South Dakota Politics

Daschle using religion for political purposes

"I think there are those who try to use religion for political purposes. I would hope that wouldn't happen. I think one's religious beliefs are generally between you and God." - Senator Tom Daschle, according to a recent AP story headlined "Religion plays prominent role in South Dakota's Senate race."

Today, Daschle has an auto-dial message from a clergy member being sent out across the state. Below is the transcript of the message:

Hi this is Pastor Don Niedringhaus. [Retired ELCA pastor and former employee of Augustana College]

I’ve never spoken out like this before but because my friend is getting unfairly attacked I thought it was too important to stay quiet. Senator Tom Daschle has done a lot for our state and he is a good and decent man, in fact he’s one of the most genuine and finest people I know. I’ve known Tom for a long time, and I know he shares our values. He is a man of faith, honor and integrity and he cares deeply about people and especially the people of our state. The lessons he learned growing up in Aberdeen as an alter boy attending Sacred Heart School and serving in the Air Force continue to guide him every day as a father, grandfather, and servant leader of the people of South Dakota. I hope you’ll join me and other people, of faith, all across this state and voting for Tom Daschle on Tuesday. A vote for Tom Daschle is a vote for a good decent man who will always do what is right for South Dakota. Thank you for listening.

AP: vote buying alleged

The AP is reporting: "Observer alleges vote buying; worker says he never went to Pine Ridge." Excerpt:

[The GOP] provided to The Associated Press a copy of two affidavits signed by Paul Brenner, who said he lives in Virginia and is in South Dakota as a volunteer election monitor.

Brenner stated he talked with people on the Rosebud Indian Reservation who indicated that Four Directions was paying voters.

On Thursday, while seated next to a poll watcher for Sen. Tom Daschle and New York lawyer Greg Lembrich, two women asked when they would get paid, according to one of the affidavits.

NRA Rally

DVT has pictures of tonights NRA rally for Thune. It so happened that only a few doors down from the NRA rally was a meeting for Daschle's out-of-state coterie of lawyers. All of their luggage was piled up against the wall in the room where they were meeting. DVT has pictures of that as well.

U.S. Attorney: tribal court has no authority to keep GOP from poll-watching

The AP is reporting: "Accused GOP worker says he's never been to Pine Ridge." Excerpt:

A tribal judge has no authority to keep Republicans from watching Tuesday's voting on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney James McMahon said Saturday.

"It would be my interpretation of that order that it does not comply with the law, and I have let it be known to law enforcement that they should not be enforcing any order on the reservation which purports to keep the Republican Party away from the polls," he said.

"If anyone does that, they're subjecting themselves to violating federal law."

Of course, the most bizarre thing about this story, as the headline indicates, is that the person accused of intimidation on the Pine Ridge Reservation has never been there in his life:

Four Directions accuses [Ryan] Knutson of intimidating its workers on Wednesday at Pine Ridge by videotaping them on private property. The order does not accuse him of harassing voters.

On Saturday, Knutson called The Associated Press and said they've got the wrong guy.

"This is bizarre. I have never been to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in my entire life," he said in a telephone interview from his North Sioux City home.

The worst thing about this whole absurd affair is that Ryan Knutson now has a restraining order against him without receiving due process of law. Ryan called me today and informed me he is outraged by this smear and is considering taking legal action against Brett Healy, the executive director of Four Directions.

Abderdeen newspaper explores Mansiongate

The Aberdeen American News has a report in today's edition headlined "Daschle resident status explored." Excerpt:

Daschle campaign official Dan Pfeiffer said the senator is "first and foremost" a South Dakotan. He said Thune's repeated assertion that Daschle declared Washington, D.C., as his primary residence is "flatly false."

Don't listen to what he says, look at the record. Below is the legal document Daschle signed declaring DC to be his "principal place of residence":

But when a pesky reporter started investigating this document, the Daschle camp amended the legal document to reflect Linda Daschle's signature, rather than Tom's.

The Aberdeen American News article continues:

House in Aberdeen: Their Aberdeen house is taxed as owner-occupied property, meaning it gets a 30 percent break on property taxes. State regulations allow owner-occupied status to be given to a home in which the owner's parents live. Daschle's mother lives in the Aberdeen house and previously owned it.

The owner-occupied rate saved the Daschles more than $400 a year on taxes for the Aberdeen house.

Interestingly, South Dakota regulation 64:04:01:13.03 reads in part:

If the dwelling is occupied by a parent of the owner, the parent is considered the owner and occupant of the single-family dwelling.

It would seem that Tom Daschle is not considered the "owner" of the Aberdeen house for tax purposes, according to the regulation above.

Breaking news: No Republicans allowed in reservation polling places

The AP is reporting: "Oglala order could prevent GOP poll watching on Pine Ridge."

