Tester Sweeps All Major Newspaper Endorsements
With today’s endorsements from the Helena Independent Record and the Bozeman Daily Chronicle (link not yet available), Big Sandy farmer Jon Tester has received support for his U.S. Senate bid from all major newspapers in Montana.
In the last week Tester received endorsements from the Great Falls Tribune, Butte’s Montana Standard, and the Billings Gazette, Montana’s largest newspaper.
Today’s endorsement from Bozeman Daily Chronicle praises Tester’s plans to address Montana’s “rock-bottom wages,” develop rural communities, prioritize education and “to take an honest look at the status of the war in Iraq.”
The Daily Chronicle says Sen. Conrad Burns experience in Washington is “not enough.”
“[Burns’] inability to censor himself–as evidenced by his vocal outbursts against wildland firefighters, flight attendants, Arabs, African-Americans and even cab drivers–never seems to embarrass him as much as it does the rest of us,” the paper writes.
The endorsement from the Helena Independent Record says, “It seems clear that Montana and Congress need a strong dose of fresh air, and Tester is just the ticket.”
The paper also suggests Sen. Burns’ experience in Congress is a possible detriment to Montana.
“Much has been made of Burns’ seniority in the Senate, but that advantage would lessen considerably in the event that Democrats end up in control of one or both houses of Congress, a real possibility,” the Independent Record writes. “Besides, seniority is an issue that can only be postponed, never put to rest.”
Tester has also committed to being part of “a solution rather than a continuation of the status quo,” the paper writes. Tester will bring change, honesty and integrity to Washington, and he will fight for tax cuts that benefit middle class families.
Posted on Sunday, November 5th, 2006 at 11:10 am. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
11 Responses to “Tester Sweeps All Major Newspaper Endorsements”
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November 5th, 2006 at 10:51 pm
Those of us throughout the country who are hoping for positive change and the return of honesty and integrity to our government are rooting for you on Tuesday, Jon! Congratulations on your endorsement successes, and here’s hoping that all Montanans will see the light and vote Tester on Tuesday!
Best wishes,
Diane
Baltimore, Maryland
November 6th, 2006 at 1:47 pm
What a surprise. A Liberal Democrat is endorsed by all the major newspapers.
I could have told you that before Tester won the primary.
How many times has a Conservative been endorsed by a major mainstream newspaper?
November 6th, 2006 at 8:42 pm
Newspapers often endorse Conservatives. Maybe you don’t read; instead perhaps you accept the broad, misleading statements of Conrad Burns and the Montana Republican Party. And Bozeman is hardly a bastion of liberal politics — the Gallatin County delegation to the state legislature should give you a clue.
Montanans are ready for a fresh approach to issues, not the same old one-liners lacking analysis. Conrad Burns is an embarrassment — did you watch the debates? Burns takes credit for Medicare Part D — which is a disaster. The biggest beneficiaries of that plan are insurance and pharmaceutical companies. What has Burns done for education? Have you read the so-called Patriot Act? Probably not — it’s easier to just accept the broad statements that they are just targeting the bad guys.
The Iraq war doesn’t have anything to do with protecting Americans’ security. The Bush war has destabilized that country, and made the world a more dangerous place, not safer. This administration lost its moral compass, and the United States has temporarily lost the high ground in international affairs. We can recover it by rejecting the policies of the Bush administration and replacing them with men and women of vision. Jon Tester is a good start.
November 7th, 2006 at 1:01 am
I’m sure you’re already familiar with these ideas, but I present a couple more detailed thoughts on why I voted for Jon Tester on my ballot.
These include:
1) Conrad burns has always, and will undoubtedly continue to stick his foot in his mouth and embarrass Montanans. This past summer marked the 20th year since my first as a seasonal wild land fire fighter – over the years I have worked for both the State of Montana (then DSL; now DNRC) as well as the US Forest Service. In that time I have had friends who have given 110% to their jobs. After witnessing and having good friends be both injured and killed attempting to suppress fires, I know that the #1 priority must be fire fighters’ safety. I was working this past summer in Billings as an aircraft dispatcher when some of the fires blew up and management pulled all personnel away in the interest of safety. I was talking to a man flying over the fire as I watched the column build and literally race north from the interstate east of Billings this past summer. Nobody should have been anywhere near the head of that fire – period. As I watched the afternoon unfold, it was obvious the people near the blaze should do one and only one thing – evacuate. In the past 20 years, I can attest to the fact that land owners love their land and that they can do a lot to suppress fires (like the time a farmer near Ekalaka who single-handedly used his disks behind a tractor to turn-up mineral soil and stop a blaze not 20 minutes after my hot-shot crew darn near got burned over by the same fire-front). I have also seen numerous times, however, where a well-intentioned land-owner has gotten themselves into situation where my fire job has become a rescue job because a person who lacked proper training and personal protective equipment realized the true power of Mother Nature a little too late. Yes, there were upset private land owners in central/eastern Montana frustrated with gov’t. suppression efforts this summer. Yes, given the fatalities experienced in recent years, the government is hesitant to be as aggressive in their actions as they may have done previously. And, yes, Conrad Burns was right to talk to those upset people. But to blast a group of hot shots – a group of well-disciplined, highly skilled fire fighters – while waiting for a flight at the Billings airport was completely inappropriate and showed the man’s absolute ignorance about how a US Senator should deal with and/or assist the people of Montana. A responsible Senator would certainly have visited with fire officials and those in the agency administration before making unleashing such biting and in my opinion ludicrous rants on those doing their best to help protect our lands.
