We cheer for America while trying not to forget the past decade. • Daily Montanan

So much can – and probably will – be said about this election.

Congratulations to Republicans and to Donald Trump, who made history by winning an election and shattering the idea that he could never win the majority of voters. One hopeful takeaway for me is that this could also eliminate talk of voter fraud.

My criticism of Trump and his party remains unchanged, even though it is clearly in the minority in Montana. I have at least been consistent since I first commented on Trump in 2016, when others laughed at his cartoonish entry into otherwise stuffy GOP circles. And it's not like it's new for a journalist in Montana to be critical of the GOP.

We learned a lot about Montana in Tuesday night's national election and carried it into Wednesday morning. If there were any thoughts about a pluralistic Montana that mixed conservative and liberal in a purple hue, that would have to be about as dead as the fact that there are no Democrats in statewide office anymore.

Montana is R, which means Republican and Red, although I assume that the Democrats can claim victory with an expected weakening of the legislature. The supermajority may be gone, but not the GOP's dominance.

Montana is also a confusing place where people kind of shrug their shoulders and say generic things like “libertarian,” although that's about as nuanced as assuming that everyone in that state loves Trump, something that also doesn't come through any data is confirmed, but belief is supported by a broad population. I'm not sure any politician or pundit can justify the fact that Montanans have strongly supported abortion protections while overwhelmingly supporting those who have done everything in their power to stop it.

But if Montana is no longer purple, it has at least shown its ability to split its ticket, so to speak.

And there's plenty of evidence that Montanans crossed the line in many races, even if in the end it all seemed to balance out in the overarching theme of Republican victory. For example, at the time of writing this column, more than 317,000 people had voted for Trump and even more for Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte. However, when looking at the race between Senator-elect Tim Sheehy and outgoing Senator Jon Tester, Sheehy trails by 30,000 votes. There is good evidence of crossover.

While this election has answered the fundamental question of who won and which party will be in control, I have to admit: the media still has a lot more work to do in Montana.

For example, in both the Trump and Sheehy cases, the press reported extensively on their problems and failures, but even when the facts were revealed, it hardly seemed to matter. Does that mean people don't care? Does that mean they haven't read? Or is the policy strictly tribal?

In the run-up to the gubernatorial race, I have rarely seen the GOP so divided among its leaders, with Gianforte pointing the finger at counties and cities for out-of-control spending while Republicans at the local level screamed that it was his fault. Democrat Ryan Busse ran a campaign centered on the property tax message. During the campaign, we heard from across the state that Montana's property taxes were spiraling out of control and stifling residents' economic lives. In the end, it seemed like no Republican took the blame for property taxes.

And yet you show me a Montana resident who is happy with property taxes.

Gianforte was so popular that the Associated Press called the gubernatorial race before 8:01 p.m

It may take some time to relax.

People on both sides of the political spectrum have been frustrated with the media for being an easy scapegoat, especially at a time of dwindling resources at corporate outlets. Liberals were frustrated that the media wasn't digging deeper, producing more stories and scrutinizing seemingly left-leaning candidates while, in their view, giving Republicans a free pass.

Many Republicans instead turned to social media, radio or television, which they considered friendlier, and bypassed journalists at media outlets from weekly newspapers to the New York Times.

I have said repeatedly that the only messages politicians understand are the ones delivered at the ballot box, and as long as voters continue to elect people who refuse to answer questions or respond to reporters, there is no incentive for any kind of transparency. This is what risk management looks like in politics.

Before 8 a.m. Wednesday, I had already received several emails from some concerned readers doing their best impersonation of Philadelphia sports fans who were said to be terrible in losses and even worse in wins.

I haven't responded to any and hope this column serves as an answer.

I don't hate or like Republicans or conservatives. To be honest, I am a crossover voter in some constituencies. My job is simply to check those in power, a definition of journalism that was created long before I was born. When asked why we are so tough on the Republicans, my answer is simple: I would check the Democrats if they were in power.

I cheer for America, period, not just any party.

For those who believe our power should be controlled, I would say that people have been controlling the media for years by deciding when and whether they read the news.

To all the souls who enjoy the taste of bitter media tears: Nothing would make me happier than if Trump or even Republican-dominated Montana were successful. I too want lower prices; I want a clean environment; I want good schools for my children; I want equal opportunities for everyone. If Trump can do this and the rest of the Republicans in Montana can do this, then I will shed my tears of joy and joy.

But do you know what they say about those who forget the past?

Or did they ban this book too?