WHO IS RUSS FEINGOLD AND WHAT'S UP WITH THIS JON TESTER GUY?

[Jeffersons Ghost]

First, review these articles from a sacred oath taken by U.S. Presidents that is steeped in a rich tradition dating back to the Founders: "I do solemnly swear to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States." In this oath the president must also "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed," a duty directly imposed by the U.S. Constitution.

On September 23, 2006, during a debate with Senator-elect Jon Tester (D), Senator-expelled Conrad Burns(R) in Butte, MT, said:

"He wants to weaken our families, weaken our security and to basically cut and run" from the war in Iraq, This statement by Burns was one of many in a campaign theme that presented Tester as soft on terror. Burns said he also supports programs monitoring telephone calls with minimal oversight and no warrants.

"He wants to weaken the Patriot Act," Burns added, while attacking Tester.

Tester sought to clarify, saying:

"I don't want to weaken the Patriot Act, I want to repeal it. What it does -- it takes away your freedom ... and when you take away our freedoms, the terrorists have won!"

Tester went on to say, "With things like the Patriot Act, we'd damn well better keep our guns."

While some Democratic candidates lost races by vacillating to hedge bets and appear strong on terrorism , Tester presents the kind of guts Americans admire. Some Democratic hopefuls foolishly made excuses for their wise votes against USA Patriot Act II, which severely inhibits basic civil liberties of ALL U.S. citizens. Tester won by showing spine and offering straight-talk. Whether, left, right or center, Tester embodies the kind of representation we ALL want in D.C.

The Tester comments are even more significant because he was not running for a Senate seat in deep-blue states like Vermont or Rhode Island; he won with those words in Montana, which went for Bush by a 20 point margin (59-39) in the last presidential elections.

Remarks by Tester bring back memories of a very popular current leader, Russ Feingold (D) WI, who is the only Senator to vote against the ORIGINAL U.S.A. Patriot Act.

[skipos]

1. Bu... bu.. but MSM tells me that Tester beating Burns was a victory for conservatives.

nt

[Coexist]

3. shhh!

the talking heads tell you what to think,
and you think that.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

7. FOR ONCE MEDIA TELLS THE TRUTH! HAT'S OFF TO MSM!

You're damn right I'm Conservative and proud of it! One primary distinction sets liberals apart from conservatives that tend to resist change by attempting to "conserve" traditions: Liberals are more open to new ideas. On many issues I must plead guilty to being a liberal but I'm EXTREMELY conservative when it comes to traditional values like the U.S. Constitution!

[Taverner]

2. GO TESTER!!!

I knew I liked the guy...

[Nite Owl]

4. I caught that part of the debate

It was beautiful, simply magnificent. I don't really know what Tester thinks on other issues but he would have gotten my vote just for that.

Feingold and Tester who are they? They are true Americans. They cut the bullshit and speak truth.

[patrice]

5. Tester is right. That's exactly when I started to see something understandable about guns,

when I understood what the State was becoming in the Patriot Act.

[Wiley50]

8. Yup. That's when I bought mine

And I bought an "assault-style" weapon.

I don't have hunting on my mind.

[patrice]

10. The warrantless investigation can be used in any way they want.

Especially with its privately owned information about anyone, the State could make your life incrementally much more difficult, until . . . . ?

[Robbien]

6. Now that's a bumper sticker if I ever saw one

I don't want to weaken the Patriot Act, I want to repeal it.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

11. again call me "conservative"... I don't care which side of the isle is attacking...

The Bill of Rights is SACRED!


The Second Amendment to the Constitution in the Bill of Rights states:

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

[Hoosier Dem]

9. Tester's victory was a victory for Conservative Dems...

Like Jon Tester, i am a fairly conservative Democrat: I'm a proud gun owner and I was appalled by the Patriot Act as a horrifying intrusion into our liberties. Not only do I oppose it, I will NOT VOTE for any Seantor who voted to authorize it.

Unfortunately, the idea of conservatism has been hijacked by those who are not conservatives: they are far-right nuts who want the government involved in every aspect of our lives. A true conservative wants the government OUT of our lives, our bedrooms, and our media. This doesnt mean that we don't care about people, it just means that too much government interference is a bad thing. I feel that the government MUST step in when people's rights are being violated, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. barry Golwater opposed it because he felt it gave the government too much power, not because he was a racist (he was actually a very-open minded man who had NO sense of PR).

