South Dakota Politics

Daschle meets Clinton

This picture from today's New York Times (click on it to enlarge for a better glimpse of Tom Daschle's gauche apparel) appears under the headline "Senate Democrats Summon Clinton as Political Adviser." The most interesting information from the piece is that Clinton is having a fundraiser for Daschle next month:

Mr. Daschle, who is in a re-election fight of his own, has a major fund-raising dinner with Mr. Clinton next month[.]

Will the Argus Leader report?

Where's the clout?

Once again, Tom Daschle sends along a press release taking credit for a bill he voted against, which is reprinted verbatim in a local newspaper: "Senate approves $50,000 for Hand County Memorial Hospital." He blames the delay of country of origin labeling (COOL) as the reason he voted against the bill, which only leads one to ask what kind of clout Tom Daschle has when he is steamrolled by those opposed to COOL.

It's also relevant to know that Tom Daschle voted against the Medicare Reform bill, which appropriated millions of dollars to help rural hospitals.

Boeing's image problem

Reuters has a story today headlined "Boeing fights image as 'bunch of crooks.'" As most readers of this blog know, Boeing is one of lobbyist Linda Daschle's biggest clients. Excerpt from the Reuters story:

Chief Executive Harry Stonecipher, who took over for scandal-plagued Phil Condit last month, has been roaming the halls of the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill to buff up Boeing's tarnished image.

"Telling them fundamentally that if they have a problem with us, I want to know what it is and ... trying to deal with this perception that we're a bunch of crooks," Stonecipher told reporters on a teleconference on Thursday.

It is very likely that Harry Stonecipher met with the Senate leadership while "roaming the halls on Capitol Hill," and it would be interesting to know in particular whether he has met with Tom Daschle.

According to lobbying disclosure forms available on the U.S. Senate website, Linda Daschle earned $40,000 for her firm by lobbying for Boeing during the first half of 2003. Among the items she lobbied for on behalf of Boeing was H.R. 1559, The Emergency Wartime Supplemental Appropriations Act (P.L. 108-11). This bill is laced with appropriations to the military, which contradicts the claim by Tom Daschle that his wife does not work on military-related issues. This bill also includes the $2.4 billion bailout of the airline industry last spring, a bailout that, according the LA Times, was "pushed by the Democratic leadership," which, of course, includes Tom Daschle.

Daschle has a "liberal quotient" of 83%

Do you recall Steve Hildebrand, Tom Daschle's campaign manager, bragging in a letter to the Rapid City Journal about a study that has Daschle voting with President Bush 75 percent of the time? That letter got Tom Daschle in trouble with liberals like those at the Buzzflash website, who called for Daschle to step down as minority leader.

What's interesting is that Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) gives Tom Daschle an 83 percent lifetime "liberal quotient." According to ADA, Tom Daschle is even more liberal than George McGovern, who only has a 75 percent lifetime liberal quotient.

Read Sibby

Steve Sibson has been blogging furiously lately. Check out his blog, Sibby Online.

Blunt: 'Stand for Seniors, Not in the Way'

The House leadership is unhappy with Tom Daschle's demagoguery on the prescription drug benefit recently passed into law, as indicated by a press release headlined "Blunt: 'Stand for Seniors, Not in the Way'."

The Herseth propaganda machine, a.k.a. the Argus Leader

A reader observes:

Monday Larry Diedrich announced his resignation from the state senate. A pretty big announcement worth an article in the Argus Leader?

Sure. Did he get an article noting his resignation?

Sure. It was titled, "Herseth holds 10-1 advantage in money." Give me a break.

This is yet another example of the biased headline technique that the AL often engages in, a technique I discussed at length in an earlier post. As the author of Journalistic Fraud writes: "To influence the headlines is to influence public opinion."

To underscore the point that the AL is nothing but an instrument of the Herseth campaign, see this comment posted today on a blog that solicits campaign donations for Stephanie Herseth:

wouldnt want you to make enemies with the folks at the Argus-Leader... we need em on our side :)

Apparently even liberals in this state, in guarded moments, concede that the AL has a liberal bias.