Giuliani in Sioux Falls last night

Rudy Giuliani, the man who personified what's best about America during one of the blackest days in our history, was in South Dakota stumping for John Thune tonight. Below are some pictures from the event held in Sioux Falls:

Talmage Ekanger signs books at B&N

Here's a picture of Talmage Ekanger, author of "The Other Side of Tom Daschle" signing books at the Sioux Falls Barnes and Noble last night:

Ad in today's Argus Leader

Below is a picture of a pro-Thune ad in today's Argus Leader purchased by a relative of mine from Mission, SD named Mike Assman:

The RV vote

Quentin notes a report from Minnesota Public Radio headlined "RV vote could affect South Dakota senate race." Excerpt from the MPR report:

In South Dakota, Minnehaha County Auditor Sue Roust is also concerned. She's a Democrat. She says RV voters tend to favor Republicans. She uses the Tower Campground precinct as an example.

"The voters who I consider to be the resident voters, there's a slight Democratic edge in registration. Whereas with the RV'ers, it's Republicans 46 percent, Democrats 27 percent," says Roust.

Quentin observes:

If Linda Daschle can register to vote in South Dakota without ever having lived here why can't a slew of RVers?

Interesting question.

Daschle camp's treatment of respected author is telling

Tim Drake, a respected Catholic author and journalist, got mauled by the Daschle camp when he tried to get to the bottom of the Emily's List controversy that has become an issue in the Senate campaign. You can get Mr. Drake's version of events on his blog.

Are the Bush-bashers riding to the rescue of the Bush-hugger?

DVT is all over the news that the Bush-bashing 527 group called The Media Fund has purchased ad time on Sioux Falls TV stations. It's not known yet if the ad will be anti-Bush or anti-Thune, but if it's anti-Thune, it will be the height of absurdity in this campaign: a Bush-basher riding to the rescue of Daschle the Bush-hugger, who constantly says in his ads that he's "voted with President Bush more often than not."

Sabato: Dems "scared to death that Daschle will lose"

The Cavalier Daily, a University of Virginia newspaper (UVA is where political expert Larry Sabato is ensconced), has an interesting quote regarding the Daschle v. Thune race in a story headlined "Sabato's crystal ball predicts tight race":

The South Dakota race, where Minority Leader Tom Daschle is tied with Republican challenger John Thune going into the final week, especially worries Democrats Sabato said he has spoken with.

"Every one of them told me they're scared to death that Daschle will lose," he said.

It's becoming clearer everyday why Daschle has reneged on his third party ban, which he was making a HUGE deal about only last month. It says something about the character of a man who is willing to renege on a major campaign issue in a desperate attempt to retain his grip on power.

(Good catch, Jeff.)

Bill Kristol predicts a Thune win

The Weekly Standard's staff is out with their election predictions. Executive editor Bill Kristol, David Tell, and Duncan Currie predict that Thune will defeat Daschle.

Talon News profiles Senate race

Jeff Gannon, resident DC expert on South Dakota politics, has a report today headlined "Democrats Panic as Daschle Falls Behind in Polls."

The Daschle mansion

Be sure to visit www.daschlemansion.com for the details on Senator Daschle's multi-million dollar D.C. mansion, purchased with cash from corporate interests with business before Daschle on Capitol Hill.

Tom Daschle: A strong voice for K Street

Earlier this week, the Center for Public Integrity reported that Senator Daschle has received the most money from lobbyists of any senator seeking re-election this year. The bar graph accompanying the report shows Daschle almost off the chart:

Knowing that Daschle is the biggest recipient of lobbyist money of any senator running for re-election this year, it's interesting to note that the National Journal is reporting today that "a number of lobbyists with ties to Daschle have flown in [to South Dakota] to lend a hand." Gee, could there be some kind of quid pro quo going on here?

Of course, the Argus Leader has ignored this report on Daschle from the Center for Public Integrity. But, in scanning today's edition of the Argus Leader, I see that the Center for Public Integrity is cited in a story that places Republicans in a negative light. That story, of course, is written by David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters. Here's the relevant excerpt from the story headlined "USD student defends mailings for GOP to elderly":

According to the Times, the [College Republicans were] criticized in 2003 by the Center for Public Integrity of Washington, D.C., in a report asserting that several elderly donors who were contacted did not appear to know to whom they had given money.

Can there be a better example of straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel? Once again, the old Argus Leader double standard is at play. Ignore the huge story about the lobbying money Daschle receives reported by the Center for Public Integrity only two days ago, but make a big deal out of a Center for Public Integrity report last year about some Republican college kids. The Argus Leader's double standard really is indefensible.

Rapid City Journal endorses Thune

The Rapid City Journal unabashedly endorses John Thune today: "John Thune for Senate." Excerpt:

Those footsteps Sen. Tom Daschle is hearing are from his own record catching up with him....

Credit Thune for bringing Daschle's Washington record to the attention of South Dakota voters. It is Daschle's role as minority leader to block Republicans at every avenue - legislation, spending plans and appointments. How can anyone vote for both President Bush and Sen. Daschle when their priorities are in stark opposition?

Daschle claims he can do more for South Dakota as minority leader and points to all the federal spending he brings home. But home-state projects are funded for all senators, including first-timers. We wouldn't be $7.4 trillion in debt if only party leaders could bring home the pork.

Finally, we don't believe that Sen. Daschle can use his minority leader position to fix the nonpartisan base closure commission. Ellsworth Air Force Base will remain open or will close based on national defense needs and regardless of who is senator.

Daschle puts his own party ahead of what's best for South Dakota and the nation. That's not what we expect from a senator.

