The Gentleman from Montana steps up!
"This is a great honor to stand in this chamber as the senator representing the great state of Montana," Tester said. "Its the genius of American democracy that a third-generation family grain farmer from Big Sandy, Montana can serve in the worlds greatest deliberative body."
Maybe this doesn't seem like much to you but Tester's first speech was front page news in several papers here in Montana. The topic, appropriately, was ethics.
Obama points to Tester at a news conference and other tasty nuggets after the jump.
Last year, led by ethics committee members, the Senate rejected a proposal for an office of public integrity by an 11-5 vote in the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and then by 67-30 on the Senate floor. Asked how that result might change this year, Obama pointed to Tester and seven other Democratic freshmen who also attended the news conference.
http://www.havredailynews.com/...
While Tester favors leaving oversight responsibilities to the Senate Ethics Committee, he has said that he could be open to an office of public integrity. "I would rather see the enforcement done by an existing body," Tester said. "But there needs to be teeth in enforcement."
The ethics legislation, based on a bill that stalled in the last Congress, would ban gifts and travel paid for by lobbyists, slow the movement of former senators to lobbying jobs, require lobbyists to provide more information on their activities and oblige senators to be more open about their special projects, or earmarks. The Senate is expected to spend up to two weeks on the legislation.
"The best way to work for the American people is to ensure that they can not only see what is happening in their government, but that they can take part in their government," Tester said.
http://www.helenair.com/...
Yee-haw!
Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more dept:
Frank Capra's landmark movie, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," about a idealistic and highly-principled man of the people who refuses to be corrupted by Washington politics was based on the book "The Gentleman From Montana" by Lewis R. Foster.
Got a moment? Send Tester some netroots love:
Senate phone: (202) 224-2644
info@testerforsenate.com