fbpx

Tester Will Represent All of Us

Tester comes from this land, from its history, from its culture, from its people

By Eileen Bech

Politics aside, we need Sen. Jon Tester for reasons that have little to do with party affiliation.

We tend to see our elections as we see the local football game — we want our team to win. But our democracy is not about winning; our democracy is about representing all of us. For that to happen, we need a loyal opposition. Domination is not representation. With so few elected representatives to cover our vast landscape with its varied social perspectives, we need people who know us, who know their first responsibility is to us, to all of us, not just to those who wear their team colors.

Tester comes from this land, from its history, from its culture, from its people. He understands the role that geography and weather play in our lives and economy, from our drought-prone prairies to fire-prone forests, from our spacious rural areas to our rapidly growing cities. He knows what the abuses in our history did to our state and its people, with effects that we face today. That kind of understanding does not come from briefly residing within our borders; it comes from hearing the stories of parents and grandparents, from seeing neighbors dealing with winter snows and sudden hail storms, seeing their children in neighborhood schools, watching them graduate, then wondering what opportunities this state will offer them.

Effectiveness in the Senate does not lie simply by being in the majority. It lies also with seniority. As with any job, it takes time to learn the ropes. It takes time to develop relationships, earn respect, and rise to leadership. Montanans have established that with our senior senator, Jon Tester. Regardless of political affiliation, we build on that seniority and that power to effectively represent our needs when we re-elect him.

Eileen Bech
Kalispell