South Dakota Politics

Ethanol

The New York Times has a story in tomorrow's edition headlined "Ethanol's Stock as a Fuel Source Is Rising":

At a chain called Casey's General Stores, which operates more than 1,300 convenience stores in nine Midwestern states, "gasohol," a blend that is 90 percent gasoline and 10 percent ethanol, is offered where ethanol is available. In many of those cases, it is "the cheapest price on the sign" by several cents, said Sam J. Billmeyer, Casey's vice president for operations. Usually, the higher-octane gas costs more than the regular gas.

Most Casey's stores sell regular, or 87 octane, fuel and midgrade, or 89 octane, gasoline that is blended with ethanol, which has an octane of about 113.

Thune, Johnson, and Judges

The last week was very important in terms to approving judges in the Senate who had been blocked for Senator Daschle for several years.  Senators Thune and Johnson often voted for opposite outcomes.  Note this from the current Bob Mercer column:

INSIDE STORY: Here are the details on what Johnson and Thune did regarding each nominee.

On May 24, the day after the compromise, both Johnson and Thune voted for cloture to proceed on the confirmation of Priscilla Richman Owen of Texas to be a U.S. circuit judge for the Fifth Circuit. The overall vote for cloture was 81-18.

On May 25, when it came to the actual vote on Owen becoming a judge, Johnson opposed her, while Thune supported her. The overall vote for confirmation was 55-43.

On Tuesday, June 7, the Senate voted 65-32 for cloture to move forward with the confirmation of Janice Rogers Brown of California to become a U.S. circuit judge for the District of Columbia circuit, the important appeals court in Washington, D.C. Thune voted for cloture, while Johnson voted against cloture.

In a Senate floor speech, Johnson spoke against the California Supreme Court justice's nomination. "Justice Brown's views and history of judicial activism is especially dangerous in the D.C. circuit. She is a nominee who is far outside of the mainstream," he said.

The actual confirmation vote Wednesday on Brown was 56-43. Thune voted to confirm Brown, while Johnson voted against her.

Also on Wednesday, the Senate voted 67-32 to invoke cloture regarding the nomination of William H. Pryor Jr. of Alabama to receive a permanent appointment as a U.S. circuit judge for the Eleventh Circuit. Both Johnson and Thune voted for cloture.

Pryor subsequently was confirmed by the Senate 53-45 on Thursday. Thune voted for Pryor, Johnson voted against.

Johnson's office hasn't issued any other public statements explaining his votes against the three judges. As this column was being prepared for publication, his staff was working on a response to a request from this reporter for an explanation of the votes.

Democrats Want to Dismantle Medicaid

All the left-wing tripe about Republicans wanting to destroy Social Security and Medicare, and the Democrats actually want to get rid of Medicaid.  Here's Tennessee Democratic Governor Phil Bredesen:

"Let's scrap the old, inefficient version of Medicaid that's led us to spend more and more of our finite resources on a system that never yielded the kind of public health results we'd hoped for," Bredesen said in his prerecorded message.

"Uncontrolled growth in the cost of Medicaid is a crisis that's forcing states to choose between quality health care on one hand and a quality education for our children on the other," he said.

It just so happens I agree with the governor.  But you see, when Democrats propose changes to entitlement programs to ensure the long term stability of the program, that's known as "reform."  When Republicans do the same, it's called "starving the poor." 

Voter Fraud

Some Democrats still complain that there was fraud in the Ohio vote in 2004.  Their evidence?  The lines were long (although they can't seem to agree on whether the wait was 2, 4, 6, or 8 hours) in some areas.  My favorite evidence of "voter fraud" in the 2000 election in Florida was they guy who said he was intimidated because there was a police car outside the polling place.  This was the best they could come up with.  Although that's better than, "He rolled his eyes at me." Democrats think that requiring a photo ID is "intimidation."  Well, here's some solid evidence of Democratic voter fraud in East St. Louis (hat tip, instapundit):

The jury in the federal vote fraud case in East St. Louis heard undercover recordings today in which vote buying was discussed. The former deputy police chief for East St. Louis took the stand on Friday as a key prosecution witness.

Rudy McIntosh worked undercover for the FBI during the fall election campaign. McIntosh described a series of meetings he participated in with the five defendants, all members of the city's Democratic party organization. At the time McIntosh was a new precinct committeeman learning the political ropes.

Democrats Continue To Go Nuts

Castro loving Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat who would chair the super powerful House Ways and Means Committee if the Democrats ever captured control of that body, thinks that the liberation of Iraq is the same thing as the Holocaust.  John Podhoretz at NRO links to the soundbite of Rangel making this comparison, and then to two other sites which show some differences between the liberation of Iraq and the slaughter of 6 million innocents. These aren’t just backbenchers making outrageous claims, these are the Chair of the party, the Senate leader, the House leader, the Senate whip, and with Rangel, the ranking member of perhaps the most powerful committee in Congress. The leadership of the Democratic party may have gone crackers.

What is the origin of this hatred?  At least when Republicans had their irrational hatred of Bill Clinton, it was because they just didn't like him as a man.  To them, Clinton personified the long-haired dope-smoking draft-dodging skirt-chasing say-anything slickster that drives Republican types crazy.  As a Democratic president, Republicans could not really have asked for much better policy-wise, but they just found him an unlikable man. But the hatred of Bush seems to start with his policies, and then go to personal attacks.  Bush wants to kill children, starve the poor, take money away from old people, pollute the air, abolish civil rights, bring back segregation, lock women up in the home, etc.  To the left, Bush isn't just wrong, he's evil.  He does all the aforementioned things while sitting around with his fat oil industry buddies lighting their cigars with $100 bills while they chuckle about the children they enslaved today.  This is a difference between the left and the right. The right sees the left as silly and daffy; the kind of people, like Jimmy Carter, who think the world's tyrants will stop murdering people if you just ask nicely and give them some Ben and Jerry's.  The left, for whom the political is personal, sees the right not just as wrong, but evil.  Not only do the right's policies lead to bad results, the right, in the mind of the leftist, actually wills these bad things to happen.  So George Bush can't honestly think his Social Security reforms would actually benefit older people; he really wants to take old people's money and give it to his rich friends to they can buy another gold plated toilet.  Only a fool believes the Bush wants to abolish Social Security in the name of rewarding is cronies, just like only someone blinded by ideological rage could so stupidly compare the American intervention in Iraq with the Holocaust.

 

Pop Culture Update

I am cursing the names of Ken Blanchard and Todd Epp even more than usual since they are responsible for getting me hooked on Deadwood.  Yes, like Alma Garret and her opium, I can't get enough.  The problem is that I don't have cable, so I have been watching them on DVD (thank you Netflix), and Season Three is about to start on TV, but Season Two isn't even out yet on DVD.  And I am almost done with Season One.  Give me my Deadwood!  By they way, not that I advocate excessive drinking, but a great Deadwood drinking game would be to take a drink every time someone drops the f-bomb or the one English word Mr. Wu knows (Deadwood fans know what I mean).  You'd be passed out after 10 minutes.

