South Dakota Politics

People "rolling their eyes" at Daschle's victimhood

DVT notes a fascinating report from Minnesota Public Radio about the MTP debate between Thune and Daschle. MPR reports that the discerning students at USD "rolled their eyes" and laughed when Daschle launched into his victimhood routine:

Daschle responded looking very much the victim.

"John's attacks on me, where I come from, would earn a trip to the woodshed. He knows that's wrong. His effort to demonize me won't work in South Dakota," said Daschle.

The students watching the exchange laughed and rolled their eyes.

Even my apolitical friends said they laughed at Daschle's "Poor Tom" routine. Somehow, I don't think that was the reaction Daschle intended viewers to have.

Thune leads in post-debate tracking polls?

National Review's "The Corner" reports rumors that Thune was LEADING in tracking after yesterday's debate, 51%-46%. Maybe the debate wasn't a wash.

Elsewhere on The Corner, Jonah Goldberg gives props to John Thune on the issue of Daschle blocking judicial nominations:

Yesterday on Meet the Press, Thune zinged Daschle that he was unconstitutionally holding up judicial nominations. Daschle responded, not by questioning the charge of violating the constitution but by saying that the Senate's confirmed 95% of the judges nominated by Bush. As one astute reader notes, Since when is it okay to be only 95% in compliance with Constitution? The issue of course isn't how many judges are confirmed but that they are dealt with according to the correct procedure.

Also, thanks to The Corner for the plug.

Daschle forgot to put on his flag pin

Tonchi commented on Q's blog that Senator Daschle was not wearing an American flag lapel pin at yesterday's "Meet the Press" debate, while Thune was. Because the American flag lapel pin has become a staple of every politician's wardrobe, and because Daschle is well-known for his meticulous and painstaking attention to every detail of his political persona, I was somewhat skeptical of this observation. However, I ran through some photos of the debate, and it turns out Tonchi is absolutely correct. Here's an AP picture of the two side-by-side during yesterday's debate:

Daschle is clearly not sporting any lapel pin, much less an American flag lapel pin. I'm surprised that Daschle missed this important detail. It's not like him.

Quote of the Day

"The Senate is my home." - Tom Daschle, as quoted in the January 20, 2003 edition of Newsweek.

Dakota bloggers make print edition of the Weekly Standard

South Dakota native Joseph Bottum has a must-read piece in this week's edition of the Weekly Standard headlined "Prairie Politics: Daschle, Thune, and the race for South Dakota." There's lots to chew on in the piece, but the following passage was particularly gratifying:

So, if Thune couldn't beat the weaker candidate Johnson in 2002, how's he supposed to beat the stronger candidate Daschle in 2004? Well, part of the answer may be better press coverage. The state's dominant newspaper, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, for instance, ran a long profile of Tim Johnson in 2002 so puffy and sweet it should be handed out in journalism school as a model of disingenuous advocacy. A similar performance this year seems unlikely, as the South Dakota bloggers--particularly Jon Lauck at Daschle v. Thune, Steve Sibson at Sibby Online, and Jason Van Beek at South Dakota Politics--have kept relentlessly after the Argus Leader.

Q's read on the debate

Don't forget to digest Quentin's thoughts on today's Meet the Press debate. Also, be sure to read the comments after Quentin's post, particularly the thoughts of an apolitical South Dakota woman on Daschle's groan-inducing "Poor Tom" routine near the end of the debate.

NYT on today's debate

Sheryl Gay Stolberg of the New York Times has an excellent report on today's Daschle v. Thune debate headlined "Daschle Defends Iraq Remarks." Excerpt:

Their Senate race is perhaps the most contentious and closely watched in the country, in part because it is rare for a Senate party leader to face such a tough challenge at home. Sunday's exchange occurred on the NBC program "Meet the Press," where Mr. Daschle and Mr. Thune, who are running even in polls, sparred for an hour on issues like Iraq, the president's judicial nominees and energy policy.

The two men, seated side by side, repeatedly interrupted each other, often wagging fingers as they accused each other of distorting voting records. Mr. Daschle, pen in hand, took notes throughout; at one point he grew so irritated that he clapped his hand on Mr. Thune's forearm, declaring, "You've had your shot, and I'll give you mine, John.''

Word on the street

Sources say Tom Daschle sat on a big blue pillow during the Meet the Press debate today, in order to make himself appear taller. Daschle frequently has to inflate his stature when in front of television cameras, as seen by the picture to the right.

Some post-debate remarks

For an excellent, detailed analysis of the debate, be sure to see Ryne McClaren's post on the subject. DVT also has a lot of great insights.

Here's the cold transcript of the debate.

After reviewing the tape of this morning's debate between Senator Daschle and John Thune on "Meet the Press," and getting insights from friends, the overall sentiment is that the debate was a wash. Thune got a few whacks in, and so did Daschle. Daschle was definitely more aggressive this time around, at one point waving a pen a few inches from Thune's face, constantly trying to interrupt Thune, and even grabbing Thune's forearm. It was very uncharacteristic for Daschle, and he came off more like a yapping chihuahua than as this high-powered, illustrious leader of the Senate. Daschle's attempts at condescension also fell flat.

Interestingly, Tom Daschle had it both ways when discussing the Wall Street Journal's news and editorial pages. First, Daschle said the WSJ's news and editorial pages were not a source he would quote:

So whether you read [the Wall Street Journal's] editorial page, which has come out virtually against South Dakota on everything that matters to them, or you read their news pages, which says it's the Republicans who can't get their act together, is up to you. But that's not a source I would quote.

Then, later in the debate, Daschle quotes the WSJ as a credible source:

It's special interest provisions that bailed out some oil companies and special interests, chemical manufacturers that even the Republicans--you look at The Wall Street Journal, The Wall Street Journal said the other day that some of the Republican senators had a commitment from Bill Frist that they would not even bring up the energy bill as long as those special interest provisions were in the bill.

