South Dakota Politics

House debate

The House debate between Herseth and Diedrich will be held here in Vermillion at noon. You can listen to the internet stream of the debate at the South Dakota Public Broadcasting website.

Herseth campaign manager calls Diedrich a liar

Last week during the Republican convention, Stephanie Herseth's campaign manager declared that Larry Diedrich was lying to the media about Herseth's record in Congress, according to an AP story headlined "GOP House candidate speaks to Republican Convention." Excerpt:

Tessa Gould, Herseth's campaign manager, said Diedrich should not have used the GOP convention to criticize his opponent.

"South Dakotans are clearly tired of negative campaigns, and it's unfortunate that Larry used his time on stage to attack Representative Herseth," Gould told The Associated Press.

Herseth has tried to convince voters that she hit the ground running in Washington after being sworn in June 3 as the state's first female in the U.S. House.

Gould said Diedrich has been lying to the media about Herseth's record in Congress. Gould said she is worried because Diedrich has become increasing combative since losing the special election.

"This new pattern of attacks, based on blatantly untruthful and demonstrably false statements, takes things to a new and ugly level and dramatically changes the tone of this campaign," Gould said.

Jessica Towhey, Diedrich's press secretary, said he is merely informing voters about Herseth's congressional record.

"For the first time, Stephanie Herseth has a voting record," Towhey said Monday. "These are not personal attacks. This is taking a look at her record and letting people know what is going on in Washington, D.C."

Oh, the startling meanness of actually scrutinizing an opponent's record! Imagine the outcry from the Herseth campaign if Mark Berg, Diedrich's campaign manager, had accused Herseth of lying.

Diedrich speaks at convention

Larry Diedrich spoke at 10:47 CST and focussed on agricultural issues during his brief remarks. Larry primarily discussed ethanol and urged the passage of an energy bill. Recall that the responsibility for the failure of the energy bill last November falls squarely on Senator Daschle's shoulders.

UPDATE: The AP is reporting on the Diedrich speech: "GOP House candidate speaks to Republican Convention."

Herseth taking credit for things she didn't do

The AP is reporting a story headlined "Herseth dismisses GOP 'spin'" regarding Herseth's propensity to take credit for things she didn't do. Excerpt:

Last week, Herseth said the House Appropriations Committee had approved more than $64 million for water projects in South Dakota, including $17.5 million for the Lewis and Clark Rural Water System.

"Given that we've been without a representative in the House for the last several months, I'm very happy that we've been able to deliver on these priorities," Herseth told reporters on Wednesday.

(Emphasis added.) The bolded text looks to me like she's taking credit for the project.

It's disappointing that the the AP reporter, Dennis Gale, failed to mention a recent story in The Hill, a Capitol Hill publication, headlined "Herseth moves fast -- a bit too fast." Excerpt:

She campaigned hard on Indian reservations across South Dakota and is joining the Native American Caucus. Yesterday, she met with leaders of the Lower Brule, Crow Creek and other tribes. She even issued a press release last week attaching her name to new funding for the Indian Health Service (IHS) and other Indian-related spending items.

“Stephanie Herseth announced that the House Appropriations Committee has approved a significant increase in funding,” Herseth’s June 9 release stated.

The only catch is that Herseth, who won her seat in a special election June 1, had nothing to do with the funding measure, part of the Interior Department’s appropriations bill for 2005. While House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bill Young (R-Fla.) and other members were hammering out the bill in Washington, Herseth was stumping for votes in South Dakota.

(Emphasis added.) It's not just the NRCC that's taking notice of Herseth's propensity to take credit for things she didn't do, as the AP piece misleadingly implies. Capitol Hill reporters noted the development well before the NRCC did.

E.J. Dionne on Herseth's victory

Liberal Washington Post columnist has a piece today discussing Stephanie Herseth headlined "Running on Independence." Excerpt:

In the two recent special elections, both Herseth and Chandler were more willing to argue that independence also meant being willing to break with Bush and the Republican majority in Congress. Why? "There is just not the level of confidence out there for Bush that there was seven or eight months ago," Chandler said.

Herseth sees voters reacting against Republicans in Washington much as they reacted against the Democrats when they dominated Congress a decade ago.

"From 1992 through 1994, when Democrats had both houses, there was a sense that the Democrats had overreached," she said. "Now, there's a sense that Republicans have overreached in domestic and foreign policy."

Herseth's out-of-state volunteers

The Capitol Hill publication The Hill has a story headlined "Imported volunteers helped Dems in S.D.; Mobilization for Herseth outdid national GOP." Excerpt:

Despite a wave of press reports about grassroots campaigning by national Republicans, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) recruited more out-of-state volunteers in South Dakota’s recent special election and expects a big voter outreach effort in November.