2)When Burns speaks of a ‘faceless enemy,’ terrorists that “drive taxi cabs in the daytime and kill at night” – he is an embarrassment to our state and to the nation.
3)Cloture vote on SJ Resolution 21 (Apr 23, 1996). Senator Burns, serving his first term in the Senate, voted YES to cloture (end debate) on a Constitutional Amendment limiting elected officials terms in Congress - he was in favor of the resolution. House members would have been limited to 6 terms (12 years), Senators to only 2 (also 12 years). Senator Burns had recently beaten incumbent Senator Melcher almost solely on a platform that said Melcher had lost touch with Montana and that we needed citizen legislators to serve briefly in DC and then return to their state. Once in the halls of the Capitol, however, it seems Senator Burns has ‘learned’ that the only way a state like Montana can lead at the national level is through developing senior leadership. Granted, he has gained some solid committee placements, but compared to Montana’s Senior Senator Max Baucus, and given the damage he continues to do to Montana’s image (see two above points), we need to find someone that will represent Montana ably and respectably for the long term. The term limit Conrad favored – one of 12 years – is up for him in, you guessed it, 2006. It is time - he has long outrun his campaign promise of ‘fixing’ DC and coming home.
3)Conrad has, on a couple occasions when I’ve been present, lost his temper with his own staff. His personal relations skills are not impressive – I want a Senator whom treats his staff and those around him with respect.
4)The ‘aw-shucks’ speaking style and consistently poor grammar employed by Senator Burns may ring true with some Montanans, but it strikes a dissonant chord with just as many. Max Baucus, another poor speaker, has solved the problem by not speaking much in public – Conrad seems unable to try this tactic given his career in broadcasting. I don’t know if Jon Tester will be the most effective communicator we’ve ever seen, but it would be hard to do any worse than the man currently in the office.
In short, I’ve seen an arrogant, ignorant, and troubling politician representing us in DC for the past dozen years. Add the comments Jack Abramoff has made about Senator Burns, the fact that Burns received more money from that lobbyist than any other, that he believes President Bush has a plan to ‘win’ the war in Iraq that he just doesn’t want to share with anyone, and that he got where he is solely on a term limits argument, and I’m not only ready, but advocating, change.
The choice is obvious - even without delving into the foreign and domestic policy challenges/debacles we face daily now thanks to the direction our country has followed in recent years… all with Conrad’s unequivocal support.
VOTE for Tester, but don’t stop there - get your friends to do so too!!
November 7th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
I think this election will be the turning point for republicans. I am glad Jon
is being endorsed by the paper
November 7th, 2006 at 12:15 pm
this election will be the turning point for the democrats . we will win. Go Jon!
November 8th, 2006 at 1:57 am
Congrats to Senator Tester. Although I don’t live in Montana, I have followed this race very closely and I am happy to see the best man won. Montana voters have chosen a fine man to represent them in the Senate. I know Senator Jon Tester will make a real difference.
November 8th, 2006 at 7:35 am
Andy-
The Cincinnati Enquirer supported two term Republican senator Mike DeWine in his campaign against Democratic representative Sherrod Brown.
DeWine lost…by a lot.
Go Tester - Go Webb - Go Dems!
November 9th, 2006 at 7:37 am
Dear Jon
Congratulations to you, your family, your team, and the Montana voters on a BRILLIANT election win. As a native Montana from Butte now living in Ireland, I have been following your Senate Campaign closely- with regular updates from my family and on the internet. My friends and family over here even got inquisitive after the Montana Senate race was featured on the Channel 4 News.
I was glued to the radio and internet yesterday for news. I started cheering and honking my car horn when your race was called on my way home from work – much to the amusement of my partner Mark, our dogs, and the cows and sheep of the Co. Down countryside. Such celebration was necessary yesterday’s victory was a long time coming!
I was so heartened to see a campaign run with such honesty, integrity, energy, and vision. On my recent trips back to Montana it was so clear that real Montana issues like healthcare, jobs with decent wages, energy, rural development, etc were simply not being addressed by our ‘Fat Cat’ former Senator whose behaviour was an embarrassment to Montanans everywhere.
I was delighted that you highlighted the importance of bringing Montana values to Washington DC and not the other way around. I have found keeping true to Montana values serves a person well wherever you are in the world.
Every Success in the Future and All the Very Best
Alisa Keane
November 11th, 2006 at 4:23 pm
Mental toughness is many things. It is humility because it behooves all of us to remember that simplicity is the sign of greatness and meekness is the sign of true strength. Mental toughness is spartanism with qualities of sacrifice, self-denial, dedication. It is fearlessness, and it is love.
-Vince Lombardi
Do us proud. Fight for us. Never lose sight of who you are and why you are there. Never believe your own hype. And try to have some fun while you’re there! Congrats and good luck!
November 13th, 2006 at 1:44 pm
While reading the Los Angeles Times I saw a short article saying that a man from BIG SANDY, MT won the Senate race in the recent election. My mother was born in Big Sandy, and I had the pleasure of going there for the first time when her friend, Paul Sonksen, died and had his funeral there. I was put up in the home of Lois and Alfred Ophus. My time in Big Sandy showed me what kind of people live there. I know, without any doubt, that you will be a great Senator. I wish you all the luck in the world, and I only wish I could tell my dearly departeed mother of your success. She would be so proud, as I am. GOOD WORK!!!