South Dakota Politics

2004-01-19T21:33:00.000-06:00

SDP HAS MOVED! PLEASE CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE NEW SITE, AND ADJUST YOUR BOOKMARKS ACCORDINGLY.

2004-01-19T21:11:00.000-06:00

I apologize, but I had to delete my pictures of Dean because they were really sucking up bandwidth, and readers have complained of a very slow load time.

2004-01-16T16:52:00.000-06:00

WHERE'S THE CLOUT?: Tom Daschle is risking the sacrifice of millions of dollars for South Dakota priorities in the omnibus spending bill in order to champion the priorities of the party he leads, as seen by a story in the Washington Post today headlined "GOP Senators Push To Pass Spending Bill." Excerpt:

Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) sent senators a letter last week listing home-state projects they would lose if the bill failed. And yesterday Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) warned colleagues in a letter that defeat would mean a loss of spending increases for many popular national programs.

"Attached you will find a list of projects that may be of particular interest to you," Stevens wrote in what a senior GOP aide described as an unusual but not unprecedented move to remind senators of their personal political stake in passage of a bill.

One Senate aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said his senator's list included more than 300 items spread over nine pages, including one as small as $25,000 for a youth center.

How is Tom Daschle "delivering for South Dakota" when his leadership duties demand that he block funding for South Dakota spending items in the omnibus bill?

It would be very interesting to see the contents of the letter sent by Ted Stevens to Tom Daschle. For a list of the money earmarked for South Dakota in the omnibus spending bill, click HERE.

2004-01-16T11:32:00.000-06:00

More murmurings from the left about Tom Daschle's leadership can be found in a column by David Corn headlined "Powell Retreats on Iraq-al Quaeda Link."

2004-01-16T11:21:00.000-06:00

The Lakota Journal has more on Tim Giago's primary run against Tom Daschle in a story headlined "Lakota publisher announces he will run for U.S. Senate seat."

2004-01-14T23:07:00.000-06:00

DASCHLE V. GIAGO: John Fund of the Wall Street Journal writes on Tom Daschle's primary opponent, Tim Giago:

Daschle Faces Revolt on the Reservation

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle faces a tough race this year with former GOP Rep. John Thune, but first he will have to contend with an unusual primary challenge from an American Indian leader. Tim Giago, a member of the Ogala Lakota tribe and editor of the Lakota Journal newspaper in Rapid City, says he will run because the "Indian vote on the Indian reservations has been taken for granted."

Mr. Giago isn't going to beat an incumbent senator well on his way to collecting a $10 million campaign warchest. But his candidacy signals a distance between the Democrats and Indians since 2002, when Democratic Senator Tim Johnson won re-election against a Thune challenge by some 500 votes amidst rampant voting irregularities on Indian reservations.

Mr. Giago's candidacy is one of several signs the Indian vote may not be monolithically Democratic this year in South Dakota. Russell Means, a leader of the Ogala Sioux tribe who narrowly lost a bid for tribal president in 2002, says Indians need to increase their clout with both major parties and indicates he'll be spending the year supporting Republican candidates like Mr. Thune. Democrats are crying foul and saying Indians are violating a long-standing mutual-support deal, but given the record of broken agreements between white politicians and Native Americans, it's not an argument that washes with tribal leaders.

Tim Giago's Lakota Journal contains an interesting editorial this week, which in part discusses the candidates for federal office in South Dakota. Excerpt:

The national election is a horse of a different color. Not only will we hear from all of the candidates hoping to unseat Bush, we are also about to elect a new Congressional representative to replace "Wild Bill" Janklow and we are also faced with deciding between Tom Daschle and a challenger for his senate seat.

Without going out on the limb, we strongly support Stephanie Herseth for the House of Representatives. We will not get behind a senatorial candidate just yet. There are a few things we hope to get out to our readers prior to endorsing any one candidate for the Senate.

2004-01-14T08:58:00.000-06:00

NRO has predictions on the Senate race in South Dakota. Excerpt:

Polls indicate that when GOP congressman John Thune challenged Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson in 2002, about 20 percent of South Dakota's Republicans voted for Johnson on the theory that it was better to pull the lever for the man in the Senate majority. Thune lost by a whisker. Now the Democrats aren't in the majority and Thune is taking on Tom Daschle. The race will be close — and if Thune loses, Republican will grumble that he should have run for his old House seat because the Democrats stand a good chancing of winning it this year. LEANING DEMOCRATIC RETENTION

2004-01-13T20:58:00.000-06:00

The Daschle v. Thune blog has great insights on all of the latest developments in the race.

2004-01-13T20:51:00.000-06:00

ARGUS SLEIGHT OF HAND: Yesterday I posted a reader's observation about the sleight of hand the Argus Leader's editors conducted on an LA Times story re-printed in the AL. The AL's editors made a subtle change to the LAT article, omitting a phrase and replacing it with neutral language, thereby portraying Tom Daschle in a less negative light than did the original LAT copy.

The Argus Leader's editors are "keenly aware of the subtle effects that the use and omission of words have on influencing public opinion." In reading a book entitled "Journalistic Fraud" (which I highly recommend), the passage in quotes above, which is lifted from the book, struck me as an apt description of the latest discovery of the AL's attempts to downplay news that reflects negatively upon Tom Daschle.

2004-01-13T20:29:00.000-06:00

If the Argus Leader is going to use the New York Times as its moral arbiter, maybe they should read this unwanted article from the NYT headlined "Dean's Wife Shuns Politics."

2004-01-13T12:02:00.000-06:00

ED SCHULTZ WATCH: A fellow liberal talk show host asks whether Ed Schultz, touted as the liberal Rush Limbaugh, is an opportunist:

[I]n your professional past, among the many, many other things that you've done for a living in the media and outside the media, you have been a conservative talk show host, where you were using all of the same professional techniques and tricks of the trade to sell a conservative point of view, and now all of a sudden you're on the other side of the political spectrum. Did you have a "come to Jesus" moment about your personal politics, or are you an opportunist who's just taken what looks like a pretty good gig?

Elsewhere in the news, Ed Schultz gets mentioned in US News & World Report's "Washington Whispers:"

Democratic Rush?

Fargo, N.D.'s Ed Schultz has a face for local radio--and a voice for national Democrats. After years of Democratic promises to match Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, Jones Radio Networks is offering up the tough-talking Schultz. "This is war," Schultz says of his battle with conservative radio. That you've probably never heard of the longtime radio guy doesn't matter to the Dems. They rushed on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, candidates Wes Clark, Howard Dean, Dick Gephardt, and Joe Lieberman, and Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle in Schultz's first week.

2004-01-13T10:26:00.000-06:00

Jeff Gannon, resident DC expert on South Dakota politics, has a new piece published today headlined "South Dakota Senate Race Off to Explosive Start."

2004-01-13T10:08:00.000-06:00

DASCHLE AND DEAN: BusinessWeek has an interesting piece that discusses Tom Daschle's likely reaction to Howard Dean, should Dean become the Democratic nominee, headlined "What Party Elders Overlook in Dean." Excerpt:

The nightmare scenario for Capitol Hill pols: The outspoken Dean utters a campaign gaffe that's amplified and spread, like political poison, by the Bush public relations machine. Then, few Dems, especially in the South and West, will want to share a stage with the Vermonter. Consider Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, who faces a tough reelection campaign in South Dakota. If Dean is behind by 10 points in October, Daschle may want to call out the border patrol to keep him out of town.

2004-01-12T21:20:00.000-06:00

ARGUS SLEIGHT OF HAND: An observant reader has spotted an interesting sleight of hand conducted by the editors of the Argus Leader. Last summer, the Los Angeles Times ran a piece on lobbying by family members of senators and congressmen. Linda Daschle was mentioned in the piece, as blockquoted below:

Perhaps the best-known example is Democratic Senate Leader Tom Daschle, whose wife, Linda, represents the aviation industry. She says she does not lobby the Senate. But her partners do, and her clients benefited from the airline bailout pushed by the Democratic leadership.

A week later, the Argus Leader ran the LAT story cited above (after a lot of pestering) on the front page of the June 29 edition. But the Argus Leader edited the above paragraph to read as follows (the edited part is in bold):

Perhaps the best-known example is Democratic Senate Leader Tom Daschle, whose wife, Linda, represents the aviation industry. She says she does not lobby the Senate. But her partners do, and her clients benefited from the airline bailout passed by Congress.

The AL's editors omitted "pushed by the Democratic leadership" and replaced it with "passed by Congress." Can there be a more blatant example of the AL downplaying news that reflects badly on Tom Daschle?

2004-01-12T18:02:00.000-06:00

DASCHLE LEADERSHIP IN JEOPARDY?: More murmuring from the left about Senator Daschle's leadership can be found in the new edition of the American Prospect, in a piece headlined "Come Together." Excerpt:

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and his whip, Harry Reid (D-Nev.), need to do a better job of keeping their party together. This is no time to be a wishy-washy Democrat. Speaking recently about the energy and Medicare bills, Daschle told CQ Weekly that Democrats who supported Medicare reform "just felt that we had to take what we could get. … I found myself supporting the energy bill using the same strategy." The problem with Daschle's statement is that legislating on Capitol Hill is now a test of wills; as long as Republicans aren't willing to settle, Democrats shouldn't be, either.

2004-01-12T14:05:00.000-06:00

A new blogger arrives on the South Dakota political scene. Read daschlevthune and add it to your bookmarks. (Via Man Without Qualities)

2004-01-12T13:49:00.000-06:00

Rapid City Journal political reporter Denise Ross has a report today headlined "CNN's Novak responds to critics."

2004-01-12T10:29:00.000-06:00

KRANZ WATCH: David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters, made an appearance on CNN's "Capital Gang" yesterday. As seen by his piece yesterday, headlined "Analysts expect nastiest ever South Dakota campaign" (in which not a single analyst is named) Kranz is trying to shape the contours of the debate in South Dakota. Because he is an instrument of the Daschle campaign, that can't be allowed to happen. You can access the transcript HERE. The segment with Kranz follows:

Next on CAPITAL GANG, "Beyond the Beltway" looks at the challenge to Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle in South Dakota, with David Kranz of "The Sioux Falls Argus Leader."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHIELDS: Welcome back. In South Dakota, former Congressman John Thune announced as a Republican candidate against Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle. Immediately began debating whether the state should elect a senator to support President Bush, or to retain the leader of the opposition party.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MINORITY LEADER: I've also been able to develop a very close and good relationship with the people of my state, and I'm proud of that. So I'm not sure that -- whether it's President Bush or any other celebrity is going to make that much difference.

JOHN THUNE, REPUBLICAN SENATORIAL CANDIDATE, SOUTH DAKOTA: The person with the clout in the United States Senate is going to be the one who can work in a constructive way with the majority party, with the White House, with the House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHIELDS: Joining us now from Sioux Falls, South Dakota is David Kranz, political writer for "The Sioux Falls Argus Leader." Thank you for coming in, David.

DAVID KRANZ, SIOUX FALLS ARGUS LEADER: Hi, how are you.

SHIELDS: David, if John Thune could not defeat Tim Johnson two years ago for the Senate, why we consider he should have a chance against Tom Daschle in 2004?