Many are wondering if Tom Daschle actually shed a tear after Russert asked about some of the harsh criticism Daschle has received.

Daschle did a good job of not answering Russert's questions, while John Thune was much more direct in responding to Russert's questions. It's probably more difficult for Thune to fight the Midwestern instinct to respond directly to questions. Daschle, of course, has become a creature of Washington, and is much more adept at dodging difficult questions.

Finally, sources say Daschle was sitting on a big blue pillow during the debate.

UPDATE: Reuters has a report headlined "Senate Foes Daschle, Thune Swaps Barbs in Debate."

MTP Debate

Russert just tried to pin down Daschle on the war, and has now turned to Thune to ask if he agrees with Senator Hagel that we're losing the war.

UPDATE 8:09: Television is definitely a colder medium, there's a lot less electricity in the air compared to the Mitchell debate.

UPDATE 8:14: Daschle is really hammering on the issue of body armor for troops, accusing the Bush administration of not doing enough to equip the troops. Russert notes that John Kerry voted against the $87 billion bill to equip the troops. Daschle says he disagrees with Kerry on that issue.

UPDATE 8:23: Quote of the day: "Daschle ran out of the arms of Michael Moore and into the arms of President Bush" in an election year.

UPDATE 8:27: Daschle tries to get into Thune's face on the issue of judges. Thune remains unruffled.

UPDATE 8:32: Daschle quote as MTP cuts to a break: "If you want a follower you do what John did on drought relief, if you want a leader you do what I did."

UPDATE 8:40: Russert pins Thune down on the issue of gas taxes.

UPDATE 8:46: Russert pins down Daschle on the energy bill.

UPDATE 8:47: Daschle is much more aggressive, at one point he smirked and clapped John Thune's arm, it really came off as cheesy.

Meet the Press debate

All eyes will be on Tim Russert and his two guests on Sunday morning, when the "Senate Debate Series" kicks off with the two candidates in the biggest Senate race in the USA. If the debate is even remotely like the Dakotafest debate, Daschle is in trouble. I'll be liveblogging the debate on Sunday morning. See you then.

SDSU Collegian

Be sure to read Jon Lauck's piece in the SDSU Collegian headlined "Blogs challenge traditional media by going straight to the consumer." Excerpt:

There are number of bloggers in South Dakota, including myself, and they have focused their fire on the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. They have uncovered a litany of problems that should be addressed and encountered arrogant resistance to reform. Recently, when a man from Brookings wrote to the editor of the Argus and asked why a story had not run in the paper, he was harshly dismissed for being an idiot, for reading blogs, and for not having his facts straight. The Argus editor insisted the story had run at least twice. In reality, the story had never appeared in the Argus. With blogs, people are now aware of this and other Argus inadequacies.

Kranz Watch

David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters, has a report today headlined "USD student and GOP activist regrets calling Herseth a witch."

It's interesting to know that David Kranz and the editors at the Argus Leader think it's acceptable to hold a college kid accountable for what he writes, going so far as to try to drag federal candidates into the mix. Last year, when Kranz was under scrutiny for his connections to Senator Daschle, it came to light that Kranz and Daschle were friends while they attended South Dakota State University, and that Kranz wrote at least one report for the SDSU Collegian that lauded Tom Daschle. That began a 30-year trend in which Kranz has continuously been writing laudatory reports about Tom Daschle.

Here's how Argus Leader executive editor Randell Beck responded to this scrutiny of Kranz:

So the decision was made when that didn’t happen that they were going to get a Democrat to come be a participant in that convention, and I believe off the top of my head it was Dick Kneip at the time. He came. Was a part of the mock convention. And Dave, who was a member of the staff of The Collegian wrote about it. Well, I’ve got news for folks. You know, that’s the way things happen at colleges all over this country. And I’m sure that Dave at that time did not perceive that he was going to be the preeminent political reporter for the Argus Leader. If he had, I’m sure he would have avoided carefully those conflicts. That’s a facetious comment. The point is, that, you know, you do those things in colleges, and I – it doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean anything.

Since the Argus Leader has now taken the stance that a college kid should be accountable for what he says, perhaps they will report some of the controversial things Tom Daschle said in college, too. Here's a jpeg of a story that appeared in the May 1, 1968 SDSU Collegian in which Daschle advocated, among other things "encourag[ing] the passage of federal regulation of the sale and possession of firearms." Note too that Daschle states no platform at all is better than a conservative platform (click on the image to blow up):

Here's a jpeg of one of the first in a long line of pro-Daschle articles Kranz has written:

Ah, there's nothing like the Argus Leader double standard. Republican college kids get skewered while what Kranz and Daschle did in their college days "doesn't mean anything."

Whoa dogies!

Yours truly has passed the bar exam! I spent the evening calling family and friends to let them know, and I figured I'd let my friends out there in the blogosphere know, too. Naturally, I'm in a very magnanimous mood, so I'd like to take the opportunity to let you loyal SDP readers know how much I appreciate you taking the time everyday to see what I have to say. You're the reason I keep at blogging, and why I even kept at it while I was studying for the excruciating mindgames they call the bar exam.

Well, I'm off for a celebratory drink. Cheers. Or as Dan Rather would say: Courage.

Thune calls on Daschle to release '99-'03 tax returns

The Thune campaign today issued a press release calling on Tom Daschle to release his tax returns for the past five years:

South Dakota Republican Senate candidate John Thune and his wife, Kimberley Thune, today released their federal income tax returns for the past five years and challenged Senator Tom Daschle to join him in making their returns fully accessible to the public.