Overall, the DCCC flew 400 volunteers — most of whom were Hill staffers — to South Dakota on three chartered planes and bused in an additional 450 from 13 surrounding states, including Oklahoma, Illinois and Wisconsin.

Elsewhere in The Hill is a story headlined "Rep. Herseth moves fast — a bit too fast." Excerpt:

“Stephanie Herseth announced that the House Appropriations Committee has approved a significant increase in funding,” Herseth’s June 9 release stated.

The only catch is that Herseth, who won her seat in a special election June 1, had nothing to do with the funding measure, part of the Interior Department’s appropriations bill for 2005. While House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bill Young (R-Fla.) and other members were hammering out the bill in Washington, Herseth was stumping for votes in South Dakota.

NYT editorial on Herseth

The New York Times has a piece on Stephanie Herseth paying herself a salary from her campaign coffers, headlined "Paying Candidates to Run."

UPDATE: SDP reader Ryan Knutson kindly directed my attention to this post written by Herseth on the DCCC's blog, as well as this post.

Herseth and "energy week"

Next week, there will be a debate on the energy bill on the House floor, according to a UPI story headlined "Hill Republicans to push energy strategy." It will be interesting to watch Stephanie Herseth's participation in that debate. Last fall, the energy bill came within 2 votes of passage in the Senate, but failed due in part to Tom Daschle's refusal to use his vaunted clout to gather the extra Democratic votes needed for the energy bill to pass.

More on the NYT correction

After notifying the New York Times of their error in the headline of this story, I received the following e-mail today from the NYT's Bill Borders:

You are right. That was an embarrassing error about South Dakota, and I wish we had not made it. We published a correction. But we know that a correction never quite catches up to the original error, which is why we try so hard to get things right in the first place.

Thanks so much for writing, and for holding us to a high standard.

Best, Bill Borders, The New York Times.

NYT correction

The New York Times has the following correction in today's edition:

An article yesterday about the election of Stephanie Herseth to the House of Representatives from South Dakota cited a precedent erroneously. Ms. Herseth, a Democrat, was not the first woman elected to Congress from her state. Gladys Pyle won a special election to the Senate in 1938 and served two months.

Note that in the online story, the NYT has the phrase "Correction Appended" posted prominently. This is quite a contrast to the Argus Leader's behavior on corrections, simply slipping in a correction without duly noting it.

Special election roundup II

This AP photo is paired with the story headlined "South Dakotan Sworn in As New House Member."

The New York Times has a story by Stephen Kinzer with this wildly inaccurate headline: "The Voters in South Dakota Send a Woman to Washington for the First Time." No, Gladys Pyle was the first woman South Dakota voters sent to Washington. Kinzer really grasps at straws trying to relate the Iraq issue to the Herseth victory. Did you get the sense that Herseth's win was an indication of dissatisfaction with Bush's handling of the war in Iraq, notwithstanding the fact that Herseth at least says she wholeheartedly supports Bush on the issue? Well, that's the sense you were supposed to get.

The Hill has a story headlined "Herseth wins Ag seat."

The Weekly Standard has a piece headlined "South Dakota Surprise."

DVT on the Herseth victory

DVT has several interesting posts regarding the Herseth victory. As DVT writes, its amazing that an unknown farmer could come so close to beating a familiar face like Herseth in so short of a span of time.

Hemingsen on the special election

Don't miss South Dakota television icon Steve Hemingsen's analysis of the special election.

Special election roundup

The AP has a story headlined "Democrat Wins Election for Janklow's Seat." Excerpt:

"We ran a positive, truthful campaign based on issues, not negative attacks," Herseth, 33, told a room of cheering, chanting supporters early Wednesday.

Non-partisan political analyst Stuart Rothenberg disagrees.

Reuters has a story headlined "Democrat Wins South Dakota House Race."

The Christian Science Monitor has a piece headlined "Democrats see opportunity to win back House."

NPR has an interesting analysis by Ken Rudin of candidates who lose the special election but then turn around and win the general election.

Minnesota Public Radio has a piece headlined "Herseth wins South Dakota's special congressional election."

Local ABC affiliate KSFY has a story headlined "Diedrich concedes"

NYT on Daschle

Via the NYT: "Could Herseth's Victory in South Dakota Hurt Daschle?"

By the way

See this late development.

Election results

The South Dakota Secretary of State's office has begun posting results from today's special election. With six precincts reporting, Diedrich leads 56%-44%. Stay tuned for updates...

UPDATE at 8:12PM: Herseth takes the lead, 52-48 with 20 precincts reporting...

UPDATE at 8:18PM: Herseth's lead widens, 54-46 with 40 precincts reporting...