I am also obsessing on Colombo, which is easily the best crime/detective film ever on television.  And Barney Miller is exactly as funny as I remember it, which is side splitting.

UPDATE: For Napoleon Dynamite fans, here's a video of our National Spelling Bee champ doing his Napoleon impersonation.  "I don't understand a word you just said." 

Howard Dean, Albatross

Another important Democratic Congressman is piling on Dean:

Rep. Harold Ford Jr.: "(Laughing) I won't have him down so many times in Tennessee on the campaign trail with me. He has made some comments as of late that really speak to a lack of understanding I think, of the country, a lack of understanding of faith and values. I'm a Democrat and I'm a God fearing one. I grew up in church. Christianity is not reserved for white males. I think perhaps Governor Dean sometimes gets a little excited at the mouth, and says things that are simply not true. It may reach a point where if he can't find a way to kind of control some of his comments, and temper his comments, it may get to the point where the party may need to look elsewhere for leadership, because he does not speak for me, and I know he does not speak for a majority of Democrats and I dare say Republicans in my home state. I know that other, even Senator Biden and others, have made some stronger comments about him. I look forward to having a chance to sit with him here in the next day or so. I think he's going to be here in Capitol Hill a little later today to meet with us. I want to ask him directly. Can he contain himself in a lot of ways, and what is his thought process in a lot of these issues because it is not representative of where the party is."

Los Angeles Times:

The flap demonstrates Democrats' conflict over how sharply party leaders should express themselves after the party's 2004 election losses.

"We really don't have a message right now," Ford lamented.

Wadhams

Slate: "Dick Wadhams; Karl Rove's Heir Apparent":

Wadhams has lost only one of the nine statewide campaigns he has worked on. Now that Rove's tenure as pre-eminent consigliere is drawing to a close—at a press breakfast shortly after the November 2004 election, he said he wouldn't run another presidential campaign—Wadhams is emerging as his most obvious successor.

Award

Dakota Voice: "Tom Daschle to be Honored at Homosexual Awards Ceremony: 'Architect of the Defeat of the Federal Marriage Amendment.'" 

The Opposition

Howard "I hate Republicans" Dean and Senator Harry "Bush is a loser" Reid are circling the wagons.  Jason is correct to wonder if Tom Daschle might denounce the "startling meanness" of it all.

"Howard Dean is the gift that keeps on giving"

Senator Obama speaks out about Dean's comments:

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) criticized Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean Wednesday night for using "religion to divide." ...

Obama told reporters gathered at the Rock the Vote awards dinner at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., that Dean needs to tone down his rhetoric.

"As somebody who is a Christian myself, I don't like it when people use religion to divide, whether that is Republican or Democrat," Obama said. "I think in terms of his role as party spokesman, [Dean] probably needs to be a little more careful and I suspect that is a message he is going to be getting from a number of us," Obama explained.

While Reid is embracing Dean for his rhetoric, we have another Democrat backing away. Jon Schaff asks that "Howard Dean ... want[s] to win elections, right?"  I would assume the same is true for Reid.  So far, it seems that Edwards, Richardson, and now Obama understand that Dean may be a threat to their re-election.

Plus, you have to admire John McCain:

"Howard Dean is the gift that keeps on giving," McCain told Cybercast News Service outside the Rock the Vote event.

Hoeven & Rove

Say Anything:

North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven is slated to meet with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, President Bush’s chief political strategist in Washington this week. But he says it has nothing to do with a potential run against Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad.

Conrad is up for re-election in 2006, and Hoeven has been touted by state and national political officials as his strongest potential Republican opponent. But the governor has been quiet on his plans, deferring questions on a run without denying he is considering it.

“I’m focused on this job and I’m not going to speculate at this point,” Hoeven said Tuesday.

The White House pushed several high-profile Republicans to run in the 2004 election cycle, including Republican John Thune of South Dakota. Thune ousted Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle last November.

Hoeven said he has several meetings planned for Wednesday and Thursday, including the meeting with Rove. He said he plans to talk with Rove about “natural resource issues,” including flooding in Devil’s Lake.

Rob also offers this observation:

Gov. Hoeven is traveling all the way to D.C. to talk to the GOP’s number one political strategist about floods? I’m not buying it. Hoeven is meeting with Rove to discuss strategy for 2006. Which should have current North Dakota Senator Kent Conrad nervous.

Rove is a brilliant strategist and Hoeven is one of the most popular governors in America.

UPDATE:  The Whistler pointed this out at Say Anything:

What if Governor Hoeven sits down with Mr. Rove and says “You want me to challenge Conrad and I want you to keep the White House from interfering with the Devils Lake outlet. (The Canadians want President Bush to refer the matter to some sort of International Delaying Commision).

I would call this a twofer. North Dakato gets the state funded and built outlet opened up without delay and we get our best chance to retire Kent Conrad.

Johnson

Aberdeen American News:

On Tuesday, Johnson was one of 32 Democratic senators on the losing side of a vote that ended a filibuster on Brown's nomination.

"It seemed to me that her nomination was so inappropriate I wanted to have nothing to do with her nomination to a lifetime appointment," the senator told reporters in a telephone conference call. ...

[Rob] Regier [of the South Dakota Family Policy Council] said Johnson had hailed the earlier deal as a step in the right direction. "I hope Senator Johnson hasn't given up on the spirit of bipartisanship he spoke so highly of just a couple of weeks ago," he said.

"Startling Meaness" Watch

Reid supports Dean:

A round of criticism from fellow Democrats and major donors about Howard Dean's four-month tenure as Democratic National Committee chairman has prompted Senate leaders to rise to his defense at a public event planned for today.

Originally scheduled as a private meeting between Dean and the leadership team of Senate minority leader Harry Reid of Nevada, today's session instead will now include a news conference and photo opportunity as a public embrace of Dean, who has rocked the political world over the past week with provocative condemnations of the Republican party. ...

Despite criticism of his remarks since the weekend from Hoyer and other congressional Democrats, Dean yesterday refused to back down, asserting in an interview on NBC's ''Today Show" that Republicans are ''outside the mainstream."

Does "mainstream" include the contemptuous things coming from Dean?  Id est, saying that Republicans have "never made an honest living in their lives," described the Republican Party as "pretty much a white, Christian party," and said that Tom Delay should return to Texas and serve his jail sentence.

I guess it's all the better for Republicans in 2008 if Dean continues his long and public meltdown while other Dems continue to embrace Dean's comments and, thus, bringing them down as well.  At least some Dems understand that much.

I'll start building the ark...

...I need the rest of you to start gathering animals for me, though. 

