Jon Tester was in Seattle yesterday, and last night I attended a fundraiser for him. With Congress in the middle of its August recess, Jon was joined by Senators Maria Cantwell and Max Baucus, and Congressman Jim McDermott (who welcomed Jon to his district), who were there offering their support. Senator Cantwell introduced Senator Baucus, who introduced Jon, who started off his remarks by joking that he's been to Seattle several times in the past couple of years and every time he's here it's sunny and warm. You see, we were on the 10th floor balcony of an office building overlooking Lake Union on a picture perfect day.
Jon started off his remarks talking about why he's running. Now, most people would say something bad about their opponent or cite some issue as a reason for why they are running for a particular office. Not Jon Tester. Jon talked about his farm, a place that his grandfather homesteaded in order to give his family a better life. He talked about the legacy and responsibility that previous generations have left to us, that in this land of opportunity, we must make the most of our opportunity to leave a better world for our children and grandchildren. Jon has a 2 year old granddaughter and, proud grandfather that he is, said he's very worried that the current state of affairs in Washington, D.C. will negatively impact her future. He repeatedly said that it's time to change the way the federal government is handling our affairs.
Jon explained that his opponent, Senator Conrad Burns, has taken more money from convicted felon Jack Abramoff, than any other member of Congress. He also noted that Conrad is bought and paid for by the special interests. In making his fundraising pitch, Jon noted that this campaign is going to take a lot hard work and money. He said he's working hard to reach out to Montanans, and noted that the Montana Coordinated campaign along with his campaign are knocking on 5,000 doors a day in Montana. Jon also said that if he ever had a day where he had a problem working hard (which I seriously doubt he's ever had, after all he's a farmer), he's got his wife Sharla and Max Baucus to kick him and get him going. As for the money, Tester impressed upon us that his campaign is about us, the "real people", and with our support we could help him make a change.
Jon closed things out by taking questions from the audience, and even though he said he had to leave after answering the questions, he graciously stayed and talked with individuals for at least another 20-30 minutes. Senator Baucus also drove the point home about the differences between Conrard Burns and Jon Tester. With some members of the audience probably not too familiar with Conrad Burns, Baucus explained that Conrad is a "Dick Cheney Republican", and said that he and Jon Tester couldn't be any different. He laid out their differences in policy regarding immigration, Iraq and other areas, and talked a lot about Jon being a real person as opposed to Conrad Burns who lost touch with the people early on in his tenure (something Jon referred to last year as "Potomac fever").
Jon also stressed to the crowd of Washingtonians that while it is important for him to get elected, we can't take back the Senate unless Senator Cantwell is re-elected.
Now for my own two cents. I'd only met Jon once before at a fundraiser he held last August in Seattle, when it was still very early on. So I was pleasantly surprised when he remembered who I was when I talked with him last night. If you know nothing else about Jon Tester, you should know that he is genuine, good man, what you see is what you get, and he means what he says. As a farmer he knows the value of hard work. He's been harvesting his crops to keep the farm going and campaiging in recent weeks. When he gets to Washington, I have no doubt he'll follow through and represent our interests.
Now I ask you to give what you can to Jon. Every little bit helps. Whether it's $5, $15, $50 or $100, anything you can give to Jon will help us take back our country.