"My wife Sharla generally travels with me. I'm sorry she couldn't be here tonight, but she's back home, on the tractor."
This is not the way most Senate candidates would open a campaign speech. But this candidate is Jon Tester, and he farms for a living.
Nor would most Senate candidates respond to a well-structured question about the health care system with a thoughtful response, rather than blurting out a focus-group tested "plan". "We need to get the best minds together from the entire spectrum of healthcare. Insurance executives, consumers, government, academics. There must be change, the current situation is unacceptable. We need to get folks together who know what they're doing, and we need to develop a healthcare plan for the future."
More of An "Evening With Jon Tester" on the jump."
The setting for "An Evening with Jon Tester" is the commodious home of Montana State Sen. Dan and Gayle Weinberg. More than 100 people are gathered. In the words of Sen. Weinberg, "This is how we do it. This is how we get Jon elected."
Fighting off the corporate millions funding Conrad Burns, a hundred donors at a time? Can people power possibly work?
If you ask any of the folks listening to the quiet, thoughtful words of Jon Tester, the answer is a definite "yes". Their most frequent comment? "He's the real deal."
I won't belabor the point endlessly, but I've never met a political candidate who is more open, more straightforward, OK, let's just say it, more palpably honest than Jon Tester. There seems to be not an ounce of BS in the man.
And it's an honor to be able to support him. As Jon puts it, "I'm not going to Washington to improve my lifestyle. I'm going to serve the people of Montana."
This is my first diary, so I'm at a loss as to how to add the cute little contribution buttons, but here's a link to Jon Tester's donations page. Could each of you please help?
Conrad Burns accepted more money from Jack Abramoff than anyone in Washington. He has to go. Only people power and Jon Tester can run this greedy corporate shill out of the Senate.
Again I ask: Please help the Jon Tester campaign. Jon doesn't need as much money as Conrad Burns in order to win, but he does need substantial funds to fight off the onslaught of slime Burns plans to unload in the next two months.
https://secure.democratsenators.org/dia/organizations/tester/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=1284&am
p;t=contribute.dwt&track=ccOnline