CORRECTION: Talmage Ekanger at Barnes & Noble TODAY

Talmage Ekanger will be signing copies of his book "The Other Side of Tom Daschle" TODAY from 6-8PM at the Sioux Falls Barnes and Noble.

Beware of those "fringe media outlets"

KELO-TV, the Sioux Falls CBS affiliate widely considered the establishment broadcast medium in South Dakota, discussed SDP on the 10:00 news tonight. You can access the internet stream of the segment HERE. I was never contacted by KELO for a comment, even though KELO News Director Mark Millage knows how to get in touch with me. The condescending tone of the segment was typical of the mainstream media dinosaurs' response to the New Media. That said, the KELO coverage of SDP was definitely not even in the same ballpark as the vitriolic response of the Argus Leader executive editor to the New Media. Below is a sampling of some of the remarks made by KELO co-anchor Angela Kennecke about the New Media generally and SDP specifically:

"There are so many sites out there that LOOK like real news, but are really just opinion or internet blogs. Just because they LOOK official or say 'news' doesn't mean that they ARE."

The following comment by Angela Kennecke about SDP is absolutely priceless:

"This is just a long internet blog. It is not an official mainstream media site."

That one's so good I'm putting it right at the top of the blog. What's sad is Angela Kennecke probably doesn't realize she paid me a compliment.

More from Quentin

Quentin asks: "Why is she voting here?"

Rudy Guiliani in SD on behalf of Thune

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani will join John Thune for rallies in Aberdeen and Sioux Falls tomorrow, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29:

5:30 PM Aberdeen Rally
Aberdeen Civic Arena, 225 3rd Avenue S.E.

6:45 PM Sioux Falls Rally
Sioux Falls Convention Center, Exhibit Hall 1
1211 North West Avenue

"The Other Side of Tom Daschle" by Talmage Ekanger

DVT notes a report in the Wall Street Journal's "Political Diary" about the book written by South Dakota lawyer Talmage Ekanger entitled "The Other Side of Tom Daschle." You can access the contents of the entire book for free in PDF format by clicking HERE.

Also, Talmage will be at the Sioux Falls Barnes and Noble on Saturday to sign copies of his book.

That Zogby poll

The Zogby poll reported in today's edition of the Rapid City Journal shows both Thune and Diedrich ahead. In fact, the poll showed such a huge lead for both Thune and Diedrich that Zogby went back and readjusted the numbers:

Zogby's initial report, for example, showed Thune leading Daschle by 49.6 percent to 43.9 percent, a result Pfeiffer called "absurd," adding, "No sane person in America believes this is a six-point race."

Diedrich led Herseth 48.8 percent to 44.5 percent in those first results, and Zogby said that gave even him pause.

I don't trust Zogby polls, so the most important information that can be gleaned here is the obvious: Both races are going to come down to who has the best GOTV effort.

Mansiongate reported in Mitchell newspaper

The Mitchell Daily Republic has a front page story today headlined "Daschle took tax breaks on both houses." The story even has pictures of Senator Daschle's DC mansion:

Quentin weighs in on Daschle's third party pledge hypocrisy

Quentin has written an "I told you so" post noting that he predicted Senator Daschle would use his phony third party ban pledge as a sword and a shield. Quentin also notes the following post from the Daschle campaign's blog written when it was still fashionable to prattle about how the Daschle campaign was "keeping out" third-party groups:

Now, of course, the "Daschle Campaign" is saying "As Thune has said all along, we don’t have direct control over these groups.” It boggles the mind how shameless these people are.

Daschle having it both ways on third party groups

“Senator Daschle has asked all third-party groups to stay out and he stands by that request. As Thune has said all along, we don’t have direct control over these groups.” - Daschle alter ego Dan Pfeiffer, as quoted in today's edition of Roll Call, reporting that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is buying TV time in South Dakota.

"Not one group has come in on my behalf. In fact, three outside groups that ran ads in 2002 have specifically stated they'll respect my request - the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters. We are directly responsible for these groups." - Senator Tom Daschle, quoted last month in the Argus Leader.

DVT has more on this issue:

For those non-SD readers, it's difficult to emphasize enough how the Daschle campaign made a HUGE deal out of their valiant efforts to block the outside Democratic attack groups from coming into South Dakota. It was a core element of their run-as-a-victim strategy. Anyway, the depth of Daschle's cynicism was again revealed when The Pledge was quickly abandoned when the pressed the panic button.

I love the smell of projection in the morning

The term "projection" in the field of psychology means "the attribution of one's own attitudes, feelings, or suppositions to others." With that in mind, let's turn to what Dan Pfieffer, Senator Daschle's alter ego, had to say today about John Thune in an Aberdeen American News story today headlined "Daschle Reneges on outside help pledge":

[Pfeiffer] said Thune is not a nice guy from Murdo, rather a desperate candidate filled with "anger and hatred."

More on Mansiongate

Jeff Gannon, resident DC expert on South Dakota politics, has another report on the burgeoning scandal over Senator Daschle's residency status headlined "Daschles Double Dipping Property Tax Breaks in DC, South Dakota." Meanwhile, DVT points to a new website, www.daschlemansion.com, that contains more details about the Daschle DC mansion at the epicenter of Mansiongate.

