I guess Dave Kranz wrote about the news in recent weeks about the Democrats' vegetarian spokesperson:
It started when Randy Frederick, state Republican chairman, suggested that his Democratic counterparts at the national level are "out of touch with most South Dakotans."
Frederick said Howard Dean, national Democratic Party chairman, is spouting "extremist views that many South Dakotans would find offensive."
He cited a comment Dean made awhile ago: "I hate Republicans and everything they stand for," Dean is quoted as saying.
Now, Frederick has extended that to state Democrats for their recent hiring of three staffers to work for the state Democratic Party and be paid by the national party. He takes aim at one of those three hires, Elesha Peterson Carr, communications director for the state party, and questions her eating preference.
"In addition to these outlandish comments (by Dean), it makes one wonder what message will be sent when the new communications director for the South Dakota Democratic Party implies she is an animal activist," Frederick said, referring to an Internet writing by Carr, "How to Be a South Dakota Vegetarian."
By contrast, Republican Gov. Mike Rounds is "pushing a pro-agriculture initiative - the South Dakota Certified Beef Program - which has garnered support from Republicans and Democrats," Frederick said.
Enter Judy Olson Duhamel, seldom-heard-from South Dakota Democratic Party chairwoman. She takes issue with the criticism of Carr, saying Frederick's remarks "hardly deserve a reply."
"But because the (state Democratic Party) is honored to have hired such a bright, competent woman, I will respond in order to correct and clarify," she said.
"Why would anyone in any party judge the dietary choice of another? I think South Dakotans call such judgments inappropriate and infringing on personal lifestyle," Duhamel said. "Furthermore, if Mr. Frederick had not jumped to conclusions regarding our new hire, he would have discovered the article in question ... was a promotional piece for tourism."
Denise Ross also posted on this issue at the Rapid City Journal's blog and it generated this response:
No wonder why the democrats the minority party! They just keep putting the card-carrying crazies in leadership positions. They must not have very much intellectual depth to their bench. I hope my democrat friends stay in denial and really get behind the leadership of Dean and Peterson-Carr. They certainly can’t go wrong with that combination!
Everyone can eat whatever they want, there should be no debate on that issue. The issue is whether this is smart in terms of politics given the facts of our state: "Agriculture is the number one industry in South Dakota providing a $16.3 billion economic impact to the state." Elesha Peterson Carr seems to be on to this when she writes:
Vegetarians are tolerated in South Dakota but let's face it, there is not a lot of love for us bunny lovers.
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