It's been raining here in Mitchell since about 1:30 p.m. and its just now finishing up (according to my clock, its 11 p.m.).  Anywho, I thought I'd give a shot at rainblogging tonight by posting a few pictures of the damage.  All except one picture come from around our property and my dad's business property (I'll link to the images to save the bandwidth and the poor souls still using dial up *cough* Jon Schaff *cough*)

Image 1: This shot is facing towards the crew area at James Valley Nursery. 
Image 2:  Here's a front shot of our house.  The ditch is completely full of water and has run over the road and into the lawn.
Image 3:  Here's a closer shot of the front yard.  Yes, that's wood mulch floating there.  Also, that retaining wall block you see is actually three to four bricks high, i.e., roughly four feet high.  In other words, that ditch is really full.  Note the straight line of block; that's where the road begins.
Image 4:  A shot of our yard from the south side.  Again, that wall is about four feet high.
Image 5:  This land isn't ours, but it was a small farm field.  It's now completely flooded.  When I drove by, water was flowing across the road into the ditch on the other side.  He might as well start planting rice.
Image 6:  This is another shot of JVN, this time facing the retail and employee parking area.

Dodging Traffic

A reader chimes in on yesterday's post about the "Watch for Illegal Aliens" signs near southern border crossings. 

The sign in your blog today is not only real there are MORE of them!!  A stretch of I5 in USMC Camp Pendleton has a large INS checkpoint on it. For about a mile south of the point there is a barrier fence on the center divider that prevents peds from crossing the fwy to get to the beach.  In an area just prior to the fence people in cars approaching can see if the checkpoint in open or closed. If it is open they'll unload their illegals and drive thru the point, then pick them up on the other side. They know where to stop because that is where all the signs are!!!  The illegals cross the fwy, 8 lanes at that point, go down to the beach and go north till they are past the point then go back to the fwy to be picked up. My son the Marine said that many times they couldn't conduct nite ops on that beach because of the illegals on the beach. Driving amphibs on the beach at nite was banned for a while because an illegal got killed by one.

I truly would like to be pro-immigration, and I guess I still am, but stories like this make it hard.  My favorite line about this issue came from the late Sonny Bono, who, when asked about his views on illegal immigration, said, "What's there to say.  It's illegal." 

House

Here's more evidence that Representative Herseth essentially has no power in the House of Representatives.  This week, however, The Hill noted one thing she can do: "Herseth introduces her beau's bill." 

The Victim Party

See the Daschle website about the Virginia governor's race: 

Multi-million dollar smear campaigns. Attacking a candidate’s family.

Questioning patriotism – like they did with Senator Max Cleland, who lost three limbs defending our country.  ...

Now, the very same political operatives responsible for the attacks in South Dakota last year and Max Cleland’s loss in 2002 are “on the ground” in Virginia making personal attacks against Tim Kaine, the Democratic nominee for Governor in Virginia this November. These people are dangerous and must be stopped.

Daschle thinks it was a "smear" to criticize his double-talk on abortion and the war and to question his constant obstructionism in the Senate and his generally liberal positions.  The Democratic candidate for governor of Virginia could take this lesson from Daschle--trying to avoid criticism by acting like a victim doesn't work.

Senator Thune

From The Hill:

Thune goes own way, not Bush's
Geoff Earle / The Hill / 6-9-05

Eight months after his hard-fought and symbolic defeat of Minority Leader Tom Daschle, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) is demonstrating a willingness to buck the Republican administration that urged him to run and sent President Bush and Vice President Cheney to campaign for him.

Thune’s boldest move yet is his not-too-subtle signal that he will oppose the nomination of John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations to protest the administration’s decision to close Ellsworth Air Force Base, the state’s second largest employer.

“I don’t think he’s the best person for the job,” Thune said of Bolton

yesterday. “People can ascribe whatever they want to [this decision]. What I’ve said is, I take our foreign-policy posture very seriously and I take our defense posture very seriously. The base issue is something extremely important to me.”

He added, “I’m going to do anything and everything within my power, and use all tools at my disposal” to get Ellsworth off the base closure list.

But Thune has also demonstrated an independent streak on other issues, including agriculture programs, healthcare and trade.

“I’m going to do what is in the best interest of South Dakota— always, first and absolutely,” Thune told The Hill. “ If I disagree with the president, I’m going to let him know that.”

Some Republicans have privately questioned the wisdom of linking two such apparently unrelated issues — one GOP source called it a rookie mistake. But several GOP senators expressed an appreciation for Thune’s position. He campaigned on his close ties to the White House, pledging to use his access to prevent closure of the base.

“The [base closing] thing obviously hurts South Dakotatremendously,” said Sen. Robert Bennett (R-Utah). “He has to demonstrate to his folks back home that he’s willing to fight for it.” Asked whether fellow Republicans understood Thune’s position, and his decision to oppose the Boltonnomination, Bennett replied, “I think so, and I think the White House does.”

Thune has introduced legislation to delay the latest round of base realignment and closure (BRAC) until most U.S.troops return from Iraq and closing of overseas military bases is complete. But the bill, which has 18 co-sponsors, is not expected to succeed because a majority of states escaped major harm or did well under the latest round of closings. “We’ll see where the votes are,” Thune said.

Steve Kinsella

The Washington Examiner:

From Senate to Scribe

Seems like the quickest way to literary riches is to first get a job on the Hill. Former Daschle Communications Director Steve Kinsella has a book deal to add to his list of accomplishments. Kinsella's book "900 Miles From Nowhere: Voices of Struggle and Hope from the Great Plains" was sold to publisher Borealis Books. Word is the book is a collection of diary entries photographs and unpublished letters chronicling the pioneers settlement of the Great Plains.

Judges

Powerline is celebrating the final confirmation vote for Judge Janice Rogers Brown, who has been elevated from the California Supreme Court to the DC federal Court of Appeals.  Brown joins judge Priscilla Owen, who was also elevated to the federal bench from her position on the Texas Supreme Court.  Remember that these two extraordinary women were constantly blocked and filibustered by Democratic Senate leader Tom Daschle during President Bush's first term.  Daschle was defeated and the judges were confirmed to the federal bench.  Elections have consequences.  It is a new Senate.

How Some People View the World

See this fine sentiment from one of the lefty blogs in South Dakota:

They murdered Hunter Thompson, but now other celebrities and powerful figures are getting bold. Eminem sets a precedent by rapping about the president's death? Yeah, things are heating up. You gotta love it. What a beautiful thing, to witness the glorious Crumbling of America-rotted from the inside out, brainwashed by unChristianity and made soulless by capitalism. Let's bring it all down!

Just Keep Digging, Howard

Howard Dean just can't keep his mouth shut. Now, joining John Edwards, the governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, who is in many people's minds a possible candidate for president in 2008, has suggested that Dean is not the party's spokesman. 

I would not want to be a member of a party that was nothing but white Christians, and it so happens I am not because I am not a Republican. (As I have stated before, I am registered as an Independent, but I don't wish to be coy.  Obviously my sympathies and most of my votes are with the Republican Party).  But if I were a Republican I would not be a member of an all white Christian party.  As I understand it, most Indian Americans (yes, I mean people from the nation of India) are Republican, and they are not white or Christian.  George Bush gained about 45% of the Hispanic vote in the 2004 election.  Or maybe you agree with Tom Daschle that Hispanics who vote Republican aren't real Hispanics. 