Daschle receives the most lobbyist cash

The Center for Public Integrity is reporting that "Senate Minority Leader Thomas Daschle, Democrat of South Dakota, received $260,000 from lobbyists, the most of any senator seeking re-election this year." More:

One reason that these donations concern campaign finance experts is that they create the potential for apparent conflicts of interest. In fact, the Center found that lobbyists sometimes made personal contributions to the very lawmakers they sought to influence....

...Sen. Daschle's campaign received more money—$13,650—from lobbyists associated with Patton Boggs than from lobbyists at any other firm. Patton Boggs' second largest client during the last six years was the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, which over that period paid the high-powered lobbying firm $5.8 million. One of ATLA's top priorities was to ward off limits on awards in medical malpractice suits. In July 2003, Daschle spearheaded a successful effort to block such proposed limits.

(Emphasis added.) What's most intriguing about this report is the accompanying chart. Daschle is almost off the chart with the amount of money he receives from lobbyists.

Daschle lies about Thune's lobbying

Minnesota Public Radio has a profile of the South Dakota Senate race today headlined "Outside money sets tone of the U.S. Senate race in South Dakota." The story contains the following quote from Senator Daschle:

"The fact is, John's made about a half a million dollars a year lobbying for pharmaceutical companies and others."

That is an outrageous lie, and Tom Daschle knows it's a lie. Thune has NEVER lobbied for the pharmaceutical industry.

Meanwhile, the New York Times has a report on the Senate race that muddles the chronology of how the lobbying brouhaha erupted. Last Wednesday, Daschle released an ad implying Thune lobbied for big drug companies. On Saturday, Thune responded with a print ad in the Argus Leader by pointing out that Senator Daschle is the only candidate in this race who has personally profited from big drug companies (Daschle's wife has lobbied for Schering Plough). In response, Daschle started running a TV ad questioning Thune's character. What is so strange about this race is that it's Daschle who has run the first TV ad on abortion, and it's Daschle who has run the first TV ad on lobbying. A year ago, no one would have believed that would be the case.

UPDATE: DVT has more on this issue.

Senator Pressler's wife blasts Argus Leader double standard

DVT has published an open letter to the Argus Leader written by Harriet Pressler, who was subjected to unrelenting scrutiny by the David Kranz-led Argus Leader during the 1990 Senate race. Here's the letter:

A Double Standard: A Senate Wife Shares Her Story

(An open letter to the Argus Leader for publication immediately)
October 27, 2004
By Harriet Pressler

Some Democrats and the Argus Leader have recently suggested that a Senate wife’s activities should not be covered in a campaign (Argus Leader headline, “Group: Wife of Candidate Not Fair Game,” October 26, 2004.) In fact, Randall Beck, Executive Editor, recently said, “We do not cover candidates’ wives.” How strange! As the wife of a Senate candidate who was subjected to much different treatment, I feel I must respond. Readers deserve to know the whole story.

I am the wife of former Republican Senator Larry Pressler. During the 1980s and the 1990s, I was repeatedly “under investigation” by the Argus Leader and subjected to false accusations from Democratic Party sources.

You may recall some of the lengthy articles analyzing my small real estate practice. The Argus Leader demanded and I produced my client list, how much money I made, who paid me and what trips or gifts I received. I told them everything, even though it didn’t amount to much. They still ran stories suggesting a conflict of interest. (This was in spite of the fact that my husband had voluntarily contacted the Senate Ethics Committee when I first became licensed in 1988 and obtained written confirmation that my job was not a conflict of interest. This was evidently not good enough for the Argus Leader.)

In the 1990 and 1996 campaigns the Argus Leader, through their Washington based Gannett News Service, had a reporter follow me around constantly sticking a microphone and camera in my face, called my business acquaintances and wrote negative articles about me. When we complained that the Argus investigation and reporting on my modest real estate activities were unfair, the Argus Leader responded, “It is our duty to explore and investigate the financial activities of a Senate wife.”

Don’t be fooled. Larry’s Democratic opponents were behind most every story. Democratic consultant Karl Struble even bragged about it following the 1996 Pressler-Johnson race, saying in an interview that they were “systematically feeding information, piece by piece, to reporters in DC and South Dakota. The result was a series of damaging articles…We used the headlines generated as validators for our ads.” Those are his own words. He is advising Senator Daschle today.

So which is it? Is it the Argus’ duty to explore and investigate Senate wives, as was explained to me? Or, are Senate wives “not fair game” as was printed in yesterday’s paper and seems to be the standard applied to Linda Daschle? I have nothing personally against the Daschles. But without even getting into the discussion of whether or not Linda Daschle’s lobbying activities present a conflict of interest, there sure appears to be a double standard here that should be brought to the attention of Argus readers.

What was the result of all the stories the Argus ran about me? They could never find anything wrong. Just innuendo. The Senate Ethics Committee again concluded that we had no conflict of interest. Larry was defeated in his 1996 campaign, and everyone forgot all about it. Incidentally, we lost money on our DC real estate investments.

We have moved on with our lives. However, I could not sit back and let the people of South Dakota be bombarded with erroneous stories in the Argus Leader and at the same time try to tear down the values and morals of another great man, John Thune.