Family lobbying

Roll Call has a report today headlined "Ban on Family Lobbying Eyed." As readers of this blog know, Tom Daschle's wife is one of the most powerful corporate lobbyists in Washington. The Roll Call piece is an indication that the practice of senators having family members as lobbyists is a legitimate issue for discussion, despite the fact that Tom Daschle labels it "an attack on his family." Excerpt from the Roll Call piece:

According to the 2003 edition of the Senate Ethics Manual, "The decision on whether a spouse may lobby the Senate is generally a decision for the Senator and his or her spouse, giving due regard to the potential reflection upon the Senate."

The manual also notes that any compensated lobbying employment by a spouse would be required to be reported on the Senator's annual financial disclosure form - although that amount would only have to indicate if the spouse earned $1,000 or more, not the specific salary for the given year.

"Given the heightened public interest in the professional activities of spouses of Members, the Committee hopes that spouses, as well as Members, will conduct their professional and business activities so as not to reflect adversely upon the Senate as an institution," the manual notes.

Even the Senate Ethics Manual infers the legitimacy of "heightened public interest in the professional activities of spouses of Members[.]" To view the Senate Ethics Manual's statements on the employment of spouses click HERE(pdf) and go to page 93. Someone has even written a book entitled "Politicians and Their Spouses' Careers," which is cited in the Ethics Manual, and is yet another indication that scrutiny of the lobbying activities of Tom Daschle's wife is legitimate.

The Daschle v. Thune blog has more excerpts from the Roll Call piece.

Daschle begs Clinton for help

Reuters reports that Tom Daschle has asked for Bill Clinton's advice on how to win elections, under the headline "Democrats Reach Out to Former President Clinton."

The Daschle v. Thune blog contains a piece published on OpinionJournal.com by John Fund about the lobbying activities of Linda Daschle and John Thune, which you can access HERE.

Thune's lobbying

I want to begin by saying that South Dakotans deserve to know about John Thune's lobbying activities on behalf of companies that create jobs for South Dakota, and decide if they have a problem with that. Today, the editors and reporters of the Argus Leader nimbly follow up a story about John Thune reported in yesterday's edition of Roll Call. The AL story appears on the front page, above the fold, under the headline "Candidate Thune plans to continue lobbyist job; Work helps state, he says." The story stems from a report in Roll Call yesterday headlined "Thune Will Keep Lobbying." You can find excerpts from the Roll Call story, along with analysis, at the Daschle v. Thune blog.

Isn't it interesting how quickly the turnaround time is at the Argus Leader when there's a story in a DC publication that reflects negatively on a conservative political figure in South Dakota? By the same token, a story that appears in today's edition of The Hill reflecting negatively on Tom Daschle is unlikely to be followed up by the AL tomorrow, or ever. The story in The Hill today includes a quote from a Democratic colleague to the effect that Senator Daschle doesn't let his responsibilities to South Dakota get in the way of his leadership responsibilities, as well as an indication that the Democrats are likely to pick new leaders after the election this fall. But naturally, the AL would rather not follow up a story in a DC publication that places Tom Daschle in an unfavorable light.

One can see the bias of the AL article by observing how it ends:

Hildebrand also points out that Thune is not running against Linda Daschle.

"It is certainly fair and expected that John Thune will attack Tom Daschle regularly. What will have to be asked is whether it is fair for John Thune and his friends to attack Tom Daschle's family if his family is not on the ballot."

Bob Kohn, in his book Journalistic Fraud, discusses the technique of slanting a story by giving the final word to the newspaper's political allies, under the heading "At the End of the Article--The Last Word" (pg 227):

Another common technique of slanting a story by the strategic placement of important elements is giving the final word to someone who or some fact which puts the paper's editorial views in the most favorable light. It also provides the reader with the slant that the paper would like the reader to take away after reading the story. The best place to provide the take-away is in the last word, or kicker, the last few lines of the article.

Thus, the lay reader of the AL's article comes away with the impression that criticism of Linda Daschle's lobbying is an "attack on Tom Daschle's family" by "John Thune and his friends." Even though the article is about John Thune's lobbying, John Thune's comments are not the last word. Instead, the last word is given to John Thune's opponents. And not surprisingly, we discover that David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters, "contributed" to the story.

Finally, when Steve Hildebrand talks about attacks on Linda Daschle by John Thune and his friends, is Hildebrand saying that liberal reporter Stephanie Mencimer is a friend of John Thune, in light of the fact that she wrote an article critical of Linda Daschle for the liberal Washington Monthly? Or that Slate's Timothy Noah is a friend of John Thune in light of the fact that he wrote an article critical of Linda Daschle? Or that liberal columnist and longtime Nation contributor Doug Ireland is a friend of John Thune because he wrote an article critical of Linda Daschle? Give me a break. If even liberal columnists smell something fishy, it's certainly legitimate for the Thune campaign to point it out.

