I pointed to two old drunks sitting across the bar from us and told my friend, “That’s us in 10 years.” My friend replied, “That’s a mirror.” –Pinterest

Today’s independent commentary deals with these people/issues:

• In Your Letter…
• Vaccine Distribution
• Mitch McConnell
• One More Thing

IN YOUR LETTER…

Lee Newspapers is reporting that Montana Governor-Elect Greg Gianforte sent the leadership of the Montana Legislature a letter outlining the protocols his office plans to take due to the pandemic.

You can the Lee Newspaper article HERE. I did not see a lot in the reporting that stood out as important.

I was surprised he did not tell lawmakers, “We don’t need any stinking masks” but he did not. I do expect Gianforte to mirror South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s plan which is kind of like “only the strong survive.”

I wonder if Gianforte owns his own ventilator.

What a strong leader would do is tell the legislators to delay the session until later in the year to protect people who have to attend the circus and to help Lewis and Clark County. The sad thing is a first-term governor wants to be reelected so don’t expect Gianforte to make too many waves.

If they hold the session in January, it won’t be remembered for anything but being a “superspreader” event that harmed thousands.

VACCINE DISTRIBUTION:

It’s great to see the COVID-19 vaccine distribution happening all across the USA. There have been deliveries to Montana, too!

To quell the rumors, the vaccines were not delivered in Montana via horseback.

I saw the media was filming some healthcare workers getting the injection. It seemed like a big freaking needle. I hope that someone taking the shot with the cameras rolling waits a few seconds and then jokingly falls to the floor and starts flopping around like a fish. Maybe add some foaming at the mouth to scare the hell out of people.

Too soon?

To get serious for a second, I watched some of White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany’s press briefing on Tuesday. She touted the fact that the Trump Administration had made good on getting a vaccine developed before the end of the year.

Here’s how McEnany started her briefing:

“Yesterday the United States witnessed a medical miracle. The first doses of a COVID vaccine were administered to frontline workers across the country. The president promised a safe and effective vaccine in record time and President Trump delivered.”

She then talked about news organizations saying earlier in the year it would not be possible.

It was a spike the ball in your face moment. After January 20, McEnany will be a good addition to One America News Network, Newsmax, or Fox News.

I did not think Trump and the drug makers could deliver, but they did, so they deserve some credit for getting it done.

The problem is if Trump and company would have taken significant steps back in January through March, thousands of people might still be alive. Trump can take credit for getting the vaccines out to people in record time, but he also must take the blame for not taking the virus seriously.

MITCH MCCONNELL:

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) congratulated President-elect Joe Biden during a speech on the U.S. Senate floor Tuesday. That was the first time he acknowledged the Biden win.

Russian President Vladimir Putin beat McConnell to the punch, congratulating Biden earlier Tuesday.

You know there is a deep partisan divide when Russia beats the Senate Majority Leader in congratulating the incoming U.S. President.

The Associated Press reported that McConnell had a warning for fellow Republican Senators:

Fending off a messy fight that could damage Republicans ahead of Georgia Senate runoffs, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned fellow GOP senators on Tuesday not to join President Donald Trump’s extended assault on the Electoral College results.

Since there are some nutjobs in the Republican Party, I expect some shenanigans to happen during the joint session on January 6.

Get your popcorn ready.

ONE MORE THING:

Reporter: “Now that the Electoral College has voted, does the President acknowledge that Joe Biden is the President-elect? Does he have any plans to invite him to the White House?”

Kayleigh McEnany: “The President is still involved in ongoing litigation.”

Kayleigh McEnany will probably be saying the President is pursuing legal options regarding the election on the morning of January 20 as the movers are taking Trump’s stuff out of the White House. -@TheWesternWord

## WEAR A MASK ##