Harriet Pressler
Wife of former Senator Larry Pressler

Below is a photo of one of the Argus Leader's stories scrutinizing Harriet Pressler's real estate dealings.

The Daschle dual residency exception

Click HERE to read a PDF copy of the letter referred to in Jeff Gannon's story today about Daschle's dual residency, sent by a South Dakota resident to the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks. The text of the letter follows:

More on Daschle's Ellsworth exaggerations

A good friend from West River sends along the following summary of Daschle overstating his clout regarding Ellsworth Air Force Base:

Daschle claims his nominee to the BRAC Commission saved Ellsworth.
“As Senate minority leader, I had the power in the 1990s to keep Ellsworth off the base closure list by appointing Al Cornella to the panel that oversees base closures. In 2005, the Pentagon will again decide what bases will close, which is why it is imperative that we have the power to send a voice to that panel that will be a rock-solid supporter of Ellsworth.” (Tom Daschle, Rapid City Journal, 4/24/04)

BUT, Daschle’s BRAC nominee said he would recuse himself from Ellsworth dealings.
“Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle’s pick for the commission was the leader of a drive to save Ellsworth Air Force base in South Dakota, Daschle’s home state. Al Cornella, who owns a commercial refrigeration business, promised the Senate panel he would stay out of any deliberations dealing with that base.” (Associated Press, 2/16/95)

Daschle now claims he isn’t aware that his BRAC nominee must recuse himself.
“If Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., gets to name a member of the commission that decides the next round of military base closures, that person would not have to take himself out of discussions about Ellsworth Air Force Base, Daschle said Tuesday. ‘I don't know of any recusal requirements whatsoever,’ Daschle said at a news conference.” (Rapid City Journal 10/27/04)

BUT, Daschle’s staff admitted his BRAC nominee was likely to stay out of deliberations.
“An aide to Daschle said Cornella would probably stay out of deliberations dealing with Ellsworth.” (Associated Press, 1/6/95)

Daschle claims his Oval Office meeting saved Ellsworth.
“Helene you have heard me talk a lot about how important it is for South Dakota to be at the front of the line. I don’t think there is a more important example of that than Ellsworth. I was able to demonstrate how important it is to be at the front of the line as the leader of, one of the two Senate leaders when I was actually in the Oval Office and asked President Clinton to take Ellsworth off the base closing list. He did. He did because I’m leader. He wouldn’t have done that if I had been a freshman Senator.” (Tom Daschle, KSFY Debate, 10/18/04)

BUT, the facts show that Ellsworth wasn’t taken off the BRAC list until months later.
“[The Oval Office] meeting occurred in ‘mid- to late December 1994,’ shortly after Daschle had been elected minority leader by his fellow Senate Democrats.” (Rapid City Journal 10/27/04)

“The New York Times reported on Feb. 24, 1995, that Ellsworth was on a draft list less than a week away from public release by Defense Secretary William Perry. The New York Times Pentagon reporter who wrote that story told the Rapid City Journal in 1995 that an Air Force official called him between editions, and Ellsworth was removed from the list in later Times editions published that same day.” (Rapid City Journal 10/27/04)

Once again, it becomes glaringly obvious that you can't listen to what Daschle says, you have to look at the record. And when Daschle talks about his clout, he's prone to exaggeration, to the point that he even takes credit for the sunrise.

NRA rally to support Thune this Saturday

Sibby informs readers that the NRA will be holding a rally in Sioux Falls this Saturday on behalf of Thune. The NRA rally will be held at the Sioux Falls Convention Center at 7:00PM.

The NRA gives Daschle on "F" on supporting the constitutional right to bear arms. That hasn't stopped Daschle from telling South Dakotans he's a "strong proponent" of Second Amendment rights. Don't listen to what Daschle says, just look at the record:

Daschle's cynicism

The Mike Madden report in today's Argus Leader headlined "National Democrats buying ads in state" captures the stunning hypocrisy of Tom Daschle:

The national Democratic Party is buying hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of television ads in South Dakota, despite a pledge by Sen. Tom Daschle to keep outside allies off the airwaves....

For months, Daschle has blamed Thune for not stopping national Republicans and other groups that support him from advertising in South Dakota. Both Daschle and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which bought the new ads, have said the DSCC would not get involved in the ad war here.

Now Thune says the new Democratic Party ads show Daschle saying one thing at home and doing another in Washington....

The DSCC ads could neutralize one of Daschle's arguments against Thune, who had refused to join Daschle in a pledge to keep outside groups off the state's television sets. All along, Thune had said he couldn't control such groups and that they were likely to buy ads whether the candidates wanted them to or not.

DVT notes that Daschle savagely attacked Thune with TV ads for saying he couldn't control third party groups, but now Daschle's campaign spokesman says "due to campaign finance laws, candidates aren't allowed to coordinate with outside groups." Well, that's what Thune said all along, but Daschle tried to score some cheap political points by grandstanding on this issue. Not long ago, I heard a commentator say that Senate Dems were "counting on Daschle to hang on by his fingernails." This ad buy is a telling indication that Senate Dems are no longer counting on Daschle to hang on by his fingernails. Daschle's internal polls must be showing he's lost his grip.