“Today we have disclosed our federal income tax returns from 1999 to 2003 and have made these returns available for full public review on my campaign website, www.johnthune.com,” Thune said. “I challenge Senator Daschle to join us in disclosing their returns for the past five years and making them accessible to the public as well”

Earlier this year, the Rapid City Journal asked both candidates to release their 2003 federal income tax returns. While Thune released their returns immediately, Daschle refused to release their returns for several weeks but finally relented after substantial pressure from the newspaper.

Thune went even further today by not only releasing their returns for the past five years, but by making them fully accessible to the public by posting them on his campaign website.

WSJ slams Argus Leader

Below is a jpeg of the lead editorial in today's Wall Street Journal, which briefly discusses the dominance "Tom Daschle's pals at the Argus Leader have long had on [South Dakota's] political dialogue." I wonder if the Argus Leader will have a response to this less-than-flattering portrayal in one of the most influential editorial pages in the country.

South Dakota bloggers make WSJ print edition!

The Wall Street Journal editorial page has a piece headlined "A Media Watershed; Dan Rather and the end of the liberal monopoly." The Dakota Alliance gets mentioned in the context of Memogate:

Even in South Dakota, bloggers and the Web have challenged the dominance that Tom Daschle's pals at the Argus Leader have long had on that state's political dialogue.

The Argus Leader and Roll Call

Roll Call, a Washington, DC publication, has a report in today's edition headlined "Senate GOP Leaders Host Event for Thune" about a fundraiser held in Washington, DC yesterday to benefit John Thune's Senate campaign. The Argus Leader has a penchant for immediately reporting stories in Roll Call that reflect negatively on John Thune, and completely ignoring stories in Roll Call that negatively reflect on Senator Daschle. It will be interesting to observe whether the Argus Leader reports or ignores the mildly negative story about Thune in today's edition of Roll Call.

The Argus Leader also failed to report on a story in the New York Times about a Daschle fund-raiser held in the Hamptons, even though the Argus Leader's executive editor misleadingly stated that the AL had covered the story "at least twice." Should the Argus Leader report on yesterday's Thune fundraiser, it will be yet another example of the Argus Leader ignoring stories that reflect negatively on Daschle, and wholeheartedly pursuing stories that negatively reflect on Thune.

New York Post: "One more fund-raiser in these here parts and we'll get [Daschle] New York residency"

From today's edition of the New York Post:

SEN. Tom Daschle appears to have daschled his foot against a stone. The deep doodoo is because a Senate Minority Leader's job is to elect more Democrats to the Senate. However, this South Dakotan's interest this coming election is to get himself re-elected. One more fund-raiser in these here parts and we'll get him New York residency. Even were Kerry to win, no guarantee Daschle would now be safe although — were Kerry to win — Kerry might have enough problems on his hands without going after Tom Daschle. But I'm hearing that warming up in the bullpen are Sens. Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Harley Reid of Nevada.

"On TV, Daschle plays a great victim"

The Thune campaign has released a new television ad today titled "Straight Talk" that mentions Tom Daschle's name. The Daschle camp has already started to howl.

Local flavor added to Memogate

Bob Schieffer was in Sioux City, IA yesterday to address the annual Siouxland Chamber of Commerce dinner meeting, and had the following to say about Memogate, according to a report in the Sioux City Journal headlined "Schieffer: CBS needs to prove memos on Bush were authentic":

"I think we have to find some way to show our viewers they are not forgeries,'' Schieffer, CBS' chief Washington correspondent and host of the network's "Face the Nation,'' said at a news conference in Sioux City. "I don't know how we're going to do that without violating the confidentiality of sources.''

Dan Rather and David Kranz

At any moment, CBS will release a statement to "clarify" the Bush Guards document story. This is the story in which Dan Rather used forged documents to raise questions about President Bush's Air National Guard service. It's fitting to note that Dan Rather is a hero to David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters. In 1974, Kranz wrote a laudatory column about Dan Rather for the Austin (MN) Daily Herald. The telltale column is pictured below:

Thirty years later, Dan Rather's credibility has been shredded, and David Kranz's credibility has been shredded. What a fitting conclusion to these two posterboys for liberal bias in the mainstream media.

Daschle "in serious jeopardy of losing his seat"

The White House Bulletin, a Washington, DC publication, had the following to say yesterday about Senator Daschle's re-election chances:

Two polls in a row show Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle losing by a small margin to former Rep. John Thune, while other recent polls show Daschle with a slight lead. Whether he is ahead or behind by a couple of points, the feeling inside the Senate is that Daschle is one of two incumbents - Lisa Murkowski being the other - in serious jeopardy of losing their seat. The buzz in the Senate is that Daschle would like to see not only the extenders go through, but also an energy bill, prior to the election, as both are important to his South Dakota constituency. With President Bush having assumed the frontrunner status in the presidential race, the thinking among Senate GOP leaders is that Senate Republicans could add to their ranks in November. Even a seat or two GOP gain can change the dynamic on spending and tax bills....

Usually, pressure to go home from Senators is what drives decisions on adjournment in that body. However, this year, most incumbents appear to be safe and many of the open seats are being vacated by Democrats. With Daschle being one of the incumbents in trouble, some Republicans in town are counseling a relatively late departure in an effort to tie Daschle down in Washington while his challenger, John Thune, campaigns freely in South Dakota.

Daschle takes questions on guns in DC

Here's an interesting excerpt of the transcript from a press conference Senator Daschle held in Washington, DC yesterday:

QUESTION: But Senator Daschle, yesterday, the assault weapons ban expired with barely a whimper, really. And then today in The Post, I see on the front page that the House Republicans are going to allow an up-or-down vote on repealing the D.C. gun ban.

What does this signal to you in terms of the direction the country's going in with the gun lobby? And what future in the Senate do you think repealing a ban in D.C. will have?

DASCHLE: I just can't believe with what limited there is remaining that the House or the Senate would see fit to take up legislation like that.

