California governor visits red state, gets hoisted on the petard of his progressive pieties
MINOT, N.D. — “The world is full of bastards,” Norman Maclean wrote, “the number increasing rapidly the farther one gets from Missoula, Montana.”
“A River Runs Through It” is a wonderful work of literature, and while I’m not sure I agree entirely with Maclean’s notions (or, at least, his character’s) about the geographical distribution of stupid people, I’ll agree that Montana is a special place.
It shouldn’t be controversial for the governor of California to visit Montana. Everyone should visit Montana at least once in their lives.
And yet, due to the often petty, thoroughly juvenile politics of the age, Newsom’s July 4 vacation to the state has set off a scandal.
About half a decade ago, in reaction to laws passed in Republican-leaning states, California’s political leaders began banning state-funded travel to those states.
