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…

Malmstrom Mission:

Although saying in 2006 he “understands how important its mission is to America’s national security” on Tester’s watch the Department of Defense was allowed by Tester to remove 50 missiles from Malmstrom AFB, which is one-quarter of the base’s whole mission.  The base also lost about 500 military personnel (not counting their family members).

It appears that President Obama, who belongs to the Democratic Party like Jon Tester, wants to gut our nuclear missions.  Another term for Tester and Obama might lead to the closure of Malmstrom AFB.  That may be fine with some, but not with me.

Military Housing:

Back in February 2008, Tester allowed 111 housing units to be removed from Malmstrom’s construction plan which cost several hundred construction jobs, not to mention better homes for our military personnel and their families.

Montana Air National Guard:

There are plans to take away the Montana National Guard’s F-15 mission and give it to California.  Many folks who support the Guard feel that Tester has failed to put up a fight for the F-15s.

Ethics:

In 2006, Tester said, “he’ll set an example — by asking a Montana judge to conduct an ethics audit of his office every year…”

I believe only two ethics reviews were conducted and they were conducted by Democrats.  Plus, he has been the recipient of the most lobbyist cash in Washington which really goes against what he ran on.

The Montana media failed to hold Tester accountable for breaking this promise.

Farming:

While farming and ranching is a wonderful occupation, Tester said he would turn the operation over to his children while serving in the U.S. Senate.  Now it appears he’s using it as a campaign tool – especially the tractor…and telling people he wheels a suitcase full of Montana beef through the airports on his way back to his condo in Washington, D.C.

Second Amendment:

While I am not a big fan of the National Rifle Association (NRA), I am a big fan of the Second Amendment.  In 2006, Tester said he would “stand up to anyone — Republican or Democrat — who wants to take away Montanans’ gun rights.”

Tester has voted for judges who are not supportive of the Second Amendment.  With these votes, he should never ever receive any sort of “A” rating from the NRA.

Gas Prices:

Tester promised in 2006 that he would “fight to end America’s addiction to foreign oil.”  Now gas prices are probably going to approach $4.25 per gallon in many locations – maybe $5.00.

Back in November 2006 when Tester was elected, gas prices were about $2.23 per gallon.  I recently paid $3.09.

National Debt:

Back in 2006, Jon Tester’s campaign website stated, “As a leader in the Montana Senate, Jon Tester brought people from both parties together to balance the budget every session.  The current federal budget deficit is spiraling out of control, and Congress is recklessly passing on a crushing debt to our children and grandchildren.  Tester will fight to restore fiscal responsibility to Washington.”

In November 2006, the Total Public Debt was $8,633,246.  At the end of January 2012, the Total Public Debt was $15,356,140.  Spending has been anything but under control.

Unemployment:

In 2006, the unemployment rate in the United States was 4.6%.  In February 2012, the unemployment rate was 8.3%.  Some experts contend the United States won’t see an unemployment rate below 5% until 2016-17.

Veterans:

Being a veteran, I pay very close attention to Veterans issues, but it took Jon Tester (a non-veteran who is a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee) almost his whole term to get extra help to work on the backlog of veterans disability claims – which makes it look like more of a campaign stunt than actual caring for veterans.

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