As I said, we have only passed, I think it's three of the appropriations bills -- three. Ten appropriations bills remain to be considered, virtually running the entire federal government. The whole country is dependent upon whether or not we can complete our work on appropriations and on so many other issues.

And so, again, it's another illustration of the extraordinary demonstration of poor judgment with regard to scheduling.

QUESTION: Senator, specifically on the gun lobby, on the gun ban, what does that say to you in terms of the grip that the gun lobby may have on the Republicans, which you've alluded to in the past?

DASCHLE: Well, I think that President Bush was right. Others have expressed the same view that I have, that the assault weapons ban should have been extended. And it's unfortunate that it was not.

(Emphasis added.)

Kranz skates by Senate poll

Yesterday, I predicted David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters, would skip the latest Rasmussen poll in his column today. Well, my prediction was wrong, sort of. If you blinked, you missed it. Here's how Kranz reported the results of the poll, in a paragraph near the end of his column:

...Thune over Daschle, 50-47...

That's how the dean of South Dakota political reporters reports the historic news that a Senate leader is losing to a challenger. That hasn't happened since 1952, when Senate Majority Leader Ernest McFarland of Arizona began falling behind his 43 year old challenger, Barry Goldwater.

Also, as predicted, Kranz skipped the Bob Novak quote on CNN reporting that "[T]he Democrats I talked to here in Washington are very worried about South Dakota, where the Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle is actually a point or two behind in the polls[.]"

Kranz Watch

David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters, as well as the Argus Leader, came in for some blistering criticism from former U.S. Rep. Clint Roberts yesterday:

The Argus Leader "has been a pretty strong supporter of Daschle over the years" and Kranz "is about as biased as they come," although he's a nice guy personally.

Kranz's pro-Daschle bias will soon become more evident, because it's almost a lead pipe cinch that he won't mention the latest independent poll that shows Thune leading Daschle in his column tomorrow. It's too damaging to Daschle for Kranz's taste.

And it's a complete lead pipe cinch that Kranz won't mention the following quote from conservative commentator Bob Novak on CNN yesterday:

"[T]he Democrats I talked to here in Washington are very worried about South Dakota, where the Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle is actually a point or two behind in the polls[.]"

For the sake of the last remaining vestige of his credibility, I hope Kranz proves me wrong. I'm not holding my breath, though.

Thune has yet to run an ad that even mentions Daschle

Senator Daschle has begun running an ad that states in part "John Thune is running another negative, misleading ad." There's one major problem, though. John Thune has not run a single ad that even mentions Senator Daschle. Even the Argus Leader says Daschle is wrong to say John Thune is running a negative ad:

The National Republican Senatorial Committee, not John Thune, paid for the gas-tax ad. In this respect, Daschle's spot is wrong because it deems the source commercial a "THUNE AD."

Even the Rapid City Journal says Daschle can't get his facts straight:

In response to the NRSC's gas-tax ad, Daschle's campaign responded with an ad that accuses Thune of running the "negative ad." Of course, it isn't an ad from the Thune campaign, but from the NRSC.

Clearly, it's Senator Daschle who is running the negative and misleading ad.

DVT interviews former Daschle opponent

DVT has posted excerpts of a recent interview with former U.S. Representative Clint Roberts, the man Daschle defeated in 1982 after South Dakota was consolidated from two districts to a single, at-large district. The interview illustrates how Daschle was elected to office under false pretences, running as a conservative to get elected, and once elected moving sharply to the left. I think it's safe to say that one does not become the Democratic Leader of the Senate by being a conservative. Today, according to the National Journal, Daschle is more liberal than 80 percent of the entire Senate.

WaPo reports Daschle's stance on flag amendment

The Washington Post has a report today headlined "Kerry, Edwards and Daschle May Face Vote on Flag." Excerpt:

For some Republicans it is the perfect political storm: a Senate vote on a constitutional amendment to protect the U.S. flag that would put Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry, running mate John Edwards and Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle on the spot just a few weeks before the Nov. 2 elections....

As senators, Kerry (Mass.), Edwards (N.C.) and Daschle (S.D.) have voted against the amendment and are described by colleagues as still opposed to it.

Quote of the Day

"This is a gun-owning culture out here. I'm training my daughters on how to use a semiautomatic handgun because ... someday they're going to be out living on their own, and it's something they need to know." - John Thune, quoted in an Argus Leader story today headlined "Lines drawn in gun-ban battle: Daschle supports law; Thune happy to see it go."

Argus Leader Daschle Endorsement Countdown

Regular SDP readers will note that I have initiated a countdown on the right side of this blog numbering the days until the Argus Leader's editors publish their endorsement of Senator Daschle. The Argus Leader should forego the charade of interviewing the candidates and just issue the endorsement already.

The latest Rasmussen poll

The Rasmussen Reports website has now posted the results of a poll conducted last Wednesday that shows John Thune leading Senator Daschle by three points.

Word on the street

Bob Burns, a South Dakota State University professor who is frequently quoted in the Argus Leader by David Kranz as some sort of objective "expert," was spotted today in Brookings plastered with Daschle and Herseth stickers at a League of Women Voters meeting. It's perfectly fine for Burns to take sides, but holding himself out as a "neutral" analyst and being frequently quoted by the "neutral" Argus Leader's "neutral" David Kranz is a total sham.

For more on Bob Burns' "neutral" background, see this post. Interestingly, every quote of his in any Argus Leader article that discusses Daschle (as well as in other publications) is almost invariably pro-Daschle. It's a total sham that Burns is held out to be a neutral observer. Take the following delightful example from only 12 days ago, where Burns says John Thune is "confusing voters":

"It is a close race," says Bob Burns, political science professor at South Dakota State University.

But he thinks Daschle still holds the edge.

Thune is confusing voters with his television ads, Burns says.

"There are two contradicting messages. He says he is independent and not tied to the White House with every vote, and then the other message is that Senator Daschle is an obstructionist and he will be fully supportive of the president," Burns said.