South Dakotans deserve to know about Thune's lobbying activities on behalf of companies that create jobs for South Dakota, and decide if they have a problem with that. South Dakotans also deserve to know about Linda Daschle's lobbying activities on behalf of the airline industry, particularly in light of the fact that Tom Daschle pushed the airline bailout last spring (according to ABC and the LA Times), giving billions of dollars to the airline industry, and decide whether they have a problem with that.

I'm surprised that Tom Daschle's campaign wants to talk about lobbying so early in the race. But it's a good thing, because it's obvious who comes out smelling like a rose in that debate, and who doesn't.

Daschle leadership in jeopardy?

The house of cards is beginning to collapse around Tom Daschle's ears as he tries to portray himself as a Bush supporter at home and as Bush's chief nemesis in Washington, as seen by a story in The Hill headlined "String of losses stirs Dem grumbling as talk of Dorgan challenge subsides." Excerpt:

“There’s no question that it can be very difficult for someone from a very small state,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), referring to Daschle in particular. “I don’t think Tom has ever let his responsibility to his state diminish his leadership position.”

Is this what Tom Daschle tells his Democratic colleagues? Not to worry because he won't let his responsibility to his state diminish his leadership position? If so, what's all that talk about putting South Dakota's agenda on the national agenda? I guess in Tom Daschle's world, the DC liberal agenda trumps the interests of South Dakota.

UPDATE: Another thought: There have been rumblings about Tom Daschle's leadership in various publications for some time now. Articles in Roll Call, the National Journal, The New Republic, The American Prospect, The Nation, and the liberal website Buzzflash all have addressed this. Typically, the only publication that has NOT addressed this is the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, South Dakota's newspaper of record.

Contribute to Larry Diedrich's campaign

Larry Diedrich, the GOP nominee for the special election to fill South Dakota's empty House seat, has begun his campaign. The special election will be held June 1, and you can contribute to Larry's campaign by clicking HERE and scrolling to the bottom of the page. Though I'm a starving student, I've already made a small donation. If you're reading this blog, you're a motivated reader who cares about the issues, and if I can spare at least $10, you can too. Larry is a good man and deserves as much support as possible.

Diedrich opposes Stephanie Herseth, one of Emily's List's "recommended candidates." Herseth is trying to raise $3 million for her campaign. Emily's List is a political action committee that supports candidates with radical pro-abortion views. They oppose the partial birth abortion ban. Despite what David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters, tried to tell us in his column yesterday, Herseth is not a moderate. The most compelling evidence of Herseth's extremism is that Herseth's picture is right next to Senator Barbara Boxer's picture on the "list." Even establishment Democrats think that Emily's List is too extremist for their tastes, as recorded in a story in the American Prospect, a liberal publication.

And isn't it interesting that Tom Daschle is the very first person quoted on the "About Emily's List" page?

WaPo editorial on Janklow

The Washington Post has an editorial discussing Congressman Janklow's sentence in today's edition under the headline "What a Life is Worth"

Princess Stephanie from the Democratic Duchy Of Herseth

Keloland TV's Steve Hemmingsen has some great commentary on the selection of Larry Diedrich by the GOP to run for South Dakota's sole House seat. You can access yesterday's commentary HERE (best line: "Princess Stephanie from the Democratic Duchy Of Herseth in Northeastern South Dakota"), and today's commentary HERE (best line: "I want to write this before I'm tainted by my old friend Dave Kranz's thoughts in the Argus Leader").

UPDATE: An out-of-state reader e-mailed wondering who Steve Hemingsen is. You can access Hemingsen's bio HERE.

The U.S. News and World Report labels the U.S. Senate race in South Dakota "the most compelling Senate race of the year" in a piece headlined "Great Plains Politics." For scintillating insights and analysis of this race, be sure to read the Daschle v. Thune blog.

Kranz Watch

David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters, is up to his usual stunts in his contribution today. In his traditional Sunday column, which is touted as a "straight" news story (and therefore purported to be unbiased and unopinionated), he labels GOP House candidate Larry Diedrich a "strong conservative" and Democratic opponent Stephanie Herseth as "considerably more moderate." Excerpt:

[Diedrich] brings his strong conservative philosophy to the campaign, probably against Democrat Stephanie Herseth, who is considerably more moderate.

