A Brief Look at a New Senator

Yesterday, Montana Governor Steve Bullock appointed Lt. Gov. John Walsh to succeed Max Baucus in the U.S. Senate. This will give Walsh some seniority and a boost in both the primary and the general election.

He won’t technically be a senator until Monday, when he will be officially sworn-in. It won’t be hard to be a better senator than Max Baucus, but I honestly don’t know what to expect from Sen. Walsh.

As Senate priorities, Walsh said he would work to serve Montana’s veterans and their families, to responsibly cut spending and reduce the federal debt, to strengthen the national economy and create jobs as Bullock and he had done in Montana and protecting U.S. freedoms and liberties.

As for Senate committee assignments, Walsh said his top priority would be the Armed Services Committee. He said he also would be interested in committees that oversee commerce, transportation and agriculture.

As a veteran and former head of the Montana National Guard, I expect him to be interested in military affairs and taking care of those who have served in the military. I’m not too excited about him being another deficit scold, although that seems to be a feature of successful Democrats from that area of the country.

If “protecting U.S. freedoms and liberties” means reining in the NSA, then I am all for it.

His likely general election opponent is this guy, who we do not want to see in the Senate.

10 Comments

BooMan on February 8, 2014 at 9:53 pm

Cory Booker:

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) today issued the following statement after Senate passage of the Agricultural Act of 2014, also known as the farm bill:

“I appreciate the bipartisan efforts that led to today’s Senate passage of the farm bill, and I want to single out Senators Debbie Stabenow and Thad Cochran for their tireless work to pass this legislation. The farm bill accomplishes some important goals, including new conservation investments that will protect farmlands from development and new incentives to encourage the growth of farmers markets and promote locally grown foods, as well as animal welfare measures.

“Regretfully, however, I could not vote for this legislation. During a time when many families continue to struggle and there are still three job seekers for every job available, the more than $8 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which disproportionately impacts New Jersey, is simply unacceptable. While subsidies to agribusiness remain largely intact in the farm bill, struggling families, seniors and disabled residents in my state are being asked to make sacrifices they can’t afford. This is deeply unfair. We need to be doing more to improve the economic security of the most vulnerable people in our communities, not less, and SNAP is a proven program for doing just that. It’s cost-effective and rigorously controlled.

“After meeting with so many New Jerseyans who have been struggling to find work for months on end – folks who already had their SNAP benefit reduced in November and who had their federal unemployment insurance cut off in December – I cannot support a bill that has the potential to cause further harm to people who desperately need our support.”

Roll Call

WaterGirl on February 9, 2014 at 8:16 am

My first thought was that I wish other Senators would stand up against the kind of thing, too.

Or do you see this as some sort of “purity” stance that ultimately works against what we want for the big picture?

BooMan on February 8, 2014 at 10:20 pm

Ron Wyden’s priorities as incoming chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

JeffL on February 8, 2014 at 11:10 pm

I really like some of that. I hope he can bring some of those good ideas to fruition.
seabe on February 9, 2014 at 12:06 am

That’s pretty high for the standard deduction. He’s going to have to get rid of a lot of loopholes and significantly raise taxes on higher income people to make up for it.

Phil Perspective on February 9, 2014 at 12:36 am

I’m not too excited about him being another deficit scold, although that seems to be a feature of successful Democrats from that area of the country.

Says who? Bob Rubin and the big money boys? We all know deficit scare mongering is a fools errand. You’ll never get credit from the Beltway hacks and GOP and you screw over the Democrats who vote you in.

It will? I know you probably follow Bob Brigham on Twitter, since he was once your drinking buddy at Netroots Nation, or what ever. Have you paid any attention at all to the history of interim appointments in Montana? Basically, they have a bad history of running for full terms(or even to complete them).

BooMan on February 9, 2014 at 9:52 am

Says me.

Democrats like Ben Nelson, Kent Conrad, Byron Dorgan, Tim Johnson, Heidi Heitkamp, Max Baucus, and Jon Tester have all been successfully elected while bitching about deficit spending. It seems to work as an electoral strategy in that part of the country. Of course, there are significant differences between those politicians on other issues.
- Phil Perspective on February 9, 2014 at 3:57 pm
  
  Democrats like Ben Nelson, Kent Conrad, Byron Dorgan, Tim Johnson, Heidi Heitkamp, Max Baucus, and Jon Tester have all been successfully elected while bitching about deficit spending.
  
  And look at most of them. Estsablishment candidates in states where the Democratic party exists in name only. All except Dorgan and Tester are complete stooges of big business.

