The election season officially started only a few days ago and we're already getting bombarded with ads in the race for U.S. Senate.
Those of you who have satellite TV are fortunately spared all of this advertising, unless you're also listening to the radio, which is filled with the same.
Now Burns in on the counterattack with a good ol' Montana boy, aw- shucks approach, calling the Democrats' comments stockyard “you know what.”
In his ad, Burns calls Abramoff “the guy who ripped off his Indian clients for millions and lied to anybody and everybody.''
He also says: ‘‘I don't know who Abramoff influenced, but he never influenced me.''
Burns handed the Democrats a ready target. He has embarrassed this state. His name has come up repeatedly in national news coverage noting that he was one of the largest beneficiaries of donations from Abramoff and his clients.
The Associated Press has reported this: “An Associated Press review found that in 2001, Burns and his staff met Abramoff's lobbying team and collected donations around the time that Burns took legislative action favorable to Abramoff's clients in the Northern Mariana Islands. Burns also helped arrange congressional funding for an Indian school building program sought by Abramoff's tribal clients.”
Abramoff has pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges and is now cooperating with investigators in a far-ranging influence-peddling investigation. As the AP notes, “The investigation could involve many members of Congress and aides, including Burns.”
There's lots of time between now and the election in November for Montana voters to get lots of objective information and make up their mind about what Burns did and didn't do. Study the facts.
Rather than respond to legitimate questions, Burns would rather have us all think that he's just a simple country boy and that we're just a bunch of simple country folk.
He isn't, and we aren't.
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