Bob Kohn, in his book "Journalistic Fraud," discusses the use of labels by the editors of the New York Times to make its political allies seem more reasonable or sympathetic and the NYT's political opponents seem less reasonable or sympathetic. Excerpt from Kohn's book (ppg. 141-142):

It is generally agreed that the words "liberal" and "conservative" have each become pejorative terms in today's political vocabulary. By contrast, the terms "moderate" and "centrist" have become euphemisms. Thus you will find the Times liberally using the term "conservative" to label its opponents but avoiding the use of "liberal" to label its supporters. Instead, to lend credibility to liberals, they will label them as "moderates" wherever possible.

Kohn's method of exposing the bias of the NYT can be applied to expose the bias of David Kranz. Thus, we see that Kranz, instead of labeling political ally Stephanie Herseth a "liberal" (which she is), labeling her a "moderate" in order to give her credibility among independent-minded voters. At the same time, Kranz labels Diedrich a "strong conservative" in order to give him less credibility among independent-minded voters.

On a completely different point, isn't it interesting how only yesterday Kranz wrote that Diedrich had to worry about a Republican primary, but today Kranz writes that Diedrich has to worry about a Democratic primary?

The fundamental point is that it's unconscionable for the Argus Leader to allow David Kranz's opinions to be touted as a straight news story. It would be much more palatable if Kranz's traditional Sunday piece were prominently labeled "News Analysis" at the very top of the piece.

Larry Diedrich gets the nod

State Senator Larry Diedrich has been nominated by the GOP State Central Committee to oppose Stephanie Herseth in the special election on June 1. The AP's Chet Brokaw reports, in a piece headlined "State Sen. Larry Diedrich wins GOP House nomination." Excerpt:

But after Diedrich won the nomination, the other candidates appeared on stage with him and held up signs from his campaign that said: "Larry Diedrich for Congress."

The paragraph above contradicts something written by David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters, in his report on this event:

Diedrich will also be on the ballot in June for the Republican nomination in the general election. It's possible that he will face a primary challenge in that race, meaning he would have to run two campaigns simultaneously. One against Herseth and another against a Republican challenger.

Kranz undoubtedly witnessed the other candidates visibly supporting Diedrich, as reported by Chet Brokaw. Despite witnessing this, Kranz has the temerity to write that "it's possible that [Diedrich] will face a primary challenge." Clearly, Kranz is trying to sow discord among Republicans, rather than just reporting the facts.

Daschle having it both ways on spending bill

Tom Daschle is trying to take credit for passage of a bill he voted against and even tried to filibuster, as seen by his press release published verbatim in the Native American Times headlined "Senate Approves Nearly $11.5 Million for Tribal Projects Senators announce." Gee, doesn't that list of projects contained in the press release look familiar? But the bottom line is that Tom Daschle has managed to get himself a Native American primary opponent named Tim Giago, perhaps due in small part to Daschle trying to get cute with this omnibus spending bill. I don't think Tim Giago is buying what Tom Daschle is trying to sell.

I especially like the way Senator Johnson accuses Republicans of "bogging down" the spending bill, particularly in light of a story in the New York Times yesterday headlined "Senate Approves Huge Spending Bill After Democrats' Delay." Yes, even the NYT says the Democrats delayed the bill.

JANKLOW SENTENCING ROUNDUP

The New York Times has a story headlined "Judge Sentences Janklow to 100 Days in Jail."

The LA Times has a story headlined "'Remorseful' Janklow Gets 100 Days in Jail."

The Washington Post's T.R. Reid has a story in today's edition headlined "Janklow Sentenced to 100 Days in Jail; Ex-S.D. Politician Sought Leniency In Traffic Fatality."

In related news, Republicans are gathering in Sioux Falls this weekend to choose a House candidate. The latest story on this can be accessed HERE.

100 Days

Bill Janklow has been sentenced to 100 days in jail.

The Daschle v. Thune blog has more insights worth reading, particularly on the omnibus spending bill that is at this very moment undergoing another cloture vote. Senator Daschle voted against invoking cloture on the bill on Tuesday, even though the bill contains millions of dollars of projects for South Dakota.