KRANZ: That's a question he began weighing about a couple of weeks after that 2002 election. Some Republicans were telling him, you run this race and lose again, your political future is done. So as time went on, he was sorting out his decision, he started to contrast Senator Daschle's record with Senator Johnson, and he said, Daschle is far more liberal, and I think a race of John Thune versus Daschle would be easier to define for voters; Thune the conservative, Daschle the liberal. And that was one of the thins that really pushed him to the point of getting into the race.

SHIELDS: Bob Novak.

NOVAK: David, let me take a minute to say that I created quite an uproar in South Dakota with some remarks I made on this program and on "CROSSFIRE" about Native American voting, I want to say I did not intend any bias against Native Americans. I don't have any bias against Native Americans or anybody else, but I do feel, based on my reporting, that there were very serious voting irregularities in 2002 in South Dakota, which the -- I also believe that -- which the Republican Party, for political purposes, did not want to protest.

My question is, are the Republicans looking at the voting on Indian reservations in this upcoming election and worrying about taking any corrective measures on it?

KRANZ: Governor Rounds in particular is paying close attention to improving relations with the Native Americans. He's appointed a Native American to the state senate, and they are actively interested in playing this election a lot harder. They feel that they can make a case on the reservation for their side. You have some very key Native Americans, including Russell Means (ph), who tells Democrats, don't take this for granted anymore. You just can't. Tim Daego (ph), a gentlemen who announced his candidacy against Tom Daschle in the primary said the same thing. He says, hey, Democrats, don't take, you know, the Native Americans for granted.

So they've sounded out the warning shot, that on the other hand the Daschle campaign is saying, if you thought that our 2002 effort was big for Johnson, you ain't seen nothing yet. So it's going to be interesting to watch.

SHIELDS: Margaret Carlson.

CARLSON: David, in the special election in June, to replace former Congressman Janklow, Stephanie Herseth is greatly favored, and if she wins, the Democrat, is that going to effect Tom Daschle's race? In that you would have a completely Democratic congressional delegation in what's a Republican state?

KRANZ: You hear Republicans saying that, they're saying, hey, we need, you know, to make sure that we preserve one of those seats and hopefully pick up the Senate seat. And so that's become an issue out here. And so John Thune when they said, Congressman Thune, we need you to bypass the Senate race, get in this race so we can, quote, "save the Republican Party." He says, the party doesn't see -- need saving, many good Republicans in this race that can do it. And so he went to the Senate race instead.

But there are some people who believe that these Republicans, these 20 percent Republicans who oftentimes vote Democrat may choose between one of the two, and let either Daschle or Herseth fall by the wayside, and so that's part of the discussion.

SHIELDS: Al Hunt.

HUNT: Dave, as you know, in 1992, Tom Daschle ran 25 points ahead of Bill Clinton in South Dakota, but that was against a very weak Republican opponent. This time, he's got a formidable opponent. Is there any concern among the Daschle people about the top of the ticket, particularly Howard Dean being the nominee and hurting Tom Daschle in South Dakota?

KRANZ: I think their side is concerned about that, but one of the things about South Dakota when you look at it, we're pretty inconsistent with the rest of the country. We have voted for many -- we have only voted for three Democrats for president, only four governors have been Democrat. Yet we continue to have an equal opportunity seat in the United States Senate, and Democrats are comfortable that that's not going to be an issue. In fact, when you talk about the previous question of the Republican advantage of maybe trying to win all three seats, Democrats are saying, well, you've got George Bush to vote for; we'll take the other three, and they're making that case and that particular argument.

SHIELDS: David, in 2002, there wasn't a state of all the Senate races where the president devoted more attention, energy and time than he did in South Dakota, trying to help John Thune against Tim Johnson. With all due respect to the state of Mount Rushmore, it's highly unlikely that the president will be visiting South Dakota much in 2004. How will that effect the Daschle-Thune race?

KRANZ: I don't want to speak for John Thune, but I got to believe he's thinking that's OK with him, because virtually every visit by President Bush in 2002 ended up in some sort of a mess. On August 15, he went to Mount Rushmore, didn't bring aid, disaster aid to the farmers and ranchers out there, and had a little bit of a backlash. He went to Aberdeen on October 29, and a ticketing snafu left 2,000 people holding tickets standing in the cold. On November 3, he came back for a final hurrah, filled the arena, tore down the entire Republican operation for getting out the vote so they could fill the arena, and Bush's visits weren't exactly a big plus for him at that point in time.

SHIELDS: Short time, Bob.

NOVAK: Dave, do you think the fact that Tom Daschle is no longer majority leader undermines the necessity for South Dakota to keep their high position in the U.S. Senate?

KRANZ: I'll tell you this, the majority leader, minority issue is a big deal in South Dakota. I've talked to a lot of Republicans who are sympathetic to Daschle, some of that 20 percent, and I asked them, what happens if Daschle runs for reelection but does not run for minority leader? The (UNINTELLIGIBLE) over the top of the table or over the phone, I hear saying, listen, South Dakota is so often 50th in everything. We finally got somebody in the United States Senate in the position of power and influence that can get things done for the state, and oh by the way, get things done for us. So why would we throw that out?

And that becomes a real tough point for that 20 percent of the Republicans who still support or will support Democrats. It's going to be awfully tough for John Thune to go get that vote, even though that has to be one of his top priorities in this election.

SHIELDS: David Kranz, thank you again very much for being with us. You've been terrific.

KRANZ: Thank you.

2004-01-11T16:28:00.000-06:00

The "Man Without Qualities" blog has a great analysis of Tom Daschle's conflicting priorities in a post headlined "Daschle Descending."

2004-01-11T16:04:00.000-06:00

GIAGO V. DASCHLE: Rapid City Journal political reporter Denise Ross reports on Native American journalist and publisher Tim Giago challenging Tom Daschle in a Democratic primary: "Tim Giago to challenge Daschle in Senate race."

2004-01-10T20:33:00.000-06:00

WHERE'S THE CLOUT?: The New York Times has a very good article on Senator Daschle, headlined "The Senate: Daschle, Democrats' Leader, Faces Tough Race at Home," which will appear in tomorrow's edition. Excerpt:

Republicans intend to hit Mr. Daschle hard on the energy bill that failed in the Senate last year. Mr. Daschle backed the measure, and promoted a provision to expand the use of corn-based ethanol--an issue of extreme importance to South Dakota's farmers. But many Democrats voted against the bill, and their leader did not try to stop them.

2004-01-10T19:31:00.000-06:00

DASCHLE GETS A PRIMARY CHALLENGER: Tim Giago, editor and publisher of the Lakota Journal until this past week (he just sold the paper to the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe), will be taking on Tom Daschle in the Democratic primary, according to a story in the Argus Leader today by David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters, headlined "Giago to join race for Senate." Excerpt:

"My basic reason for running is that for the past 50 years, the Indian vote on the Indian reservations has been taken for granted in this state," said Giago, 69.

UPDATE: KOTA has a story headlined "Giago Challenges Daschle." Excerpt:

Giago says political leaders like Daschle have failed to deliver on promises made to the native people and have taken the Indian vote for granted, “I am running against Tom Daschle because I see so many things that he has not done for the Indian reservations and the native people in this state, and he needs a wakeup call too…”

2004-01-09T16:43:00.000-06:00

Tennesse blogger and journalist Bill Hobbs has kindly placed SDP on his "Campaign Season" blogroll. You can access Bill's newly retooled blog HERE.

2004-01-09T09:53:00.000-06:00

THE FIRST FLAP: Rapid City Journal political reporter Denise Ross reports on the first flap of the Senate campaign here in South Dakota, in a story headlined "CNN's Novak under fire for calling American Indians election thieves."

2004-01-08T20:42:00.000-06:00

ARGUS TAKES CUES FROM DC BIGWIGS: The Argus Leader editorial page carries an editorial today headlined "Keep Senate race clean."

The AL editorial board really need to cast a glance inward before they talk about a "clean race." At the conclusion of the 1990 election cycle, the December 1990 edition of Campaigns & Elections magazine, in a veiled reference to the AL, had the following to say about the Senate race in South Dakota that year:

The papers here seem to take their cues on congressional affairs from Beltway bigwigs. Consequently, a man whose only crime was to serve South Dakotans before the designs of DC power brokers was nearly destroyed by a communications blitz right out of "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington."

The New York Times and Roll Call also took a dim view of the AL's coverage of the Senate race that year.

Over a dozen years later, the Campaigns & Elections analysis of the AL still rings true. Take, for instance, the report from David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters, in the Tuesday edition of the AL, headlined "Thune aims to unseat Daschle." In his piece, Kranz quotes a fellow by the name of Don Frankenfeld, a former state senator and "a one-time challenger to then-Rep. Tim Johnson, [who] likes Thune, but is one Republican who can't support him." Typically, Kranz "forgets" to add relevant context as to who Frankenfeld is. Don Frankenfeld has a website, found at frankenfeld.com. Practically the first thing you see on the site is a banner at the top of the page with the text "Senator Daschle Lauds ATLA, Trial Lawyers and Don Frankenfeld." ATLA, of course, is the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. If you click on said banner, you can hear Tom Daschle praising Don Frankenfeld in a speech he gave to the ATLA convention in San Francisco last summer. We discover that Frankenfeld's consulting firm caters to the needs of trial lawyers. And, of course, trial lawyers are among the biggest contributors to Tom Daschle's campaign. It seems that Mr. Frankenfeld has more than just a passing interest in Tom Daschle's re-election. One could reasonably arrive at the conclusion that it is a pecuniary interest (what better way to attract clients than to have the Democratic leader give you a plug at the ATLA convention?).

On Monday night, Thune made his announcement at around 8:00 P.M. David Kranz was there at least until 9:00 P.M. covering the event. His deadline to file the story could only have been a few hours later. Are we to believe that Kranz wasn't fed this quote by the Daschle campaign, given that we now know that Frankenfeld has a close relationship with Tom Daschle? It seems that in this election cycle, as in the 1990 cycle, South Dakotans will be subject to a newspaper that takes its cues on congressional affairs from Beltway bigwigs.

UPDATE: Back in 2000 post-election fracas between Bush and Gore, Frankenfeld advocated a "Bush-Gore" government, according to the last paragraph in this report at the time from Slate's Timothy Noah.

2004-01-07T21:25:00.000-06:00

The Rocky Mountain News' Peter Blake has a few paragraphs at the end of his latest column on Dick Wadhams, John Thune's new campaign manager:

By choosing to run former Rep. John Thune's race against Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle in South Dakota, Dick Wadhams gave up the opportunity to manage George Nethercutt's challenge of Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.

In fact, Nethercutt at one point seemed like the more likely campaign.

"Sometimes you just go with your gut on what would be the best fit," Wayne Allard's former campaign manager said Tuesday.

And he admitted that trying to knock off the minority leader was a special challenge.

Nethercutt has hired Tom Mason as manager; he had been chief of staff to Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn.

For more context to this story, click HERE. (Via reader Cory Skluzak)

2004-01-07T20:54:00.000-06:00

Sioux Falls radio talk-show host Greg Belfrage has posted a great response to Steve Hildebrand's e-mail to Daschle supporters.

