By Ryan Dolan and Eli Tate, Kansas Delegation

Every morning the Kansas delegation has a breakfast meeting in their hotel to brief the delegation and their guests about the day’s events.  They try to have a speaker each day, and ours for today was Gov. Brian Schweitzer from Montana. His brief 10-15 minute talk will be one of the highlights of the trip.  He represents the type of democrat that exists everywhere except in the mind of the media.  He’s a progressive, practical man who tries to solve problems.  Schweitzer hunts.  He has a family.  He drinks beer.  He is concerned about the economy, but he’s not going to sacrifice the safety of future generations for a short-term gain today.

Schweitzer’s a big bear of a man, who knows how to spin a tale and tell a joke.  You can see why, in 2004, Montanans voted him the first Democratic governor in 16 years.  A rancher and a farmer, he told the Kansas delegation that with a democratic-led state congress, they cut taxes, increased education spending, and increased alternative energy production. 

Schweitzer’s tough too.  This is the image I want for the Democratic Party.  I loved the pick of Biden as vice-president, because he’s not afraid of a fight.  Schweitzer told the Kansas Delegation (and I’m paraphrasing slightly), “Elections aren’t won by eating breakfasts (like these), deciding whether or not you want a croissant, or by shining your shoes and putting on a coat and tie.  They are won by rolling up your sleeves, and going to work.”

At the end of the day, most Americans don’t care if an elected official is a Democrat or a Republican, they want to know you have their interests at heart.  They want to know if you can solve problems, and if things aren’t working out, you’re willing to listen to new ideas no matter who comes up with them.  Brian Schweitzer is that kind of guy.