The winds of change - they are a-blowin' hard out here in the heartland, no matter how much Washington, D.C. pretends they aren't. Tonight, in a major upset, populist Democratic State Senate President Jon Tester crushed his primary opponents, becoming the Democratic nominee against vulnerable incumbent Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT). Tester, a farmer from Big Sandy, ran against the Washington Establishment, ignoring those who said he couldn't beat State Auditor John Morrison (D) - the candidate that Democratic Party powerbrokers in Washington tried to anoint.

In fairness, I think both Tester and Morrison are good Democrats. But, as I saw when I was at Tester's announcement speech last year, and I learned in talking with Tester during the campaign, this is a guy who clearly and unabashedly represents the populist wing of his party (I tried as best as I could to publicly stay out of the primary out of deference to the state party that didn't want to further enflame the already divisive primary battle). His victory will likely send yet more shockwaves through the increasingly insulated and isolated Democratic Establishment in Washington.

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This week Monica Lindeen proved that Montana Democrats tradition of straight talk and bold ideas on issues that matter is gender neutral. While too many politicians around the country--and too often Democrats--mince words when it comes to controversial issues like Iraq and simply offer platitudes on complex issues like energy policy, Monica Lindeen proves why Brian Schweitzer says she is the woman to beat Dennis "The Drunken Horseman" Rehberg. She tells the truth about what the she thinks about the issues, and she's not afraid to think big.

At a time when politicians are often unwilling to take a stand on anything, Monica is laying it on the line to call for Congressional accountability as Iraqi teeters on the brink of civil war and has the ideas to lay out a plan for energy independence to create jobs in Montana and end the days that America's young people have to risk their lives for foriegn oil. Straight talk on tough issues should be rewarded. Please take the time to make a "donation to Monica" today: www.lineen.net.

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