FLASHBACK: Daschle and the "Homestead Tax Deduction"

A recent story in the Anchorage Daily News headlined "Murkowski owes D.C. back taxes" jogged my memory of a flap that occurred a year ago regarding Senator Daschle's $1.9 million D.C. home and whether it was his "principal place of residence." Here's the relevant graf from the Anchorage Daily News:

The congressional newsletter Roll Call reported last year that a conservative group attacked Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat, for claiming the deduction on his $1.9 million home in the district. The group argued that his principal residence was supposed to be in South Dakota, not Washington, D.C.

Daschle responded that he wasn't breaking the law, because his wife, Linda, a prominent lobbyist, qualified for the exemption.

Washington tax officials agreed but said that in "98 percent" of the cases a member of Congress wouldn't qualify.

You can read the entire Roll Call story headlined "Daschle Hit On Tax Break; Wife Claims ‘Homestead’ Exemption" by clicking HERE. Excerpt:

Public records show that Daschle is in fact receiving the $30,000 tax deduction that reduces his property tax bill by a few hundred dollars annually as long as the property is the principal residence of the owner.

“I don’t profess to be a D.C. property tax expert, but it appears from what they have on the Web site that it would be improper because it’s supposed to be your main residence and these politicians profess to their constituents, ‘I represent you,’” Keating explained. “It would seem strange to take a property tax break aimed at D.C. residents.”

Talon News, a conservative Web-based publication that first reported the charges last week, suggested in its story that Daschle “may not even qualify for the tax credit, since one of the requirements is that the property must be the owner’s primary residence.”

But both Daschle aides and a spokesman for Williams dismissed the charges as baseless, partisan attacks and said the South Dakota Democrat is in complete compliance with the law because his wife, Linda, qualifies for the tax break.

“The Daschles are most definitely entitled to the homestead deduction, just as I am,” Williams’ spokesman Tony Bullock said, adding that the notion that the tax break is somehow a targeted program for low-income households is erroneous.

“It’s available to all homeowners in the District, regardless of the value of their property or their level of income,” Bullock continued. “The reason the Daschles’ are entitled to it has everything to do with Mrs. Daschle and nothing to do with Mr. Daschle. She pays District income taxes, so she qualifies.”

The question is not just about income taxes. Washington, DC's city government website flatly states that in order to qualify for the deduction, Washington DC must be the person's "principal residence." Apparently, Linda Daschle (a highly compensated corporate lobbyist) qualifies for the homestead deduction because Washington, DC is her principal residence. It stands to reason that a person can only have one principal place of residence, and in the case of Linda Daschle, it seems South Dakota isn't it.

By the way, although a newspaper in Alaska and a newspaper in Washington, DC (Roll Call) have reported this story, the Argus Leader has yet to say boo about it. Of course, the Argus Leader only reports stories from Roll Call that negatively impact John Thune, so go figure.

New poll: Thune leading, 50%-47%

DVT reports the latest poll by Rasmussen, and the most astounding number is Daschle's unfavorability rating (45%!). There's lots of clock left in this race, but I think the Daschle campaign is running out of options. They've been running ads for over a year, and these days, you can't watch even a small amount of television without seeing at least a couple of Daschle ads. My girlfriend told me she even saw a Daschle ad on The Learning Channel's "Trading Spaces" recently. Daschle's ad saturation isn't working (it seems the more he advertises, the further he sinks in the polls), and I think the only option left to him, particularly when Daschle's unfavorability rating is so high, is to start running ads that will drive up Thune's unfavorability rating.

Hinderaker puts Dan Rather on the defensive

I can only stand in awe of John Hinderaker, the man who almost singlehandedly has Dan Rather making his last stand on the CBS Evening News tonight.

John was kind enough to deliver the keynote address at the Dakota Blog Alliance Conference a few weeks ago. In many ways, it's because of John (a South Dakota native) and his colleagues at Power Line that the Dakota Blog Alliance has become so successful.

Keeping the story straight

DVT writes today that the Daschle camp has had a lot of trouble this year keeping its story straight. Last week, the Daschle camp made conflicting statements about holding a debate in Indian country, and today we find out that there are conflicting stories about whether a deal was struck between Daschle and Native American journalist Tim Giago to get Giago out of the race.

Also today, Senator Daschle has begun running ads accusing John Thune of running "another negative ad." That claim is plainly false. The Thune for Senate campaign has not aired any ads that either mention Tom Daschle or criticize Daschle.

What Daschle is referring to, of course, is the new ad by the National Republican Senatorial Committee criticizing Daschle's record of voting to raise federal gas taxes. What's interesting is that even Steve Hildebrand, Tom Daschle's campaign manager, admits John Thune is not running the ad in an e-mail to supporters today. Excerpt from the Hildebrand e-mail (be sure to read the entire e-mail at Quentin Riggins' blog):

The attack is typical of the dirty tricks used by Karl Rove and his ilk over the years. It takes votes from more than a decade ago and twists them around to try to trick South Dakota voters. John Thune wants to sit on the sideline while his big money friends run ads assailing Tom. This is the same tactic, the Bush Campaign used with the Swift Boat ads.

(Emphasis added.) While John Thune has had no part in this ad, it's interesting to observe how the Daschle camp feels it's unfair to scrutinize votes made "more than a decade ago" to raise the federal gas tax. Well, let's scrutinize some of the votes Daschle has cast more recently to either raise the gas tax or prevent lowering it:

Estate Tax Repeal – Gas Tax Suspension. “Abraham, R-Mich., motion to waive the Budget Act with respect to the Reid, D-Nev., point of order against the Abraham amendment. The Abraham amendment would suspend the 18.4 cents-per-gallon federal gas tax for 150 days.” (H.R. 8, CQ Vote #183: Motion rejected 40-59: R 40-15; D 0-44; July 13, 2000. Daschle voted Nay.)

