Sirota on the West’s Newfound Political Relevancy

By Matthew Frank, 8-08-08

The Intermountain West has become the most important political battleground in America, argues author and commentator David Sirota, more pivotal than Ohio and with a burgeoning influence on energy, taxes, trade and health care.

In a column today, set in Butte, Montana, Sirota writes:

[Should Democrats prevail in key races around the region], they will prove that even in fossil fuel country, candidates can win the most contested races on green platforms. That would likely prompt a more aggressive departure from the Bush administration’s energy agenda.

He goes on to say that no state “will play a more direct role in forging—or derailing—change than Montana,” because Sen. Max Baucus, chairing the committee overseeing tax, trade and health care, is “one of the planet’s most powerful people.” (He also calls Baucus a “a shill’s shill.")

Read more of Sirota’s thoughts on the West’s transformation from an “American Siberia” here.