2004-01-07T20:36:00.000-06:00

The Mitchell Daily Republic has an editorial in today's edition headlined "The challenge of a lifetime." Excerpt:

Now, Thune’s decision to challenge Tom Daschle can only be seen as an act of political courage. Daschle is a politician of national reputation. Few are more skilled, more powerful or more financially equipped than he. No one is better known in South Dakota.

2004-01-07T17:09:00.000-06:00

Fox News has a story on the Thune-Daschle race headlined "Daschle to Face Tough Challenge From Thune."

2004-01-07T16:48:00.000-06:00

ED SCHULTZ WATCH: Democracy Radio has issued a press release publicizing the debut of Ed Schultz, touted as the liberal Rush Limbaugh. Excerpt:

Ed Schultz is an award-winning talent, programmer and radio manager with more than 20 years of radio and TV experience. One of the most accomplished media personalities in the history of North Dakota and the Midwest, Schultz is known for his entertaining, razor-sharp views on American life, politics and people. For his work on KFGO-Fargo, Schultz has won numerous prestigious awards in the radio industry including the Peabody and the Marconi.

The last sentence isn't quite true, as I pointed out in an earlier post.

2004-01-07T15:17:00.000-06:00

Steve Hildebrand, Tom Daschle's campaign manager, is busily motivating the troops, as seen by an e-mail sent to supporters today. The text of the e-mail follows, and my comments are bracketed and italicized:

To: Friends and Supports of Senator Tom Daschle

Fr: Steve Hildebrand, Campaign Manager

Re: Former Congressman John Thune to Run Against Senator Daschle

Last Monday night, at a Republican fundraising dinner in Lincoln County, former Congressman John Thune, now a lobbyist in Sioux Falls, announced his intentions to challenge Senator Tom Daschle. [Note the word "lobbyist" is used to describe Thune. In the interests of full disclosure, one should note that Tom Daschle's wife is one of the most powerful corporate lobbyists in Washington. A Washington Monthly piece has described her as a "high-powered lobbyist" while The Hill named her a "star rainmaker."]

The news wasn't a big surprise to us as we've been preparing for the Thune challenge for nearly a year. [In other words, having big fundraisers around the country and running campaign commercials two years before an election]

One fundamental question should guide this election - what is best for the people of South Dakota? Tom's leadership position in the Senate gives South Dakota an unprecedented opportunity to put our priorities on the national agenda and deliver for this great state as he did securing the funding for the Lewis and Clark and Perkins County water projects this year and saving Ellsworth Air Force Base from the base closure list in the mid-1990's. [Didn't Tom Daschle tell us when he was the majority leader that his leadership position was "an unprecedented opportunity" for South Dakota? Note there's no mention of ethanol, which failed because Daschle did not use his clout to get it passed. In fact he was out signing copies of his book when he could have been rounding up support for ethanol. The Congressional Quarterly reported just yesterday that Daschle "did not aggressively seek more Democratic support and the vote failed."]

"I look forward to this campaign as an opportunity to discuss my record of accomplishment for South Dakota and to put forward my ideas on how we can make health care more affordable and available, how we can create more jobs and economic opportunities, and how we can expand South Dakota's agricultural economy," said Senator Daschle last night. [How can Daschle expand South Dakota's agricultural economy when he can't-or won't-deliver on ethanol?]

Now we must begin to maximize our efforts to ensure that Senator Daschle is able to continue delivering for South Dakota. Election Day is just 10 short months from now. Your support has put Tom in a position of strength. But we must turn up the heat, assemble the biggest volunteer effort South Dakota has ever seen, register more supporters and send a message to Karl Rove and the special interests that Senate races aren't decided in Washington. [Of course we'll ignore the stuff about Tom Daschle's Hollywood contributors (to whom he discussed the problem of runaway film production, an issue of pressing concern to South Dakotans) and the incredible amount of money he's raising from trial lawyers].

This is South Dakota's choice! [South Dakota's choice is a senator who votes right on the issues and brings home the bacon. That description does not fit Tom Daschle, who has a liberal voting record and didn't deliver on ethanol, and is currently holding up the omnibus spending bill which gives $46 million in federal money to South Dakota priorities.]

2004-01-06T15:17:00.000-06:00

Sioux Falls radio talk-show host Greg Belfrage weighs in with commentary on Thune's decision.

2004-01-06T14:53:00.000-06:00

MORE ON THUNE: The Rocky Mountain News has a story headlined "Wadhams' next mission: Unseat Daschle." The article discusses Thune's role as a lobbyist, a topic the Daschle campaign will be loathe to touch for the reasons found HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Minnesota Public Radio also has a story headlined "John Thune challenges Daschle for U.S. Senate."

2004-01-06T13:57:00.000-06:00

SOUTH DAKOTA LEGAL NEWS UPDATE: The state Supreme Court has created a commission to examine whether bias exists in the South Dakota justice system, as the AP reports in a story headlined "Supreme Court forms commission to review possible discimination."

2004-01-06T11:07:00.000-06:00

ED SCHULTZ WATCH: The Bismarck Tribune carries an AP piece today headlined "Fargo broadcaster Ed Schultz begins national talk show." Excerpt:

Democratic lawmakers have pledged to raise money for the show, which is being marketed by Jones Radio and Democracy Radio. Sens. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., were among Schultz's first guests.

You can listen to the Ed Schultz Show via the show's website. You can access Democracy Radio's website HERE.

2004-01-06T10:54:00.000-06:00

THUNE VS. DASCHLE: John Thune announced his intention to oppose Tom Daschle last night, making it a big election year again in this state. Jeff Gannon, the DC resident expert on South Dakota politics, has an excellent piece today headlined "Thune to Challenge Daschle in '04" that includes a quote from Tom Daschle during his appearance on Ed Schultz's new talk show yesterday.

The New York Times has a report headlined "Former Representative to Challenge Daschle." The Washington Post has a report headlined "Ex-Rep. Thune to Challenge Daschle for Senate Seat." The Los Angeles Times has a piece headlined "Republicans Have an Answer to Daschle."

The Congressional Quarterly has a piece today headlined "Thune's Entry in South Dakota Gives Daschle a Real Race." Excerpt:

But Bill Richardson, chairman of the political science department at the University of South Dakota, said Thune will likely get a bump in the polls after he makes his candidacy official - and that Daschle should be posting more than a mere 6 points against a candidate who had not even declared, considering all of his advertisements and the public ppearances he has been making.

Richardson also predicted Thune will have no trouble raising money, because Republicans across the country will be eager to topple a leading GOP nemesis.

"The race will move to the absolute top of Republican races that must be won and all manner of resources and major public figures will appear on the scene in South Dakota," Richardson said.

Thune could turn energy overhaul legislation, currently hung up in the Senate, into a major campaign issue. The bill would benefit the state's ethanol producers and corn growers. Daschle voted in November to invoke cloture and limit debate on the final version, which contained a number of provisions opposed by environmentalists. But he did not aggressively seek more Democratic support and the vote failed.

UPDATE: Power Line's John Hinderaker has an analysis of the race.

2004-01-05T15:57:00.000-06:00

The news is starting to break that John Thune has decided to challenge Tom Daschle, although it won't be official until his announcement tonight at the Lincoln County Lincoln Day Dinner at CJ Callaway's in Sioux Falls. The AP has a story headlined "Sources: Thune to challenge Senate Minority Leader Daschle" while CNN has a story headlined "Thune, take two?." UPI also has a story headlined "Thune to challenge Daschle in '04."

2004-01-05T15:46:00.000-06:00

ED SCHULTZ WATCH: Ed Schultz, the liberal answer to Rush Limbaugh, began his new nationally syndicated show today. His very first guest was none other than Senator Tom Daschle. The Boston Globe carries a story on the subject headlined "Left in the air? Liberals are working to make their voices heard on talk radio." Also, the Dallas Morning News has an interesting story headlined "Longtime listeners, first-time players: Dems find radio voice" (registration required).

2004-01-04T14:47:00.000-06:00

The AP is reporting that John Thune will make an announcement concerning his political career tomorrow night, in a piece headlined "Source: Thune political announcement Monday night." David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters, reported this news today in a story headlined "Thune to announce his Senate decision Monday."

Fittingly, Argus Leader executive editor Randell Beck concedes today that convential wisdom holds the AL as "in bed with Tom Daschle."

2004-01-04T13:04:00.000-06:00

ED SCHULTZ WATCH: Ed Schultz, the liberal answer to Rush Limbaugh, begins his nationally syndicated show tomorrow afternoon. You can now access the show's website HERE.

2004-01-03T15:17:00.000-06:00

ED SCHULTZ WATCH: The High Plains Reader, a Fargo, ND alternative weekly, has a cover story on Ed Schultz, the liberal answer to Rush Limbaugh. Er, that is, it's more of a transcript of an interview than a story. Interesting excerpt:

HPR: How do people here hear you in your new program?

ES: XM Satellite on the talk channel. They've got over two million subscribers around the country. They're going to be announcing here probably the first of January, maybe a little after that, how many stations we're going to launch on. Syndication's tough. It takes time. Rush Limbaugh launched on two stations and he was on two stations for a long time. Then he got on three, then four. When it takes off, it takes off. What we've got to do is get into a big market. Get on a station somewhere, knock down some ratings, do some good industry advertising, get some people believing, and then grow it from there. We'll see where it goes.

In other words, no local station in North Dakota will be carrying Ed Schultz's nationally syndicated show. Schultz's show begins on Monday. I dislike making predictions, but I would be surprised if this show will exist this time next year.

2004-01-02T21:21:00.000-06:00

CNN has a report headlined "Thune edges closer to challenging Daschle."

2004-01-02T20:42:00.000-06:00

As the new year begins, it's worth reviewing some of the criticism in the past year of the Argus Leader's biased political reporting.

Since the pattern of liberal bias at the Argus Leader goes back a number of years, it was necessary to do some historical research to determine how far back the pattern went, and how far-reaching it was. This research uncovered, among other things, two stories written in 1990. One story appeared in Roll Call, which described the AL's bias as "hysterical." The other story appeared in a post election-day roundup by the New York Times, which labeled the AL's bias "vituperative." David Kranz, now the "dean of South Dakota political reporters" was the AL's managing editor at the time. I commented on this research last May. Interestingly, Senator Larry Pressler, the subject of the AL's vituperative and hysterical bias in the 1990 race, wrote in a 1999 letter to the editor of the AL, published on June 19, that "David Kranz is my longtime nemesis, but I consider him a friend. He is a good writer, but intellectually flawed in that he lets his biases show through."

In response to accusations of bias in the AL by a prospective Senate candidate, Talon News launched an investigation of the AL that yielded over a half-dozen stories, which you can find chronologically linked on the right side of this blog. One of the more poignant stories is headlined "South Dakota Reporter Key to Daschle Strategy" which discusses an article written for Campaigns and Elections magazine by Karl Struble, a media consultant for Tom Daschle, and how it relates to bias at the AL.

As this blog gained more readers due to links from Instapundit, Powerline, etc., an academic named Andrew Clem, originally from South Dakota and now a professor at James Madison University, stumbled upon SDP and commented on his own blog that "we prairie folk used to call it, the 'Argus Liar.'" John Hinderaker at the Powerline blog, who is originally from South Dakota, weighed in on the bias of the AL in general and David Kranz in particular.