Rapid City Journal: Daschle exaggerating his role in saving Ellsworth AFB

Rapid City Journal political reporter Denise Ross has a report today headlined "Daschle: Recusal from BRAC panel not an issue." Ellsworth Air Force Base is a huge economic engine for West River South Dakota, and Daschle has spent this campaign demagoguing the prospect of Ellsworth's closure, saying he's the only one with enough clout to save Ellsworth. Well, it turns out that if the past is any guide, Daschle's clout won't matter, because those who sit on the base closing commission are obligated to act fairly and impartially when making decisions about base closings. Excerpt from the RCJ report:

Six days before the three-term incumbent stands for re-election in a close race against Republican John Thune, Daschle touted how his job as leader of the Senate Democrats would give him a voice in the membership of a new base-closing commission.

Daschle told reporters and supporters that as the newly minted Senate minority leader in 1995, he nominated Rapid City businessman Al Cornella to the Defense Department's Base Realignment and Closure Commission.

"It is critical that we have our voice this time just as we did last time," Daschle said.

About a decade ago, Daschle's nomination of Cornella drew fire from then-House Majority Leader Dick Armey, credited with designing the base-closure process.

"I assume this is a joke," Armey said of Cornella, who was then chairman of the local committee to save Ellsworth. "A parochial advocate should be testifying before the commission, not sitting on it."

During his confirmation hearings before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Cornella pledged to stay out of any deliberations dealing with Ellsworth.

"I will conduct myself in a fair and impartial manner," Cornella told the committee.

The report goes on to note that the evidence suggests (surprise!) Daschle has been exaggerating his role in the last round of base closings. Well, Daschle has been known to take credit for the sunrise, so I suppose it's not that shocking that he would take credit for "saving" Ellsworth.

The Daschle dual residency exception

The burgeoning scandal over Daschle's residency status (dubbed "Mansiongate") is reviewed today with a report by Jeff Gannon headlined "Daschle 'Dual Residency' Benefit Sought By College Student." Excerpt:

A South Dakota college student is citing what has been referred to as the "Daschle dual residency exception" in order to retain his residency privileges while he attends a Colorado university. Ben Folsland, a 22 year old student at Colorado Christian University is considering declaring Colorado as his "primary place of residence" so he can take advantage of an "in-state" tuition rate that would be substantially less than what he is paying now.

In a letter to the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks, the Rapid City student asked Secretary John Cooper if he would be permitted to retain his in-state hunting license if he were to become a Colorado resident.

Folsland explained that his inquiry was prompted by the controversy involving Sen. Tom Daschle, who has claimed residency in both South Dakota and Washington, DC. Daschle is registered to vote in South Dakota but last year declared himself to be a resident of the District of Columbia when signing an affidavit to get a tax break on the $1.9 million home he purchased there.

Folsland proudly considers himself to be a South Dakotan, returning from college each summer to work. But he also recognizes that if he were to declare himself a resident of Colorado, he could qualify for reduced tuition when he enrolled in a Masters' degree program and the University of Colorado. Still, he is hesitant to give up the privileges he enjoys as a resident of South Dakota, one of them being his hunting license.

Folsland told Talon News Tuesday that he found a solution to his dilemma while reading Internet news reports about Daschle's homestead tax exemption. Several web sites in the South Dakota Bloggers' Alliance picked up the Talon News investigative report two weeks ago.

There you have it. The Dakota Blog Alliance offers solutions to your dilemmas.

Daschle breaks pledge to ban third party ads

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is purchasing $600,000 worth of ads in South Dakota. KDLT, a local television station, has the story under the headline "Outside Ads":

The South Dakota Senate Campaign could get even nastier, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee plans to start advertising tomorrow.

You might remember, Senator Tom Daschle had asked all outside groups to stay out of South Dakota, which includes the DSCC.

So far they have.

Jake Maas, with the Daschle Campaign, says this is the first he's heard of the DSCC's ads, due to campaign finance laws, candidates aren't allowed to coordinate with outside groups.

He plans to reserve comment until he's seen the ads.

The DSCC ads will start airing tomorrow, for the next seven days.

The statement from Jake Maas about candidates not being allowed to coordinate with outside groups is particularly rich, because Daschle himself said only last month that he is "directly responsible" for the DSCC:

Daschle disputes that candidates have so little influence over their own supporters. He said his own campaign proves just the opposite.

"Not one group has come in on my behalf," Daschle said. "In fact, three outside groups that ran ads in 2002 have specifically stated they'll respect my request - the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters. We are directly responsible for these groups.

(Emphasis added.) Daschle made the issue of third party ads the centerpiece of his campaign, and to reverse course now, when it suits his interests, underscores how lame and deeply cynical Daschle and his campaign truly are.

Sen. Dole in Rapid City for Thune

Wes Roth has pictures of tonight's rally for Thune in Rapid City which included a speech by Senator Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina.

NRA to hold rally for Thune in SD

The Hill, a Capitol Hill newspaper, is reporting that the NRA will be holding a rally for John Thune this week here in South Dakota.