Besides, I don't know if Howard Dean has noticed this, but a vast majority of Americans are still white and Christian, and so it'd be best not to insult those people.  Howard Dean does want to win elections, right?

Update: Jim Lindgren has some numbers on the relative whiteness and Christianity of the two major parties. 

Thumbs Up to Wal-Mart

I should have gotten to this sooner.  Aberdeen voted overwhelmingly to change it's building code to allow Super Wal-Mart to build a store in town.  The ballot question passed with 81% support.  Turnout was a massive 50%.  I say massive because you must realize that this was a small local election with only three questions on it (Wal-Mart, school board, and city council).  Aberdeen acheived as good or better a turnout as some states get for national elections.  I'd call this overwhelming Wal-Mart support.  I expect the lefties to start asking "What's the matter with Aberdeen?" 

Many weeks ago I happened to have a conversation with one of the city commissioners (now "city council") about Wal-Mart.  I expressed some concern because in a low information, low turnout race, I thought all the passion was on the anti-Wal-Mart side and that passion might carry the day even though I was quite sure most people supported the new Super Wal-Mart.  This person said, "Don't worry.  The ballot question will carry with 70% support."  Even that guess was low.  Wal-Mart certainly paid money to influence the election (and so did the other side, albeit at a lower level), but I am pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming support for Wal-Mart in Aberdeen.  I think the folks here recognize that a vote against Wal-Mart was a vote for the status quo, and as in most of South Dakota the status quo is not good news.  I don't know if Wal-Mart will be the answer to all of our dreams as the pro-Wal-Mart propaganda suggested, but I do know that voting against Wal-Mart was a vote to continue the area's decline. 

In other news, I was glad to wake up this morning and not find myself in the land of Oz, although in Aberdeen you are never too far away. 

Thank God For Rich People

I don't much care about economic issues, but I don't like the triumph of bad arguments, such as the class warfare arguments that suggest the rich get their money in some damnable way and they aren't paying their "fair share."  Larry Kudlow explodes this myth at Realclear today.  Kudlow corrects errors from a New York Times writer who uses data from one year to try to show that the Bush tax cuts are "unfairly" aiding the wealthy.  Kudlow writes:

Johnston singles out the top 145,000 taxpayers who comprise the top 0.1 percent of income distribution in 2002. Their average income was $3 million, two-and-a-half times the inflation-adjusted $1.2 million that the group reported in 1980. My gosh -- how dare they be successful earners and investors?

Over that 22-year span, this group probably included the very same people who launched tens of thousands of new companies that hired roughly 40 million net new workers that completely revolutionized the U.S. economy through unbelievable breakthroughs in the realms of information technology, communications, finance,  health care, and retailing.                           

Should we go out and shoot these 145,000 for their  success?

But don't these rich people use all sorts of tax breaks to get away without paying taxes?

Through 2001, a tiny one-tenth of 1 percent of U.S. taxpayers generated a hefty 16 percent of total tax collections. That’s brainpower plus initiative, aided and abetted by the incentive to keep more of what you earn and thus work with more intensity and purpose. Meanwhile the top 1 percent paid 34 percent of tax collections, the top 5 percent paid 53 percent, the top 10 percent paid 65 percent,    the top 25 percent paid 83 percent, and the top 50 percent paid 96 percent. These “rich people” are government’s best friend.

This is the result of a progressive tax code that I, for one, hope we keep, although I'd love to see it simplified and rates reduced as in the 1986 reforms.

The left labors under a theory that wealth is created by elves who live in trees and who, when not baking delicious cookies, create jobs and money for the rest of us.  No, wealth is created by people taking risks, starting new businesses with new ideas, and then reaping the profits.  If people cannot make a profit off of their risks, or, if a burdensome tax code significantly erodes their profits, then they won't take the risks that create jobs, opportunity, and wealth for all of us.  Like most people, I envy the rich from time to time, but envy is a poor basis for economic theory. 

Is This A Joke?

When I first saw this picture on Powerline, I thought it was a hoax.  But I guess they actually have these signs near some southern border crossings.  Either this means "Watch for illegals running from the border patrol" or "Watch for people running from that girl in The Ring."  I think the mother actually yanking the little girl off the ground is a nice touch. 

Robert Byrd=Tom Daschle?

By my clock it is currently 9:44am, and this blog has yet to mention Tom Daschle today.  So let's get in our daily dose.  Dick Morris today comments on the vulnerability of the ancient Senator from West Virginia, former Klansman Robert Byrd.  Byrd, who is almost old enough to have known Nathan Bedford Forrest (that's a joke), is becoming increasingly unhinged from reality and serving as a partisan hack, and is basically running neck and neck with the lone Republican House member from West Virginia.  Byrd is up for re-election in 2006, and it should be noted that this challenger, Shelley Moore Capito, has not even announced yet.  Morris points out that the defeat of Tom Daschle means that Democrats who are representing "red" states should be a bit wary. 

The Democrats who represent bright-red states are Mark Pryor and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas (Bush carried it by 54-45), Evan Bayh of Indiana (Bush 60-39), Mary Landrieu of Louisiana (Bush 57-42), Max Baucus of Montana (Bush 59-39), Ben Nelson of Nebraska (Bush 66-33), 2002’s narrow escapee Tim Johnson of South Dakota (Bush 60-39), Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan of North Dakota (Bush 60-36) and Jay Rockefeller and Byrd of West Virginia (Bush 56-43.)

These senators had better start splitting their tickets and stop toeing the party line if they expect their voters to do likewise. The lesson of Tom Daschle in South Dakota in 2004 should be written large enough for all to see.

Thune

PowerLine:

Professor William Stuntz is a brilliant man. However, when he predicted that if John Thune defeated Thomas Daschle the Republicans might end up regretting it, I don't think he had this in mind.

The ROCKET adds: Actually, I admire Thune's political instincts. Among other things, I think he's trying to establish a track record that shows he can't be crossed without consequences. If more Republicans did that, it would be a good thing.

DEACON responds: I guess South Dakota guys have to stick together.

A "White Christian Party"

Howard Dean has been caught again demonstrating his affinity for acrimony.  Drudge is reporting that Dean has said of the GOP: "They all behave the same.  They all look the same.  It's pretty much a white, Christian party." 

You can hear for yourself here.

Daschle, Showtime and Major Gay Pride Events

From the PR Newswire:

NEW YORK, June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Showtime Networks, which has given consumers a place to watch quality lesbian and gay programming with the SHOWTIME original series THE L WORD and QUEER AS FOLK, will serve as a sponsor for numerous gay and lesbian festivals and events during the 2005 Pride season.  Beginning now and running through November, Showtime Networks will participate in approximately 20 pride events and festivals across the nation, attended by over 4 million LGBT people. ...

Additionally, Showtime Networks will be a Diamond Sponsor for the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force Leadership Awards on June 13 in New York City which will honor former US Senator Tom Daschle.