Throughout the year, it has been observed that the AL and particularly Kranz often engage in the bias of omission. What is NOT reported is just as important as what IS reported. The AL usually ignores or downplays stories that reflect negatively on Tom Daschle, and highlight stories that reflect positively on Tom Daschle. One example is the coverage (or more accurately, non-coverage) of Tom Daschle's polling and focus-grouping activities last spring. Even ABC's "The Note" took notice of Kranz's willful refusal to report the story.

Finally, Congressman Bill Janklow, on trial for his role in the death of motorcyclist Randy Scott, criticized the "cunning" bias of the AL's leadership.

Through the past year, as I have observed and commented on the reporting of the Argus Leader and its star political reporter, much has been learned and much is open to question. Through systematic inquiry, we've been able to discover that the past is littered with criticism of the AL's bias. Much of it has been documented on this blog, and any glance through the archives will bear out that much of this criticism is warranted. As we begin a new year, an election year, with potentially one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country right here in South Dakota, will we see the same pattern of bias at the AL emerge as it has in the past? Will we see the AL trying to influence voters rather than report the news to voters? The smart money says that we will.

As the year progresses, SDP will continue to observe and comment on the reporting of the Argus Leader. Thanks to all of my readers for a great 2003. When I started this blog a year ago, I had no idea it would take off like it has. It began with a readership of about two or three of my friends, and these days there's more like 200 readers a day. I started on a whim, mostly because I was tired of reading the biased political reporting of the AL, and wanted to do something about it. Now that we've got their attention, it's time to take it to the next level. Here's to a wild ride in 2004!

2004-01-01T19:32:00.000-06:00

DASCHLE LEADERSHIP IN JEOPARDY?: The Boston Globe carries a story today headlined "Minority party eyes a boost in discipline; Democrats urged to stand firmer" which has more rumblings that the Democratic rank-and-file are dissatisfied with Tom Daschle's leadership. Excerpt:

Daschle, facing a potentially tough reelection campaign in South Dakota, has been reluctant to alienate any in-state supporters, some of whom would benefit from the energy bill. While there is no official challenger to Daschle's leadership, some in the party worry that he's been more of a manager than a leader.

Meanwhile, the liberal website "Buzzflash" carries an editorial by Senator Ted Kennedy responding to Buzzflash's editorial position that Tom Daschle should step down as the Democratic leader. Interesting excerpt:

When Congress returns in late January, Republicans will try to muscle through an obscene omnibus appropriations bill that they wrote in a backroom to reward their supporters. Among other outrages, it would end overtime pay for 8 million American workers and gut reasonable restrictions on media ownership agreed to, over White House objections, by both the House and the Senate.

Gee, I guess a bill that gives millions of dollars to South Dakota Indian tribes is "obscene." The omnibus bill contains the following items that advance Native American interests in South Dakota:

- $2,000,000 for Wakpa Sica Historical Society in Fort Pierre, South Dakota for the Wakpa Sica Reconciliation Center

- $275,000 is available for Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in Eagle Butte, South Dakota to establish a nursing home

- $100,000 to InterTribal Bison Cooperative in Rapid City, South Dakota for member training.

- $400,000 to Aberdeen Area Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board in Rapid City, South Dakota for Northern Plains Healthy Start.

- $250,000 to Rosebud Sioux Tribe in Rosebud, South Dakota for rural ambulance service operations .

- $225,000 to Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in Eagle Butte, South Dakota for mental health services.

- $200,000 to Yankton Sioux Tribe in Marty, South Dakota for substance abuse treatment at Canku Teca.

- $200,000 to Children’s Village in Pine Ridge, South Dakota for foster care services.

- $60,000 to Kids Voting South Dakota in Pierre, SD to expand programming in tribal schools

- $3,000,000 to BIA Route 27 Reconstruction, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota

- $2,250,000 to Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe public buses and bus facilities, South Dakota

- $250,000 to Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Public Bus System, South Dakota

Tom Daschle and his party plan to block the bill that contains these provisions when the Senate reconvenes on January 20. Particularly ripe for criticism is the fact that Tom Daschle visited the Wakpa Sica Reconciliation Center last summer as part of a reconciliation effort put forth by Governor Rounds. Now, Tom Daschle is using his clout to block the $2 million that will go to the center. Somehow, this is an obscene bill that rewards Republican supporters. Am I missing something?

2003-12-31T17:14:00.000-06:00

ED SCHULTZ WATCH: The New York Times recently carried a story about what Tom Daschle labels the Republican "infrastructure of attack," a story you can access HERE. Stories like these make Tom Daschle seethe. Of course, it shouldn't be forgotten that NPR has long been the Democratic "infrastructure of attack." In response, Tom Daschle has pitched the emergence of a liberal Rush Limbaugh, a man by the name of Ed Schultz, a radio talk-show host from Fargo, North Dakota. Ed Schultz's nationally broadcast show, syndicated by Democracy Radio, is set to begin January 5.

2003-12-30T14:33:00.000-06:00

Today's edition of USA Today has a piece headlined "Freewheeling 'bloggers' are rewriting rules of journalism" which mentions GOPUSA, the parent company of Talon News.

UPDATE: Speaking of Talon News, Jeff Gannon, resident DC expert on South Dakota politics, has a new piece headlined "Senate Dems Pressure DOJ on CIA Leak Probe." This report comes on the heels of a report in the Washington Post citing a Talon News interview of Ambassador Joseph Wilson, whose wife was allegedly outed as a CIA agent by the Bush administration.

2003-12-29T23:09:00.000-06:00

Eugene Volokh skewers online polling. I wonder what Mr. Volokh and Julian Sanchez think about Tom Daschle recently citing the results of an online poll to make a point during debate on the Senate floor?

2003-12-28T23:35:00.000-06:00

The Argus Leader's editorial board has put out editorials twice in the last 12 days (12/15 and 12/27) promoting an early special election for the House seat that will be open due to Congressman Janklow's resignation. In the latest such editorial the AL posits the following:

Forget the cost of a special election. Without someone to represent us in the House, South Dakota could lose millions of dollars. Who would represent us on ethanol and the Lewis and Clark pipeline and who knows what else? No one.

The AL editorial board is seemingly unconcerned about the fact that South Dakota "lost" $43 million of federal funding earlier this month when Tom Daschle objected to unanimous consent approval of the FY04 omnibus spending bill. Nor have they upbraided Tom Daschle for going to a book signing rather than get the extra Democratic votes needed to pass the energy bill, which would have been good for ethanol.

I've done some research on what South Dakota earmarks are contained in the FY04 omnibus spending bill. As far as I'm aware, SDP is the only place where you'll find the detailed list of South Dakota projects funded by this bill. To my knowledge, the AP hasn't done a report, nor has the AL, nor has the Rapid City Journal. These local publications would be well advised to fashion a report like the report in the Salt Lake Tribune headlined "Omnibus breakdown in Utah."

Anyway, the FY04 omnibus bill is H.R. 2673, and you can read the text of conference report, printed in the 11/25/2003 Congressional Record, beginning at page H12323 and ending at page H12746. The South Dakota earmarks are as follows (SDP exclusive-must credit SDP):

- A north-central sun grant center at South Dakota State University for the region composed of the States of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. - $5 million, pg H12334

- $500,000 shall be available for Northeast South Dakota Tech-Based Skills Development- pg H12348

- $275,000 is available for Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in Eagle Butte, South Dakota to establish a nursing home – pg H12388 and H12573

- The conferees are aware of current efforts to begin a study of the use of conservation cropping techniques in southeastern North Dakota, northeastern South Dakota and western Minnesota. The goal of this study would be to identify conservation rotations, cover crops, seeding techniques, and residue management practices that would make conservation tillage acceptable and profitable in these climate transition areas. The conferees encourage the Secretary to support efforts begin this study, as appropriate. – [seems to only be precatory language-ed.] – pg H12446

-The conference agreement provides $71,422,000 for the Risk Management Agency as proposed by the Senate instead of $71,509,000 as proposed by the House. The conferees are aware that certain additional states have been approved for participation in the Livestock Risk Protection Pilots for swine and other livestock categories, but that this expansion was limited to ten states. The conferees urge the Department to expand the program during fiscal year 2004 to the maximum extent possible, including the states of Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. – pg H12462

- Edward Byrne Grants to States.—The conference agreement includes $659,117,000 for the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program, of which $159,117,000 is for discretionary grants and $500,000,000 is for formula grants. Within the amount provided for Byrne formula grants, the conferees ask Governors and relevant State and local officials to review the following proposals and provide a grant if warranted: Oglala, South Dakota Youth Court/Court Systems – pg H12475

- $100,000 to the South Dakota Association of County Commissioners for law enforcement communications equipment – pg H12476

- $750,000 to Prairie View Prevention Services in Sioux Falls, SD, to continue methamphetamine use prevention programs in South Dakota, and to facilitate integration of prevention and treatment services for at risk youth – pg H12479

- $250,000 to the South Dakota Police Chiefs’Association and South Dakota Sheriffs’ Association for technology and equipment - H12480

- $250,000 to Our Home, Inc. in Huron South Dakota for programming and equipment at its Parkston, SD, juvenile group care facility – H12483

- $245,000 to South Dakota Coalition for Children – H12484

- The managers note that a proposal by the University of South Dakota to develop international mental health programs was inadvertently omitted from the list of university proposals on pages 20 to 23 of the Senate report. – H12534

- $100,000 to InterTribal Bison Cooperative in Rapid City, South Dakota for member training. – H12549

- $400,000 to Aberdeen Area Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board in Rapid City, South Dakota for Northern Plains Healthy Start. – H12553

- $250,000 to Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to integrate information systems of CHCs and FQHCs in the Dakotas. – H12554

- $200,000 to Delta Dental Plan of South Dakota in Pierre, SD for equipment for a dental care mobile van. - H12555

- $2,000,000 to Graduate Education and Applied Research Foundation in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to construct the Center for Graduate Education and Applied Research - H12555

- $50,000 to Hand County Memorial Hospital in Miller, South Dakota for renovation and equipment - H12556

- $250,000 to Rosebud Sioux Tribe in Rosebud, South Dakota for rural ambulance service operations – H12559

- $900,000 to the University of South Dakota School of Medicine in Vermillion, SD for construction. – H12561

- $200,000 to Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota for the West River Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Effect – H12566

- $60,000 to South Dakota State University College of Pharmacy in Brookings, SD to support pharmacist immunization training – H12568

- $225,000 to Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in Eagle Butte, South Dakota for mental health services - H12571

- $200,000 to Yankton Sioux Tribe in Marty, South Dakota for substance abuse treatment at Canku Teca – H12572

- $250,000 to Behavior Management Systems in Rapid City, South Dakota for substance abuse treatment – H12572

- $475,000 to the University of South Dakota School of Medicine Center for Disabilities in Sioux Falls, SD to continue the work of the Consortium of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - H12573

- $200,000 to Children’s Village in Pine Ridge, South Dakota for foster care services – H12576

- $60,000 to Kids Voting South Dakota in Pierre, SD to expand programming in tribal schools – H12588

- $480,000 to Mitchell Technical Institute in Mitchell, South Dakota for technology center equipment – H12599

