Signs of authoritarianism in Montana politics | A.J. Otjen

The 2026 Montana Senate Election is a great example of authoritarianism.

The damage done by Daines and Alme et al. now qualifies us, Montana, and the United States of America, to be recipients of the Truman Doctrine. But I doubt that our current crop of Senate candidates even knows what the Truman Doctrine is — the United States provides political, military, and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces.

Alme was slammed into his candidacy by a sleazy last-minute exit by Republican Daines. Bodnar seems to have been recruited by a roster of folks I have supported. But they decided to skip the Democratic Party election process and have now pretty much sunk any chance for that party’s nominee, Alani Bankhead.

All of this mess proves that our political leaders have zero faith in the people. They have lost respect for the process. They no longer believe in democracy to elect a representative government — our Republic. This is a horrible tragedy. Shame on them.

It means that, for some time, in Montana, our two parties — Republican or Democrat — are not worthy of support.

I’m very disappointed in our leaders. None of the Senate candidates are worthy of being called United States Senators. But neither are Daines nor Sheehy. Not when, as just two small examples, Daines tells Sen. Warren: ‘Sit down, Senator,’ and Sheehy asks a nominee for Secretary of Defense, “How many push-ups can you do?”

We contribute thumbs-up sycophants to this corrupt administration with its insider stock trades, purchased pardons, gold-leaf ornamental embarrassments, historical destructions, brown deportations, soldier killings, sex scandals ... they are all guilty. Guilty of destroying our economy, reputation, rule of law, and democracy.

And back at home, we are not much better, trying to rig the system to stop them as they rig the system to continue.

This is not the way. Leaders, do better! Remember why we respected you in the first place.

Yes, there is a rush of influence controlled by the platform owners that kiss the king, and the misinformation tide will continue and drown out the artists, the poets, the peacekeepers, and those of us who actually had a civics class when we were young.

We, the people of the United States, still want: a more perfect Union, and Justice, and domestic Tranquility and Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.

We need leaders who can read and respect these words, instead of scaring us into extremism with issues like a non-existent transgender agenda or threatening the end of Social Security and Medicare.

As for the 2026 Montana election, it seems the Democratic Party candidate has already been knocked out in terms of money. Millions of dollars are now split between the Republican fix-is-in replacement and the independent recruitment a by a combination of out-of-date party leaders from both sides.

I’m not sure it matters who wins the Senate election at this point.

We, the people, have already lost.

Authoritarianism concentrates power in a small elite, rejecting political freedom with centralized control, and suppressing opposition.