Even though Daschle is appearing in camoflauge on television ads in South Dakota, the NRA gives him an F+ rating. That's why the NRA is telling South Dakota gun owners to Vote John Thune for Senate.

New Rasmussen poll: Thune 49%, Daschle 46%

The latest Rasmussen tracking poll, conducted yesterday, shows Thune leading Daschle 49% to 46%.

UPDATE: Perhaps this poll explains why Daschle has just broken his pledge that no third party ads would air on his behalf. The DSCC has just purchased $600,000 in ads for Daschle. More later.

Daschle questions Thune's character

DVT discusses the "issue of the other half," in other words, the troubling fact that corporations can legally put money in Senator Daschle's bank account because of his wife's position as a "lobbyist." John Hinderaker of Power Line made the point more succinctly: Linda Daschle describes herself as a "lobbyist," but her value as such derives from her ability to deposit checks into Daschle's bank account.

Last Wednesday, Daschle released an ad implying Thune lobbied for big drug companies. On Saturday, Thune responded with a print ad in the Argus Leader by pointing out that Senator Daschle is the only candidate in this race who has personally profited from big drug companies (Daschle's wife has lobbied for Schering Plough). In response, Daschle has released an ad questioning John Thune's character:

Tom Daschle: I’m Tom Daschle and I approve of this message.

Male Voice: What does it say about a man’s character when he attacks another man’s wife? John Thune’s lying about Linda Daschle to hide his own record as a Washington lobbyist.

Once again, don't listen to what Daschle says, just look at the record. Thune pointed out that Daschle is the only candidate in this race who has personally profited from big drug companies. That's the truth. Here's a photo of the official document showing Linda Daschle lobbied for Schering Plough, taken from the Senate Office of Public Records website:

Obviously, Thune's not lying about Linda Daschle getting paid by Schering Plough. The Daschle ad then goes on to say that "Thune’s firm helped the pharmaceutical industry stop efforts to lower drug prices." Thune himself did not lobby on behalf of the pharmacuetical industry. Again, Daschle is the only candidate in this race who has personally profited from big drug companies. There's no getting around that fact. Daschle is the one who instigated the brouhaha over lobbying by falsely implying that Thune lobbied for big drug companies. Nothing he can do can obscure the fact that he is the only candidate who has had money placed in his bank account by Schering Plough.

Tom Daschle: A Strong Voice for Bell Atlantic

Here's something interesting I hadn't heard about before. Apparently, Senator Daschle didn't like it that his cell phone would cut out when he commuted through Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC. So he rammed through an amendment that allowed Bell Atlantic to erect two cell phone towers in the middle of Rock Creek Park, effectively circumventing six separate federal statutes and regulations and precluding judicial review. It seems Daschle uses his "clout" for Bell Atlantic, not South Dakota. Whose side is Daschle on, anyway?

You can read about Daschle's strong voice for Bell Atlantic HERE, HERE, and HERE.

And, of course, the Argus Leader never reported this story. Can you imagine what the AL would have done if Senator Pressler had done something like this? Look at how the Argus Leader covered Pressler's attempt to get a zoning variance for his house from the DC government back in 1990 (complete with a helpful map):

Roll Call reports brouhaha surrounding Linda Daschle

Roll Call, the newspaper of Capitol Hill, has a report today headlined "GOP Makes Issue of Daschle’s Wife." Excerpt:

The Thune campaign took out a full-page ad in Saturday’s Argus Leader, the newspaper of Sioux Falls, that excerpted a report filed with the Senate Office of Public Records showing Linda Daschle’s name on the form for her firm’s lobbying on behalf of Schering-Plough. At the time the company was seeking a patent extension on its anti-allergy drug, Claritin.

Noting that the company paid $470,000 to Daschle’s firm, Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz, the Thune ad ends with the line: “Only one candidate has personally profited from big drug companies. That candidate is Tom Daschle.”

The South Dakota Republican Party also sent out a four-page mailer that went after Linda Daschle’s lobbying for airlines that benefited from a post-Sept. 11, 2001, bailout supported by Sen. Daschle and all Congressional leaders as well as by Thune himself.

Thune’s aides stayed on the offensive Monday, suggesting their attacks were based on stories from mainstream or left-leaning publications such as The Washington Monthly, Slate and L.A. Weekly. Dick Wadhams, Thune’s campaign manager, said the “clear conflict of interest Linda Daschle” is involved in was first aired “long before this campaign started.”

“There is literally only one candidate in this race who has personally profited from pharmaceutical companies,” Wadhams reiterated.

It should be noted that Thune's print ad criticizing Daschle for personally profiting from pharmaceutical companies came AFTER Daschle began running television ads last Wednesday lying about Thune lobbying for "big drug companies." In reality, Thune only lobbies for South Dakota companies.

It's interesting to observe that the first candidate to bring up the issues of lobbying and abortion in television ads has been Daschle, not Thune.

Mansiongate coverup?

Jeff Gannon, resident DC expert on South Dakota politics, has a new report out today headlined "Daschle Staff, DC Officials Replace Homestead Tax Document Following Investigative Report."

