Ne's not up re-election but Senator Jon Tester (D. MT) had this to say about Edward Snowden:
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/...
"The information that they wrote about was just the fact that NSA was doing broad sweeps of foreign and domestic phone records, metadata. First of all, Snowden probably shouldn't have done what he did. But the fact of the matter is is I don't see how that compromises the security of this country whatsoever," Tester said. "And quite frankly, it helps people like me become aware of a situation that I wasn't aware of before because I don't sit on that Intelligence Committee." - TPM, 6/12/13
Well said, Senator. Hopefully come 2015, Tester will have this great civil libertarian Democrat, Brian Schweitzer, as his colleague in the Senate:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
He Is a Proud Civil Libertarian: Schweitzer signed into law a measure from the legislature objecting to the USA PATRIOT Act. He also won praise from the ACLU for rejecting the federal REAL ID program, which would've required states to share sensitive data with Washington for a national ID card program -- not surprisingly data companies like Digimarc spent $350,000 over six months to get Congress to back the program. Additionally, Schweitzer signed into law the state's first state-wide public defender program, ensuring that no one would be denied representation in the courts based on their ability to hire a lawyer. - Huffington Post, 4/26/13
And Schweitzer and Tester have proven to work very well together:
http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/...
In 2005, a freshly elected Gov. Schweitzer touted Montana’s ability to grow a diversity of crops and promised that he would not be a traditional politician. Schweitzer said, “I’ll give you a straight answer. I’m a hybrid. But I’m not a GMO.” Schweitzer has yet to indicate favor for labeling GMO food.
That year, the Schweitzer administration worked with then state Sen. Jon Tester on a bill establishing liability for any introduction of GMO wheat into Montana. In 2009, Schweitzer signed into law testing protocols for GMO crops that may drift from neighboring fields. But liability remains a thorny issue.
In Congress, Tester remains a vocal supporter of family farms and the local food movement. Last week Tester put forward an amendment to the 2013 Farm Bill directing the USDA to prioritize public and classical research for seed and animal breeding. It’s one of 100 amendments, which may receive a proper vote.- Flathead Beacon, 6/12/13
We need more Democrats like Tester and Schweitzer now more than ever.