Tester, the state senator from Big Sandy, was accompanied by Gov. Brian Schweitzer, U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, U.S. House candidate Monica Lindeen and state Auditor John Morrison, who Tester beat in last week's Democratic primary.
“We are going to send Conrad Burns back to Missouri and I am going to be here representing you folks,” Tester told a crowd of Democratic faithful gathered in a hangar at Neptune Aviation.
“What the hell does Libby Dole know about Montanans?” Schweitzer thundered.
Even Baucus, who had declined to pick a preference in the race between Morrison and Tester, stepped out strongly for Tester and said it was “time to send Burns packing.”
“I'm looking forward to having somebody back in the U.S. Senate to help me get the job done,” Baucus said.
Morrison, badly beaten by Tester in the primary, stepped forward Friday with full support for his one-time opponent. Morrison talked issues - health care, taxes, energy and prescription drugs - and said it's those that “will send Conrad Burns packing in November.”
Morrison said Americans no longer have a democracy in Washington, D.C., but “an auction:” energy laws written by oil companies, health legislation written by drug companies, tax laws shaped by millionaires.
Not surprisingly, Tester echoed those themes, both when he took the stage to the tune of his campaign song, “Tester Time,” and in interviews afterward.
“This isn't really about Republicans and Democrats,” Tester said. “This is about Montanans. ... This is about you.”
Tester said he would be beholden to Montanans rather than corporate interests, a clear shot at Burns' connections to super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is now a convicted felon. Burns, Tester said, takes no responsibility for his actions in Congress, but remains loyal to moneyed interests in Washington.
“I think Montanans are flat tired of Conrad Burns,” he said.
And speaking of flat, Tester addressed the current Republican advertisement that makes an issue of his trademark flat-top haircut. The ad shows a “barber” who recounts a visit with Tester, who comes in for a haircut but is revealed as a “liberal” who won't come out against gay marriage and flag burning, two issues that are falling flat even in the Republican-dominated Congress.
Tester said the ad is indicative of the poverty of the Burns' and Republican campaigns: “They can't find anything to talk about, so they talk about my hair.”
Friday's campaign stop in Missoula was part of a statewide swing that also took Tester, Lindeen and the other Democrats to Helena, Great Falls and Billings.
Reporter Michael Moore can be reached at 523-5252 or at mmoore@missoulian.com
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