Lobbying becomes an issue in Senate campaign

The Argus Leader has a story today headlined "Group: Wife of candidate not fair game." The story quotes a Daschle surrogate presuming to tell us that the time to debate conflicts of interest and the ethics involved in lobbying is not during a political campaign:

Barker acknowledged that issues on lobbying are not fully resolved.

"It is a discussion," she said. "You can discuss conflicts of interest and the ethics involved but not the last two weeks of a hotly contested Senate campaign."

It's interesting to note that many observers simply assume that South Dakotans will have an opportunity to decide whether they have a problem with the fact that Linda Daschle's work as a lobbyist means corporations can legally put money into Tom Daschle's bank account. Clearly, if Daschle were to have his way, South Dakotans wouldn't know about it in the first place.

According to the Argus Leader story today, Daschle supporters say Republicans have long made a public issue of Linda Daschle's lobbying. In fact, the reverse is true. The Washington Monthly, hardly an arm of the Republican Party, published a devastating article on Linda Daschle's lobbying in January of 2002 headlined "Tom Daschle's Hillary Problem" noting that "[t]he landmines in Linda Daschle's professional portfolio will make Hillary Clinton's pork futures and law-firm billings look like mousetraps." Doug Ireland, a writer for The Nation, obviously about as far from being a Republican operative as it's possible to be, wrote a piece in January of 2003 for LA Weekly headlined "I'm Linda, Fly Me." Clearly, scrutiny of the Daschles' gravy train has not been voiced solely by Republicans.

WSJ's Kimberly Strassel and Paul Gigot discuss SD Senate race

The Wall Street Journal's Kimberly Strassel and Paul Gigot discussed the Daschle v. Thune race this weekend on PBS. The segment is entitled "Country Tom and City Tom." Excerpt:

STRASSEL: ...[Daschle's] problem is that his own obstructionism in Washington has hurt his ability to bring home a lot of programs to South Dakota.

GIGOT: Why?

STRASSEL: Well, a good example is ethanol. You know, South Dakota's a state, they've got lots of corn farming.

GIGOT: Corn, corn, corn.

STRASSEL: Corn, corn, corn. Ethanol producers. And Tom Daschle, when he was briefly majority leader two years ago, said I'm going to bring you home the ethanol mandate of all time, just as if we were rolling in ethanol money. But he didn't get it passed before the Republicans took over again. So then he found himself between a rock and South Dakota, and he was supposed to obstruct the Republicans putting through their own energy bill, while at the same time get his ethanol mandate passed. He couldn't do both. In the end, his own democratic party filibustered the energy bill, and he hasn't been able to bring home an ethanol mandate. That's not been good for him in the House.

GIGOT: So the fact that there's been very little, kind of relatively little done in the Congress actually hurts his ability to bring home the bacon in South Dakota.

STRASSEL: Sure.

(Emphasis added.) You can watch the video of the segment by clicking HERE and scrolling down. Kimberly Strassel also wrote a piece for the Wall Steet Journal's editorial page a few weeks ago headlined "All About Tom."

NYT reports on the Daschle residency kerfuffle

The New York Times has just published a report by Sheryl Gay Stolberg headlined "For Daschle, a Fire Over His Home Keeps Burning":

Republican opponents of Senator Tom Daschle, the Democratic leader, who is in a tough re-election race in his home state of South Dakota, have spent months jabbing at him for the $2 million house he owns on Foxhall Road, in one of Washington's toniest neighborhoods. Last week, though, they really began turning up the heat.

Mr. Daschle's opponent, former Representative John Thune, rapped Mr. Daschle for taking a $288 "homestead deduction" tax break in the District of Columbia by signing paperwork stating that his Washington home was his principal residence. Mr. Daschle, who owns the house in Aberdeen, S.D., in which his mother lives, rejected the charge, saying the tax paperwork had since been changed to reflect the signature of his wife, Linda, a lobbyist [more accurately, changed after a pesky reporter started asking questions about it-ed].

Then Mr. Thune began airing a television ad, entitled "In His Own Words," that features a brief clip of Mr. Daschle declaring, "I'm a D.C. resident." It turns out that Mr. Daschle was quoted talking to reporters during one of his regular Capitol press conferences, on June 6, 2001. That was just after Senator Jim Jeffords had left the Republican Party to become an independent and caucus with the Democrats, a move that put Democrats in control of the Senate and made Mr. Daschle majority leader until the 2002 midterm elections.

Mr. Daschle, undoubtedly in good spirits at the time, was asked what the new Democrat-run Senate would mean for residents of the District of Columbia. His questioner, according to the Daschle campaign, was Mark Plotkin, a local news commentator whose interests tend to such matters as whether Washingtonians will ever get representation in Congress, and whether the city will ever have home rule.

"What would the residents - how should they feel about that?" Mr. Plotkin asked, according to a transcript.

"Well," Mr. Daschle replied, "I would hope they'd feel good. I'm a D.C. resident."

The transcript suggests the remark was made in jest: The senator's reply is followed by a one-word notation: "(LAUGHTER)"

The backyard of Daschle's mansion

The picture above is the backyard of Senator Daschle's multi-million dollar mansion in one of Washington, D.C's most exclusive neighborhoods. It's no wonder Daschle has signed a legal document describing himself as a resident of the District, and tells interviewers "I'm a D.C. resident."