- $150,000 to Mount Marty College in Yankton, South Dakota for forensic science lab equipment – H12599

- $200,000 to Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, Utah for workforce development in South Dakota via distance education - H12602

- $5,000,000 to construct Madison Street Interchange I–29 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota - H12671

- $5,100,000 to Reconstruct Exit 60—I–90 in Rapid City, South Dakota – H12674

- $3,000,000 to BIA Route 27 Reconstruction, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota – H12675

- $250,000 to Extend 4-Lane Highway from Maverick Junction to Nebraska in Fall River County, South Dakota – H12676

- $2,000,000 to Meridian Bridge Replacement, Yankton, South Dakota – H12678

- $1,000,000 to Replace Meridan Bridge at Yankton, South Dakota - H12679

- $2,000,000 to Reconstruct Allen Road, Bennett County, South Dakota – H12680

- $2,250,000 to Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe public buses and bus facilities, South Dakota – H12688

- $2,000,000 to South Dakota Statewide buses and bus facilities – H12692

- $250,000 to Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Public Bus System, South Dakota – H12694

- $2,000,000 for Wakpa Sica Historical Society in Fort Pierre, South Dakota for the Wakpa Sica Reconciliation Center- H12719

- $400,000 for the City of Parker, South Dakota for the development of a community center- H12719

- $400,000 for the City of Beresford, South Dakota for the Beresford Industrial Infrastructure Development project- H12719

- $200,000 for the Aberdeen Workforce Development Council, Aberdeen South Dakota for costs associated with the Workforce Development Center- H12719

- $50,000 for the Canton Economic Development Corporation, Canton, South Dakota for infrastructure development- H12719

- $1,000,000 for Dakota Wesleyan University, Mitchell, South Dakota for facilities construction for the McGovern Library and Center for Public Service- H12719

- $350,000 for the City of Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the expansion and rehabilitation of the Orpheum Theatre- H12719

- $200,000 for the City of Vermillion, South Dakota for the expansion of the Center for Children and Families- H12719

- $100,000 for the City of Redfield, South Dakota for renovations and improvements to the Carnegie Library- H12719

- $1,000,000 for the City of Corsica, South Dakota for water infrastructure improvements- H12737

- $1,000,000 for the City of Lennox, South Dakota for water infrastructure improvements- H12737

- $200,000 for the City of Sisseton, South Dakota for water infrastructure improvements- H12737

- $1,000,000 for the City of Hartford, South Dakota for drinking water infrastructure
improvements- H12737

- $100,000 for the City of DeSmet, South Dakota for water infrastructure improvements- H12737

Tom Daschle blocked these provisions from becoming law, and hence South Dakota has lost the money. With this kind of representation, we might as well not have any. Yet there's no peep from the AL. This leads one to to the conclusion that the AL's "South Dakota will lose money" argument is a pretextual one, and the real reason the AL is pushing an early special election is because the AL believes that Stephanie Herseth will benefit from it.

A Senate cloture vote to end conference report debate is scheduled for January 20, 2004. It will be interesting to see if Tom Daschle votes against cloture.

2003-12-28T17:47:00.000-06:00

A letter to the editor that appeared in today's edition of the New York Times, headlined "Journalistic Ethics," makes the argument better than I ever could that David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters, should reveal his past ties to Tom Daschle whenever he writes about Tom Daschle. For a recap of Kranz's ties to Daschle, read the Talon News links on the right side of this blog. Excerpt from the cited letter:

The code of ethics of the National Conference of Editorial Writers, the organization of editorial page editors and writers, puts it plainly: "The writer should be constantly alert to conflicts of interest, real or apparent, including those that may arise from financial holdings, secondary employment, holding public office or involvement in political, civic or other organizations. Timely public disclosure can minimize suspicion. Editors should seek to hold syndicates to these standards."

2003-12-28T13:37:00.000-06:00

The AP is reporting the top stories of the year in South Dakota, and Congressman Janklow's conviction tops the list: "S.D.: Crash, Conviction, Resignation No. 1 Story."

2003-12-28T12:11:00.000-06:00

Talon News' crack reporting makes the pages of the Washington Post, in a story headlined "Leaks Probe Is Gathering Momentum."

2003-12-25T11:14:00.000-06:00

Today's edition of the LA Times contains an interesting piece that connects South Dakota, L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," and Christmas, headlined "A Wonderful Wizard."

2003-12-24T10:57:00.000-06:00

It's Christmas Eve Day, and J. Bottum of the Weekly Standard has a fitting piece for those celebrating a South Dakota Christmas: "Chasing Horses."

2003-12-23T13:39:00.000-06:00

DASCHLE BOOK SALES UPDATE: Today's edition of the New York Times contains an op-ed headlined "Reading, Writing and Running for President." Interesting excerpt:

Book sales, to borrow an economist's phrase, may be a lagging indicator: past sales are no guarantee of future appeal. In addition, book sales can reflect notoriety as much as popularity; curiosity doesn't always translate into votes.

Tom Daschle's book has pretty much bombed (current Amazon sales rank: 3,589) while his Democratic colleague, Zell Miller, has published a book that has become a bestseller (current Amazon sales rank:57).

UPDATE: Daschle's book sales are lagging despite a reported DNC bulk buy.

2003-12-22T16:44:00.000-06:00

The Watertown Public Opinion has an amusing notice:

The Public Opinion online survey question which was published in Friday, Dec. 19, newspaper, "Should John Thune seek an elected office in the 2004 election?" has been changed. An inordinate number of responses were logged leading the Public Opinion to believe one of the political parties may have purposely tampered with the online voting. As with almost all on-line polls or the traditional P/O Straw Ballot, these are not meant to represent scientific polls, but rather the opinions of those who participate. However, systematically attempting to skew the results in one way or another, as exemplified by the work done to Friday's P/O online poll, is a behavior that is reprehensible and violates the spirit of these types of opinion polls. Because of this, we were forced to delete the original question. The new question can be viewed at www.thepublicopinion.com.

Apparently, the Daschle campaign has $3 million and 30 campaign staffers who have nothing better to do.

2003-12-22T15:20:00.000-06:00

KRANZ WATCH: Daniel Okrent, the ombudsman or "public editor" for the New York Times, is doing a great job at his new post. We've e-mailed back and forth occasionally regarding certain stories, and Okrent and his assistant, Arthur Bovino, have made a good faith effort to investigate the issues brought to their attention. Okrent's latest piece is headlined "You Can Stand on Principle and Still Stub a Toe" and makes a point that could be applied to the events last summer that outed David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters, as too inextricably linked with Tom Daschle to be able to report objectively on stories related to Tom Daschle (for the details, see the links under "Talon News Series on Argus Leader Bias" on the right side of this page). Excerpt from Okrent's piece:

WHEN a news subject tries to get a reporter removed from a story, a challenge has been issued to the core of a newspaper's self-image: its integrity. Unless editors see a clear case of bias or conflict, they tend to respond the way you or I would respond to, say, an insult to a family member. They stiffen with indignation. They try at the same time to support the wounded loved one. Were they to concede, the humiliation could hurt more than the charge itself.

The distinction is that the subject of Kranz's reporting--Tom Daschle--is not trying to get Kranz removed from stories relating to him. In fact, Tom Daschle WANTS Kranz to cover him, because the Argus Leader in general and Kranz in particular are instruments of the Daschle campaign, tending to highlight stories that reflect positively on Daschle, and tending to bury or ignore stories that reflect negatively on Daschle.

The point is, there is certainly evidence that exists which tends to show Kranz has a conflict of interest in covering Tom Daschle. If the AL is interested in at least appearing to objectively cover Tom Daschle, it could start by relegating Kranz's Sunday columns to the op-ed page, where they used to appear. Another thing the AL could do is to hire someone to perform as a "public editor" in the same way that Okrent performs for the NYT. Having the AL's executive editor moonlighting as the "public editor" doesn't wash.

2003-12-22T14:22:00.000-06:00

NPR, an institution that is part of Tom Daschle's infrastructure of attack, profiled the minority leader in today's Morning Edition. Interestingly, today's Morning Edition also contained a story headlined "Probe: Backroom Deals Fueled Boeing Scandal" that omits any mention of Linda Daschle, one of Boeing's top lobbyists.

2003-12-22T13:55:00.000-06:00

WHERE'S THE CLOUT?: The Washington Post has a story in today's edition headlined "Democrats Forced To Work on Margins" which leads one to ask what kind of clout Tom Daschle has when he is "forced to work on the margins" of the Senate. Excerpt:

On several of the issues, Democrats were divided, and some concede their responses were limp and late. As a result, they had little impact on most of the major legislation that dominated Congress's agenda at year's end, although they blocked passage of the energy and spending bills, at least until Congress reconvenes Jan. 20.

(Emphasis added). So Tom Daschle has little impact on major legislation, and chooses not to use what impact he does have to get the energy bill passed (which would tremendously help South Dakota farmers), and uses his senatorial prerogative (available to the most junior senator) to block the spending bill, which gives money for nursing homes and infrastructure in South Dakota. That sure is some clout the man has.

2003-12-21T23:39:00.000-06:00

A South Dakota State University history professor has written a review of Tom Daschle's book, which appears in this week's edition of The Weekly Standard. Read the whole thing:

IN SOUTH DAKOTA, Tom Daschle is known for wooing the opposition. And, the truth is, he has to woo--since South Dakota Republicans have a ten-point registration advantage over Democrats. In 1992, he even called to woo me, a lowly college junior at the time, and we visited for over forty minutes. The subject was a column I had written for the college newspaper asking why he voted with northeastern liberals such as George Mitchell. It was the early stages of Daschle's rise to power under Mitchell's tutelage, and he was clearly nervous about the friction between serving under Mitchell and representing a very non-Mitchell sort of state.

In his new memoir, "Like No Other Time," Daschle concedes that the "majority of South Dakotans are conservatives." But the contradictions between Daschle's leadership obligations and his state's conservative leanings have so far not hobbled his Senate campaigns. Since he began his ascent under Mitchell, Daschle's opponents have been unknown and unfunded. The 2004 race could be an ordeal, however, as Daschle's ability to woo his way around the contradictions may finally collapse.

Daschle's book reviews various political moments of the last three years: the 2000 election, the evenly divided Senate, Senator Jeffords's abandonment of the Republicans, Daschle's reign as Senate majority leader, the attacks of September 11, and the 2002 midterm elections. The book is Daschle's gloss on events, of course, and it's basically campaign literature. Its chronology could have included the Senate impeachment trial of 1999, for example, but that would be politically foolish (saving Clinton's bacon was not high on the list of priorities for South Dakota voters). Instead, Daschle begins with a partisan jab: The 2000 presidential election was "ended not by voters, but by judges," as Gore was "cheated in Florida."

With an eye to his 2004 Senate bid in a state where 60 percent of voters supported President Bush in 2000 (and haven't voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in forty years), Daschle wants to be seen as something of a friend of Bush. He presses the absurd argument that he does not obstruct the president's agenda--indeed, the "entire concept of 'obstructionism' simply makes no sense." For Daschle, such criticism is an attempt to "silence the voices of opposition in a democratic society" and to "invite something in the way of autocracy." It was Republican senators who "turned the filibuster into an art form in the 1990s" and unfairly used it after the Jeffords switch.