Gas Tax Suspension – Cloture. “Motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on the bill that would suspend the 4.3-cents-a-gallon portion of the federal gas tax from April 15 through Jan. 1, 2001. It also would suspend the remainder of the 18.4 cents-per-gallon tax if the national average price of gasoline reaches $2 a gallon. It would provide a similar tax suspension for diesel fuel, kerosene and aviation fuel.” (S. 2285, CQ Vote #80: Motion rejected 43-56: R 43-12; D 0-44, April 11, 2000. Daschle voted Nay.)

Highway and Transit Reauthorization – Gas Tax. “Mack, R - Fla., motion to waive the Budget Act with respect to the Warner, R-Va., point of order against the Mack amendment to the Roth, R-Del., amendment to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee substitute amendment. The Mack amendment would eliminate the 4.3-cent tax on transportation fuels.” (S. 1173, CQ Vote #26: Motion rejected 18-80: R 16-37; D 2-43; March 11, 1998. Daschle voted Nay.)

White House Travel Office Employee Reimbursement – Cloture. “Motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on the Dole, R-Kan., amendment to repeal the 1993 gasoline tax increase until Dec. 31, 1996.” (H.R. 2937, CQ Vote #112: Motion rejected 54-43: R 53-0; D 1-43, May 14, 1996. Daschle voted Nay.)

White House Travel Office Employee Reimbursement – Cloture. “Motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on the Dole, R-Kan., amendment to repeal the 1993 gasoline tax increase, increase the minimum wage, and incorporate the text of a bill (S295) clarifying employer roles in certain labor-management organizations.” (H.R. 2937, CQ Vote #111: Motion rejected 52-44: R 52-1; D 0-43, May 9, 1996. Daschle voted Nay.)

Fiscal 1994 Budget Reconciliation – Adoption. Daschle Voted For President Clinton’s 1993 Tax Increase, Which Increased The Federal Gas Tax By 4.3 Cents. (H.R. 2264, CQ Vote #247: Adopted 50-50: R: 0-44; D 50-6, with Vice President Al Gore casting a “yea” vote, August 6, 1993. Daschle voted Yea.)

Clearly, Daschle can't defend the indefensible, so he's relegated to making attempts to cut off criticism of his record by claiming such criticism is a "negative attack."

UPDATE: Sibby has posted the complete press release from the Thune campaign responding to Daschle's ad accusing Thune of "running another negative ad." Excerpt:

"Tom Daschle blatantly lies when he denies voting to increase federal gas taxes and when he falsely accuses John Thune of running a negative ad," said Thune for Senate campaign manager Dick Wadhams. "We have not aired an ad that even mentions Daschle much less that attacks him."

"How can Tom Daschle go on the air and lie about his clear record of voting to increase federal gas taxes?"

Daschle camp says no deal was struck to get Giago out

Denise Ross, political reporter for the Rapid City Journal, has an interesting report today headlined "Summit set between S.D., tribal leaders." In it, Steve Hildebrand, Senator Daschle's campaign manager, says "There was never a deal struck with [Independent Senate candidate Tim] Giago." The Daschle camp's assertion that no deal was struck completely contradicts the huge headline from last April in the Lakota Journal that read "On Daschle's word of honor, Giago drops out."

DVT has a lot more.

Former POW and MOH recipient Leo Thorsness slams Kerry

Once again, there's a local flavor to the controversy over Senator John Kerry's anti-war record. Today, the documentary "Stolen Honor" was released, an effort by former Vietnam POW's to inform the American people that John Kerry's anti-war activities prolonged their stay and increased their torture. Appearing in the documentary is one Leo K. Thorsness. Thorsness was a POW in North Vietnam and is a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Leo Thorsness was the man Tom Daschle defeated by fourteen votes in 1978, marking the beginning of Daschle's rise to prominence. (Thorsness also ran against Senator McGovern in 1974 and was defeated.) Jon Lauck of DVT recently interviewed Thorsness for a piece published in National Review Online headlined "The Old Daschle Playbook." Excerpt:

In a recent interview, Daschle's first opponent Leo Thorsness noted that Daschle "absolutely ran as a conservative Democrat" in 1978 and embraced "conservative issues and positions." Thorsness noted, however, that Daschle is now "more liberal in what he's saying" and has "changed his views to climb the leadership."

(Emphasis added.) You can view the Thorsness clip from "Stolen Honor" by clicking HERE and scrolling down.

Comparing "Women for Daschle" to "Women for Thune"

Today's edition of Roll Call reports on a "Women for Tom" event being held in Washington, D.C. tonight:

If Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) likes good food and powerful women, he’ll be in his happy place tonight. A who’s who of Washington women are throwing a bash for the Senator tonight at the home of Democratic public relations mavens Tony and Heather Miller Podesta.

The “women for Tom,” as their invitation reads, can relax, drink some wine, flirt with their favorite Senator and, best of all, enjoy some home Italian cooking by the Podesta brothers — Tony and John, the Clintonite who founded the Center for American Progress.

Daschle and his generous donors can expect a little maiale tonnato, a pork dish, and poached chicken with lemon basil dressing from chef John. Chef Tony will be making an arugula salad with blood oranges and fennel, carrots with lemon zest and garlic, and assorted roasted veggies. (And unlike some unnamed master chefs at highbrow restaurants, John does not cook his vegetables in meat stock, sister-in-law Heather told HOH.

“Of course, Tony’s the better chef,” she said.

That family dispute aside, Women for Tom say they plan to raise $50,000 tonight — a hefty goal considering the stiff competition: Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) is the attraction at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser across the street.

“This is the place to be,” Ms. Podesta bragged. “It’s all about the food.”

