What was your reason for writing Grounded? "I just thought after the election that I had in 2018 that the time to write it was then. There were so things that I had seen in the Democrat party which was not voting well for the party in the middle of America." Arron Murphy was his former media person when he first got to the Senate and former chief of staff. They sat down and talked about Tester's ideals. They talked about what would be beneficial to folks on both sides of the aisle. "I hope, number one, it's enjoyable to read; it is interesting to read and gives you information that, whether you were a voter or a candidate, would help them make a better decision."
The book tells why he made the decisions he made. "For sure. I am a product of Big Sandy. There is no getting around that. I am in the United States Senate because I served on the Big Sandy Conservation District, the Big Sandy School board, The Chouteau County FSA Committee. The fact that the people who influenced me through those experiences, whether through the Big Sandy High School and the Big Sandy K-12 education or after I got out of college or the people of the community itself, is probably why I am who I am. I was formed and influenced by the community and the action people take around you."
And why the title Grounded? "Grounded applies to a couple of things. I am a farmer and farm the ground, and the second is politically I am seen as somebody who is fairly well-grounded in what I believe and not someone who goes with the wind and is blown either and yond. I am seen as basically a social liberal and a fiscal conservative."
Let's talk about what happened in Washington yesterday? "I was in a different situation than most of my colleges. I was in my office in the Hart building preparing my remarks for the objection of Pennsylvania that was going to be made by the a few of the Republicans, watching the joint session on TV as I was working. I knew what the procedure would be. They were going to a jointed session to object to Arizona. Then they would go back to their houses to debate for two hours. I was going to watch the debate and then go down to the floor for the last hour of the debate and vote."
Half an hour in, all hell broke loose, so I was not in the chamber, I was not on the floor; I was watching it just like you were in total disbelief. And to be honest with you, I was very very mad, because domestic terrorists broke into the United States Senate Chamber, which is a very special place for me. Like I was telling people yesterday, I don't care if it's the Senate Chamber of Montana or the Senate Chamber in the United States Capitol. Those are special places; they are not to be ransacked, and they are not to be run over just by anybody who can break down a door. In some respects, I was wishing I was with my colleagues, but in my office in the Hart building, below me there were 3-4 police officers." They told the officers they were going to shelter in place, and the policeman told him they had him covered. After they got everything clear, which took 5-6 hours he went over to the Senate Chambers.
"It was a hell of a thing that happened yesterday. There need to be consequences for the actions that were done; otherwise, it will happen again. History will show whether what happened yesterday is a positive thing for democracy or the end of our democracy, and how we react to this will determine that."
"The problem is right now, and this is my opinion, so people will disagree with it, but people aren't dealing with facts. And any time you aren't dealing with facts, it becomes a real problem. And it's been done intentionally-the attack of the free press. I would tell you that whether they were coming from the left or the right."
"There will be hearing about why the police were not more prepared. The police officers on the ground did a pretty damn good job of trying to hold it off. They were overwhelmed. These guys were prepared for what they were doing; they knew what they wanted to do. They came in spraying pepper spray at the police officers through the windows through the doors that they had broken down. Quite honestly, they were outmanned. When I see cops taking selfies and people going crazy, put yourself in that situation when you are there, and it's 10-15 to one against you. You are not
there to raise hell, you're there to control the situation, play the game until reinforcements get there, and that's what they did. But the leadership (of the capital police), will have a lot of questions ask them because they were poorly prepared, and the fact that the National Guard did not show up for three hours is very disturbing."
"I have always looked at the Capital as being very secure. I'll be honest with you; I don't anymore. I see it just like another building. This quarter in 2021, there will be a totally different protocol. On police protection around the Capital, it will totally change. I hope they don't build any walls around the Capital; I don't support that like they did the white house, which was necessary to do."
I asked how we go forward to make a positive difference in our government. Jon said, "Part of it is accountability. People expect people to be held accountable, just like we expect our kids to do the right thing. Part of this is accountability. I don't think the President will be impeached; I don't see a path for that. He is out of the office in two weeks anyway. But moving forward, some somethings were positive yesterday. I've been very critical of Senator Mitch McConnell. There have been several bills that I wanted to get on the floor. He has not brought them forward, and I have expressed my displeasure with that. Yesterday, he started by saying this was the most important vote he has made in 36 years. He went on to say this was an honest election and that there was not the kind of cheating that the President as said. There were a number of folks that did the right thing. I think there is an opportunity because of that. When that session got over last night at 12:30 or a quarter to one, I walked up to Mitch, and I said thank you. I also thank the minority leader too because leadership matters. I think there is an opportunity to work and build some trust and some alliance. Only time will tell."
"President-Elect Joe Biden will be able to work with Republicans. He did a marvelous job working with folks when he was in the Senate. It's a two-way streak. I think Joe knows he has to work with the Republicans to be successful. And I think the Republicans know they will need to work with him to be successful themselves. The bottom line is if we look at this from the perspective of working for the country and not for the parties, then I think everybody can win. Hopefully, that will be the case."
