Nov 3 - Independents’ Day?

[INMT]

"Montana" has always been disappearing, ask any of our friends on the reservations. It has never been a static state, it is constantly in flux since white people first moved here for beaver pelts, gold, cattle, sheep, copper, wheat, skiing, breweries, fly fishing, amenity ranches, creationist museums, trophy hunts, data centers, etc. At the top of the stairs on the second floor of the State Capitol are statues of the leader of a vigilante lynch mob, Wilbur Sanders, next to a statue of one of the most vocal pacifists of the 20th century, Janette Rankin; two people who could not be more different. Which one is more "Montana"? Neither and both. Montana has constantly and always been disappearing and reappearing.

The entire theme of A.B. Guthrie Jr.'s The Big Sky is "man destroys the thing he loves." We've all loved Montana to death, in our own way.

Every single state in the union in one way or the other. Montana just took longer.

 

[Gerald Martin]

That's the other problem. I have too many friends now with toddlers, as well as two nieces, and I have also briefly practiced some divorce law and have litigated countless domestic violence cases.

If I am going to start a family with anyone they need to be an awesome partner, so sadly the standards keep going up.

The quantity needed for ultimate success is one. Sometimes less straw in the haystack makes it easier to find the needle! Good luck

 

[jimh406]

I think the difference is people moved to Texas from California for the jobs when the companies moved. They brought their politics with them which makes sense.

On the other hand, I feel like most people move to Montana to escape the politics of other states like CA, WA, and OR. Sure, some are buying second homes, but those people don't really count since they probably aren't legally voting here and where their primary home is. Some are moving for the beauty, but there are other states for that. Of course, those second homes are still driving the prices up which hurts those who don't already have a home.

I saw a blurb that said California has officially annexed Texas. Maybe not too far from the truth, but I found it kind of funny.

 

[Bonasababy]

I think the difference is people moved to Texas from California for the jobs when the companies moved. They brought their politics with them which makes sense.

On the other hand, I feel like most people move to Montana to escape the politics of other states like CA, WA, and OR. Sure, some are buying second homes, but those people don't really count since they probably aren't legally voting here and where their primary home is. Some are moving for the beauty, but there are other states for that. Of course, those second homes are still driving the prices up which hurts those who don't already have a home.

I saw a blurb that said California has officially annexed Texas. Maybe not too far from the truth, but I found it kind of funny.

Really? Texas republicans are one of the best examples of doing it completely wrong. Turned latinos towards them in 24 in a historic change...completely flipped that around with the ICE/BP abuses by 26. You have a new Latino governor from border country...you blame CA?

Jerry rigged districts. Dumping Cornyn in favor of the horrible, un-electable Paxton.

Read where the last time any Dem held a statewide office was back when Ann Richards was governor...who Dubya beat, before he ran for President.

Dems just swept all of them in this election I believe. Republicans there and elsewhere seem to be incapable of looking in the mirror for their problems.

 

[406dn]

I think the difference is people moved to Texas from California for the jobs when the companies moved. They brought their politics with them which makes sense.

On the other hand, I feel like most people move to Montana to escape the politics of other states like CA, WA, and OR. Sure, some are buying second homes, but those people don't really count since they probably aren't legally voting here and where their primary home is. Some are moving for the beauty, but there are other states for that. Of course, those second homes are still driving the prices up which hurts those who don't already have a home.

I saw a blurb that said California has officially annexed Texas. Maybe not too far from the truth, but I found it kind of funny.

We moved to Montana 45 years ago. It was, almost entirely, my desire to have the hunting and fishing opportunity that Montana offered. The politics was not a factor, at all, in our decision.

Most of the population growth in Montana is in western Montana. They are about to elect a Democratic congressman. The ruby red portion of Montana is the eastern part of the state. Outside of Billings, which tilts red, the rest of eastern Montana is losing population.

It is close minded to think that any place should be immune from change. Everything in the history of mankind shows that change is continuous. Every generation has a unique set of circumstances that shape their lives. Those circumstance also shape their world view.

 

[jimh406]

Really?

I was talking specifically about the difference between how the electorate changed for different reasons. On X there have been plenty of transplants from CA that were happy to vote for a D in Texas for no reason other than they are a D and not due to a specific policy or policies. I think that is pretty reasonable for them to bring their politics with them although some in Texas might not like it.

You can say it was for policies, but it's typical for the party in power to lose seats. Sure, maybe a few more than normal, but not that crazy in the grand scheme of things.

Year	President	Party	Net House change	Outcome notes
2010	Obama	D	−63	Largest modern midterm loss; Republicans took the House
2014	Obama	D	−13	Modest loss; Republicans expanded their majority
2018	Trump	R	−41	Blue wave; Democrats took the House
2022	Biden	D	−9	Smallest recent loss; Republicans narrowly took the House
2026	Trump	R	≈ −30 to −45+(preliminary)	Democrats flipped at least 25–32 seats (projections often 250–268 total Dem seats); Democrats took the House