Tag Archives: Jon Tester

Montana Senate 2012: Confident?

As I was reading the news this morning, I saw the headline “Tester confident his record will stand during big re-election challenge from Rehberg.”

In case you missed the news, first-term U.S. Senator Jon Tester (Democrat) filed for re-election on Tuesday in Helena, Montana.  You can read the story HERE.

Personally, Tester saying he is “confident” about his record seems like a stretch, but each person will have to make up their own mind.  For me, when a candidate (in this case a U.S. Senator) files for re-election, it begs the question, “Are you better off now than you were six years ago?”

So I quickly jotted down nine or ten things to help me answer that question (and to help me with this column) without even thinking too much about it.  Enjoy… Continue reading →

Monday Morning Politics

Happy Washington’s Birthday 2012!  If you are one of the fortunate ones to have the day off, congratulations!

Almost every Monday (even on holidays) I gather a lot of the political stories from the past weekend and put them all in one place for all to see – and I often add a little commentary!

Today I take a look at the best recent Presidents, charging $93 billion, out of state money, letting it flow, Decision 2012 coverage, Stolen Valor, rural voting, and to Russia with Max!  There’s a lot more…

Continue reading →

Caught My Eye…

Ah yes…it is Friday!  Congrats for almost making it to another weekend (hold on for a few more hours).  Some of you will be getting a three-day weekend (President’s Day is Monday) so enjoy it.  Hey – why not just take off from work right now and get a head start on your weekend?

Of course, you need to read “Caught My Eye” first.

If you are new around here, then you need to know that Caught My Eye is posted almost every Friday morning right here!  This is the highly-read column where I take a look at some of the stories I did not have time to comment about during the week, and I often add a touch of sarcasm.  By the way, everyone and everything is fair game…

Today I write about electronic signatures, countries we like, a big haul in D.C., constituent services, Rumsfeld and Rehberg, VA claims backlog, more thanks, a job offer, Kennedy, I share e-mails from my political inbox, and there’s a lot more!

Continue reading →

Thursday Numbers

Thanks for stopping by The Western Word (TWW) for your daily read!  We love it when people stop by for a while and take a break!

If you are new to TWW, this column, called “Thursday Numbers,” is where I take a look at the numbers in the news and provide some commentary with them.  NOTE:  The information obtained here can be used to amaze people.  You just might overwhelm your friends, family, and co-workers with the knowledge you obtained from reading this column!  You may even be cooler to your children…

Today I take a look at General Motors, marriage, Baucus and fundraising, unemployment, Maxine Waters, heart attacks, wolves, dinners, piggyback rides, and much much more!  Enjoy!

Continue reading →

Montana Senate 2012: Defense & Politics

I write about defense and military news and issues quite often here at The Western Word, and I often talk about how politics play a role in defense affairs.  I also enjoy poking fun at folks who write or speak about defense happenings who never served and have no idea about national defense or the military.

I’ve also written about the area around Great Falls being very important (a battleground) for the upcoming U.S. Senator Jon Tester Congressman Denny Rehberg U.S. Senate race.

All that ties in with what I read today on the “Viewpoints” page of the local newspaper, the Great Falls Tribune.  Central Montana Defense Alliance (*CMDA) Chairman David Weissman writes, “Cargo plane mission for MANG signals bright future.”  I found Weissman’s viewpoint interesting on a couple of fronts (and not just because his name is spelled two different ways in the article). Continue reading →

Tied

First rule of politics:  you can’t win unless you’re on the ballot.  Second rule: If you run, you may lose.  And, if you tie, you do not win.  -Donald Rumsfeld

U.S. Senator Jon Tester (Democrat) rejected Congressman Denny Rehberg’s (Republican) counteroffer on Tuesday regarding campaign donations.  I enjoyed the jockeying and now we can all sit back and watch for even more fun and games over the next nine months.

Yesterday I predicted that Tester would agree to Rehberg’s plan right after Tester became a vegetarian… Continue reading →

Monday Morning Politics

This past Sunday (Feb. 12) was the first Sunday since September 4 that a football game was not played.  I know I know it depressed me, too.  Watching basketball and the Grammys did not help much, either.

Politics is kind of a sport, so watching the back and forth between the candidates and political groups can be fun!  That’s why I started “Monday Morning Politics.”  This is where you can find many political stories from the past weekend – and I add some commentary!

Today I write about Rehberg’s counter offer, millionaires, Chamber ads, Gallik speaking, a Montana accent, severe conservatism, good reporting, and much more!

Continue reading →

Caught My Eye…

Here we go – we made it to Friday (FINALLY).  This is your chance to get away from it all for a few minutes and enjoy this week’s edition of “Caught My Eye.”

Caught My Eye is posted almost every Friday morning right here!  This is the column where I take a look at some of the stories I did not have time to comment about during the week (and often with just a touch of sarcasm).

Today I talk about Obama and REO, Three Cups, Schweitzer-care, contraceptives, eating wings, a poll, I share some of the e-mails from my political inbox, I write about No Child Left Behind, I give you a laugh with a Will Ferrell video, I mention the Governor Candidates forum, and the Winter kick-off.

One more thing – some important people were born today…and I tell you who they are!

Continue reading →

Montana Senate 2012: Suckers

A friend sent me an e-mail yesterday asking me what I thought about U.S. Senator Jon Tester’s letter to Congressman Denny Rehberg asking Rehberg to sign a “Third-Party Advertising Agreement.”  The letter asked Rehberg to “publicly reject and work to prevent the broadcast of all third-party radio and TV ads” during their *campaign.

*Tester and Rehberg still have to make it through a primary election before they actually face each other in the General Election.  Rehberg has filed to run for U.S. Senate and he has a primary challenger.  Tester has yet to file for re-election.

I also heard a rumor that Tester, under separate letter, asked Rehberg to perform at least three miracles before sundown Friday (for those in the media, this was a joke). Continue reading →

Politics 2012: Wednesday Potpourri

The Western Word is a great place to stop by to read independent commentary about politics, sports, the media, and current events – so thanks for visiting!

There have been a lot of political happenings across the country these last few days, so today I picked a few of them to write about.  Read on to hear about Santorum’s big wins, a Veterans’ Job Caucus, the Congressional Gold Medal, running mates, big fines, license plates, letter to the editor rules, some endorsements, and much more!

Oh…and there’s some commentary to go along with it.

Continue reading →