One of the reasons that I am A Democrat is that the Democratic party IS the party of inclusion and will tolerate many opposing views. The elections of Jon tester, Jim Webb, and Bob Casey prove that. Compare this to the wing-nuts who control the Republican party and demand ideological purity for any canddiate seeking national office. (They are going to eat Guiliani alive!!)

[Jeffersons Ghost]

13. Bush gave himself and them the prefect name NEOCONS.......

Neo- meaning "new," linked to "con" as in job I guess because nothing about these fools has ANYTHING to do with Republican traditions of fiscal conservatism or LESS GOVERNMENT! Their actions not only have our Founders rolling in their graves but also cornerstones of the GOP, like Lincoln and Eisenhower quake the ground. Many fine Americans are dying this very day. They too took an oath and in their last thoughts perhaps many believe they gave their lives to defend America. They're dying to defend freedom as we allow it to slip through our fingers.

[ooga booga]

12. Jon Tester is a guy to watch

I am absolutely thrilled that Jon Tester made into the Senate. He's going to stand out in Washington especially when it's time to do the right thing.

Democrats living warm and snug in a safe Blue State would do well to keep an eye on him, because if the party really wants to achieve a sold, durable majority for years to come it's going have to run with the Blue Dog Democrats from currently Red States. In my mind, Jon Tester will probably be the canary in the coalmine. Jon is tied to Montana and to farming the land that his family has worked since 1916. He seems to have a well-calibrated moral compass and a well-calibrated crap detector.

I think he'll be looking out for the little guy/gal. Maybe in 2008, he'll get more help when Al Franken joins the Senate.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

15. If not for Russ Feingold right after 9/11 I'd still be saying that...

there's little difference in the parties... "Republican and Democrat are simply two different ways to spell crook," is a remark I once made. Now I've seen a few others who shimmer like fine gold: No one shows character like Nancy Pelosi. No one cares more for our troops than John Kerry. No one is as "tough and smart" as Dr. Howard Dean. No one cares more about the environment than Al Gore. No one can get us safely out of Iraq better than Wes Clark. My only problem is with all these great contenders, I can't figure out who I want for our next president.

[BanzaiBonnie]

14. Tester is going to Washington to kick some shit

and he's one of the good guys.

http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/1110-03.htm


Organic Farmer Jon Tester Elected to United States Senate

WASHINGTON - November 10 - Jon Tester, an organic farmer and leader in the organic movement since 1987, has been elected as a U.S. Senator from the state of Montana. A third generation farmer from Big Sandy, Montana, he has been farming organically for nearly twenty years.

In 2005, Tester and his wife Sharla were named outstanding agricultural leaders by the College of Agriculture at Montana State University. Their T-Bone Farms is a diversified organic operation with 1400 acres (567 hectares).

The stated goals of their operation are:

To produce high quality food;
To use environmentally sound farming practices ;
To improve soil health on their farm; and
To keep the farm in their family.
Their crops this year included hard red wheat, hard white wheat, kamut, lentils, and purple barley. Tester is a strong believer in green manures, a type of cover crop grown to be plowed under and incorporated into the soil, adding natural sources of nitrogen and phosphorous, not to mention improving and protecting the soil.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

19. Hey cool posting bonnie... I'm just now really learning about Tester...

I like what I see in him a LOT. I also enjoyed your informative reply... I'll be watching for your OPs in the future. Sadly, here at DU I often miss good OPs while multi-tasking, so be sure to PM me if you post in the future.

[Mass]

16. Good - We need more like that in the Senate.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

20. what a nice avitar image. are you from MA?

Mom grew up there and so did I, every summer in Hanson on Oldham Pond. i miss it and wish everyone had the attitudes I saw on the Cape, back when I lived in Onset Beach as an adult.

[roamer65]

17. Tester is a prime example of the way Dems can win.

He's a liberal/left-libertarian mix. That combo plays very well in the Midwest and Western states. I like Tester and Gov. Schweitzer a lot.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

21. Labels bother me a bit... for example, how would you label Jesus or Che?...

One of the things I love about Jesus is that his teachings were and are - if not tampered with - so far to the radical left that he makes Che look like a moderate. Lay what Jesus heavily promotes right next to writings by Marx and tell me where they differ, aside from the fact that Marx subscribes to violent overthrow of the Bourgeois.

[roamer65]

22. Jesus was a socialist. I've been saying that for years...

...and it drives the fundies nuts, mainly because it's true.

[originalpckelly]

18. I think we have a new cool Senator!

:-)

He took on that fucker Burns and won! He seems like a really cool person, still farms even though he's a Senator!