In case you missed it, Senator Jon Tester again sided with President Barack Obama today and voted against blocking yet another increase in our nation's debt ceiling. Today's vote is yet another reminder of the stark contrast between Tester's campaign rhetoric as a candidate in 2006, and his hypocritical tax-and-spend record over the last several years in Washington, where he has supported President Obama's liberal agenda 97 percent of the time.
As he campaigned for Senate in 2006, Tester routinely lectured Montanans on the importance of fiscal responsibility, saying "I am not into tax and spend," and he attacked his opponent for "borrow and spend" policies and "passing on huge debts to our children."
But instead, over the last several years, Tester has helped President Obama implement policies – including their failed $800 billion stimulus and $1.2 trillion health care law – under which our national debt has exploded by $49,000 per second and now stands at a record $15.2 trillion, an amount equal in size to the entire value of all goods and services produced by the nation’s economy in an entire year.
Montanans also know that while driving our national debt through the roof, Obama and Tester's reckless deficit spending binge hasn't delivered the jobs they promised. After helping President Obama pass his $800 billion “stimulus” spending bill into law, Tester told Montanans “I think you're going to see job creation out of this bill within 90 days,” while his allies in the Obama Administration predicted their deficit-spending binge would hold unemployment below 8 percent.
But instead, America has lost 1.7 million jobs since Obama took office and Tester began rubber-stamping his big-spending agenda, and America is in its 35th consecutive month of above-8-percent unemployment.
It's clear that Senator Tester and President Obama's shared record of over-spending, over-taxing, over-regulating, and failure to create the jobs they promised will continue to be a major theme of this U.S. Senate campaign.
Background Information:
Tester Voted Against A Motion To Proceed To The Joint Resolution That Would Disapprove Of The President’s Request For A $1.2 Trillion Debt Limit Increase. “McConnell, R-Ky., motion to proceed to the joint resolution that would disapprove of a request by the president for a $1.2 trillion debt limit increase. Current law provides for a $1.2 trillion increase in the debt limit upon certification from the president that the debt is within $100 billion of the debt limit unless a disapproval measure is enacted.” (H.J. Res. 98, CQ Vote #2: Motion rejected by a vote of 44-52: R 42-1; D 2-49; I 0-2, 1/26/12, Tester Voted Nay)
Tester's Campaign Rhetoric Doesn't Match His Washington Record...
In 2006, Tester Said “I Am Not Into Tax And Spend.” “On fiscal responsibility: ‘Tester: In the past five years, Bush and the U.S. Congress has been fiscally irresponsible, running up enormous deficits. I am not into tax and spend, but you, Conrad, are into borrow and spend, and passing on huge debts to our children.’” (Jon Tester For U.S. Senate, “Tester Crushes Burns In First Debate,” Press Release, 6/26/06)
Tester 2006: “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.c-spanvideo.org, 10/12/06) (32:03)
In 2006, Tester’s Campaign Website Claimed He Would “Fight To Restore Fiscal Responsibility To Washington.” “As a leader in the Montana Senate, Jon Tester brought people from both parties together to balance the budget every session. The current federal budget deficit is spiraling out of control, and Congress is recklessly passing on a crushing debt to our children and grandchildren. Tester will fight to restore fiscal responsibility to Washington.” (Jon Tester For Senate 2006 Website, www.testerforsenate.com, Accessed 3/29/11)
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