In many Letters to the Editor or guest columns submitted to my local newspaper, The Bozeman Chronicle, authors often use the term ‘Montana values,’ as a rationale behind whatever argument they are trying to make. I am still trying to figure out exactly what ‘Montana values’ are. On the one hand, it would seem this refers to the Reagan-esque, rugged cowboy individualism whereby people take personal responsibility for their actions and for taking care of their families. It conjures up words like integrity, honesty, grit, ‘live and let live’, and images of neighbors helping neighbors.
However, like many words and terms these days, the term ‘Montana values’ has taken on a 1984-ish, “Newspeak” twist and is often used by the Republicans and their right-wing acolytes to justify enacting laws or taking actions that are completely contrary to the values listed above. Pushing through legislation based upon ‘Montana values’ has now resulted in more onerous voting laws to counter voter fraud in spite of the fact that Republicans basically swept the ticket in the last election and Trump won the state by double digits. Laws have been recently passed restricting the rights of transgender and LGBT residents. The governor is pushing for a special session of the legislature to enact laws that will trigger outlawing abortion (which is now legal in Montana) if Roe v. Wade is overturned.
One of the more glaring examples of the very loose interpretation of the term ‘Montana values’ is the current candidacy of Ryan Zinke to be the Republican nominee for Montana’s newly created House of Representative district. I read in the paper this morning that Zinke’s fund raising efforts have far surpassed his Republican rivals.
You might remember, Ryan Zinke was the Secretary of the Interior, under Trump and, is in fact currently endorsed by Trump. You might also remember that he left office under a cloud of ethics violations.
| “A department investigation found that he had misled officials about his role at a nonprofit that he and his wife were using to attempt to close a land deal with developers. The deal included the chairman of oilfield services company Halliburton, a company whose business operations would have fallen under Interior’s purview. The Department of Justice also opened an investigation into Zinke’s involvement in Interior denying a permit that would have allowed two native tribes to expand their casino business — a move which faced opposition from lobbyists.”1 |
Ryan Zinke did not last in the Trump administration due to these scandals which is remarkable since the entire administration was marked by scandal after scandal.
Fast forward to now. Like I said, Ryan Zinke is now running for the House of Representatives in Montana. If the scandals that resulted in him being booted out of the Trump administration were not enough, there is now a huge controversy about his actual residence. He claims that he lives in Whitefish, MT. His wife, however, lists her primary residence as Santa Barbara, CA.
“A home being considered the primary residence for one spouse would normally indicate that it is the primary residence of both spouses, said Andrew Hayashi, director of the Virginia Center for Tax Law at the University of Virginia Law School.
“The details for determining residency will depend on the state or local laws, but I would think that it would be a hard sell to any tax authority that the candidate and his wife do not have the same primary residence (assuming they are not separated),” Hayashi said via email.”1
Ryan Zinke was forced out of Federal office due to ethics violations. There are now major questions surrounding exactly where his primary residence is. And yet, he appears to be a shoe-in for the Montana Republican nomination for the House race in November. My question is simply, “If so many Montanans pride themselves on their ‘Montana values,’ how is it that a man like Ryan Zinke, whose ethics and honesty have been called in to question in multiple circumstances, will very likely be elected to represent the state in the House of Representatives?”
It leads me to believe that the term ‘Montana values’ really refers to an amorphous set of terms that allow for justification of actions based upon political expediency rather than actual ethical and moral values. It is simply our version of the Orwellian term ‘Doublethink.’ Doublethink: “The ability to have two completely contradictory beliefs in one’s mind and believe both of them to be true.”
If Montana elects Ryan Zinke – you get what you pay for!