UPDATE at 8:22PM: Minnehaha County (most populous county in SD) precincts starting to report, Herseth lead widens further 56-44 with 71 precincts reporting...

UPDATE at 8:26PM: The AP's Joe Kafka reports Herseth has an early lead. Herseth at this time leads 56-44 with 81 precincts reporting...

UPDATE at 8:31: Herseth's lead narrows to 55-45 with 106 precincts reporting...

UPDATE at 8:38: Herseth's lead narrows another point, 54-46 with 120 precincts reporting...

UPDATE at 8:46: Herseth's lead narrows yet another point, 53-47 with 156 precincts reporting. Union and Tripp counties have nearly all precincts reporting, in Tripp Diedrich leads with 56%, in Union, Diedrich leads with 51%.

UPDATE at 8:57: Herseth leads 53-47 with 203 precincts reporting. The DCCC's blog has pics of Herseth at the Sheraton in Sioux Falls.

UPDATE at 9:01: More Minnehaha precincts reporting, Herseth leads in Minnehaha 57-43. Herseth leads 53-47 with 212 precincts reporting.

UPDATE at 9:05: Herseth's lead narrows again, 52-48 with 242 precincts in. Diedrich handily wins Tripp County with 56%.

UPDATE at 9:11: Herseth ahead 52-48 with 279 precincts in. Diedrich handily wins in Campbell County with 67%. Herseth is winning in Clay County with 64%.

UPDATE at 9:22: Herseth increases lead back to 53-47, and handily wins Buffalo County, home of the Crow Creek Indian Reservation, with 81%.

UPDATE at 9:30: Herseth lead back to 52-48 with 343 precincts reporting. Watching for West River returns now....

UPDATE at 9:37: Herseth lead at 52-48 with 402 precincts reporting. Jay Reding also is keeping track of the polling. It's a 50-50 tie in Charles Mix County, home of the Yankton Sioux Indian Reservation.

UPDATE at 9:49: Herseth leads at 52-48 with 414 precincts reporting. Diedrich behind in Minnehaha 54-46 with 50 of 69 precincts reporting. Union County has a 50-50 tie with all precincts reporting. Diedrich leads in Lincoln County 52-48 with 14 of 21 precincts reporting. Meade County in the Black Hills shows Diedrich leading 52-48 with 10 of 37 precincts reporting.

UPDATE at 9:57: Herseth lead narrows to 51-49 with 476 precincts reporting. Pennington County (second most populous county in SD and reliably Republican) returns starting to come in. Diedrich leads in Pennington 52-48 with 10 of 42 precincts reporting. No returns posted yet from Shannon and Todd Counties, respectively the home of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and the Rosebud Indian Reservation. More pics available at DCCC's blog.

UPDATE at 10:11: Herseth lead at 51-49 with 567 precincts reporting.

UPDATE at 10:17: Herseth lead still at 51-49 with 579 precincts reporting. No precincts have reported from Butte, Custer, Hanson, Roberts, Stanley, Shannon, and Todd Counties.

UPDATE at 10:23: Herseth lead still at 51-49 with 588 precincts reporting. Nobody has called this baby yet.

UPDATE at 10:26: Herseth lead still at 51-49 with 604 precincts reporting. All but one Minnehaha precinct has reported, with Diedrich behind in that county 54-46. Diedrich is ahead in Pennington though, 53-47 with 14 of 42 precincts reporting.

UPDATE at 10:32: Herseth lead still at 51-49 with 618 precincts reporting. Pennington County precincts are starting to pour in, and Diedrich leads in that county 55-45 with 23 of 42 precincts reporting. The Pennington County results could put Diedrich over the top, but the reservation counties of Shannon and Todd would put Herseth back on top. So far no precinct from Shannon or Todd has reported.

UPDATE at 10:42: Herseth in lead, 51-49 with 656 precincts reporting. MyDD does the math and says Herseth is going to win.

UPDATE at 10:50: Herseth in lead, 51-49 with 688 precincts reporting. Pennington County returns continue to come in, Diedrich leads there 56-44 with 29 of 42 precincts reporting.

UPDATE at 11:00: Herseth leads 51-49 with 691 precincts reporting. A reader asks what my source is for the numbers. All of the numbers come from the Secretary of State's website, which is updated every 5 minutes.

UPDATE at 11:07: Herseth leads 51-49 with 700 precincts reporting. Only 98 more to go. Still no precincts reporting from Butte, Hanson, Shannon, and Todd Counties.

UPDATE at 11:14: Herseth leads 51-49 with 703 precincts reporting. Jay Reding begins analyzing the ramifications of this election on the Senate race in South Dakota.

UPDATE at 11:31: Herseth leads 51-49 with 714 precincts reporting. I think that Zogby poll conducted on the race two weeks ago was bunk.