Janklow compared to LBJ

Professor Lauck seems to have a fixation today with comparing South Dakota political figures to Lyndon Johnson, as seen from a piece published today on Minnesota Public Radio's website, headlined "Lyndon Baines Janklow."

Comparing Daschle to LBJ

Roll Call has published a piece by Jon Lauck, a history professor at South Dakota State University, headlined "Like Lyndon Johnson, Daschle Has Trouble Balancing Two Jobs." In the piece, Lauck discusses Daschle's campaign strategy to portray himself as the chief opponent of the president in Washington, while simultaneously portraying himself as a supporter of the president back home. Excerpt:

[D]aschle has made plans to repulse the inevitable criticism from his new opponent, 43-year-old ex-Rep.
John Thune (R). In one of the more bizarre rituals of last year, Daschle’s campaign operatives in South Dakota constantly bragged about how often Daschle supports President Bush. Their strategy, carried off with a straight face, has been to tout how much the titular head of the Democratic Party supports a Republican president in an “us versus them” age, when swing voters are disappearing, and when the parties are implementing “get out the base vote” plans.

One can understand the strategy. Bush won South Dakota by 22 points in 2000 and a Democrat has not won the presidential vote in the state for 40 years.

The liberal alternative to the Drudge Report, Buzzflash.com, recently picked up on Daschle’s strategy and, unsurprisingly, called for his resignation as Minority Leader. Stories in National Journal, The New Republic, The Nation and The American Prospect have echoed liberals’ growing exasperation with Daschle. Such attacks on Daschle are a portent of things to come.

Daschle, as the leader of the party, will be expected to keep constant pressure on President Bush. Being the full-time obstructionist, however, will be disastrous back in Bush country in South Dakota. If he doesn’t do
his duty, on the other hand, he virtually guarantees he won’t be re-elected as Democratic leader....

Instead of a classic campaign of clashing issues, Daschle wants the campaign in South Dakota to be about personality, image and “clout.” Daschle hopes the accumulation of personal contact over the years and his “ability to deliver” will carry him through....

The “clout” argument is also rapidly evaporating. Experts agree that with Senate retirements in the South the chances of Daschle becoming Majority Leader again are negligible. And his ability to “deliver” was seriously questioned after he failed to pass the energy bill, perhaps the single most important piece of legislation to South Dakota in 20 years because of the ethanol provisions.

Some speculate that as a constant enemy of the president, Daschle actually makes it more difficult to get things done for South Dakota. The ethanol bill is a perfect distillation of Daschle’s dilemma.

His Caucus and his liberal interest-group supporters hated the overall bill, so he could not actively work for passage. Daschle therefore sat on the sidelines while the ethanol supporters in South Dakota watched in stunned horror.

Daschle had to vote for the bill, however, since he had been running ads all summer about how he could “deliver” on ethanol. In one clumsy transaction, Daschle alienated his liberal supporters by voting for the bill and betrayed the ethanol supporters in his state by failing to even try to use his “clout” to pass the bill.

South Dakota Public Broadcasting's Brian Bull has a report headlined "'Bundled' Contributions Aid Bush." The story mentions Tom Everist, a Bush Pioneer from Sioux Falls.

Ed Schultz Watch

Ed Schultz, touted as the liberal answer to Rush Limbaugh, is Esquire magazine's "Man of the Month" for February. To access the story, click HERE.

From "The Corner"

Note the last sentence of this post written by Rammesh Ponneru for National Review Online's blog.

Daschle leadership in jeopardy?

Roll Call contributing writer Stuart Rothenberg has a report today on the first ramification of Thune's run against Daschle, headlined "After 'Shotgun Marriage' Will New Blood Help Turn DSCC around?" Excerpt:

The announcement early last week that Andy Grossman would leave his post as executive director and be replaced by David Rudd, a former top aide to outgoing Sen. Fritz Hollings (D-S.C.), wasn’t big news in Omaha or Orlando. But it raised more than a few eyebrows on Capitol Hill....

After the 2002 elections, Daschle picked Corzine as chairman and Grossman as executive director for the 2003-2004 cycle. Corzine didn’t have input in the choice of Grossman and didn’t have a close relationship with him....

Democrats familiar with the goings on at the DSCC present a picture of a dysfunctional family. Corzine and Grossman didn’t have a good working relationship, even though the executive director tried to get the Senator to work with him. While Daschle and a number of his top aides apparently tried to address the friction between the two men, they failed to improve things....

