“I congratulate Denny Rehberg on winning the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. I look forward to his election in November and working with him in the Senate to rein-in the massive growth of government, spending and higher taxes that we have seen from President Obama and Senator Tester in recent years. Montanans deserve a Senator who will put their views and values first, not President Obama’s, and they can do that by electing Denny Rehberg as their next U.S. Senator.” – U.S. Senator John Cornyn, NRSC Chairman
BACKGROUND….
JON TESTER’S RHETORIC
- Tester Said The Health Care Law “Is A Good Law, And It Is A Law I Believe Is Right For Montana.” “Montanans will come out ahead under health care reform legislation passed by Congress and signed by the president, Sen. Jon Tester told an audience in Billings on Tuesday. ‘It is a good law, and it is a law I believe is right for Montana,’ Tester said. ‘It is going to be a huge step forward for Montana families.’” (Diane Cochran, “Tester Takes Questions On Health Care Reform,” Billings [MT] Gazette, 3/30/10)
- Tester Called The Stimulus A “Jobs Bill,” And Said It Was A “Big Victory For Middle-Class Folks In Montana.” “‘This Jobs Bill is a big victory for middle-class folks in Montana who are paying a tough price after years of failed economic policies,’ Tester said. ‘This Jobs Bill will rebuild our economy from the ground up by putting folks to work and investing in people. We won’t get out of this mess overnight, but passing the Jobs Bill is an important first step, and it will pay us back for generations to come.’” (Senator Jon Tester, “Baucus, Tester Vote For Final Jobs Bill, At Least $626 Million For Montana,” Press Release, 2/13/09)
- Tester’s Press Release Said The Stimulus Would Create “Millions Of New Jobs” And Cut Taxes “By Hundreds Of Billions Of Dollars.” “Both of Montana’s U.S. Senators today voted in favor of a plan to rebuild America’s struggling economy by creating millions of new jobs, investing in long-term infrastructure, and cutting taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars. Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester voted to pass the Jobs Bill, formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.” (Senator Jon Tester, “Baucus, Tester Vote For Final Jobs Bill, At Least $626 Million For Montana,” Press Release, 2/13/09)
- Tester: “I’m Not About To Put My Kids’ Future And Opportunity On The Line So I Can Spend Money Like A Drunken Sailor. I Am Going To Be Fiscally Responsible.” (Montana Senate Debate, www.youtube.com, 10/12/06)
- Tester: “My Folks Did Not Teach Me To Not Have A Fiscal Balanced Budget. It’s Absolutely Critical.” (Montana Senate Debate, www.c-spanvideo.org, 6/25/06) (48:40)
- Tester: “It’s Time You Have Somebody Back There That Knows How To Balance A Checkbook. I’ve Balanced It On My Farm. I’ve Balanced It In The State Legislature.” (Montana Senate Debate, www.c-spanvideo.org, 9/10/06) (38:49)
When The Democrats Took Control Of Congress And Tester Was Sworn-In To The Senate In January Of 2007, The Debt Was Over $8.6 Trillion. (U.S. Department Of Treasury, www.treasurydirect.gov, Accessed 12/9/10)
VERSUS…..
JON TESTER’S ECONOMIC RECORD
| 12.7 Million: | Unemployed Americans. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Accessed 6/4/12) |
| $15.7 Trillion: | Current National Debt ($ 15,724,907,364,995.04.) (U.S. Treasury Department, Accessed 6/2/12) |
| $2.6 Trillion: | True Cost Of ObamaCare Once Fully Implemented. (Office Of The Speaker Of The U.S. House Of Representatives, Report, 1/6/11) |
| $1.75 Trillion: | Annual Cost Of Federal Regulations. (Small Business Administration, September 2010) | |||
| $1.253 Trillion: | Projected Federal Budget Deficit For FY2012. (CBO, 3/16/12) | |||
| $1.18 Trillion: | Total Cost Of Obama-Tester First Stimulus With Interest. (CBO, 1/31/12, CBO, 1/27/09) | |||
| $1.17 Trillion: | American Debt Held By China. (U.S. Treasury Department, Accessed 6/4/12) | |||
| $575 Billion: | Amount Of Medicare Cuts In ObamaCare. (CMS Chief Actuary Richard S. Foster, Memo, 4/22/10) |
| $491.7 Billion: | Amount Of Taxes In ObamaCare. (Letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 3/18/10; Joint Committee On Taxation, 3/2/10) |
| $447 Billion: | Price Tag Of Obama-Tester Second Stimulus. (The White House, 9/8/11) |
| $347.1 Billion: | Debt Service Costs For Borrowing To Pay For Obama-Tester First Stimulus. (CBO, 1/27/09) |
| $231 Billion: | Burden Of New Regulations Imposed In 2011. (American Action Network, 1/2/12) |
| $175 Billion: | Increased Spending In Obama’s Second Stimulus. (CBO, 10/5/11) |
| $150 Billion: | Taxpayer Funds For Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac. (Reuters, 3/25/12) |
TESTER RECORD IN A NUTSHELL
February 2012: “Tester Has Voted For Some Of The Biggest Government Spending Bills In History; The Stimulus Package And The Health Care Reform Bill. It’s Something Tester Is Proud Of. ‘We were on the edge of a financial and economic meltdown,’ he said. ‘I won’t back away from what we’ve done. We’ve taken some controversial votes. We’ve taken some difficult votes, but we’ve done it for the right reasons. We’ve done it for Montana.’” (Sarah Gravlee, “Two Contenders Battling For The Win,” KULR 8 Billings, www.kulr8.com, Posted 2/16/12)
