"Small government" right-winger wants to expand government

Mark French, a longtime GOP big shot in Montana, scoffs at legislators who "vote for legislation that restricts our liberties and restricts our rights." But French - who is now running for Congress - would restrict Americans' freedom even more.

This makes Mark French just a face in the crowd in the Republican fold, of course. But what's stunning is that he's just so transparent about it.

French's website is full of biblical references that he distorts in an effort to excuse his authoritarian ideology. For example, he declares, "Corporal punishment is advocated in the scriptures and is therefore right." He also misuses the Bible to back up his other socially conservative stances.

Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with French about what the Bible says, the fact that he wants to impose his views on everyone else shows he has no understanding of separation of church and state. Only in the mixed-up world of the modern Republican Party can a "small government" conservative support reinstating corporal punishment in our courtrooms and regulating what consenting adults do in private just because he says it's in the Bible.

What's this really about? Elitism. Much like officials in a suburb that tries to keep low-income housing away, Mark French thinks his views are more important than others'. Just because he's a professional with a decent income, he thinks his beliefs should trump those of the countless Americans who struggle daily to get by.

This elitism rests near the core of the modern GOP.

(Source: http://www.missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/article_ba4a0d74-2019-11df-b90b-001cc4c03286.html)