The Ole Prick - #298

#298 CONRAD BURNS
FORMER SENATOR FROM MONTANA

I have to admit, even though I knew it was coming from reading public opinion polls, I really enjoyed seeing this old prick lose; probably more than any other election race that year.

The reason is because Burns is one of those old farts who think it's clever and witty to be a boor. He recognizes that the times have passed him by but makes every effort he can to drag times back to when it was considered okay to use the word 'nigger' in public. He thinks that makes him terribly dangerous and kinda cute when actually it just makes him an old fool with a great big mouth.

Give you an example: In a 1999 speech, Burns referred to Arabs as 'ragheads.'
Here's another one: while campaigning for re-election in 1994, Burns dropped by the offices of the Bozeman Daily Herald and told them an anecdote about one of his constituents, a rancher, who was amazed Burns could stand to live in Washington D.C. "Conrad, how can you live back there with all those niggers?" he asked. In response, Burns said, "It's a hell of a challenge."

But the fact he's a boor was not the reason I enjoyed watching him have to eat every little bit of Humble Pie and concede to now-Senator Jon Tester, although it was great fun watching his ancient face on camera hold back the fury that he felt.

No, it wasn't even taking $150,000 from GOP Cocksucker #47 (JACK ABRAMOFF) and his associates or even giving a $3 million grant for a tribal school in Michigan for the Saginaw tribe that did him in. even though Burns lived in Montana.

No, it was when Burns criticized the firefighters from Virginia for digging a fireline east of Billings, MT, as part of the firefighting efforts there. Even though they had flown almost halfway across the country to be there, Burns called their work, "piss-poor," because some of his rich rancher friends got their houses burned down.

One of the Virginia firefighters, enraged at hearing such talk when he was busting his hump for $12 an hour, said to Burns' face when he came over to talk to them, "I didn't see you out there picking up a shovel, Sparky." Burns ignored the remark.

S. Olson