And the women. Besides Linda Daschle, others on the host list include: Kim Dorgan, wife of Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.); Debbie Dingell, wife of Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.); Nancy Zirkin, a women’s civil rights leader; Winnie Stachelberg, new head of the Human Rights Campaign; Hilary Rosen, a volunteer at HRC and former head of the Recording Industry Association of America; Susie Turnbull, who heads the Women’s Leadership Forum at the DNC; and many others.

Dinner will be served by a slew of former Daschle staffers. Joel Johnson will be head waiter, Larry Stein the busboy and Mark Patterson the bartender. (And no drinking allowed on the job. Orders of Ms. Podesta.)

It should be noted that this "Women for Tom" event seems to be hosted by women who are unable to vote for him. By way of contrast, I snapped this photo today in Sioux Falls, SD of a car with a bumper sticker that reads "Women for Thune." I think the distinction between the two women's groups speaks volumes.

Daschle's "fifty-first Democratic senator"

The fellow pictured above is Ben Barnes, who, as Texas lieutenant governor in 1969, says he recommended George W. Bush to the Air National Guard as a favor to a Bush family friend, in order for Bush to avoid being drafted. 60 Minutes interviewed him about the story last night, and you can read a transcript of his interview with Dan Rather HERE.

Interestingly, in a September, 2001 Texas Monthly story headlined "So what if he never got to be governor or president? Thirty years after Sharpstown, Ben Barnes is more powerful than ever," Senator Tom Daschle was quoted calling Barnes "the fifty-first Democratic Senator" because Barnes was instrumental in elevating Daschle to majority leader in 2001. Relevent graf from the Texas Monthly story:

On a steamy summer afternoon in Washington, the kind of day when your clothes absorb the humidity from the sodden air, Ben Barnes is exactly where everybody in Texas politics knew he would be someday: in the private Senate dining room at the U.S. Capitol. The tall redhead is instantly recognizable, and even in this inner sanctum of power, he seems to know someone at every table. Here comes Thomas Carper of Delaware across the floor to shake hands. There goes Barnes to press the flesh with John Edwards of North Carolina. On the way out, he exchanges greetings with Dianne Feinstein of California and Charles Schumer of New York. The moment is exactly as it should be, except for two things: It is three decades late, and Barnes is not a senator but a guest. P Life has landed some nasty punches on the onetime golden boy of Texas politics. In the sixties he became Speaker of the House at 26 and lieutenant governor at 30; in 1970 he was touted by Lyndon Johnson as a future president of the United States. But even as LBJ lavished praise on Barnes, forces were already at work that would sweep the prodigy out of office in a matter of months and stamp an indelible taint on his reputation. He turned to real estate development, but in the mid-eighties, the speculative empire that he had built with his onetime mentor, John Connally, came crashing down, throwing both men into personal bankruptcy. In the nineties the revelation of his sensationally lucrative dealings with GTECH, the company that won, with Barnes's help, the right to operate the Texas lottery, set off the shaking of heads and clucking of tongues once again. Yet here he is in the rarefied atmosphere of big power and big-time politics -- one of the chief financial and strategic architects of the Democratic resurgence to parity (and subsequently control) in the Senate. Majority leader Tom Daschle has called him "the fifty-first Democratic senator."

(Emphasis added.) This guy is hardly a dispassionate witness with no ax to grind against the Bush presidency. But 60 Minutes gives him more time than they will ever give the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth.

National Review: Daschle has it both ways on issue after issue

Fellow Dakota Alliance blogger Jon Lauck of DVT has a new piece published today in National Review Online headlined "Thune looms." Excerpt:

During his first election, Daschle sent a letter to voters saying, "I am opposed to abortion. I do not support it. I have never supported it. It is an abhorrent practice. As a citizen and as a lifelong member of the Catholic faith I will do everything in my power to persuade others that abortion is wrong." To solidify his Catholic bona fides, Daschle enclosed a letter from eight Catholic nuns saying "We know and we tell those with whom we speak of your abhorrence for abortion — and of your commitment to life." Daschle now sends fundraising letters for NARAL. When the Bishop of Sioux Falls says Daschle should stop calling himself Catholic and that Catholics should not vote for pro-choice pols, Daschle says his relationship to the church is a private matter, despite his earlier invocation of his Catholicism.

Read the whole thing. Daschle's long record of maneuvers, reversals, and double-crosses over the years really is quite breathtaking.

Quote of the Day

"There is a huge difference between majority leader and minority leader in Washington. If we lose the majority leader's position, we lose 50 percent of my ability to help South Dakota because I will no longer be in the driver's seat on issues in the United States Senate that are important to the state." - Senator Tom Daschle, quoted in the November 11, 2002 edition of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.

FLASHBACK: Daschle more liberal than 80% of the Senate

The reader will find it very informative to sift through Project Vote Smart's list of various interest group ratings of Tom Daschle. One of the more interesting ratings listed is from the National Journal:

According to the National Journal - Composite Liberal Score's calculations, in 2003, Senator Daschle voted more liberal on economic, defense and foreign policy issues than 80 percent of the Senators.

By comparison, moderate Democratic Senator John Breaux voted more liberal on economic, defense and foreign policy issues than 55% of the Senators.

One of the more surprising ratings given to Tom Daschle is his rating from the American Legion. Given Daschle's constant touting of his record on veterans' issues, he only gets a 50% rating from the American Legion.

National Review on obstructionism in the Senate

The National Review has an excellent piece about the next few weeks in the Senate headlined "The Obstructionists on the Hill; Watch for September’s Senate subplot." Excerpt:

"The Senate is an institution that exemplifies 21st-century politics but operates under 18th-century rules," a former senior GOP leadership aide told me. And when lawmakers return after the August break, most expect the Democrats to use those rules to block just about everything Republicans try to bring up.

But playing in the Democrats' obstructionist orchestra is not without risk. Some voters find the legislative dissonance petty and partisan — and could decide to oust lawmakers who make that kind of music.

