YouSaid · the spoken record

Jon Tester

lines on the record

72

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2022-02-10

most recent

2022-02-10

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1

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1. “Well, you know, it's just interesting because I don't know. They'd probably get in the road at this moment in time. I'm 65 years old right now. So this happened 56 years ago. And look, I can't go left in basketball like I would want to. There's some negative parts of this thing. But the truth is it's one of those things that happen. Accidents happen. You try to prevent it from happening. But they happen.”

   2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

2. “When you're a kid on a farm, I mean, I was driving tractor when I was nine years old, field tractor. I was running to Baylor when I could. And these are all dangerous pieces of equipment. But you learn to respect that. I learned a lot of respect that day that happened in the meat shop. But it was one of those, you know.”

   2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

3. “It was a brand new grinder. I was very lucky. And I don't remember sticking my hand in, but I remember pulling my hand out and my fingers were gone. Little finger and thumb were there, but the three fingers were gone. My mother was horrified. I think back on it, it was one of the hardest parts when I wrote my book, it was one of the hardest parts to recount all the things that happened. But she, as any parent would do, was incredibly shaken by this event. And in fact, thought about it a lot because we never talked about it. I mean, we never talked about me missing three fingers and all this stuff. And by the way, probably wouldn't be a U.S. senator if that event hadn't happened because it's been a great talking point. But the bottom line is.”

   2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

4. “Well, and so I was nine years old, and my folks had a butcher shop that they ran on the farm to supplement their income. And my dad was off grinding feed for the cows. He took it to town. And so it was my mom and I in the butcher shop. And I remember all this pretty distinctly. I said, we were done boning out the burger and she was wrapping the steaks and roasts. And I said, I'll just grind it. And I remember my mother saying, no, no, no, no, no, don't. I'll do that. And I said, come on, I can do this. It's no problem. And we double grind the hamburger. So I ground it the first time and then I started grinding it the second time. And I was done grinding the hamburger. I was done. And I think the dog-on thing hypnotized me, to be honest with you. And the spiral going round and round.”

   2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

5. “Going to make this world a better place for you than we had it. Your life's going to be better than we had it. And you do that by public service. And that's what they did. Certainly not to the level of the United States Senate. But I'm going to tell you equally as important, making the little town a better place. And so it was kind of not driven into me, but absorbed. I absorbed it while I watched it.”

   2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

6. “Combo. But the truth is politics was talked a lot at the breakfast table and the supper table. I'll just tell you that. And Vietnam War was cooking in the 60s and early 70s. And it was always a topic of conversation. I have two older brothers. And then the programs that are going on and it was there. Now I was young truthfully when my oldest brother's 12 years older than me and my middle brother's seven years older. And a lot of the conversation that we had was over my head. And as time went on, though, I think those influences, particularly my grandmother and my mother and my father too, were pretty significant in why I ended up in public service. My folks always, always said,”

   2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

7. “All the news talk shows and she was smart as Whip. She emigrated directly from Sweden when she was 16 and never went back, I might add, which is amazing to me, but married my grandfather and was a very, very motivated, very smart, very driven woman. And my mother, who was their daughter, picked up on all those things. And my mother was incredibly interested in politics, was involved with the local Democratic Party in our county. And dad was there too. And dad came out of Utah. He moved up and married my mom in the early 40s. And his dad was a minor out of Salt Lake City in the Wasatch Mountains. And so it was a pretty crazy.”

   2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

8. “Yeah, so my folks, my grandfather would say this if it wasn't for FDR, we would not have been able to stay on the farm. They'd have lost it during the dirty 30s. And so, you know, anytime you're putting that kind of situation where you could lose your livelihood, you're appreciative of anything that Washington, D.C. can do to have your back and FDR had her back. Not everybody felt that way about FDR, where I live, but my folks certainly did. My grandparents did too. Now, my grandfather died when I was six. So I knew him, but I didn't know him. My grandmother died when I was 16. And so I had the opportunity to visit with her. And she was a political animal. She absolutely, you know, she had the nation sitting on her table. I remember this stuff now and didn't even know what the nation was at the time, but she read every morning, every Sunday morning she was up watching.”

   2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

9. “No, that's exactly correct. And it makes it short run, makes surviving that short run when the attacks are coming and people are saying, gosh, they did this stuff and it's not turning out as advertised. What in fact you're exactly right after a couple years? I mean, I think you don't see people campaigning against the Affordable Care Act now. Because it works, and people have seen some benefits. And by the way, we can make it work better if we're able to work together and pass some additional legislation.”

   2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

10. “I think we have to do it. I don't want Montana turning into Nevada, not that Nevada isn't a great place. But the truth is that we need to feed people on this earth. And climate change puts all that at risk.”

