Congressman Zinke:
Respectfully, I profoundly disagree with your support for Mike Johnson as Speaker, and with your comments on FOX News this morning, to the effect that you and your Republican colleagues were elected to Congress "to enact the Trump agenda."
No, sir. You were elected to be a U.S. Congressman, capable of thinking and acting for yourself, independent of the president elect, who you do not represent. You represent me.
It is your moral and Constitutional responsibility to cast your votes based on the merits of each proposal, not on the basis of childish, self-serving internecine politics. For it is indeed your duty to honor and uphold the essential separation of powers so wisely insisted upon by our nation's founders. Yes, I like most of Donald Trumps vision for America, too. BUT YOU ARE NOT THE PRESIDENT'S PUPPET. If you see yourself that way, you have just made yourself unnecessary.
The debate over electing the next Speaker -- a person just two heartbeats away from the presidency -- is not, as you characterized it, a "senseless distraction." It in fact represents an incredibly serious and pivotal moment in our nation's history. It is the impression of many true conservatives whose sound judgements I respect, that Rep. Johnson has shown himself to be a profoundly weak "leader." He has indeed already failed (even betrayed) the cause of freedom and limited government repeatedly, and that history is the best predictor of his future.
I do not know to what degree Johnson lacks manly courage, and to what degree he lacks the necessary understanding of the proper and constitutional functions of government in a free republic. Either way, the central question is: Can a demonstrably weak and compromising man suddenly become strong? No, he cannot. Choosing this man as Speaker will simply be preparing a tasty meal for the Democrats. A travesty. This is not about "the Trump Agenda," sir. It is about doing your job.
Do your job.
Respectfully,
Roger Koopman, president
Montana Conservative Alliance
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