He particularly blames Bush for the tone of Washington politics. Daschle says he wanted more Eisenhower-esque "leadership breakfasts" with the president to foster bipartisanship. While bemoaning the "polarization and partisanship" in Washington, Daschle labels a Bush judicial nominee an "apologist for racist cross burners." He also notes how President Bush and his advisers were "cutting their losses on politically popular issues." Daschle knows of what he speaks, having recently voted for a ban on lawsuits against the gun industry and a ban on partial-birth abortions.

The assumption that voters won't notice such hypocrisy is a sign that Daschle believes contradictions can be papered over with political maneuvering and spin. Contrasting Daschle to George McGovern underscores how much American liberalism has shriveled in a half-century. McGovern succeeded in South Dakota politics after World War II as an articulate war hero/professor, a political risk-taker with a grand vision. McGovern left his safe academic post to organize the state's Democratic party--at a time when Republicans outnumbered Democrats in the state legislature 108 to 2. When he became a senator, he drew upon the intellectual traditions of Progressivism and the Social Gospel to shape his views. Daschle, on the other hand, hires Clinton operatives to conduct focus groups and take polls. McGovern's soft-spoken approach was moving, his voice that of a Methodist minister's son and a deliberative scholar, one who respected the importance of rationality in democratic discourse. Daschle tries to imitate the McGovern style, but he just sounds mousy.

The trajectory of their careers is also instructive. McGovern began as part of the grand Rooseveltian coalition that sought to complete the unfinished work of the New Deal, an unapologetic advocate of using government to reconstruct whole sectors of American life, and he was willing to alienate the party establishment and rebel against Johnson's prosecution of the Vietnam War. He built a mass movement of outsiders (by literally rewriting the rules) and captured the Democratic presidential nomination. Daschle, on the other hand, niggles with details. He's concerned with whether the nation should "retroactively repeal the alternative minimum tax for large corporations." In his book he describes his monumental decision as majority leader to change the name of the "Democratic Steering Committee" to the "Democratic Steering and Coordination Committee."

In contrast to the myriad of programs and policies cranked out during the New Deal and Great Society, a reader searches in vain for one original idea in Daschle. Instead of advancing a broad vision, Daschle does errands for the Democratic party's interest groups: Tort reforms are killed for the trial lawyers, judicial appointees are filibustered for the pro-choice lobby, school choice is undermined for teachers' unions, and major bills on aviation and homeland security are delayed for public-employee unions. Daschle's position on Iraq, for another example, is embarrassing when
contrasted with McGovern's on Vietnam.

Although carefully scripted, some revealing comments in Daschle's book slip by the screeners, probably because they are such fixed constellations in the Democratic universe that nobody noticed. Daschle, for example, was critical of President Bush's "axis of evil" speech in the wake of the terrorist attacks because he is "uncomfortable" with use of the term "evil" and the "language of religious conflict." When the president said in his speech after the attacks of September 11 that "either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists," Daschle found it "worrisome." Daschle offers no indication he understands the nature or depth of the Islamo-fascist threat to the nation. He sees the "war on terrorism" in terms of political "strategy." The most he says, without any explication or deeper imagination or sense of moral horror, is that the rule of the Taliban was "harsh."

Although Daschle relentlessly prepares for an opponent from the right in 2004, his biggest problem may be a leadership challenge from the left. After being rolled on the Bush tax cuts, Bush's major education reform bill, the war in Iraq, and now prescription drugs, his caucus must be seething. The anger among rank-and-file Democratic voters is already palpable in the ascendancy of Howard Dean.

Preventing his caucus from erupting, obstructing the president's agenda in an election year without it looking like obstruction, and wooing swing-vote Republicans in South Dakota is a long pull for Daschle. His greatest wooing tool, his clout, was blunted when he failed to line up the necessary votes to pass an energy bill with its ethanol provisions (he was out signing copies of his book). His hard times argument may also evaporate. Although Daschle views the Bush economy as "failing," "floundering," and "plunging," his argument will seem silly if the current economic growth rate continues. And Daschle's campaign may be bogged down by his obligation to brag about the importance of a future President Dean.

But if he wants to start wooing, he can call me. Again.

2003-12-20T17:25:00.000-06:00

The New York Times has a report today headlined "Ease a Little Guilt, Provide Some Jobs; It's Pork on the Hill" discussing the FY 2004 omnibus spending bill. Excerpt:

Every state â€” indeed nearly every Congressional district, no matter Democratic or Republican â€” is the recipient of one pork project or another. The measure includes $200,000 for the University of Hawaii to produce a documentary on the Kalahari Bushmen, $220,000 to renovate a blueberry research center at the University of Maine and, in a provision Senator Tom Daschle, the Democratic leader, called "most ironic," $500,000 for the "Exercise in Hard Choices" program at the University of Akron, which examines how Congress makes budget decisions.

Tom Daschle's campaign website carries the theme "Tom Daschle Delivers for South Dakota," which sends a message as subtle as a sledgehammer that he will bring home the pork, as long as South Dakotans just forget about his liberal voting record. The problem is, he's NOT bringing it home, and what's more, he's suddenly become some sort of moral exhibitionist about pork-barrel spending, which contradicts his campaign theme. As reported earlier, Tom Daschle objected to a unanimous consent motion that would have allowed this omnibus spending bill to pass, which contained money for, among other things, the construction of a nursing home on the Cheyenne River Reservation, as well as money to renovate the infrastructure of Corsica, SD. Earlier, Tom Daschle refused to use his so-called clout to urge his caucus to support the energy bill, which would have been good for ethanol.

We need a senator who votes right on the issues, AND at the same time brings home the bacon. Tom Daschle certainly does not fit that description.

2003-12-20T14:13:00.000-06:00

Tom Daschle's son and daughter-in-law are supporting Howard Dean.

2003-12-19T11:00:00.000-06:00

ED SCHULTZ WATCH: The website progressivegovernment.org contains an update on Ed Shultz of KFGO-AM in Fargo, ND, the liberal answer to Rush Limbaugh, headlined "Ed Schultz Begins Airing Nationally on Democracy Radio, January 5." Excerpt:

For his work on KFGO-Fargo, Schultz has won numerous prestigious awards in the radio industry including the Peabody and the Marconi.

That's not quite true, as I pointed out weeks ago.

On a related note, check out democracyradio.org's website, which contains photos of the usual suspects.

2003-12-19T10:42:00.000-06:00

DASCHLE HAVING IT BOTH WAYS ON ABORTION: The website beliefnet.com has a piece headlined "Catholic Politicians Can't Have It Both Ways."

2003-12-19T10:32:00.000-06:00

Senator George McGovern is wintering in Marco Island, Florida, according to a piece in the Naples Daily News headlined "McGoverns settle in as Marco's newest residents."

2003-12-18T22:45:00.000-06:00

I had to chuckle at a letter to the editor from a Daschle supporter, published in today's Argus Leader, scolding a previous writer for citing the results of online polls as evidence of a lack of support for Tom Daschle. Her point is absolutely correct: it's ridiculous to rely on unscientific polls.

At one point, this Daschle supporter states that "If people present online polls as if they are scientifically based, their motives should be suspect." I wonder if this Daschle supporter would agree that Tom Daschle's motives should be suspect, in light of the fact that he recently cited an online poll published in the Rapid City Journal during debate on the Senate floor. Here's what Daschle said on the Senate floor:

"This bill is deeply flawed. There is a poll in this morning's South Dakota Rapid City Journal. The poll simply asked the question, Do you think the legislation the Senate is about to pass is adequate? Mr. President, 64.5 percent of those who responded said no, it is not adequate. Those of us who have been working on this legislation should not be surprised."

Don't expect to see a letter from this writer excoriating Tom Daschle for "presenting an online poll as if it were scientifically based" as vigorously as she does the writer guilty of the same shenanigans.

2003-12-18T10:33:00.000-06:00

DASCHLE RAISES $50G, LOVES LIMOUSINE LIBERALS: Tom Daschle was in Providence, Rhode Island last night to scoop up more cash for his campaign here in South Dakota. The Providence Journal supplies the details in a story headlined "Daschle gets R.I. money for S.D. race."

The story also provides SDP's quote of the day:

"My favorite people are those who live like Republicans and support Democrats," said Daschle.

So much for the little guy.

UPDATE: Overlawyered.com has a post headlined "Daschle does the trial lawyer hop."

2003-12-17T21:16:00.000-06:00

The transcript of Tom Daschle's appearance on C-Span's "Booknotes" a couple of weeks ago can now be accessed HERE. Excerpt:

LAMB: You know that your marriage is somewhat controversial in political circles. You bring it up in the book. But I wanted to ask you about two different references to your wife. The first time I read it, I`ll admit I laughed, I just chuckled a little bit. Then I read another one. The first time I read your reference to your wife -- I`m going to find it here. It`s on page 108 -- you describe her as the following. You say, "she has worked as a public policy analyst for the aviation industry for more than 20 years." And then about 200 pages later, you say "Linda is an influential aviation lobbyist."

At first I thought you were defining a lobbyist as a public policy analyst, then I realized later that you had actually identified her as a lobbyist, and the problems that were created by her being an aviation lobbyist. So -- did you know that you -- you consciously ...

DASCHLE: Yes.

LAMB: ...define them two different ways?

DASCHLE: I did, because she hasn`t been a lobbyist for 25 years. She`s been an analyst. Part of a lobbyist`s job is to analyze and to provide clients with the best analytical information about public policy that you can. But in her case, she started out, of course, working for an airline and then went to an association representing airports, and then she became the deputy administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration for a number of years, and then came out to become a lobbyist with a number of aviation clients. So, throughout her life she`s been a public policy analyst. Currently she`s not only an analyst but a lobbyist.

LAMB: So, in a town like this, you name a lot of power couples in the town. Is it -- is it a problem at all ever for your constituency? That this is a lobbyist, and you are a high-powered senator?

DASCHLE: I don`t think so, Brian. I think people in South Dakota know us well. We spend a lot of time at home. I get into every county every year. I think I`m probably as accessible as anybody has been in my state. Linda comes home a lot. I think people feel they know us, and they -- I think they -- they understand what life is like in Washington and respect the fact that she has her own career, her own professional ambitions and aspirations, and that the spouse of a public service person should not be penalized or in any way criticized for the fact that she or he has their own professional life to live.

2003-12-17T17:02:00.000-06:00

Tom Daschle is attending a fundraiser for his campaign today in Providence, Rhode Island. Sen. Jack Reed is hosting the fundraiser at the home of Providence lawyer Jack McConnell. Tickets are $500 and $1,000. Once again, Tom Daschle is raising cash among wealthy East Coast liberals, as he did last week in Jacksonville, Florida under a shroud of secrecy. And of course the Argus Leader is nowhere to be found on this story.

UPDATE: The blog overlawyered.com has the scoop on Jack McConnell, the Providence lawyer who is opening his home to Tom Daschle for a fundraiser today.

2003-12-17T16:02:00.000-06:00

The American Spectator's Washington Prowler has a report on Tom Daschle's latest efforts to unify his caucus, headlined "Terrified Tom."

