Tester Crushes Burns in First Debate
Check out Daily Kos for the story.
Ed in Montana liveblogged this, the first debate between Jon Tester and Senator Burns.
On fiscal responsibility:
“Tester: In the past five years, Bush and the U.S. Congress has been fiscally irresponsible, running up enormous deficits. I am not into tax and spend, but you, Conrad, are into borrow and spend, and passing on huge debts to our children. Not too long ago our country had a balanced budget and was paying down the national debt.”
Ed’s general observations:
“Burns: Repeated a lot of standard repub talking points. Now in his late 70s, he is a lot slower on his feet than even in 2000 when he barely beat back Brian Schweitzer to retain his senate seat. Burn’s folksy charm (what little there is) is really wearing thin with many voters. His closing statement was the strongest part of the debate for him, when he focuses on the pork barrel projects he has brought to Montana.
Tester: Jon Tester is very quick on his feet and almost never let a charge from Burns go un-answered. In my view he comes across as very smart and likable to the general Montana public. Tester won this debate hands down on the likability factor alone.”
Check out Ed’s review for more of the play-by-play.
