From today’s IR comes an interesting story about the relative integrity of our two senators:
As health-reform has dominated the national news, Montana’s congressional delegation has been swamped with constituent mail and telephone calls on the issue — and it’s certainly not been all positive.
U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, a Republican who’s been opposing Democrat-sponsored health-reform bills, reports that 77 percent of the 16,500 calls, letters, e-mails and faxes his office has received in the past six months have been against the Democratic health-care plans.
The other members of Montana’s delegation — Democratic U.S. Sens. Jon Tester and Max Baucus, who’s been a key figure in crafting the reform bills — say health care has generated more mail and calls than any other topic the past six months.
Yet both offices declined to categorize whether those contacts are running “for†or “against†the bill that Tester and Baucus supported on floor votes last month.
Tester’s spokesman Aaron Murphy said the 40,200 contacts received by the senator the past six months represent a “spirited and evenly divided debate,†while a spokesman for Baucus said the office doesn’t break things down “pro versus con†on its 49,400 health-care contacts from constituents.
“Because health care is a very complex issue, people express a bunch of different views, all in the same call,†said Ty Matsdorf.
Even Craig Wilson, MSU-Billings, can’t buy what they’re selling:
And as for Tester’s and Baucus’ claim that they don’t categorize the nature of the calls, Wilson isn’t buying it.
“If it was running for their position, why wouldn’t they release it?†he said. “The educated guess is that they are getting more negative (comments) than they are positive.â€
Which begs the question – Just who the hell do they think they’re representing?
Certainly not Montanans.
Made me think of this. (I saw the original on Broadway a long time ago – nothing’s changed much.)
Heya Auntie Lib,
How have you been? I saw you over at M4U and HB and thought I’d drop in and say hello
Hello back at you! Sounds like you’re keeping busy with school and all. How’s the new little Sarah???
Stealing my heart, she is a little gem!
When I wrote to Jon Tester, I never received a response…not even an acknowledgement. Me thinks that’s poor form ….
Word has it that he’s throwing in the towel – doesn’t like DC, has a few problems up on the family farm (legit!), and figures after the healthcare vote he could be in serious trouble anyway.
Max is, well, Max. We know him well, and he knows he’s safe, as the Dems in Montana might curse him, but they lack the backbone to run a serious primary challenger.
Tester on the other hand, has ‘One Term’ written all over him. He could still pull out getting re-elected, if he’d quit following the orders of Harry Reid. But does he have the guts? Or the leadership to do that? I think not.