UPDATE at 11:41: Herseth leads 51-49 with 733 precincts reporting. MyDD says Herseth may be making an appearance shortly.

UPDATE at 11:53: It's at 50-50, with Herseth leading by 2098 votes, and 758 precincts reporting. This is the worst of all possible outcomes for Tom Daschle. Herseth winning, making an all-Democratic delegation (something ticketsplitting South Dakotans don't want), but only winning by the slimmest of margins. This summer will be a barnburner of a campaign for both House and Senate.

UPDATE at 12:02: It's back to Herseth leading 51-49, with 765 precincts reporting. Shannon County precincts, home of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, just started reporting, with 95% of the votes going to Herseth. Wow.

UPDATE at 12:21: Jay Reding calls it a Pyrrhic victory for the Democrats. Well said. I'm off to bed.

Sabato: South Dakotans don't want to be represented by three Democrats in DC

SDP reader Reb Wayne sends along the following e-mail he recently received from Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics:

Dear Mr. Wayne,

Thanks for this. Just yesterday, I talked to several key SD reporters and activists. They were unanimous in believing that Herseth would win. They may be unanimously wrong, but I'll stick with the home folks! I also say that if Herseth wins, it's actually bad news for Daschle. South Dakotans don't want to be represented by three Democrats in DC. One is going to have to go---either Herseth in November or Daschle. That's my guess, anyway.

As for the TX races, I'm with you. My team is more cautious. I'm forwarding your comments to them. I'll personally be very surprised if more than one of the endangered TX Dems wins in November.

Best wishes,
Larry Sabato

(Emphasis added.)

The Hill: Diedrich effectively conceding defeat

Tom Daschle's re-election prospects are officially in jeopardy. The Hill, a Capitol Hill publication, has a story just published for tomorrow's edition headlined "Narrow loss will do, says Diedrich in S.D." Excerpt:

Republican congressional hopeful Larry Diedrich is effectively conceding defeat in today’s South Dakota special House election before the polling booths even open....

Pointing out that he was 30 points behind Herseth when he entered the race in late January, Diedrich said that as his name recognition has jumped, so have his poll numbers.

What matters, Diedrich said, is that South Dakotans see that momentum is on his side. If he loses by a narrow margin, he added, voters will think the June 1 election came too soon....

The piece discusses the ramifications of a Herseth win on Tom Daschle's re-election prospects:

Still, there might be some truth to a theory bandied about by Republicans that Daschle doesn’t want Herseth to win, said Sharon Stroschein, the Democratic National Committeewoman for South Dakota.

According to this reasoning, Daschle will have an easier time winning a fourth term if the congressional delegation is not all Democratic. Otherwise, the thinking goes, Thune can make the case to voters that they need a Republican in Washington to make sure South Dakotans have the ear of the GOP-controlled Congress and the White House.

“I’m sure [Thune] would use that argument, and I’m sure it would work to some degree,” Stroschein said. “I’m sure the Daschle people have to be thinking about that.”

It looks like my dad, the cold-eyed analyst, is right, as usual, as seen by this piece in a recent edition of the Washington Times:

"I see her winning, number one. Number two, she's a bright new face. That violates a lot of the political knowledge in South Dakota. Certainly, her opponent has got more experience," said Ron Van Beek of South Dakota-based American Public Opinion.

But see my dad's quote in an earlier edition of the Washington Times:

Ron Van Beek, president of American Public Opinion Survey and Market Research, based in South Dakota, said Mr. Frist's visit is a bigger deal in Washington than in South Dakota.

"It is, really. Even [Mr.] Bush himself doesn't pull that many voters towards Thune because politics is local in South Dakota," he said.

He said the election's backdrop will be set after the June 1 special election to fill South Dakota's sole congressional seat. Democrat Stephanie Herseth is leading the race against Republican Larry Diedrich and, if she wins, South Dakota will have an entirely Democratic congressional delegation.

"If she wins, then many of those people who would probably vote for Daschle — Republicans — would probably vote for Thune," Mr. Van Beek said.

Emily's List punishes its own who oppose partial-birth abortion

Stephanie Herseth has said she supports the ban on partial-birth abortion, with exceptions for life and health of the mother. Although the ban on partial birth abortions has been signed into law and is now being contested in the federal courts, and is therefore something of a moot point, it is illuminating to observe how Emily's List, one of Herseth's major contributors, behaved toward Senator Mary Landrieu when she voted to support the partial-birth abortion ban.

A September, 2002 piece in the liberal American Prospect headlined "Emily's List Hissed" offers the details:

Republicans have vowed to pour money into Louisiana to unseat Landrieu, who was narrowly elected in 1996 with the backing of Emily's List, in order to retake the Senate. Emily's List, which supports only pro-choice Democratic women, announced in 1997 that it would no longer fund Landrieu thanks to her vote for an amended ban on the so-called partial-birth procedure. So Landrieu, the first woman senator from the South elected in her own right, will need all the Democratic Party dollars she can get.

