UPDATED POST w/ Response from Sen. Grassley’s Office:
A spokesperson for Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) had this response to the charge from Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) that “it’s his son who works the farm.”
“From chiseling or hauling grain to the elevator, to marketing of the crops and making decisions on planting, Senator Grassley participates in every aspect of the family farming operation. He’s fortunate that both his son and grandson are also involved in operating the farm.”
INITIAL POST
A listener in Helena pointed out a pretty comical news article about Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), and raised some interesting questions.
There are several interesting angles to this story, as Tester calls Obamacare opponents “obstructionists” (remember when former Gov. Martz called environmentalists “obstructionists”), points out that he can’t support a bill that would allow for more logging in our (burning) forests, and apparently had some advice for US Senate candidate Dirk Adams (D-Wilsall).
Every summer the Tester camp begs reporters to travel to Big Sandy to give him his annual photo op on the farm. He took advantage of this summer’s photo opp to take a shot at Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA):
TESTER: “One other senator claims to be a farmer – Sen. Chuck Grassley – but it’s his son who works the farm.”
To that, a listener in Helena had this to say: “He (Tester) is only a farmer a couple weeks out of the year. Just a promotional campaign stunt to make Tester look good!”
She added, who keeps the farm going while Tester is in Washington, D.C.? Read this: http://conservativenewjersey.com/is-senate-democrat-the-voice-of-nation%E2%80%99s-farmers
The calendar of voting days and travel make it unlikely that Senator Tester is even available to farm during crucial periods for planting and harvesting.
So who is farming the land that the Senate Democrats say makes him an “active farmer”? Is Senator Tester really just an active landlord renting the land to others? And why is he getting the subsidies?
Does he employ or contract others to farm for him?
Now before everyone gets all wrapped around the axle, it’s very clear what’s happening here- Senator Tester is operating the farm from Washington, DC- piloting remote controlled combine and tractor drones.
UPDATE: The Bozeman Daily Chronicle’s Laura Lundquist says Tester’s wife is the one running the farm.
@aaronflint His wife runs it and @jontester comes home on weekends. It’s not one of those giant corporate farms so no “employees.”
— L. Lundquist (@LLundquist) August 23, 2013
@LLundquist @jontester ah- so @ChuckGrassley‘s not a farmer because his son runs it, but Testers a farmer because his wife runs it.
— Aaron Flint (@aaronflint) August 23, 2013
Comments
Al Smith
Friday, August 23, 2013 7:31 PM
Senator Tester would now be a “full time” farmer if
the Libertarian Party had not siphoned conservative votes away from Denny Rehberg.
I’ve always found it strange how those who insist they do not want big government, as do Libertarians, persist in the very thing that elects big government liberals. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is defined insanity.
Libertarians excuse this crazy behavior saying they voted their conscience. For a change, I’d much prefer they suppress their personal vanities and vote for what would be best for Montana and America.
Without doubt this will cause both the Liberals who support Tester outright and the Libertarians who supported him indirectly, to all dampen their Pampers…sorry about that, the truth is sometimes hard.