Brown Vote and The New Senate

The Washington Post:

The Senate on Tuesday ended a two-year filibuster of California judge Janice Rogers Brown, clearing for final vote her nomination to the U.S. Appeals Court and hewing closely to a historic deal to avert a partisan showdown over judicial filibusters.

By a vote of 65 to 32, Brown's nomination for the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia was cleared for a final floor vote, expected Wednesday.

It takes 60 votes to bypass a filibuster, a total that Brown's Republican supporters have not been able to muster since November 2003, when they were only able to get 53 votes for the conservative California Supreme Court justice.  ...

The Senate already has confirmed Judge Owen, a longtime member of the Texas Supreme Court who was sworn in Monday as a judge on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

The confirmation of Pryor, a former Alabama attorney general, will come up after Brown's approval process is completed, Frist said.

When Daschle was in the Senate, she didn't even get a vote.  For news on what our current Democratic Senator is doing about Brown, note today's post from Jon Schaff.

UPDATE:  Charley House shares his thoughts about Tim Johnson's vote (see Schaff's post):

Grumpy Old Senator Tim shows his true colors again. Despite his constant bleating in the press about his and South Dakotan's love for a bipartisan approach, Tim is no less doctrinaire than Harry Reid.

Again today he voted to block the Senate from fulfilling its constitutional obligation to vote on an appellate court nominee. This action puts Tim squarely with Reid and against the bi-partisan Gang of Fourteen. Tim's words say "bipartisan". Tim's actions say "Screw the 67% of South Dakotans who agree with the judicial philosophy of anti Roe decision judges."

Atta boy Tim!

Herseth & Sandlin

This is interesting.  From The Hill:

Even though he’s no longer in Congress, ex-Rep. Max Sandlin (D-Texas) is still able to get his legislation introduced.

After all, he’s got someone on the inside: Rep. Stephanie Herseth (D-S.D.), with whom he’s been romantically linked for nearly two years.

When he was a member, Sand-lin was among the Democrats’ strongest voices on medical malpractice. Opposing Republican plans to cap damage awards in lawsuits, he instead favored insurance reform and tax breaks. His Medical Malpractice Relief Act of 2004, introduced last April, would have allowed tax credits for “qualified expenditures for professional malpractice insurance.”

Last month, what should Herseth introduce but the Medical Malpractice Relief Act of 2005? Over four pages, the two bills are virtually identical, save their effective dates and a one-paragraph subsection in the Sandlin bill that has been excised.

A Herseth spokesman did not return multiple phone calls and an e-mail seeking comment.

The Hill could not confirm whether Herseth and Sandlin are still in a relationship at this time.

Herseth and Sandlin met during Herseth’s unsuccessful run for Congress in 2002, when Sandlin was appointed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to serve as her campaign mentor.

They became an item the following year. When the seat was vacated in 2004 after then-Rep. Bill Janklow’s (R) manslaughter conviction, Sandlin, who is 19 years Herseth’s senior, again assisted in her campaign.

See this June 10, 2004 post also concerning the relationship between Herseth and Sandlin.

SD Political History

This certainly caught my attention.  From Bob Mercer:

PIERRE - No one towered higher in South Dakota's formative years than our first U.S. senator, Richard Pettigrew, and former governor and senator Peter Norbeck.

They ran for office as Republicans, but at heart Pettigrew and Norbeck stood among the leading populists and progressives of their times.

If not for the works of two authors, self-taught historian Wayne Fanebust and professor Gilbert Fite, we would know little about their amazing lives, and know much less about the early decades of our state.

Our state's economy relies significantly on tourism, and the tourism depends greatly on our state's history. Yet there is no coordinated effort within our state government or at our state universities to research and tell the many great stories about South Dakota's people and the land.

It's a point that South Dakota State University professor emeritus John Miller and others have tried to make many times through the years.

The Rounds administration, the state Board of Regents and the state Legislature have started to strongly push scientific research at the universities. The work is intended to lead to commercial development and in turn help South Dakota's economy grow.

History however isn't part of that new emphasis, even though millions of vacationers come to South Dakota each year curious about who we are and why. The history that we offer to our visitors and to ourselves is produced mostly through the contributions of people working in their free time. ...

To its credit, the small but increasingly ambitious South Dakota Historical Society Press this month re-issued an updated version of Fite's insightful 1948 work, "Peter Norbeck: Prairie Statesman." ...

His [Peter Norbeck] lasting successes are praised: Custer State Park, funding to carve Mount Rushmore, creation of the State Cement Plant. His immense failures, such as the State Coal Mine and the financially bankrupt Rural Credits system to help farmers, are forgotten or dismissed.

Pettigrew meanwhile is just plain obscure, but he was a national figure in his time.

Pettigrew's outspoken positions against the U.S. government foreign policy, and his alliance with William Jennings Bryan over the silver standard, led to a national Republican campaign that helped defeat him.

Pettigrew helped form the Fusion movement of Democrats and Republicans that briefly controlled state government. Later during World War I, he was charged essentially with treason for his speaking his opinions on the streets of Sioux Falls, but he never faced trial

"Echoes of November," the 1997 book about Pettigrew, is just as good, in general terms, as the work on Norbeck, although the Pettigrew book has largely been ignored.

Johnson Votes Against Cloture

Aligning himself with his party's left-wing, Tim Johnson has voted against cloture on the nomination of Janice Rogers Brown to the DC Circuit Court.    Johnson rejects the moderation of such Democrats as Joe Lieberman, Ben Nelson, and David Pryor, while voting along with the Ted Kennedys and Hillary Clintons of the world.  I also note, as I have before, that Kent Conrad voted for cloture while Byron Dorgan voted against.  Guess which one is up for re-election next year and is covering his, um, right flank?  It should be noted that voting against Brown on the merits might be defensible, but what Johnson and Dorgan are saying is that Brown doesn't even deserve and up or down vote in the US Senate.  That is harder to defend. 

That's Amore!

OK, so he's dead, but today would have been Dean Martin's 88th birthday. 

Dumb Like A Fox

It is now simply common knowledge that George Bush is not that brite.  But, as Mr. Twain opined, there is nothing less common than common knowledge.  During the campaign last year Steve Sailer had this fascinating analysis of Bush and Kerry's IQ, judging that they were roughly equivilant (and in the top 10% of the population), with perhaps a slight edge to Bush.  Now it turns out that Bush had better grades at Yale than did Kerry. From No Left Turns:

 Big news this morning from the Boston Globe. During the campaign John Kerry had consistently refused to release his records from Yale University, along with his records of...well, just about everything. Today, however, we understand why: his grades were on par with--if not actually somewhat lower than--those earned by George W. Bush.

Quoting the Boston Globe:

The transcript shows that Kerry’s freshman-year average was 71. He scored a 61 in geology, a 63 and 68 in two history classes, and a 69 in political science. His top score was a 79, in another political science course. Another of his strongest efforts, a 77, came in French class.