2003-12-17T11:42:00.000-06:00

Jeff Gannon, resident DC expert on South Dakota politics, has a new report, headlined "Special Interest Dollars Fuel Daschle's 'Shadowboxing' Campaign."

2003-12-17T11:17:00.000-06:00

DASCHLE FAILS TO DELIVER--AGAIN: The National Journal's CongressDaily reports that Tom Daschle objected to a unanimous consent motion to approve the fiscal year 2004 omnibus spending bill, which contained $43 million worth of projects for South Dakota. One such earmark was $275,000 for a nursing home on the Cheyenne River Reservation. The South Dakota Native American community has to be thinking that with friends like these, who needs enemies?

Naturally, there's no screeching from the Argus Leader about this story, in contrast to last year when the Bush administration didn't offer as much drought relief as the Argus Leader would have preferred. Or contrast the AL's reaction when the Bush administration drafted a budget that cut funding for the Lewis and Clark water project to the AL's silence on Daschle's latest failure to deliver.

2003-12-16T17:19:00.000-06:00

It has been a slow news day today for South Dakota politics, aside from the Thune announcement. No hush-hush Daschle fundraisers or anything like that. But look for reports out of Rhode Island tomorrow on a fundraiser that Daschle will be holding in that state. He's going to be raising cash out-of-state even more frenetically in the coming days, as it appears more likely that Thune will run against him.

2003-12-16T13:11:00.000-06:00

John Thune has just sent a letter to Randy Frederick, chair of the South Dakota Republican Party, indicating that he will NOT be running for the House.

UPDATE: The AP's Carson Walker reports.

2003-12-15T23:42:00.000-06:00

The Democratic blog Daily Kos contains a post soliciting donations for Stephanie Herseth's campaign. Also, read the comments, which include a couple by a member of Herseth's campaign staff, as well as some comments which prompt the blog's moderator to tell his readers to "keep your hormones in check."

2003-12-15T19:04:00.000-06:00

KRANZ WATCH: When will David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters, report on the fact that many Democrats are disgruntled with Tom Daschle's leadership, and that some at the grassroots level are even calling for him to be removed from his leadership position? We've seen a report in the National Journal quoting various Democratic staffers, an editorial in the New Republic, and quotes by various liberals in various other publications, all indicating a groundswell of unhappiness with Tom Daschle's leadership. Also, the conservative American Spectator reported recently that Daschle "seems resigned to losing his leadership post after the next election." Then there's the editorial position of Buzzflash, a liberal grassroots website that reaches 2.5 million readers a month, calling for Tom Daschle to be removed as the Democratic leader.

Will Kranz report? Or will he continue to ignore stories that may damage Tom Daschle's implicit campaign promise that if re-elected, he will remain the Democratic leader? As many now know, Kranz and Daschle are old college chums. If John Thune runs against Daschle, no doubt we'll see Kranz using his influence at the Argus Leader to provide "vituperative" and "hysterical" coverage of Thune, as even such publications as the New York Times and Roll Call described the AL's coverage of another Republican Senate candidate thirteen years ago.

2003-12-15T17:43:00.000-06:00

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS TOM DASCHLE?: This Wednesday, Tom Daschle will be in Rhode Island for another fundraiser with wealthy Eastern liberals who have probably never set foot in South Dakota in their lives. Last Thursday, Tom Daschle traveled to Florida for a what a local newspaper labeled a hush-hush fundraiser. Tom Daschle sure is raising a lot of money outside the state of South Dakota. And apparently, he'd rather not have any scrutiny when he does it.

FLASHBACK: Recall that in November, Tom Daschle made a quick trip to Denver to pick up some campaign cash.

2003-12-15T16:56:00.000-06:00

The New Republic, one of SDP's favorite publications, is disgruntled with Tom Daschle's leadership, as seen in a piece headlined "Spare the Rod?." Excerpt:

In 2001, around the time Kennedy was fawning over the education bill, Baucus and Breaux were helping to pass the Bush tax cut under a "bipartisan" label. Although Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle was said to be furious at both men, his anger didn't stop the two of them from pulling the same stunt again last month.

Which is why it's time for Democrats to do more than get angry--and actually punish their most egregious defectors. Party leaders, for instance, should at least raise the specter of stripping Baucus of his position as ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, where he continually uses his power to undermine his own party.

2003-12-15T13:29:00.000-06:00

The AP's Jack Sullivan provides an update on the coming Thune decision headlined "Thune Courted for House and Senate Bids."

2003-12-15T11:27:00.000-06:00

Sibby Online has details about a letter to the editor published in the Argus Leader yesterday, which mysteriously is not available online.

2003-12-15T11:04:00.000-06:00

DASCHLE'S HUSH-HUSH FUNDRAISER: The Florida Times-Union of Jacksonville has a report headlined "Daschle ducks (in) city."

U.S. Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle slipped into Jacksonville on Thursday for a private fund-raiser, then visited a Jacksonville Bar holiday party before popping in at the North Florida Building and Central Trades Council holiday oyster roast.

Attorney Wayne Hogan hosted a fund-raiser at the University Club for Daschle, a South Dakotan running next year. Daschle later spoke for eight to 10 minutes at the union event at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers hall, talking about Democrats regaining seats and the majority in the Senate, said Eddie Dedmon, council president.

But what surprised some Democrats is the visit was hush-hush, and U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown -- the city's top elected Democrat -- and aides didn't know about it until Friday. Party leaders and Hogan, who led the fund raiser, did nothing to publicly promote the visit as the party seeks to rev up for the 2004 elections.

"I am quite certain, had she known he was in town, she would have attended," said Brown's chief of staff, Ronnie Simmons. "Daschle is a national figure who would galvanize Democrats in North Florida."

Hogan said the fund-raiser was planned in advance, but the other events were spur of the moment. The Bar party was downstairs from the fund-raiser, and the union party was on the way to the airport. Local Chairman Clyde Collins and donor Steve Pajcic said they learned about it that day.

"It wasn't my show. He came for a private visit," Collins said. "We hope to have him back."

Dedmon said he got wind of the visit about 4 p.m., several hours before Daschle spoke to a crowd of 300.

"It was really an unexpected visit," he said.

Why all the secrecy? It's not as though Jacksonville is Baghdad or something. Could it be Daschle doesn't want his South Dakota constituents to know he's scooping up campaign cash from wealthy out-of-state contributors? He shouldn't worry. Everyone knows that the Argus Leader, and particularly David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters, won't report it.

2003-12-15T09:28:00.000-06:00

Dr. Bill Richardson and Secretary of State Chris Nelson will be fielding your questions on the Janklow verdict tomorrow night at 8 p.m. on SDPB's "South Dakota Focus."

2003-12-14T12:32:00.000-06:00

I woke up this morning at around 8:30, flipped on the TV to NBC's Meet the Press, where Tim Russert was just going to commercial, saying that Saddam Hussein had been captured. I was still groggy, but THAT cleared my head in a hurry. I actually started whooping and clapping, a response much like that of the reporters at Ambassador Paul Bremer's press conference as the news was announced. Then, when President Bush appeared on television, his words underlined my own gratefulness to our men and women serving in harm's way. A great, historic day. But now I must go Christmas shopping, so blogging will be sparse the rest of the day.

2003-12-13T23:05:00.000-06:00

JANKLOW TRIAL AFTERMATH: The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has an interesting piece in tomorrow's edition headlined "Janklow's S.D. legacy: Pedal to the metal all the way."

2003-12-13T20:14:00.000-06:00

It looks like the "Daschle leadership position in jeopardy" meme is spreading. The latest edition of the National Journal contains a piece headlined "Second-Guessing Daschle." Key excerpts follow:

Even as President Bush and other Republicans celebrated the signing of sweeping Medicare reform legislation this week, Senate Democratic leaders vowed to continue to fight against what they contend are the measure's serious shortcomings. But to some critics on and off Capitol Hill, such declarations ring hollow.

To these critics, the battle over the Medicare bill showed that Senate Democrats are becoming increasingly splintered and that their leaders are failing to effectively counter Republican initiatives. And some Democratic insiders are directly questioning whether Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., could have done more to head off the potentially disastrous setback on a potent political issue.

"Daschle's response inside the caucus meetings [during the Medicare debates] was to let it be a free-for-all, let each individual senator have their own say and vote their conscience, rather than structuring an argument for why we should vote the way we should as a party," a Senate Democratic staff member said. "It was left to ... others to try to fill that leadership vacuum and to make the case for why [defeating the legislation is] not just in the party's interest, but in the interest of the program itself."

And further into the piece:

Still, Daschle's reserved leadership style, coupled with his maneuvers during several recent legislative showdowns, has fueled much criticism. The brickbats came after Daschle, for perhaps the first time since he became the party leader in 1995, opposed two Democratic-led filibusters on the Senate floor. It happened within four days in late November: first on the energy bill, which Daschle supported, and then on the Medicare bill, which he preferred to try to kill by using a different parliamentary tactic....

While some observers give Daschle a pass on the energy issue in light of his personal political imperatives, others are less forgiving. They contend that Daschle's obligations as a leader were trumped by his parochial effort to win ethanol subsidies for his state, all as part of a bill that even he has acknowledged contains many bad provisions.

"What is the definition of a leader? A leader is someone who leads," said Dan Becker, director of the Sierra Club's global-warming and energy program. "Daschle didn't lead. He followed, and the people he followed were President Bush and the Republican leadership of the Senate."

And even further into the story:

Daschle's deferential, low-key manner also has invited sometimes-unflattering comparisons to his counterpart in the House, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. She has been basking in rave reviews for her tenacious efforts to keep her troops unified. Pelosi's decision to draw a line in the sand held all but 16 of the 205 House Democrats in opposition to the Medicare legislation. Ultimately, Republican leaders were forced to resort to extraordinary tactics on the House floor, holding the vote open for nearly three hours before they managed to prevail 220-215 on November 22.

"There is never a price exacted for voting against Daschle. I don't get that," a Senate Democratic staff member complained. "That is not how the Republican regime or Pelosi works... Daschle never walks into a room and says, 'This is what we should do, and if you have a problem with it, let me know.' He never gets in people's faces the way Pelosi did."

"Daschle was afraid to take on the fight," this staff member added. "The fight was clearly on the filibuster, not the point of order. People back home don't know what a budget point of order is. They know what a filibuster is."

Clearly, mouthy Democratic staffers and key Democratic constituencies are peeved about Daschle's leadership. While Tom Daschle is tacking to the right like crazy as an election approaches, this strategy might ultimately backfire if he manages to lose his leadership position because of these disgruntled Democrats. Daschle's leadership position is the only thing propping up Daschle's chances of re-election. If John Thune becomes his opponent, Thune will be able to make a credible argument that if Daschle is re-elected in the face of an inevitable Republican sweep nationwide, Daschle will lose his leadership position. This will leave South Dakota stuck with a senator who has lost whatever "clout" he had to begin with, not unlike what happened after the 2002 election, when Daschle lost his majority leader status, despite the message that a vote for Tim Johnson would retain Daschle as the majority leader.

