The first rule of politics, they say, is to show up. I spent last weekend obeying that rule.

Montana tourism continues to thrive this summer. In July visitor spending in Whitefish alone reached a record $15.65 million. In the hope of sparing some other unsuspecting visitor my pain, I share my last tourist experience there.

In the three-ring circus of Montana’s current senate race, the Republican candidate’s messaging reflects a philosophy ascribed to P.T. Barnum: “There’s a sucker born every minute.”

I was a sister wedged in birth order between two brothers. All my cousins my age were boys. All the neighborhood kids my age were boys. So my childhood game wasn’t house. It was baseball.