AL covers Daschle-Clinton fundraiser

David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters, does a reasonably fair job of reporting on the Daschle-Clinton-Mellencamp fundraiser going on tonight. There is one atrocious bit of writing or editing at the end of the article though:

Dick Wadhams, Thune's campaign manager, is intrigued by one line in the fund-raising letter on Daschle's behalf from Clinton:

"When we tried to make meaningful progress on tough issues like health care and tobacco reforms, special interests clogged the airwaves with attack ads. But no matter what battle I faced, I always knew there was one friend I could count on, Tom Daschle."

There is no doubt that the event will help Daschle's finances, said Wadhams.

"But it certainly comes with a cost. President Clinton comes with baggage with voters of South Dakota," he said.

OK. WHY is Wadhams intrigued by that passage from the Clinton letter? Kranz never explains.

As I reported last week, an out-of-state reader e-mailed me a copy of the joint fundraising letters sent out by Daschle and Clinton. You can access the Daschle letter HERE. The following is the text from the letter written by Bill Clinton regarding raising cash for Tom Daschle:

Dear Friend,
There are those who say that values like hard work, loyalty and friendship don't count for much in Washington.

They don't know my friend Senator Tom Daschle.

During my time in the White House, the Republican Congress kept my desk piled high with ill-advised legislation. When we tried to make meaningful progress on tough issues like health care and tobacco reforms, special interests cloggcd the airwaves with attack ads. But no matter what battle I faced, I always knew there was one friend I could count on -- Tom Daschle.

Today,Tom could use a few friends of his own. He's running for re-election to the Senate, and the Republican Party has labeled him as Public Enemy #1.

But before I tell you more about his campaign, I want you to know Tom the way I do --as a friend.

Our partnership started as soon as I got to Washington, when Tom was instrumental behind-the-scenes in shoring up support for my economic plan.

As you may recall, that plan passed without one single Republican vote, but it finally tamed the endless budget deficit and unleashed eight straight years of record economic growth. And if it hadn't been for Tom's work, it wouldn't have passed at all.

After the 1994 elections, when Republicans won control of Congress, the pundits were ready to give up on Democrats. They figured our fight for America's working families was a lost cause.

Not Tom. He ran for Democratic Leader in the Senate, won and quickly became one of the most effective public servants ever to hold that position.

Tom doesn't exactly fit most people's stereotype of the high-powered political leader.

Tom is as kind and quiet a person as you'll ever know. He leads by listening. He possesses an extraordinary talent for bringing people together and finding common ground.

And Tom is just as down-to-earth as can be. In fact, every August -- around the time most members of Congress are headed off to vacation -- Tom gets in his car, without staff, and drives around South Dakota to hear from his constituents.

But don't be deceived by his gentle demeanor. Tom Daschle is absolutely tough-as-nails. And the one place you do not want to be is between Tom and the working families he's fighting for.

As Democratic Leader, Tom has single-handedly blocked some of the most extreme proposals of the Bush Administration.

He single-handedly led Democratic efforts to keep right-wing ideologues off the federal bench. He forced Republicans to scale back the White House's reckless tax cuts. He maneuvered campaign-finance reform through the Senate.

Tom is leading the Democratic fight to preserve the economic progress we made during my Administration. But with new tax cuts and enormous spending packages coming out of the White House every day, he very much has his work cut out for him.

And the toughest battles may be yet to come.

The White House and the Republican majority in Congress are only one or two Supreme Court justices away from being allowed to end a woman's right to choose. With the nation's attention diverted by the crises we face overseas, they are quietly rolling back environmental protections at home.

Meanwhile, on issue after issue -- from education to health care to our senior citizens' needs -- the Bush Administration has refused to back up its rhetoric with real policies.
And they know their most formidable opponent is Tom Daschle.

President Bush has made it very clear that he considers Tom to be the foremost obstacle to his agenda. And as you have probably noticed, this is not a White House that deals kindly with those who refuse to get with its program.

The White House has already sent chattering heads all over Washington to call Tom an "obstructionist" --just for having the audacity to raise his voice in objection to this
Administration.

The Republican Party has declared that defeating Tom for re-election next year is one of their very top priorities. Right-wing groups masquerading under names like the "Club for Growth" plan to run attack ads against him.

And from HMOs to polluters, there are some very powerful interests gunning for Tom.

Just how far will they go? Last year, one group ran ads in South Dakota comparing Tom to Saddam Hussein.

His offense? He dared to oppose the Administration's plan to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.

Tom will have a very serious battle on his hands in this campaign. Here's why.

First of all, television ads in South Dakota are very inexpensive -- which means the Republicans' special interest millions can buy a lot of attack ads. It's likely that South Dakota's airwaves could be saturated with attacks against Tom for a full year.

Second, the state has been trending Republican in recent years. In fact, in the last Senate race, Democratic Senator Tim Johnson was barely re-elected-- winning by just 524 votes against Congressman John Thune. Now Thune is challenging Tom and this will likely be
the biggest Senate race in the country.

Here's the good news: Tom is a proven vote-getter. He has a broad base of support. And if friends like you and me get in his comer, he will win.

That's why I'm asking you to make a generous contribution -- $25, $50, $100, $500 or even $1,000 if you can -- to Tom's re-election campaign. Please respond today. You can make a real difference for a truly decent man who's made an extraordinary difference for America's families.

Sincerely,
Bill Clinton

P.S. The Republican Party would relish nothing more than defeating Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle for re-election -- and they are more than willing to pull out the big guns. .. and the big bucks. .. to put this notch in their belts. In order to fight back, Tom must be able to count on the support of committed Democrats like you.