Voting In Aberdeen Today

In time for today's big Wal-Mart vote in Aberdeen, here's a bit from the Volokh Conspiracy.  After quoting from the Cleveland New Dealer about the elitist leftists opposed to Wal-Mart, Todd Zywicki opines:

In other words, Cleveland's elites who don't shop at Wal-Mart are opposed to allowing other people to shop at Wal-Mart. And those with jobs are raising their voices on behalf of "job-starved Clevelanders." Real profiles in courage. Good thing they weren't around when the dry goods stores and blacksmiths were feeling competitive pressures many years ago from supermarkets and the "horseless carriage".

I have already voted, so I can guarentee one vote for Super Wal-Mart. 

By the way, Volokh has great coverage of yesterday's Supreme Court ruling on medical marijuana, which is actually more of a federalism case.  It is a case only a political or legal geek could love.  All over America stoners are thinking they are going to read about the weed and getting a rude awakening.  "Dude, that interpretation of the commerce clause is totally bogus!"  (Do people still say "bogus," or have I just totally dated myself?) 

National Review on Ellsworth

National conservatives are pitching in for Ellsworth Air Force Base and John Thune.  National Review Online today has a piece by R. Andrew Newman from Nebraska.  He defends Thune's position on Ellsworth:

Although it is natural for a state to want to hang on to a military installation with an estimated economic impact of $278 million and an annual payroll of $161 million, local politics cannot stand in the way if national security dictates that the base must close. But, in this case, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission has some legitimate reasons to consider a reprieve for Ellsworth.

The Department of Defense scored bases on a set of criteria that included current and future mission capabilities, geography, cost of operation, environmental impact, and economic impact on surrounding communities. According to the Pentagon report, Dyess Air Force Base in Texas nudged out Ellsworth 56.7 to 50.8 in the scoring.

Thankfully, for Ellsworth supporters, this doesn't appear to be a clear-cut victory for Dyess. Are there really sufficient "operational efficiencies" to warrant moving the 24 B-1Bs south? Cost should be an issue, but not at the sake of national security. The B-1B fleet is currently split between the South Dakota and Texas bases. Do we really want to have the B1-B's at one base? Thune has also questioned why the domestic list of base closures was made before the Quadrennial Defense Review and the restructuring of overseas bases were completed.

The article asks whether the White House will risk turning Thune into another "maverick" Republican over the Ellsworth question.  I sure hope not.  While I have nothing against those who buck the party line from time to time (in fact, I kinda like them), most so-called maverick Republicans are not dissenters based on principle, but on the joy of hearing "Halleluiah!" from the Democratic amen corner known as the mainstream media. 

Random Musings: Ward Churchill

I am currently working on a historical research project about the American Indian Movement in South Dakota, which has lead me to delve into some of the literature written by the radical Ward "little Eichmanns" Churchill.  Churchill, who has tenure at the University of Colorado, Boulder, has written extensively about Native American tribulations, but much of his work is being questioned, especially by a series that was run by the Rocky Mountain News.  It doesn't take long for somebody to pick up one of his works and figure out that he's using history as a political weapon (as Arthur Schlesinger Jr. would say).  Check these sources for news about Ward Churchill:

PowerLine:  "Ward Churchill:  Cigar store Indian"
Indian Country Today:  "King:  Ward Churchill -- Questionable identity and questionable scholarship"
Pirate Ballerina:  "Yes...but is it a 'witch hunt' if you actually find a witch?"
SDP:  Churchill

In case the readers are wondering what this has to do with South Dakota (other than my project), here's this from Ryne:

Ward Churchill: Not an Indian.

But I think we knew that already.

Here's something that was news to me, though: Professor who compared 911 victims to Nazis taught in S.D.

A University of Colorado professor who likened some Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist victims to a Nazi war criminal taught a year in South Dakota.

Ward Churchill spoke Tuesday night at the University of Hawaii before an overflow crowd.

He said he didn't support the attack on the World Trade Center but thinks it was inevitable because of U.S. international and economic policies.

A check of records shows that Churchill taught at what is now Black Hills State University in Spearfish nearly 30 years ago.

DASHPAC

The Providence Journal (registration required):

Former Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse has hired the former head of Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle 's political-action committee to manage his campaign for U.S. Senate.

Mindy Myers will join Whitehouse as he takes aim at unseating U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee, a Republican, in the November 2006 election. Whitehouse also must first get by a Democratic primary challenge from Rhode Island Secretary of State Matt Brown. According to the Whitehouse campaign, Myers had worked with Daschle, a South Dakotan who lost his seat to Republican John Thune in the 2004 election, for almost five years. During the last election cycle, she served as the political director of his PAC, called DASHPAC, and worked with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee "to provide strategic and political advice to Senate campaigns throughout the country" on Daschle's behalf. She also worked in the field on Senate campaigns in Alaska, Florida and South Dakota.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks political spending, Daschle's PAC spent $1.6 million in the 2004 election cycle, including $354,500 handed out to federal candidates around the country.

Myers had previously served as deputy director for constituency outreach for then-Vice President Al Gore 's campaign for president in 2000, and worked in the legislative affairs office in the Clinton White House.

Whitehouse, in a statement, said Myers' political experience "will be a tremendous asset" to his campaign.

Daschle Watch

Tom Daschle is still politically active.  From The Washington Times:

Virginia gubernatorial candidate Timothy M. Kaine has enlisted the help of former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle.

Mr. Daschle, the South Dakota Democrat who was defeated in November after 18 years in the Senate, is appealing to supporters in a message on Mr. Kaine's Web site, where he criticizes a television advertisement that he says attacks Mr. Kaine.

The ad is paid for by the Republican Governors Association (RGA), which has endorsed former state Attorney Jerry W. Kilgore, a Republican, for governor. The ad, titled "Another One," calls Mr. Kaine a "liberal" and criticizes the Democrat's plan to offer homeowners tax relief.

Mr. Daschle compared the ad — produced by the same group that produced the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads against Sen. John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election — to the attacks on Sen. Max Cleland in 2002. Mr. Cleland, Georgia Democrat, was also defeated.

"These people are dangerous and must be stopped," Mr. Daschle wrote in the message, which is posted at www.itstopsinvirginia.com/daschle.html. "This team of operatives wins races through character assassination — this is not how democracy is supposed to work."

The ad says that when Mr. Kaine was mayor of Richmond, tax bills rose. Mr. Kaine voted repeatedly to decrease the property-tax rate, but because home assessments increased, property-tax bills increased.

"Only a real liberal would call that a cut," the ad says. "So when Tim Kaine talks about cutting your taxes, you'd better hang onto your wallet."

The ad shows alternating images of Mr. Kaine and Mr. Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, who lost to President Bush in November.

