****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I wrote a book on the 2012 Senate race, and I got to know Tester and his opponent, Rehberg, quite well during that time. As I read this book, I could hear Jon talking--so it is true to his voice and the person that I've come to know and respect. And, perhaps most importantly, you see Jon's capacity to grow--a quality that I appreciate but find to be rare among politicians.The story about the Cadillac is something that stuck with me because it is so Jon--and it is so my own father, a conservative, Goldwater voting Republican. My dad sold Title Insurance for a career and he drove those awful Aries K cars for years. Why? As my dad told me, a salesman should never outshine the car of his client--otherwise, they might not want to do business with you. As I think about my dad (who passed away some years ago)--and Jon's own story about his father buying and returning a Cadillac--I think about how these two men would have respected and enjoyed each other's company. And, at the end of the day, it gave me some hope for the future because if they could get along, perhaps all is not lost.I disagree with one of the reviewers about Tester's ability to win in rural counties. It is true that his 2018 victory did not come from winning rural counties in Montana. But, unlike other Democratic candidates, he pulls a larger number of votes out of those counties. And that is key--without those additional votes, it would have been hard for Tester (or Bullock, when he won reelection to the Governorship in 2016) to win statewide.A refreshingly frank read that enjoyable and, at times, moving.
