Is Business Really ‘Part of the Problem’?

Montana Sen. Jon Tester thinks the success of his Republican opponent Tim Sheehy is disqualifying

WSJ editorial. 

"When President Obama told business owners “you didn’t build that” during his 2012 campaign, Democrats scrambled to cover for his gaffe. Today’s left says you built that, and you’re to blame.

That’s how Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester described his opponent, Tim Sheehy, at their first debate this month. “We’ve had a lot of folks move into this state, a lot of folks with thick wallets,” Mr. Tester said. “Tim Sheehy is not part of the solution; he’s part of the problem.”

The goal is to paint Mr. Sheehy as a mustache-twirling tycoon foreign to the rural West, but it’s an odd description of his career. He founded Bridger Aerospace in Montana a decade ago and took it public last year. “Creating jobs in this state was an honor for me to do,” Mr. Sheehy shot back.

The company outfits planes to survey and suppress wildfires, inspired by air-support methods Mr. Sheehy learned as a Navy SEAL. Last year the Interior Department hired him to map fire-prone lands, and the company brought $67 million in revenue to Big Sky country. This is what Sen. Tester calls part of the problem.

He also tarred Mr. Sheehy as one of the “folks that drive up the cost of housing.” He’s playing on Montanans’ frustration with newcomers, as high earners from California and elsewhere have driven up demand for Montana homes.

It’s a rich line from Mr. Tester, who has helped push up the cost of living by voting for trillions of dollars in Biden Administration spending. Like most of the left, he’s determined to shift blame to the wealthy and businesses.

Attacking Mr. Sheehy’s career is plan B for Democrats, after they tried and failed to boost a less popular challenger in the GOP primary. Voters aren’t likely to agree that a successful local business is a big problem, but the episode is another revealing look at how progressives view the economy."