The Voice In The Wilderness on February 9, 2014 at 5:53 am

He sounds like a Republican to me. He wants to cut spending, IOW “fuck the unemployed”.

Neildsmith on February 9, 2014 at 9:40 am

I’m not sure we need another military guy in the Senate either. Those who “served” haven’t done the country any good and those who led have demonstrated they cannot be trusted with such power and authority.

I’d much rather elect a deficit scold willing to cut the military and end our state of perpetual war, but those don’t seem to exist anywhere in any party.

BooMan on February 8, 2014 at 9:53 pm

Cory Booker:

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) today issued the following statement after Senate passage of the Agricultural Act of 2014, also known as the farm bill:

“I appreciate the bipartisan efforts that led to today’s Senate passage of the farm bill, and I want to single out Senators Debbie Stabenow and Thad Cochran for their tireless work to pass this legislation. The farm bill accomplishes some important goals, including new conservation investments that will protect farmlands from development and new incentives to encourage the growth of farmers markets and promote locally grown foods, as well as animal welfare measures.

“Regretfully, however, I could not vote for this legislation. During a time when many families continue to struggle and there are still three job seekers for every job available, the more than $8 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which disproportionately impacts New Jersey, is simply unacceptable. While subsidies to agribusiness remain largely intact in the farm bill, struggling families, seniors and disabled residents in my state are being asked to make sacrifices they can’t afford. This is deeply unfair. We need to be doing more to improve the economic security of the most vulnerable people in our communities, not less, and SNAP is a proven program for doing just that. It’s cost-effective and rigorously controlled.

“After meeting with so many New Jerseyans who have been struggling to find work for months on end – folks who already had their SNAP benefit reduced in November and who had their federal unemployment insurance cut off in December – I cannot support a bill that has the potential to cause further harm to people who desperately need our support.”

Roll Call
- WaterGirl on February 9, 2014 at 8:16 am
  
  My first thought was that I wish other Senators would stand up against the kind of thing, too.
  
  Or do you see this as some sort of “purity” stance that ultimately works against what we want for the big picture?
BooMan on February 8, 2014 at 10:20 pm

Ron Wyden’s priorities as incoming chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
- JeffL on February 8, 2014 at 11:10 pm
  
  I really like some of that. I hope he can bring some of those good ideas to fruition.
- seabe on February 9, 2014 at 12:06 am
  
  That’s pretty high for the standard deduction. He’s going to have to get rid of a lot of loopholes and significantly raise taxes on higher income people to make up for it.
Phil Perspective on February 9, 2014 at 12:36 am

I’m not too excited about him being another deficit scold, although that seems to be a feature of successful Democrats from that area of the country.

Says who? Bob Rubin and the big money boys? We all know deficit scare mongering is a fools errand. You’ll never get credit from the Beltway hacks and GOP and you screw over the Democrats who vote you in.

Yesterday, Montana Governor Steve Bullock appointed Lt. Gov. John Walsh to succeed Max Baucus in the U.S. Senate. This will give Walsh some seniority and a boost in both the primary and the general election.

It will? I know you probably follow Bob Brigham on Twitter, since he was once your drinking buddy at Netroots Nation, or what ever. Have you paid any attention at all to the history of interim appointments in Montana? Basically, they have a bad history of running for full terms(or even to complete them).
- BooMan on February 9, 2014 at 9:52 am
  
  Says me.
  
  Democrats like Ben Nelson, Kent Conrad, Byron Dorgan, Tim Johnson, Heidi Heitkamp, Max Baucus, and Jon Tester have all been successfully elected while bitching about deficit spending. It seems to work as an electoral strategy in that part of the country. Of course, there are significant differences between those politicians on other issues.
  - Phil Perspective on February 9, 2014 at 3:57 pm
    
    Democrats like Ben Nelson, Kent Conrad, Byron Dorgan, Tim Johnson, Heidi Heitkamp, Max Baucus, and Jon Tester have all been successfully elected while bitching about deficit spending.
    
    And look at most of them. Estsablishment candidates in states where the Democratic party exists in name only. All except Dorgan and Tester are complete stooges of big business.
The Voice In The Wilderness on February 9, 2014 at 5:53 am

He sounds like a Republican to me. He wants to cut spending, IOW “fuck the unemployed”.
Neildsmith on February 9, 2014 at 9:40 am

I’m not sure we need another military guy in the Senate either. Those who “served” haven’t done the country any good and those who led have demonstrated they cannot be trusted with such power and authority.

I’d much rather elect a deficit scold willing to cut the military and end our state of perpetual war, but those don’t seem to exist anywhere in any party.

A Brief Look at a New Senator

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