2003-12-13T18:41:00.000-06:00

2003-12-12T13:45:00.000-06:00

The UPI's Peter Roff reports on Daschle campaign manager Steve Hildebrand's letter to the editor published this week in the Rapid City Journal, which in turn was criticized by Buzzflash, the liberal version of the Drudge Report.

2003-12-12T08:42:00.000-06:00

JANKLOW TRIAL AFTERMATH: The Bismarck Tribune has an editorial headlined "The hard landing of Bill Janklow." Excerpt:

[J]anklow did a lot of good for South Dakota in his four, nonconsecutive terms as governor. Certainly he had a knack for economic development, and the state of Minnesota practically had his face on a "wanted" poster for all the Minnesota businesses he poached and dragged across the state line into South Dakota.

2003-12-11T19:46:00.000-06:00

JANKLOW TRIAL AFTERMATH: The AP's Chet Brokaw has a report which came out yesterday headlined "Janklow prompts early review of law license."

2003-12-11T19:37:00.000-06:00

DOH!: Uber-liberal South Dakota lawyer Todd Epp, who represents the plaintiff in the case of Abourezk v. ProBush.com, predicted that Bill Janklow would be acquitted. In the piece, Epp discusses eating Thanksgiving leftovers. Now he's eating a healty serving of crow.

In other news from the left, Leonard Peltier of AIM fame gloats about Janklow's conviction.

2003-12-11T19:01:00.000-06:00

THE SDP NEWSROOM: a/k/a my carrel at the USD School of Law.

2003-12-11T17:29:00.000-06:00

THUNE DECIDES NEXT WEEK: The AP is reporting in a story headlined "Ex-S.D. Rep. Thune to Decide Plans Soon," that John Thune will decide next week whether to take on Tom Daschle or Stephanie Herseth. If I had my druthers, I'd have him take on Tom Daschle. Tom Daschle is very concerned about a Thune campaign because he knows he's vulnerable. He has raised millions for his re-election because he knows Thune could beat him.

Even Daschle's college chum David Kranz, dean of South Dakota political reporters, is afraid of Thune taking on Tom Daschle. Kranz had a piece yesterday trying to convince Thune to just take back his House seat. Thus Kranz:

Some Washington GOP leaders are making a case for Thune's bid against Daschle as a service to the party. But others are worried that the House, more than the Senate, could go Democrat in 2004.

That concern may make the House races more of a priority for Republicans.

What nonsense. Not even Terry McAuliffe believes for a second that the House has a chance of going Democratic in 2004. I don't know of a single GOP leader who is worried about it (and notice Kranz doesn't say who it is that's worried), and I have yet to read any commentator who makes that assertion. This is Kranz simply trying to convince Thune not to run for Senate.

In sum, John Thune has a fair chance of toppling Tom Daschle, and I think the GOP will find a good candidate who is capable of beating Stephanie Herseth for the House seat. I think Herseth's somewhat strong showing in 2002 was mostly due to Janklow fatigue. A dynamic young candidate will have a good chance of defeating her. It's a gamble, but I don't think it's a reckless one.

2003-12-11T16:58:00.000-06:00

DASCHLE'S LEADERSHIP POST IN JEOPARDY?: The people at the Buzzflash website, which seems to be a sort of liberal Drudge Report, have an editorial today headlined "Daschle's Campaign Manager Wants to Reassure You That Tom Supports Bush 75% of the Time!." The piece quotes Steve Hildebrand's letter to the editor of the Rapid City Journal that appeared in yesterday's edition. Excerpt from the Buzzflash editorial:

If you had to sum it all up, Tom is either totally ineffective AS minority leader because he is inherently inept at the position and unable to strategically battle the Republicans -- or he is so conflicted by the red party politics of his state, his wife's role as a lobbyist, and his Democratic Leadership Council corporate ties that he is rendered a rollover patsy for the Bush Cartel.

This sort of sentiment among liberals adds credibility to the report in the American Spectator that Daschle "seems resigned to losing his leadership post after the next election."

2003-12-11T16:57:00.000-06:00

The Grand Island Independent has a story headlined "Nebraska Farm Bureau seeking changes in corporate farming law." The Nebraska Farm Bureau, sensing a change in the dynamics of state anti-corporate farming laws due to the recent 8th Circuit Court of Appeals decision striking down Amendment E, is attempting to immunize I-300 from a dormant commerce clause challenge.

2003-12-10T13:10:00.000-06:00

DASCHLE'S LEADERSHIP POST IN JEOPARDY?: Tom Daschle's liberal constituency, inside and outside the borders of South Dakota, seem to be very unhappy with his leadership prowess. First, see this piece, headlined "It's Doubly Difficult for Democrats: They Have to Battle the Bush Cartel AND Tom Daschle's Ineptness." Excerpt:

We don't care anymore about Tom's excuses for his ineptness, coziness with lobbyists and chronic failure. We just want him out as Minority Leader.

Let a Kennedy, a Durbin, a Kerry, a Boxer or a Clinton take his place.

Next, read this piece, headlined "Tom Daschle, Lead or Get Out of the Way."

2003-12-10T12:37:00.000-06:00

THE WORD ON THE STREET WAS TRUE: Last week, I noted that the word on the street was that Daschle's people were apoplectic about "column" that was actually just a transcript of an interview with Senator George Allen by Rapid City Journal political reporter Denise Ross. Today, Steve Hildebrand, Tom Daschle's campaign manager, has a letter to the editor published in the Rapid City Journal excoriating Denise Ross. You can access the letter HERE. The text of the letter follows:

I'm very disappointed in Denise Ross' Nov. 25 column allowing Republican Sen. George Allen of Virginia to do a 1,100-word hatchet job on Tom Daschle without any opportunity to refute the false charges.

For instance, Allen claims that Daschle opposes the president at every turn, but in fact a Congressional Quarterly study has Sen. Daschle voting with President Bush 75 percent of the time.

Sen. Allen came to South Dakota to raise money for the Republican Party and to try to convince John Thune to run against Tom Daschle. We don't need a senator from Virginia telling South Dakotans how to vote, especially when Allen consistently votes against the interests of South Dakota farmers and ranchers. He voted against drought relief, a ban on packer ownership of livestock and against country-of-origin labeling of meat products.

Maybe that works for Sen. Allen's wealthy Virginia contributors, but not for people here in South Dakota.

STEVE HILDEBRAND

Campaign Manager, Tom Daschle for South Dakota

Sioux Falls

Does this mean Denise doesn't get to ride around with Tom Daschle during his August recess tour anymore? Now she'll have to do a bunch of puff pieces on Daschle to get back into his good graces.

It's also a classic Daschle campaign technique to tap any isolationist sentiment that may exist among the South Dakota population. But if Tom Daschle is such an isolationist, why is having a fundraiser in RHODE ISLAND with WEALTHY RHODE ISLAND CONTRIBUTORS next week? And why do we need a senator who votes with President Bush only 75 percent of the time when we could have a senator who votes with President Bush 100 percent of the time?

Steve Hildebrand is right about one thing. Denise Ross is not doing her job as a journalist if she is just publishing a transcript of interviews she has with political figures. I know she has done this on at least one other occasion, when she interviewed Stephen Moore of the Club for Growth.

2003-12-10T11:48:00.000-06:00

THE FALLOUT BEGINS: Carson Walker of the AP has a story headlined "Juror: Janklow Didn't Intimidate Jury." Walker also has a piece posted yesterday which offers a fascinating glimpse into pre-trial activity, headlined "Sealed Janklow evidence includes stops when he wasn't ticketed"

Monica Davey of the New York Times has a report headlined "In South Dakota, Parties Focus on Filling Empty Seat."

The LA Times carries a story headlined "Relief Marks End of Janklow Trial; A majority agrees the politician's conviction for manslaughter was vindication."

The Washington Post's T.R. Reid has a story headlined "South Dakota GOP Rocked by Janklow Verdict."

Elsewhere in the Post, an editorial headlined "Speeding Isn't Funny" praises the jury in the Janklow trial.

Finally, the Argus Leader has created an online forum for readers to comment on the trial, which you can access HERE.

2003-12-09T09:23:00.000-06:00

JANKLOW TRIAL ROUNDUP: The AP's Carson Walker has a report this morning headlined "Rep. Janklow Steps Down After Conviction."

The AP's Chet Brokaw has a report headlined "Janklow conviction and resignation have political ramifications."

The New York Times' Monica Davey has a very well done report headlined "Lawmaker Guilty of Manslaughter; Says He'll Resign." The report includes some extremely interesting comments from the jury foreman, James G. Mitchell.

The LA Times has a report with details about what happened in the courtroom during and shortly after the verdict was read, headlined "Jury Convicts Rep. Janklow in Fatal Crash."

Elsewhere in the LAT, Joshua Dressler, a law professor at the Ohio State University, has a thoughtful opinion piece on the Janklow trial headlined "A Stumble Is Far Removed From a Kick; Intent plays a major role in deciding whether a killer is a criminal." Dressler uses the quote from Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes that "even a dog distinguishes between being stumbled over and being kicked" to make a point about the concept of intent in criminal law. Coincidentally, I've recently read a very good law review article that uses the same quote from Holmes in a completely different context, entitled "Awakening a Sleeping Dog: An Examination of the Confusion in Ascertaining Purposeful Discrimination Against Interstate Commerce." For you legal types out there who are interested, the cite to the article is 86 Minn. L. Rev. 1063 (2002).

The Washington Post's T.R. Reid supplies a report headlined "Jury Finds Janklow Guilty; Congressman to Resign Office Next Month."

2003-12-08T22:50:00.000-06:00

THE AFTERMATH: The Minneapolis Star Tribune carries a piece by Doug Grow headlined "A stunning verdict in Janklow case."

The AP has a couple of reports headlined "Citizens: justice was done in a sad case" and "Election to fill congressional vacancy will be June 1."

2003-12-08T20:34:00.000-06:00

JANKLOW RESIGNS: The AP's Carson Walker reports in a story headlined "Janklow to Resign Following Conviction."

How the mighty have fallen!

UPDATE: Fox News has the text of Janklow's resignation letter.

2003-12-08T20:30:00.000-06:00

AN OBSERVATION ON JANKLOW'S TRIAL: A reader sends in an excellent question:

The news reports I read suggest that Congressman Janklow's lawyer did not object during the closing argument about [t]he prosecution's statement that the defense did not disclose the diabetes defense until a few weeks before trial. Instead, Congressman Janklow's lawyer waited until an hour after the jury began its deliberations to make a motion for a mistrial. As a South Dakota law student, do you have any sense of whether Mr. Evans waited too long to raise this objection?

Everyone in the South Dakota legal community knows that Ed Evans is one of the best lawyers in the state, if not the best. But, I think he may have waited too long here. Ordinarily, if you don't object at the time the statement is made, the objection is considered waived.

Interestingly, Evans recently got burned in a similar situation during a civil case defending a medical malpractice client. Evans himself went over the line in closing arguments, the plaintiff's lawyer objected, and on appeal, the plaintiff got a new trial. You can read an AP story on this case HERE and the South Dakota Supreme Court's opinion HERE.

The issue would be whether the motion was timely. On the other hand, four of the five justices on the South Dakota Supreme Court seem to take a dim view of improper remarks during closing argument, and aren't skittish about requiring a new trial.

UPDATE: The AP has more.