(Emphasis added.) The TAP piece also contains this quote from Democratic operative Paul Begala:

"Now, I wonder if Emily's List contributors wouldn't rather see their money spent helping, say, Mary Landrieu, one of the few women in the Senate, keep her seat. Well, no dice, says Emily's List. Senator Landrieu, you see, supported the ban on partial-birth abortion. Doesn't matter that her Republican opponents support a total ban on all abortions. Wasn't it Santayana who said: 'Fanaticism consists of redoubling your efforts after you've lost sight of your aim'?"

When uber-Democrat fanatic Paul Begala characterizes Emily's List as engaging in "fanaticism," that's saying something, and it contradicts Stephanie Herseth's protestations that Emily's List is not an extremist group:

Herseth has been criticized for accepting donations from Emily's List, an organization characterized as supporting pro-choice candidates.

But she said it is an organization comprised of individuals from South Dakota and across the country who are interested in seeing more women elected and helps them become more financially viable.

Emily's List has been treated unfairly and it is wrong to suggest it is a radical feminist organization, Herseth said.

It strains credulity that Herseth describes herself as a moderate when she is so beholden to an extremist group like Emily's List. It's no surprise that The Nation's Katrina vanden Heuval is a Herseth fan.

Out-of-state Dems descending on SD

Check out the DCCC's blog, which has pics of Paul Begala and Robert Matsui firing up volunteers headed for South Dakota to help Herseth's GOTV efforts. I wonder if there were any remarks about "the Taliban wing of the Republican Party?"

Then check out the South Dakota GOP's blog, which has pics of these out-of-state Dems cravenly papering over the "John Kerry for President" signs on their bus (scroll down a couple of posts for the pics). That is a microcosm of Democratic politics in South Dakota.

More on illegal anti-Diedrich phone calls

KELO-TV recently had a report on the illegal anti-Diedrich phone calls conducted last Tuesday. The state GOP has filed a complaint with the FEC. While it's too late to find out who paid for these calls and hold them accountable before the special election on Tuesday, it will be useful to know who conducted these calls before the general election in November.

Vote today

This is a friendly reminder to SDP readers to vote by absentee ballot today if you haven't already. Go vote, and then work to get out the vote next Tuesday.

NPR covers McKennan park rally, skips Johnson's "Taliban" comment

NPR's "All Things Considered" has a nearly six minute piece on the Diedrich v. Herseth race, and spends a significant amount of time covering the McKennan Park rally last Sunday in which Senator Tim Johnson kicked things off with his "Taliban" comment. The subsequent flap over Johnson's comment even made it into the liberal New York Times. But NPR completely skips the "Taliban" remark. There's no mention of it at all. Once again, we see that what is NOT reported is just as important as what IS reported. The best part? This report is your tax dollars at work.

More on Herseth and Project Vote Smart

An anonymous e-mailer writes:

It doesn't appear that your little "blog" is concerned with accuracy, but to the extent it is, you might want to also note the similarly "stunning developments" that former Rep. Bill Janklow, Governor Rounds, and Arnold
Brown, Pres Pro Tem of the SD Senate have also "refused to provide any responses" to the [Project Vote Smart] test. Btw, your lame attempts to be the Matt Drudge of the greater Vermillion area are completely entertaining! Keep 'em coming! We are getting lots of laughs in DC. Good luck with your job search!

The e-mailer is correct that Bill Janklow, Governor Rounds, and Arnold Brown have all told PVS to take a hike. However, each of these individuals have a voting record that can be scrutinized. Janklow and Rounds have spent a long time in public life, and therefore there is an abundance of publicly available material to sift through that can be analyzed to predict voting behavior, and be held accountable for it. Additionally, none of these individuals are running for South Dakota's lone House seat.

Larry Diedrich, as a former state legislator, also has a voting record that can be scrutinized, and has previously provided responses to PVS. By comparison, Stephanie Herseth has no voting record, and has shown a tendency to dissemble and obfuscate when directly questioned on the issues. The fact that she has refused to provide any responses to PVS is just another piece of evidence that indicates a pattern of obfuscation and dissembling on the part of Stephanie Herseth.