But things changed recently when former Republican Rep. John Thune entered the Senate race against Daschle on Jan. 5. Daschle found himself in his toughest political fight since he was first elected to the Senate in 1986, guaranteeing that the DSCC’s top fundraiser and Grossman’s strongest advocate would increasingly be spending more time in South Dakota and less on committee work.

The timing of Grossman’s announcement, coming only days after Thune’s entry into the South Dakota race, is hard to ignore.

Interestingly, another of Daschle's staffers, Jay Carson, left the leadership office to work in the Dean campaign, which seems to have imploded after coming in third in Iowa. It seems that Daschle, like Al Gore, is becoming the kiss of death for Democratic campaigns.

Janklow sentencing

Congressman Bill Janklow's resignation goes into effect today, and he will also be sentenced today. The AP's Chet Brokaw has a report headlined "Rep. Janlow leaving a mixed legacy."

DOH!: Janklow will be sentenced on Thursday, not today. Sorry about that.

Argus influencing public opinion

After Senator Tim Johnson's victory in 1996, his media consultant wrote a piece in the June 1997 edition of Campaigns and Elections magazine under the headline "How to Beat an Incumbent; The Inside Story of the Hard-Fought Johnson vs. Pressler U.S. Senate Race in South Dakota." While discussing how the Johnson campaign fed its opposition research on Pressler to the press, the Johnson media consultant stated the following:

The press ate it up. Our campaign systematically doled out the information piece by piece to reporters in D.C. and South Dakota. The result was a series of damaging articles that accurately depicted a senator who had let his position go to his head and used his office for personal benefit. We used the headlines generated as validators for our ads.

(emphasis added) Yesterday, Argus Leader executive editor Randell Beck published an editorial headlined "We won't be caught in the middle." In it, Beck threatens to "blow the whistle" on any campaign that uses excerpts from the AL in their television ads. He claims to be "drawing a line in the sand."

With all due respect, Mr. Beck would be better off doing something about what he can control rather than what he can't control. In other words, Mr. Beck has the power to force his newspaper to report the news rather than trying to influence public opinion in South Dakota. It is because of the AL's efforts to influence public opinion through straight news stories that Democratic campaign consultants talk about using the headlines generated as validators for their ads.

SDP has documented many of the AL's attempts at influencing public opinion in its regular news stories. One of the more egregious items is a headline generated last November during debate on the energy bill in the U.S. Senate. The headline, on the front page and above the fold, read "Daschle lends clout to energy bill" (Nov. 20, 2003). The headline was a message that fit neatly into Tom Daschle's campaign theme. The temptation to use this headline as a validator in an ad would have been irresistible to the Daschle campaign if the headline had been true. But even the Congressional Quarterly in a recent report regarding the energy bill stated that Daschle "did not aggressively seek more Democratic support and the vote failed." Even the New York Times noted that Daschle did not exercise his "clout." The AL headline was a typically misleading pro-Daschle spin on the facts, not a mere recital of the facts. A factual headline would have read "Daschle to vote for energy bill." Instead, the AL editors, in their eagerness to cast Daschle in a positive light and reinforce his campaign theme, published a headline that simply did not conform with the facts.

Bob Kohn, in his book entitled "Journalistic Fraud" states the following about biased headlines (pg 76):

Biased headlines are important. Most people don't read newspapers, they scan them--that is, they read the headlines, and when a headline piques their interest, they may go on to read the lead sentence of the story. The lead might entice one to read on, but only a small percentage of people who read a headline go on to read the whole article.

Thus, the vast majority of people who read newspapers gain their understanding of the news by glancing at the headlines and subheads. To influence the headlines is to influence public opinion.

(Emphasis added) Clearly, Randell Beck should worry more about the things he can control rather than the things he can't control. In his piece, Mr. Beck tells the candidates to "[t]ake your best shot at massaging your message to voters, but leave newspapers out of it." Mr. Beck first needs to get his newspaper out of the business of massaging its message to the voters, and start just reporting the facts. That will go a long way toward fixing the problem of Democratic campaigns using headlines generated in the AL as "validators" for their ads.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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."

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

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…”

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.

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."

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.

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.]

Thune v. 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.

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.

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).

Thune set to run

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."

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.

Reflections

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!

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?