From The New West Blog
Montana Politics: Beef Roast vs. Panini
By Matthew Frank, 7-29-08
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That newcomers are reshaping culture and politics in Montana isn’t news, but it’s still a good read.
The Wall Street Journal has a piece today, set in Bozeman, about the tens of thousands of knowledge workers who are “reshaping the way this state looks, acts—and votes. Along the way, these new Montanans have sparked a testy culture clash and, for the first time in a generation, opened the door for a Democrat presidential nominee to win the state in November.”
Douglas Belkin continues:
While Montana’s three electoral votes are hardly going to swing the election, the patterns here are taking root across the interior U.S. West, including in Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada.
On Bozeman’s split identity, he writes:
At times, downtown Bozeman feels like it’s inhabited by two different tribes. Main Street is lined with Audis and Subarus topped with mountain bikes and kayaks. Half an hour out of town, the polish on cowboy boots gives way to scuffs, and gun racks outnumber roof racks.
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Comments
Bozeman's not quite as liberal as Walseth quite yet, and not quite accepting of confrontational politics, either. And while Bozeman might be the county seat, Gallatin County is bright red and is a stronghold for conservative Republicans in the state.
And as many a Montanan has observed, the good thing about living in Bozeman is...no matter where you are... you're only an hour away from Montana.