Herseth refuses to provide any responses to Project Vote Smart

Now here's a stunning development. According to Project Vote Smart, STEPHANIE HERSETH HAS TWICE REFUSED TO PROVIDE ANY RESPONSES TO CITIZENS ON ISSUES THROUGH PROJECT VOTE SMART'S 2004 NATIONAL POLITICAL AWARENESS TEST. Project Vote Smart is a non-partisan organization. PVS's website explains the 2004 National Political Awareness Test thusly:

The National Political Awareness Test is a key component of Project Vote Smart's Voter Self-Defense system. It has one central purpose: to measure each candidate's willingness to demonstrate a good faith effort to provide voters with the candidate's inclinations on the issues he or she will most likely face on the citizen's behalf. The NPAT is administered to all candidates for presidential, congressional, gubernatorial, and state legislative offices.

PVS further states:

At a time when Americans are increasingly frustrated with the attack advertising and empty rhetoric of many campaigns, the need for this relevant information has never been greater. The public integrity of candidates and the quality of their campaigns can be viewed, in part, as a measurement of their willingness to provide their prospective employers (voters) with this information during a campaign, the point when voters need the most help and when the candidates are asking for their vote.

Stephanie Herseth's campaign has been the epitome of empty rhetoric and attack advertising. The fact that she has twice refused to stake out her positions with PVS should give pause to all South Dakotans considering voting for her. There can only be one reason she has twice (twice!) refused to take any positions on the issues. It's because she knows her positions on the issues would turn off a majority of South Dakota voters.

BOMBSHELL: Anti-Diedrich calls today don't have disclaimer

A source tells me he received the following voicemail message this afternoon:

"Hello, this is Marilyn Stamp. I work an extra job in Sioux Falls so my children can attend college. I'm very disappointed with Larry Diedrich's record in South Dakota government. Larry Diedrich has voted twice against South Dakota's college students, and his bill to give out-of-state student scholarships was vetoed by our governor, who said 'South Dakota's taxpaying parents should NOT be burdened with Larry Diedrich's law.' Call Larry Diedrich at 605-334-7077, and tell him he needs to fight for South Dakota, NOT his out-of state-friends."

Note that there's no disclaimer that says who paid for the phone call, a clear violation of BCRA (Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act). A few weeks ago, Tom Daschle did precisely the same thing, and subsequently admitted that his calls broke the law. Assuming today's phone calls were paid for by Herseth, who, after all, is a lawyer, she can hardly plead ignorance of the disclaimer requirement. Which leads one to believe that, should it be discovered that Herseth paid for the call, the Herseth campaign is consciously and systematically violating the law.

UPDATE: Sioux Falls radio talk-show host Greg Belfrage, who did a masterful job of exposing the illegal Daschle calls, is on the story.

NYT on Johnson's "Taliban" remark

The NYT's Carl Hulse has a piece on the "Wild West" flavor of South Dakota politics headlined "The Battle for South Dakota." Excerpt:

With so much riding on the outcome, the next few days promise to be pretty tough, as evidenced by the current fight over a weekend crack by Senator Tim Johnson, the Democrat who defeated Mr. Thune in 2002. Mr. Johnson suggested that a victory by Ms. Herseth would not go over too well with "the Taliban wing of the Republican Party."

That comment has provoked protests of outrage up and down the Republican hierarchy, with much of the anger directed at Ms. Herseth. Republican leaders are demanding that she demand that Mr. Johnson apologize. "Her continued refusal to demand an apology for these comments can only mean that she accepts them and their hateful message," said Representative Tom Reynolds, Republican of New York and chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Mr. Johnson so far is not apologizing and has said his flip remark was meant to refer to only a small wing of the Republican party — such as the ones who in 2002 ran an ad saying his vote against a missile defense system could empower people such as Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. Evidently, when it comes to politics, South Dakota still has a bit of that Wild West flavor.

Hulse even links to the Rapid City Journal's excellent report by Denise Ross on the flap, rather than the Argus Leader's report by Dave Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters. I think that says something about whose report is more thorough, informative and, um, accurate.

Sen. Johnson's "Taliban" remark backfires

Senator Tim Johnson's remark about "the Taliban wing of the Republican Party" at Stephanie Herseth's Sunday rally is drawing fire from various congressional leaders as well as the blogosphere. Johnson seems to be digging in his heels by refusing to apologize, although he does seem to be backpedaling furiously, saying his comment "was a flip remark" that "has nothing to do with Larry Diedrich." Oh, really? Johnson made those comments in the context of Stephanie Herseth defeating Larry Diedrich, yet somehow we're led to believe those comments have nothing to do with Larry. It's more unsettling that Johnson admitted that it was a "flip remark." Apparently, to Johnson's mind, it's just conventional wisdom that Republicans can fairly be equated to the Taliban, a murderous terrorist regime.

Larry is a good man who has run a clean campaign on the issues, drawing fair comparisons to Stephanie Herseth's record. Yet he has been maligned by Stephanie Herseth as "not committed to running a truthful campaign" (even non-partisan commentator Stuart Rothenberg declared that Herseth was guilty of directing a "negative attack" by accusing Larry of untruthfulness) and now Senator Johnson maligns Larry further by implying that it is the "Taliban wing of the Republican Party" that supports Larry.

