The permanent campaign continues. Take note of how the College Democrats explain how the faux letter-to-the-editor operation comes "from Hildebrand's firm." This is a great look at Hildebrand's effort to orchestrate attacks on Thune and Governor Rounds. I also enjoyed the use of the phrase "pre-drafted letters." And this statement: "All we need is a person to sign these letters." A real grassroots uprising here!
From the SD College Dems website [note that the links are no longer available]:
2. THE LETTER TO THE EDITOR campaign seems to have succeeded quite well. I say this because those tracking the letters are again tapping our organization to send out more letters on different topics. We are receiving letters from the SD Democratic Party and from Hildebrand's firm. Nathan Peterson has suggested a series of letters, on a different topic each week. You will find attached to this e-mail three different e-mails on HR 609, each with a letter to the editor. All we need is a person to sign these letters. I was wondering if you, Chelsea, wouldn't mind taking the first letter. And David, if you'd be willing to take the second, I'd appreciate it. Finally, if you, Matthew, would be willing to take the third, we here at SDSU have drafted our own letter. Kelly, down at USD, is going to be hosting a letter to the editor writing event at their next meeting, where a number of different issues will be written upon. Also, I have attached a sizeable amount of talking points relating to a letter to the editor that the SDDP wants written regarding Gov. Rounds' non-response to State Senator Ben Nesselhuf's entreaty to disclose to the public information regarding the "Governor's Club," a slush fund at the center of the Governor's jet-setting controversy. If each chapter would be willing to take a look at this and write up a letter, we would be doing the state party a huge service. Please reply back to me about any actions taken by your chapters on this--I would really like to know.
2. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. Great work on this, folks. Like I stated last week, we continue to receive excellent feedback on the amount of coverage we are providing these important issues with our letters. I have attached three new letters regarding Sen. JOHN THUNE and his "obstructionism" in the Senate--a direct counter to the horribly misleading campaign led by Thune and his slime-master Wadhams against Daschle last year. It is about time we get folks galvanized against South Dakota's "other" senator. Kelly, you can take the first letter if you like; and Liz and Matthew, you can take the second. SDSU will take the third. Feel free to change them as much as you like. Nathan Peterson sent me two more letters on Governor Rounds. Kristina, if you and the folks at DWU would like to take the Rounds letter I have listed, feel free to do so. Also, I have attached a listing of all the e-mails to the newspapers for their letters to the editor. If anyone else would like to get a few more pre-drafted letters please e-mail me. Again, feel free to use that listing of newspaper e-mails I sent you as a resource. Also, if you want to stagger out these letters to the editor, feel free. I know we are blitzing the papers with this stuff, so if you want to wait until next week to get this in to the papers, also feel free to do so.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR CAMPAIGN. The South Dakota Democratic Party is again asking us to step up as an organization and continue with the letter writing campaign against John Thune's recent votes and Gov. Rounds' wanton abuse of the state taxpayer in his private travels throughout the country. I have attached to this e-mail the talking points given by the SDDP, along with developing information I've gleaned off the Internet--including the federal investigation now ongoing into this matter. Also, I have attached a prototype letter on Thune which should give you a good template (though I ask that you make your own creative additions to it, as a verbatim copy of mine will be rejected by most papers as being a "copied" letter). Please check out the Thune letter, and the ideas I have posted underneath. I'm especially proud of that one. Next week, I should be able to give you a copy of a letter template on the Rounds issue.
It should also be noted that the anti-GOP bloggers are all Hildebrand employees. Also, last fall Argus Leader editor Randell Beck said after someone was exposed orchestrating fake letters to the editor that he "shouldn't bother submitting another letter." Will Beck apply the same standard to the Hildebrand organization?
UPDATE: The College Democrats respond.
UPDATE II: Speaking of the College Democrats, they were featured in Calvitto's column in the Rapid City Journal today.
UPDATE III: Since the links were removed, here are the screenshots of the Google cache of their website (click to enlarge):
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