Notebook: Most Montana politicians no longer use town halls for town hall events

Every politician has a way of doing things. Take Sen. Jon Tester, for example. He appears before large groups of people in person with his missing fingers and folksy speak. Some like him and some don’t. He vents frustration as well as anyone over D.C. politics, saying things like “I’ve got to tell you” and “listen, folks.”

He usually tempers this with a dose of optimism. “We can fix this.”

The wheels have gone off the tracks. Access is challenged, if not impossible. Politicians hide from their constituents, seemingly frightened to answer questions from the press on issues related to their own voting record. They permit their vague statements over social media to serve as the golden word, unchallenged and without question. No detail needed, so don’t bother asking.

By Martin Kidston