Cheney receives standing ovation in liberal Missoula

There's an old Vulcan proverb. "Only the daughter of a war criminal could save American democracy."  

According to SmartAsset Missoula is America's most fun city for young adults between 20 and 29 in a state where Democrats are otherwise losing power. Congressional titans like Mike Mansfield and Lee Metcalf have been displaced by idiots Steve Daines, Ryan Zinke and Trump loving Matt Rosendale who should be disqualified from holding federal office for his role in the attack on the US Capitol. Senator Jon Tester might even be turned out even though he is one of America's most popular politicians.

With a bust of Senator Mansfield sitting on a nearby table before a full house of 1,100 mostly progressive attendees Republican former Montana Governor Marc Racicot posed questions to Republican former Wyoming US Representative Liz Cheney at the 40th Anniversary of the Mansfield Dialogues at the University of Montana's Dennison Theater.

Up until this year when Sen. Mitch McConnell eclipsed his record, Mansfield was the longest-serving Senate leader. Cheney said her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, worked with Mansfield. Cheney, a professor at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, has said she’s committed to working against Trump, but also has not announced her own political plans, including whether she’d run for president. “The notion that the Republican party is anywhere close to contemplating putting Jim Jordan into the position of Speaker of the House is something that tells you the level of risk we face in our democracy today.” She said the number of people who truly believe the election was stolen is small (“maybe two,” she joked) — and “one of them might be one of your representatives here in Montana.” [Liz Cheney: Hold Republicans accountable for Trump]

So, in 1979 after two salvage timber sales in the Bighorn Mountains Deadwood buddies Rich Schnarr, Ed Fuhs and this interested party went looking for work in Idaho. But, when we drove through Missoula, Montana and saw thirteen hang gliders over Mount Sentinel I knew that was the place I wanted to be. My early twenties were spent under a hang glider aloft or kicking a hacky sack waiting for wind on the top of Mount Sentinel or some other mountain drooling over the Aurora 400 in the back of Popular Mechanics. Missoulians Glade Thompson and Bruce Stoverud perished in their gliders at the foot of Mount Sentinel when I lived there.

Read the SmartAsset piece linked here.

A UM prof said his wife told him she'd never imagine she'd be stoked to see Liz Cheney speak - Cheney interjected: "It's weird for me too." In liberal Missoula, a conservative Republican gets a standing ovation from a crowd of 1,100. https://t.co/YIezRIp9Lz https://t.co/jBHsvC8aI3

— KeilaSzpaller (@KeilaSzpaller) October 7, 2023