Quote of the Day

Sean Flynn, a history professor at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell and a member of the Oglala Tribe, wrote a great piece about Native American tribes needing to fix their own problems rather than rely on others for help and to stop adhering to the activist "we're the victim" rhetoric.  From the Mitchell Daily Republic: 

"[Native American] Baby Boomers have become political obstructionists, narrowing the debate to worn-out racial clichés and sustaining a bitterness that stifles creative thinking by a younger generation of Indians determined to experience the same standard of living enjoyed by their non-Indian peers."

More Fun From The Checkout Line

Once again at my grocery store a tabloid headline caught my eye.  I didn't catch which tabloid it was (due to uncharacteristic efficiency of my supermarket getting me through the line quickly) but the headline was something about "Sexy New Pictures of Jessica Simpson."  They ask why Nick Lachey would even think of leaving her.  You know.  She's got a great body.  He's married to her.  Well, this is a family website so I will go no further, but Nick Lachey gets to do to Jessica Simpson what Jeremy Funk apparently wants to do to the junior Senator (Mr. Funk sure is going to be embarrassed when he finds out the junior Senator is married to Mrs. Junior Senator, with kids and everything). 

On the other hand, if you're married to Jessica Simpson, doesn't that mean you have to talk to her?  That can't be too enjoyable, unless you enjoy sand poundingly stupid women.  I'm not a married man, but I have this rule.  The woman I marry must have an I.Q. above that of the average sea turtle.  I know, it's my cursed high standards that are keeping me single. 

Message to the World

Here is a list of things I don't need:
1. A mortgage at a low, low rate.
2. Any part of my anatomy enhanced.
3.  Viagra, Cialis, or "natural supplements" that have the same effect. 
4. A Rolex watch.

When any of these situations change, I'll let you know.  Until then, please desist in sending me email trying to get me to purchase any of the above.  Thanks. 

Both McGoverns Are Wrong

Former South Dakota Senator George McGovern and current Massachusettes Representative Jim McGovern (no relation) call for the United States to withdraw from Iraq:

Calls to maintain the status quo echo the same rationale used to keep us in Vietnam. To those who contend that we would weaken our credibility if we withdraw, we believe that the nation's standing would greatly improve if we demonstrate the judgment to terminate an unwise course.

Our continuing presence in Iraq feeds the insurgency and gives the insurgents a certain legitimacy in the eyes of much of the world. We know from our own history that armies of occupation are seldom welcome.

The gentlemen present some unconvincing ideas of what to do post-occupation:

The United States should accelerate and pay for the training of Iraqi security forces with the help of Egypt, Jordan, and other Arab allies. We can begin drawing down American forces to coincide with the number of trained Iraqi forces. By that measure, we should bring 30,000 of our troops home now.

President Bush should consult with the current Iraqi government and other Arab nations about the necessity for an Arab-led security force to complement the Iraqis in the short term. Again, the United States should finance this effort.

We should also work with the United Nations to solicit ideas and assistance from the international community on how we can best disengage.

Given what we now know about the UN, expecting them to provide useful help is the triumph of hope over experience.  Also, McGovern Squared work from the assumption that the neighboring nations have any interest in democratic Iraq.  If anything, the opposite is true.  The corrupt potentates of Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia have no interest in making democracy more attractive to their people, as an successful Iraqi democracy inevitably will. 

George McGovern has been getting American foreign policy wrong for over 35 years.  McGovern accepts various theses that are not true, but are indicative of the liberal internationalist mindset.
1. The natural state of things is peace.
2. All nations want essentially the same things: peace, harmony, freedom, etc.  All nations mean the same thing by the words peace, harmony, freedom, etc. 
3. If all nations want the same thing, we conclude that all conflict is then the result of misunderstanding. 
4.  If conflict is the result of misunderstanding, the way to resolve conflict is through negotiation and diplomacy where we show the nations in conflict that they really want the same thing. 

The flaw in this whole paradigm is that it does not have a place for evil and self-interest. The nations of the world do not want the same things.  Some nations are run by power mad tyrants who hate peace, harmony, freedom, etc.  When nations say they want peace, freedom, etc., they don't all agree on what those terms mean.  For example, for years the Palestinian Authority has said it wants peace with Israel, which to them means every Jew in Israel dead or gone, but preferably dead.  Negotiating with people who have no respect for boundaries, human life, rights of others, etc., is fruitless.  They only understand deterrence and strength.  If the American troops are lifted from Iraqi it might decrease the violence in the short run, but once again a valuable lesson will be learned:  hit the Americans and they run.  Vietnam, Beirut, Somalia.  The lesson is clear to those who are paying attention (namely our enemies).  You don't have to really beat the American military, you just have to wait them out.  This is not an argument in favor of beating one's head against the wall, but it is an argument against McGovern's easy capitulation, and given McGovern's worldview, his judgment is not to be trusted. 

Did you notice how they end their piece:

The path of endless war will bankrupt our treasury, devour our soldiers, and degrade the moral and spiritual values of the nation. It is past time to change course.

Don't you hate it when politicians try to impose their won moral and spiritual values?  I await the condemnation by the left-wing blogs of the two McGoverns' promotion of theocracy.

Who's Imposing?

Planned Parenthood is afraid women will chose not to get abortions, so they are filing suit to stop one of South Dakota's new abortion laws.  This new law would strengthen the informed consent law already on the books:

The measure requires doctors to inform a woman in writing at least two hours before an abortion is performed that the procedure ends the life of a human and terminates the constitutional relationship a woman has with her unborn child.

Legislators said the measure will ensure that women seeking abortions fully understand what they are doing.

But Kate Looby of Planned Parenthood is concerned about those danged politicians imposing their own beliefs on the rest of us:

Looby said Planned Parenthood is challenging the law because it writes into South Dakota law the personal ideology and beliefs of politicians.

"When women go to their doctor, they expect personal, individualized care, not the personal beliefs of politicians," Looby said in a written statement.

Now, maybe some lawyer can help me figure out what terminating the "constitutional relationship a woman has with her unborn child" means, but I know what ending human life is.  People might disagree about when human life begins, but obviously it begins at some point in time. It really isn't up to personal opinion when life starts (what worries me is people who say life begins at 40).  If the Declaration of Independence is correct, and I think most Americans still claim that it is, then we have certain natural rights.  One of those rights is the right to life.  The Declaration further states that the purpose of government is to protect those rights.  Thus, it follows that if the government is to protect the right to life, it should define what life is.  In contrast to the pro-choice position, the Declaration suggest that the question of life is a public, not a private, question.  Leaving it up to individuals to decide when life begins makes no more sense than leaving it up to individuals to decide who gets liberty and who doesn't.  These are justly public questions.  The very idea that the invented "right to privacy" means that each individual decides when life begins does violence to common sense and the Declaration of Independence. 

No matter what the state does, even if it does nothing, it sends some sort of public message and will be based on the "personal ideology and beliefs of politicians."  You see, there is no such thing as a "neutral" position on abortion.  Kate Looby is not angry that the legislature made a decision based on the "personal ideology and beliefs" of the legislators, she is upset that her own personal  belief that the matter of protecting unborn human life is purely a private matter did not win the day.  In other words, she wishes she could "impose" her own radical individualistic views rather than the views of the legislature that want give more protection to unborn human life. 