    2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

11. “Think they know that things are changing. I think that David, if change is the hardest thing to implement and the humans have to do, but it's a fact of life, and if you don't change, you die. And I think that folks are, you know, they say themselves, you know, well, we had a good year two years ago, so it'll be fine. But I think farmers know that the climate is changing. I think they can see it as I do. The question becomes, what do you do about it? And what kind of policies do you implement that actually get the crux of the problem? Because anything we do today, we're probably not going to see the benefits for several decades. And we're in a society where people want immediate gratification for decisions that are made. And so it's going to be tough nut to crack.”

    2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

12. “Correct, yeah. We've been this will be our 45th year on the farm, and so we've seen a lot of changes in the climate over those years. And there is no doubt in my mind that climate change is real. There is no doubt that while you may have good years once in a while, I think the potential for disaster”

    2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

13. “Farming is exempt. You don't have to sell your farm to be in the U.S. Senate. So it's a different opportunity that I have, and I thank the good Lord that I've gotten it truthfully.”

    2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

14. “And this is a fact. My tractor doesn't care if I'm a U.S. senator. It'll break down when it wants to break down. And when I'm underneath a plow weld, then I get up and hit my head on the steel. It doesn't care. And so it keeps keeps you in perspective, I think. And I think that's important here. I think these brick and mortar walls that we live in, in government, in this case the United States Senate, can suck you in and you lose track of reality. And I think that's very dangerous. I think it's, you know, I mean, when the forefathers set this outfit up, we didn't meet year-round because of heat and other reasons. And there were a lot of folks that were citizen legislators. They worked and they were also part of government. And I think that's another reason I do this. I think it's a really good model. And a lot of people don't have the opportunity like I have, quite frankly.”

    2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

15. “Well, I think it keeps life real. I don't need to tell you, David, that when you get in these positions, people treat you differently. And they oftentimes need things, so they'll blow some smoke up your high end. And the bottom line is when I go home and farm.”

    2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

16. “I don't think anybody's in that boat where they're doing it all. I think that there are people connected with agriculture that go home and help on the tractor for a bit or help maybe during hanging a bit, but not run the whole show.”

    2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

17. “Well, I mean, I don't know. I mean, there could be some people out there that are helping, but I do think, I mean, we are, until a couple years ago, my son's out there helping us now, but until a couple years ago it was Charlotte and I, my wife and I, that did it all. No, no.”

    2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

18. “And Charlotte, I took it over in 78. It supported two families most of its lifetime. And as you pointed out, when my folks retired, there was about 1,100 acres a little bit more. And we've added to that, so we're about 1,800 right now. But the truth is that it's been something that's been a part of me. It's why I continue to farm as a United States Center. I think it keeps you grounded. It makes weekends pretty long during seeding and harvest time gets pretty long. But the truth is I love it. It's the best job I've ever had being a farmer. And it's something that I rely on and helps me make a lot of the decisions I make in Washington, D.C.”

    2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

19. “Dry line means we survive through the grace of God, through the rain that comes from the skies. And that's the truth. In some years, you get a lot of rain. Our average rainfall where the farm is is about 12 inches a year, which doesn't seem like a lot, but the soil structure is such and clay base that it holds it in the root zone of the plant. So when things work out pretty well, if you get 12 inches of rain, some years you get 18 or 20, some years you get two or three. And we're one of those two or three years right now, two or three inches per year right now. It's very, very dry where we're at now. But like I said, when grandpa came out, he took a look around and said, hey, this is the place. And he did pretty good. I mean, it has been good. And the bottom line is through my grandparents and they retired and they moved out the farm in 43 of my folks took it over.”

    2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

20. “They decided to move to North Central Montana. My grandfather came out on the railroad. You know, Hill was pushing folks in the homesteader era to overselling the area. But the truth is it's worked out pretty well for us. And Grandpa came out. It was obviously a wet year in 1910. He said the grass was as tall as the belly on a horse went back to North Dakota, brought out cousins and a bunch of other folks and they patented the land. And I think you're right. It was either 15 or 16 that the patent was done. But the bottom line is we've been there since then. This is land that buffaloes had a hard time making living on, but we've been living on it for the last 110 years.”

    2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

21. “Yeah, look, so my grandfather and grandmother moved out. Grandfather scoped the area out in about 1910. They lived in the Red River Valley. And that's where my grandfather, my great-grandfather, homesteaded, was in that area. And truth be known, I don't know if this is truth, but I kind of surmise that my grandmother didn't get along with the in-laws very well.”

    2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

22. “It's good to be with you, David. Thank you very much. I appreciate the opportunity to visit with you. This isn't paradise. 12 miles west of Big Sandy, Montana's paradise. That's where our farm is.”

    2022-02-10 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 477 — Sen. Jon Tester · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source