| Seeing all the hyperbole and misstatements recently made to trash Matt and Forward Montana has frankly p*ssed me off. I'm not going to speak about Forward Montana, its charter, membership, or funding sources, because that's all Matt's gig. I will say this: I trust Matt, I believe he's committed to certain ideas that Forward Montana is working towards - and that includes getting young people and communities excited about politics and participating in our political system - I know he's not using us - the dozens or hundreds of local members - or his organization for any George Soros schemes. As far as I can tell, Forward Montana is exactly what it claims it is.
I hosted a Forward Montana even in my house on Sunday, part of the "beer, brat, and ballots" push to get neighborhoods conversing. I went out this past week and knocked on my neighbors' doors and invited them to my house to meet Ward 6's council candidates, to have some sausage or veggie burger, salad, to drink beer, and to talk politics. It was not a partisan event. As host I tried to lead the conversation, I never offered my personal opinion on any issue or candidate, and made sure both Ed Childers and Lewie Schneller had their full say. (Not an easy task if you know how gregarious Lewie is.) Turnout wasn't great, but the conversation was.
That's Forward Montana.
No one was brainwashed. No one was talked into voting for any Forward Montana candidate - but who the "Forward Montana candidates" are, you'd have to guess. Neither Matt or Forward Montana has endorsed any city council candidate. Look it up.
I'm a progressive, and I joined Forward Montana because it's a progressive group working towards progressive goals. And one of those goals - maybe the most important for me - is to get people involved in the political process. Without public interest and scrutiny I believe our representatives - whether at the local, state, or federal level - would scr*w us in a heartbeat. If we don't care, why should they? It's our government, it's our responsibility, and only we can make sure it's working in our interests on our behalf. That's progressivism. And there are Republicans who share these sentiments, and Democrats who don't like what Forward Montana is doing.
And that's what Forward Montana works for, too. If you don't like people participating in our democracy, fine. But how about debating the substantive issues instead of slinging mud, accusing legitimate organizations of being astroturf fronts built for some insidious purpose, without having a shred of evidence to support your allegations? And why repeat these rumors if all you have to go on is some anonymous comments and an unfounded blog post? Did you email Matt and ask him your questions? Have you met any Forward Montana members? Have you attended an event? Do you know what a 501c4 organization is?
Enough already. Of course it's Matt's obligation, not mine, to correct the misunderstandings and explain the legal status of his group, its mission, history, and membership. Let this post serve only as a testament to Matt's work, a character reference for a colleague and a friend. |