So here is an interesting Senate September subplot to watch. Republicans will raise the decibel level about obstructionism, while Democrats will try to find a balance between denying GOP victories while still appearing cooperative.

But who wins this battle depends in part on who really cares about obstructionism in the Senate. Recent polling data from the American Survey, gathered August 19-22 (800 registered voters, margin of error 3.5 percent), sheds some light on this issue — exposing expected, as well as surprising, vulnerabilities for the Democrats.

Overall, a slight majority (54 percent) believe "Democrats engage in obstructionism in the Senate," while 40 percent think they want to "work with Republicans." Voters in each party hold expected attitudes toward the current political environment in the Senate. For example, 79 percent of Republicans think Senate Democrats engaged in obstruction, while only 34 percent of Democrats held that view — not a particularly surprising result.

Independent voters' views are somewhere in the middle. Yet it should trouble Democrats that a majority of these swing voters believe Democrats are engaged in obstruction. 53 percent of independents take that view compared to only 40 percent who say Democrats want to "work with Republicans."

It will be up to Senator Daschle to "find a balance between denying GOP victories while still appearing cooperative." This "Senate subplot" will be on the front burner in South Dakota, and the Dakota Alliance blogs will be scrutinizing every development in this subplot.

The Daschle v. Thune debate standard

A reader writes:

Just wondering if you will show equal outrage at Bush only debating twice as you show when discussing Daschle debating seven to eight times.

President Bush should debate Kerry more than twice. If anything, I think more debates are to Bush's advantage, because the more exposure John Kerry has on primetime television, the more people will dislike Kerry. The USA Today has more on this topic.

Roll Call on the NRSC ad

Roll Call has an article today headlined "New NRSC Ad Attacks Daschle Stance on Taxes." Excerpt:

The National Republican Senatorial Committee began an independent expenditure campaign Tuesday attacking Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle’s (D) record on taxes.

“National Democrats have pushed an agenda of higher energy taxes, higher gas taxes,” says the ad’s narrator. “It’s Tom Daschle’s responsibility to push that agenda.”

The commercial goes on to tie Daschle’s voting record to that of Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee.

“Tom Daschle, he’s loyal to a national Democrat agenda, at South Dakota’s expense,” the narrator says at the ad’s conclusion.

The spot represents the leading edge of a $2.4 million television campaign sponsored by the NRSC to benefit the candidacy of former Rep. John Thune (R).

Note the accuracy and precision of the headline. It says the ad attacks Daschle's STANCE on taxes, and therefore is NOT an attack on Daschle personally. Last time I checked, criticizing one's record is fundamental to the democratic process. Note, too, the accuracy of the lede in the Roll Call piece, which says the ad attacks Daschle's RECORD. Then see the weakness of the Daschle camp's response as seen on the Daschle Digest blog:

Starting a $2.4 million negative ad campaign at candidate John Thune's behest, the National Republican Senatorial Committee today started running a television ad that uses votes from 11 years ago to falsely assert that Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle supports raising taxes on gas and other energy sources.

Is the Daschle campaign really saying that votes from eleven years ago aren't fair game to criticize and scrutinize? Does the senator regret casting those votes? Why won't he explain the votes, rather than whine about "negative ads"? It seems Daschle can't defend his positions, and so is relegated to a position of trying to cut off criticism of his indefensible positions.

The Rapid City Journal interviews Daschle's campaign manager

Last week, Denise Ross transcribed an interview with Thune campaign manager Dick Wadhams. This week, she has a transcript of an interview with Daschle campaign manager Steve Hildebrand headlined "Growing up poor led to politics." Excerpt:

Ross: How much can you talk about your strategy for the remaining two months? What's your No. 1 priority?

Hildebrand: Make sure the truth is told about Tom's record for this state. We go directly to the voters. We have an aggressive paid media campaign just like John does, but we are better at going and having conversations with people at the door or casual conversations with voters over the phone that are engaging conversations, not intimidating conversations. We believe if voters understand Tom's record and can sift through some of the crap that's going to be thrown at Tom from the other side, we will win this race.

Ross: Is there anything else you'd like to say?

Hildebrand: This race is a defining race for this state. If they choose Tom Daschle, they will choose based on what they believe is best for South Dakota. If they choose John Thune, they will make a choice based on wedge issues that distract from what is best for this state.

The Rapid City Journal blog

The Rapid City Journal has started a blog (called Mt. Blogmore) that will be operated by political reporter Denise Ross, among others. Though it just started yesterday, they already have four posts up. Conversely, the Argus Leader blog has been up and running for around six weeks, and they've only posted nine times. I think most will agree that the RCJ blog is already much more interesting than the AL blog.

Was Giago suckered?

This past spring, prominent Native American journalist Tim Giago entered the Senate race as an independent. This development set off alarm bells in the Daschle camp, and Daschle frantically urged Giago to get out of the race, at one point calling him and asking him if he wanted to be South Dakota's Ralph Nader. Eventually, a meeting was held between the two, and Giago dropped out of the race, stating that in exchange for dropping out, “Every Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota will be shocked and surprised at some of the issues Senator Daschle will bring forth.” A meeting to discuss these issues was purportedly scheduled to be held in August.

The August meeting never materialized, and the editor of the Lakota Journal began asking why it hadn't materialized, particularly after Daschle had given his "word of honor." Now a meeting between Daschle and tribal leaders is scheduled for September 25th. Daschle has said that the meeting is about "opening a dialogue." I don't know about you, but "opening a dialogue" doesn't seem "shocking" or "surprising" to me. In fact, "opening a dialogue" seems quite lame, if it means anything at all. If "opening a dialogue" is all Tim Giago is getting from Tom Daschle in exchange for dropping out of the race, then it seems Giago got suckered out of the race, with no opportunity to re-enter.