Daschle Mentioned

San Francisco Chronicle:

Star power
When celebrities support causes, who really winds up benefiting?

...

The interest is mutual. Recognizing the power of celebrities to draw media attention, Congress seeks out stars to testify at committee hearings and give the hearings more cachet. The practice can backfire, as in 1985, when then-Rep. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., had Jane Fonda and Jessica Lange  --  both of whom portrayed farmers in movies  --  testify during a committee hearing designed to protest President Reagan's proposed cuts in farm subsidies.

Political observers ridiculed Daschle for his emphasis on faux farmers, but 20 years later, celebrity activists are so commonplace that even global leaders regularly look to them for ideas.

Howard Dean

Insty has a great post on what Biden and Edwards have to say about Howard Dean's Republican-blasting rhetoric.   I recommend checking the links provided at his site.

UPDATE:  Here's more from Dean.  From the Washington Post:

On Saturday, Dean continued his barrage on conservatives while visiting Montana, lambasting the Bush administration for its fiscal irresponsibility and war on terror.

He said President Bush needs to get tough on real threats to national security, nations like North Korea and Iran that claim to have nuclear weapons, rather than nations like Iraq, where no weapons of mass destruction were ever found.

"I would make the argument that America is safer when Democrats are in the White House, than when Republicans are in the White House," Dean said in a speech to Democratic supporters.

There was no immediate response from the GOP to Dean's comments Saturday, but RNC spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt said after Thursday's speech that Dean's "priority is to generate mudslinging headlines rather than engage in substantive debate."

Dean's comment on "getting tough" made me thing of this cartoon I saw in the Argus Leader today:

Semantic Proliferation from the Left

Clean Cut Kid gives us a version of a chart now circulating, purporting to show how many times the Republicans filibustered Clinton nominees to the judiciary.  The chart is a rough transliteration of evidence produced by Senator Dianne Feinstein.  I believe the chart originates at this site.  The point, presumably, is that the Democrats haven't changed the rules at all by filibustering Bush's nominees, because the Republicans did it all the time.  But the chart and/or the speech is as shameless a device as one sees in contemporary politics, and that's saying a  lot.  It makes its case by using words to mean something they had never meant before. 

According to the latter site, Senator Feinstein begins by asking this question: 

Which is better, a filibuster by 40 Members on the floor openly declared, publicly debating, discussing an individual's past speeches, an individual's temperament, character, opinions, or a filibuster in secret when one does not know who or why?

What does Feinstein mean by a "filibuster in secret"?  The first two examples tell.  Clarence Sundram

was simply killed in committee by a filibuster of one or two, or the chairman's decision not to bring the nomination to the floor.

Whatever happened in committee, it couldn't have been a filibuster.  A filibuster is a device used to block a vote on the Senate floor, not a vote in any committee.  The common term for bottling up some action in committee is pigeon-holing. Feinstein is here deliberately distorting the language to prove here point.  One could as legitimately prove that pigs fly by redefining eagles as hogs.  Or to put it differently, Feinstein is lying.

The  second example mentions Jesse Helms blocks a nominees, presumably  by not "returning the blue slip."  This tradition allows a Senator to block a nominee from his home state.  Again, this is not what anyone ever meant by the term "filibuster", until Feinstein decided to work some Bill Clinton mojo on the language. 

A quick survey suggests that all or almost all of the examples produced by Feinstein fall into one of the two categories mentioned above. 

A filibuster is a device by which a minority can block a vote on the Senate floor by refusing to end debate.  A filibuster begins when some group of Senators announces to the chair that they intend to filibuster, or when a vote of cloture has failed.  This device differs from the others mentioned above in significant ways. 

The hold a Senator can put on nominees from his own state is one of those long standing privileges of the upper house.  It can surely be misused, and perhaps it was so misused by Jesse Helms, but this was squarely within tradition.  Were a great number of Senators to try to block nominees by using this power, that would be a serious threat to the nomination process, and surely it would be recognized as a departure from tradition.

Blocking a vote in committee is central to the process whereby Congress works and has always worked.  A sensible person could argue that, in the case of nomination, committees should be forced to issue a report, favorable or no, so that the Senate can vote.  But the committees are scale models of the Senate as a whole: the majority party in the Senate has a majority on the Senate judiciary committee.  If the majority is united, the minority members cannot block a nomination.  This is another reason why this is unlike a filibuster. 

For the minority to use the filibuster to systematically block judicial nominations may be a good idea or a bad idea, but it is without precedent in the history of the Senate.  Feinstein's speech is patently dishonest.  But this is hardly unprecedented in this debate.  When the Democrats defeated a cloture vote on the Bolton nomination, Senator Dodd sent a letter to his fellow Democrats insisting that this was not a filibuster.  But if a cloture vote has failed, that is the very definition of a filibuster. 

If the Democrats really believed they were in the right, they would not have to be persistent telling lies about the meaning of words. 

 

 

SDMSM

Where's the South Dakota reporting on this story from the front page of yesterdays's Washington Post?  Sibby is also noting the following story from CBS News:

Dems Linked To Embattled Lobbyist

June 3, 2005

Jack Abramoff, right, listens to his attorney Abbe Lowell, as Abramoff refused to answer questions before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, Sept. 29, 2004. (Photo: AP (file)) "It wouldn't surprise me to see the Abramoff controversy impact both parties." Tony Raymond, PoliticalMoneyLine.com House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's ties to Abramoff have been under scrutiny. (Photo: AP) Former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., was among several top Democrats to receive tribal donations channeled through Abramoff's lobbying firm. (Photo: AP)

(CBS/AP) Republicans weren’t the only ones to benefit from embattled lobbyist Jack Abramoff's political activities, The Washington Post reports. Several Democrats – including some of the biggest names on Capitol Hill – also received campaign contributions from Indian tribes channeled through Abramoff's lobbying firm.

Abramoff is under federal investigation amid allegations he overcharged tribal clients by millions of dollars, and his ties to top Republicans, like House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, are under increasing scrutiny.

But Abramoff and his associates at the Greenberg Traurig law firm also directed donations to leading Democrats. Among them: former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D.; his successor, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.; and former House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo.

"It wouldn't surprise me to see the Abramoff controversy impact both parties," Tony Raymond, co-founder of PoliticalMoneyLine.com, told the Post.

While Abramoff – a $100,000-plus fundraiser for President Bush – and his firm channeled most of their clients' money to Republicans, the Post says six of the 18 largest recipients of tribal contributions were Democrats.

"Lobbying shops typically direct contributions to both parties because they want contacts on both sides of the aisle," said David M. Hart, a professor of public policy at George Mason University.

According to a review of public records, Republican Sen. Conrad Burns of Montana, chairman of an Appropriations subcommittee that deals with Indian matters, was the biggest recipient of donations from the tribes as well as from Greenberg Traurig lobbyists who directed those donations. He received $141,590 from 1999 to 2004.