Will Wilson is a former GOVERNING correspondent.
E-mail: willbwilson@gmail.comTwitter: @governing
In one of yesterday's "Heads Up" links, Montana House Republican Majority Leader Michael Lange lashes out at Governor Brian Schweitzer with ugly temper and language.
Why would a legislator ever lose his cool like that? Cursing and screaming should be political suicide, shouldn't it?
I think the comments section following the article is revealing. It goes on, and on, and on. And very little is nice or thoughtful. The sixth poster calls Lange a "loud mouth buffoon." The tenth says he's a "little baby." And then it gets ugly. The eleventh poster attacks the third poster. Another refers to Mr. Schweitzer as "Governor BS." And that's when the ALL CAPS hit and I quit reading before they proved Godwin's Law.
It strikes me as somewhat humorous, and a little illuminating, that the legislator really was representative of his constituency. People say politics is getting worse, but I'm guessing that this is nothing new--is rather tame, in fact, by historical and international standards.
I'm certainly not excusing Lange's outburst, only suggesting that his manners seem quintessentially democratic. Royals may be out-to-lunch rulers, but they never scream or claw each other.
Written and compiled by staff writers and editors, GOVERNING View is an on-the-ground, and sometimes behind-the-scenes, look at the topics we're covering in print and online. From notes on what's up in statehouses, county courthouses and city halls, to encounters with people, places and things, GOVERNING View is a window into the side of state and local government you don't always see.
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