countryman in Montana on the subject of the necessity of support of our new congressman, he might be heard to observe, that in light of the less than two years remaining of the abbreviated legislative term of our new representative, one should not procrastinate, nor lollygag, in making the civicly responsible decision to support arid encourage our lone representative, as time is undeniably “of the essence” and whereupon it is my belief that Mr. Paine would write to us not unlike he wrote to his fellow colonists, in his fiery patriotic style, this is not the time to be an indecisive mugwump, for “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
Astle, of Kalispell, is a former U.S. Capitol policeman who was sponsored by Sen. Lee Metcalf.