AP: (Conrad) Burns on Vonage Plane After Pushing Bill

[Pirate Smile]

Burns on Vonage Plane After Pushing Bill

Tuesday September 19, 2006 12:46 AM


By MARY CLARE JALONICK

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Montana Sen. Conrad Burns, a Republican in a tight re-election race, flew on a private plane chartered by Vonage Holdings Corp., just days after he pushed legislation that the company has advocated for more than a year.

Burns accompanied Vonage lobbyist Frank Cavaliere on the company's chartered plane to and from the ``13th Annual Burns Classic Golf Weekend'' in Bigfork, Mont., on Saturday. Cavaliere and a Burns spokesman both confirmed the plane trip to The Associated Press on Monday.

Campaign finance rules allow members of Congress to fly on corporate aircraft as long as they reimburse the company for the equivalent of first-class airfare. Jason Klindt, a spokesman for Burns, said the senator will reimburse the company.

The fundraiser was held two days after the Senate passed a Burns-sponsored amendment that was pushed in various forms by Vonage and several public safety groups. The amendment was added to a port security bill that the Senate approved 98-0 on Sept. 14.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6089251,00.html

[Fenris]

1. He's really going out in a blaze of bribery.

Speed on, Sir. Hell isn't half full.:patriot:

[swag]

6. Ha! He won't even be able to get his old job back doing the wheat report

at 5 a.m.

[Fenris]

8. Everyone knows he's in the pocket of Big Wheat.

[MadMaddie]

2. So did Burns reimburse Vonage for the flight?

Crooked Bastards!!

[ThoughtCriminal]

3. Did Vonage add coach seating for his wife?

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/GOP_Senator_flies_first_class_wife_0914.html

[Anakin Skywalker]

4. The @$$hole Allegedly Told

a flight attendant that she can be a housewife should her job be outsourced, according to another post on this same subject.

Conrad Burns is a FIRST-CLASS @$$HOLE!

[rodeodance]

5. maybe he has tossed his hat in and just living the good live these last

few weeks. Nothing else can explain this behavior.

[swag]

7. Here's a good US News article about the race:

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060917/25burns.htm

A couple of blunt talkers face off in a key Senate race
By Danielle Knight

Posted Sunday, September 17, 2006

MISSOULA, MONT.-Jon Tester, the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, fits right in amid the sea of barbecue grills and beer at this tailgating party outside the opening University of Montana football game. A burly farmer wearing a Grizzlies team T-shirt and his signature flattop haircut, Tester doesn't resemble most politicians. He's probably the only Senate candidate who took six days off from campaigning recently to harvest grain-on his farm near Big Sandy. Political observers thought it was a little crazy to give up prime campaigning time against three-term incumbent Republican Sen. Conrad Burns in one of the country's premier Senate races. But Tester just shrugs: "I'm a farmer, not a politician. I'm running to get honest representation back in Washington, D.C."

That down-home attitude is clearly appealing to many Big Sky Country voters and has Burns facing the toughest test of his career. Burns's job is also one the national Democratic Party is eyeing hungrily in its quest to gain six seats and win back the Senate. The most recent polling put Tester, president of the Montana state Senate, slightly ahead-a shocking turnabout for the incumbent.

Those poll numbers probably reflect the generally sour mood of voters nationwide, as well as the particular ethics problems facing Burns because of his relationship to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Burns thought he could count on the fact that Montana likes Republicans-especially those who bring home federal dollars. President George W. Bush carried the state 59 to 39 percent over John Kerry in 2004, and Burns has brought back billions to a state dependent on ranching and farming aid. And that still makes for a substantial advantage: Burns's campaign war chest-which is more than four times Tester's-will enable him to flood the airwaves with ads against his challenger. "A lot of this race is about who Tester is and which campaign will be successful in defining him," says Christopher Muste, a political science professor at the University of Montana in Missoula. "Everyone already knows who Burns is at this point."

Tainted money. Which may or may not be a good thing. The publicity over Burns's relationship with Abramoff, who pleaded guilty in January to corruption-related charges, knocked him off a clear path to an easy re-election victory. Burns received $150,000 in contributions from Abramoff and his Indian tribe clients. Burns later said he would return the money, but he's had a rough time explaining why Abramoff told Vanity Fair, "Every appropriation we wanted (from Burns's committee) we got."

. . . more

You can contribute to the Tester campaign here:

http://www.testerforsenate.com/contribute

[Canuckistanian]

9. Why, that's not suspicious at all...

Goodbye, Senator Burns, YA FREAK!

He was one of the most anti-Canadian Senators that ever lived.

Him, and Max Baucus.

[havocmom]

10. And he is critical of Tester for getting help from National Dem Party

:eyes:

Burns chickened out of a debate sponsored by newspaper editors & publishers for all the candidates prior to our primary here. Instead of being at that important forum, he chose to play golf with fat cat donors in VA.

Missed another chance to talk to MT voters so he could ride a train through CA wine country with some fat cats on THAT side of the country.

Had Pickles come stump for him in MT and DARES to criticize the Democratic Party for supporting Jon Tester!

Called on our DEM governor to declare an emergency due to fires WEEKS after Brian Schweitzer had already done so.

Tried to 'give back Abramoff money' to a charity for which former top Burns aid was the soul registered lobbyist. (That tribal charity turned the money down- something Burns seems never to have understood as an option.)

Click the link on my sig line. Learn about Jon Tester. Drop some cash his way if you can. We expect a BIG GOP negative ad push here shortly. Gonna take some cash to refute the propaganda heading our way here in MT. And, a senate seat is a senate seat! We only have 3 electoral votes, but we have just as many senators as NY and CA ;) Help MT get a little bluer. Support Jon Tester.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

11. More proof... We have the best politicians money can buy.

[jackstraw45]

12. SUCH BS. First class airfare costs hundreds...private plane?

TENS of thousands each way.

This should be ILLEGAL.