Specifically, he was headlined today in the Politico's "Shenanigans" column by Anne Schroeder Mullins. Apparently he was in such a hurry to get his Thanksgiving turkey, that he committed the faux pas of cutting in line in front of all the waiting hungry diners at a Senate restaurant buffet:
Meanwhile, freshman Sen. Jon Tester (D) walks in. He’s hard to miss — he’s huge, for one, and, two, buzz cuts don’t often go unnoticed these days. This being his first year and all, the farmer from Montana failed to recognize the hordes of people waiting in line and cut right in. Tsk, tsk.
“It was pretty bad, but no one said anything; they just rolled their eyes,” explained our spy, now aggrieved.
“For a man of the people who bragged that he was just a simple farmer, he was pretty quick to pull the ‘senator’ card and cut in line to get his food before everyone else,” our little eagle eye said. “And it is not like there was a vote or anything.”
As we approach the 1 year anniversary of Montana Headlines, it is perhaps appropriate that we have the privilege of commenting on a tidbit like this.
We predicted on our first day of operation that while the much-maligned Conrad Burns got a lot of eye-rolling and tsk-tsk-ing press for every social misstep that "embarrassed Montana," we anticipated that a good face would be put on things that would have been shocking had Burns done them.
It's amazing how much more sophisticated one is considered to be if one shares the correct politics of the smart set.
And we recall an early example of just that.
But we're probably wrong -- look for for this troubling "Gobble-gobble-gate" episode to be dissected on Montana's editorial pages by editors deeply concerned about Montana's image in D.C.
3 comments:
Since the Gazette was in a tizzy today about President Bush throwing his weight around, maybe they'll thump Tester for pushing his weight around when the dinner bell sounds in the Senate lunch room.
Not!!!
PS: Is it just me, or are Gazette editorials reading more and more like they've been printed verbatim from Democratic Party newsletters.
At the risk of sounding snippy myself, I don't think many Montanans really objected to Conrad Burns because he chewed tobacco or said "ain't" a lot. It was that whole "nigger" and "raghead" thing. I'm sure I'm over-sensitive, but I find that more offensive than butting in line.
I don't think many Montanans objected to the oafish things you mention, either. But it felt like they were being told by their betters that they should care.
Put differently, had Burns not used the epithets you mention, would the Montana press and his political opponents have ignored the other stuff? I guess we'll never know.
One thing is certain, no one in the Republican party misses having to worry about what he will say next.
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