Blunt Talk From Montana's New Sheriff

Check out this Q&A that Salon.com did with Gov. Brian Schweitzer about Democrats, the Rocky Mountain West, and national politics - it is an interesting read. He uses a bluntness that Democrats can learn from, and does a very good job of tackling the "values" issues. Some highlights:

ON DEMS TROUBLE WITH LANGUAGE: "You know who the most successful Democrats have been through history? Democrats who've led with their hearts, not their heads. Harry Truman, he led with his heart. Jack Kennedy led with his heart. Bill Clinton, well, he led with his heart, but it dropped about 2 feet lower in his anatomy later on. We are the folks who represent the families. Talk like you care. Act like you care. When you're talking about issues that touch families, it's OK to make it look like you care. It's OK to have policies that demonstrate that you'll make their lives better - and talk about it in a way that they understand. Too many Democrats - the policy's just fine, but they can't talk about it in a way that anybody else understands."

ON THE PERCEPTION THAT DEMS LACK CONVICTION: "If I'm for something, you're gonna know it pretty quick. And if I'm against it, you're gonna know it too. I'm straight about those things. Some people can't do that. Maybe they've had a lot of time in politics, or they're lawyers, or it's just their makeup. And they have all these highfalutin pollsters and media people, and they say, 'Well, there's this demographic that kind of bleeds into this demographic, and you don't want to lose these over here because you were on this.' I don't believe any of it. I think most people will support you if they know that you'll stand your ground."

ON RELIGION IN POLITICS: "I went to high school in a monastery. I understand Catholicism. But I don't have a need to carry my religion on my sleeve. It's something I have in my heart...Is it important in the flyover areas, the Midwest and the West, to understand something about God, I think it is. I think people are likely to be more God-fearing."

ON PRO-CHOICE DEMOCRATS: "Simply say, like I do, 'I'm pro-choice - I just think that's an intensely private decision that every woman and her physician can and should be able to make, period' - what else is there? That's certainly not someplace for government to be sticking its nose."

Read the whole piece - it's quite a ride.