Senator John Kerry stopped by Montana's Capital Thursday afternoon and chatted with Governor Brian Schweitzer as part of Kerry's "Listening Tour". Senator Kerry was on his way to his vacation home in Ketchum, Idaho during Congresses' August recess and has been stopping in to talk to local democrats.
More after the flip.
Senator Kerry did not campaign in Montana, which he lost 59% to 39% to George Bush in last November's election, an improvement of 5 percentage points over Al Gore's 2000 results. According to my incomplete records, this may be the first visit by a democratic presidential nominee (or former nominee) since Bill Clinton's 1992 appearance in Billings. While republican presidential candidates and presidents have made a habit of visiting Montana, democrats have rarely stopped by, even in off years. For example, Vice president Darth Cheney is in the state this weekend, sucking up scare national guard helicopters while fly fishing before attending a fundraiser for Senator Conrad Burns (R) in Billings on Monday.
It's important to rally the troops in remote areas to ensure that democrats can compete in all 50 states, as Chariman Howard Dean has shown by his two appearances this year already in Montana.
The Helena Independent Record has more:
Kerry peppered Schweitzer, his staff and state Sen. Mike Cooney, D-Helena, who had stopped by the Capitol to pick something up, with questions on state and national issues. He asked Schweitzer how the state would deal with the Bush administration's proposed Medicaid cuts.
"This administration, while they talk the talk, there's no walking the walk,'' Schweitzer said.
"They put additional demands on the states with no new money.''
Added Schweitzer: "I think we're probably going to need a new president.''
Kerry, 61, grinned broadly.
"Any suggestions?'' Cooney asked with a smile.
"I'm staying away from that one,'' Kerry said with a laugh.
Kerry has been retracing portions of Lewis and Clark's route across the West while listening to the audio book version of Steven Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage". Ambrose lived in Helena for many years before his untimely death from lung cancer in 2002.
Governor Schweitzer took Senator Kerry on a tour of the state capital, and stopped to admire a statue of former Senator Mike Mansfield, who was the longest serving democratic majority leader in the U.S. Senate:
Kerry called Mansfield "a great man'' whom he had always admired. In checking out the sculpture, Kerry saw it depicted Mansfield with a PT-109 tie clasp like those the late President John F. Kennedy, a former Massachusetts senator, handed out to commemorate the torpedo boat he commanded during World War II.
"Great, I can't wait to tell Teddy,'' Kerry said, referring to the late president's brother, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. .
Schweitzer gave Kerry his trademark bolo tie, which the senator promised to wear on the floor of the senate.