Ironically, Senator Johnson's "Taliban" remark comes on the heels of his colleague Tom Daschle's speech in Manhattan, Kansas a few weeks ago decrying the "startling meanness" in contemporary American politics (Daschle was on the stage right next to Johnson when the "Taliban" remark was made, and laughed and clapped when it was made). Daschle's and Johnson's behavior subsequent to the Manhattan speech is stark evidence that Daschle's speech was insincere, and merely another cynical ploy at playing the victim, in a long line of such cynical ploys.

UPDATE: Recall, too, Daschle standing next to John Kerry at a press conference on March 11, in which Kerry refused to apologize for and stood by his comments referring to President Bush and his advisors as "the most crooked ... lying group I’ve ever seen.” Here's what Kerry said at that press conference with Daschle looking on:

"I have no intention whatsoever of apologizing for my remarks. I think the Republicans need to start talking about the real issues before the country. George Bush doesn't have a record to run on. He has a record to run away from."

After that, Daschle and Kerry shook hands, exchanged backslaps, and grinned for the cameras.

Yes, there's a startling meanness in American politics today, and Tom Daschle is in the thick of it.

Herseth rally at McKennan Park

I attended the Herseth rally at McKennan Park last night, and Tom Daschle and Tim Johnson were both on the stage with her. Daschle had an interesting story about an old friend of his named Claude Pepper. Claude Pepper was a U.S. Senator and Representative from Florida, who advocated sharing our atomic bomb technology with Stalin in the months after Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Daschle seems to tell the Claude Pepper story (recited below) quite frequently, as a Google search of "Tom Daschle" and "Claude Pepper" indicates. To wit from the Iola Register, a local paper in Kansas, reporting on Daschle's speech at Kansas State University a few weeks ago:

When [Daschle] was first elected to Congress in 1978 he went to Rep. Claude Pepper of Florida for advice. Pepper served first in the Senate, was defeated and then came back as a Representative and served for still another 25 years.

"I asked him if he had any any advice for me. He sat there rubbing his chin in his hand for so long I thought perhaps he hadn't understood my question. He had two hearing aids. I was about to repeat myself, when he looked up and said he did have something to share with me.

"Remember, it doesn't matter much whether you are an R or a D., a Republican or a Democrat. But it matters a great deal whether you are a C or a D; whether you are constructive or destructive."

Of course, one could also add an "O" for "obstructive." But perhaps "obstructive" is a subcategory of "destructive," as Tom Daschle seems to define being destructive as "blocking progress" according to this piece in the June 7, 2001 St. Petersburg Times:

Cs -- constructive leaders -- work together, whether they were Democrats or Republicans, Daschle said Pepper told him. Ds -- destructive politicians of both parties -- block progress.

(Emphasis added.) Thus, by his own definition, Tom Daschle is a destructive politician.

See the pics below. My apologies for their grainy quality. It was an overcast evening and I took them from some distance. The graininess stems from digital "enhancement" of the photos.

Apparently Dave Kranz will have a piece in today's edition of the AL about the rally (helpful hint: he's the guy in the middle scribbling in his notebook).

As always, there's the traditional raised handclasp at the conclusion of festivities.

Stuart Rothenberg on Herseth: "I had an uneasy feeling about her"

Stuart Rothenberg, a contributing writer to Roll Call, a Capitol Hill publication, has a piece in today's edition of Roll Call headlined "Will Herseth Benefit From Buyer’s Remorse?" Excerpt:

[Larry Diedrich's] first TV ad tries to draw a distinction with Herseth on taxes. After noting that he and Herseth have “promised no personal attacks,” Diedrich argues that, “To make an informed decision, you also deserve a respectful debate about issues. About where we agree, and yes, where we disagree. For example, we both strongly support country-of-origin labeling. But on tax cuts, I think they should be made permanent. Stephanie does not.”
Compared to other “comparative” spots, this one isn’t merely restrained. It’s downright wimpy. The Republican not only indicates an issue of agreement with his Democratic opponent, he states the alleged difference of opinion in a straightforward, unemotional way.
In turn, Herseth responded as if Diedrich just accused her of strangling kittens. She badly overreacted, making herself the one guilty of directing a “negative attack.” In her response spot, Herseth asserts that the Republican “tries to mislead you about my position on taxes,” a far more loaded phrase than any her opponent used.
Then, she lowers the boom on him, closing her ad with, “I approved this message because I’m committed to a truthful campaign. It’s clear that Larry Diedrich is not.”
On one hand, I can admire the Herseth ad, since she has smartly played the “negative attacks” card in her efforts to make it impossible for her opponent to draw any comparisons in the future. The state’s voters have shown their fatigue with negative attacks, and any candidate who is widely viewed as being too negative will be punished.
But on the other hand, Herseth is like the little boy who cries “wolf” when no threatening animal is in sight. And little boys (or girls) who cry wolf shouldn’t be rewarded for their supposed cleverness.
Herseth’s response is a classic effort at inoculation. She is trying to make it impossible for Diedrich to identify differences with her, even if they exist.
If Diedrich were merely misstating her position, she could simply say so and assert her support for making the Bush tax cuts permanent. But things aren’t always as clear as that with Herseth, or at least so say Republicans. They complain that her positions are fuzzy and that she adds caveats and modifiers in an effort to avoid taking a clear-cut position.
I’m certainly not going to attempt to referee this argument. It’s up to Diedrich to make his case and Herseth to fend off his charges. But I must admit that, while I was impressed with Herseth when I interviewed her, I also had an uneasy feeling about her.
Although Herseth has never held elective office, she talks like a politician (in my interviews with her, not in her TV commercials, which are very well done). She appears very cautious in selecting her words, giving the impression that she is trying to answer questions without revealing much.

(Emphases added.)

Diedrich advertisement on Instapundit

The National Republican Campaign Committee is now advertising for Larry Diedrich on Instapundit.

Herseth-Diedrich debate on SDPB

Don't forget to listen in or watch Wednesday's Herseth-Diedrich debate to be broadcast by South Dakota Public Broadcasting. Hopefully, Larry Diedrich will get a clear answer from Stephanie Herseth on the issue of making all of the Bush tax cuts permanent, rather than the dissembling we're starting to see Herseth engage in. Does she support making all of the Bush tax cuts permanent or doesn't she? If the forum allows it, Larry needs to ask her the question in a leading manner, and keep repeating the question until she answers it: "Stephanie, you don't support making all of the Bush tax cuts permanent, do you?" The more she dissembles on the question, the more opportunities Larry has to ask the question again, reminding the audience that Herseth doesn't support making all of the Bush tax cuts permanent. When you ask leading questions, the audience is listening to you, not to the one being questioned. At least that's what they taught me in my trial techniques class. They say it works.

Hemmingsen 'weighs in'

South Dakota television icon Steve Hemmingsen has a new post headlined "The Steph and Larry Show" that's laced with the colorful similes that are his trademark. As usual, it's an entertaining read.

Charlie Cook analyzes SD special election

Charlie Cook has a column in the National Journal today headlined "South Dakota's Monumental Election." Excerpt:

The Diedrich campaign had a big decision to make about the direction it was going to take over the next few weeks, and it chose to go on the offensive. In the newest ad, Diedrich tells voters he and Herseth "have
promised no personal attacks." But he continues that while they agree on certain issues, like country-of-origin labeling, they disagree on the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.

Diedrich says he thinks the cuts should be permanent, while Herseth does not. Not surprisingly, Herseth immediately took to the airwaves with a spot charging Diedrich with misleading voters about her position on
taxes. She ends with the tag line: "I approved this message, because I'm committed to a truthful campaign. It's clear that Larry Diedrich is not." It is also unclear if the NRCC will begin to weigh in with its own contrast ads -- and if so, what impact those would have on the contest.

Here is the bottom line: South Dakota's at-large district could have a tighter contest than the public polls have shown. After all, this is a state President Bush won with 60 percent of the vote.

Herseth started the race in a strong position and -- like any front-runner -- tried to dictate the race on her terms. With such a strong start, it was hard to see how Diedrich could catch up with Herseth simply by trusting the Republican lean of the state to carry him through. And with recent polling in South Dakota showing Bush ahead of the presumptive Democratic nominee, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, by
just 10 points, it would not do Diedrich much good to try to nationalize this contest. Whether his decision to go on the offensive will help him close the gap remains to be seen. What we do know is that this is going
to be an exciting race to watch for the next few weeks.

Daily Kos ridicules Glodt

This AP story about Stephanie Herseth's "secret website" ignited a firestorm of scorn from Daily Kos, aimed at state GOP executive director Jason Glodt and his mental abilities. Thus Kos:

So... when you clicked on Herseth's public ad, on the public Daily Kos, on the public Internet, taking you to a public website, that can be accessed by the public -- you were actually visiting a secret web site.

Got that? Idiotic Republican logic at its best.

The point is that Stephanie Herseth does not have a link on her main website to the "secret site." Now why would that be? Could it be because Herseth would rather not have curious South Dakotans, trying to find out her views, come across links to the Berkeley-based Daily Kos, where they might find posts like this?

I know Jason Glodt. Jason Glodt is a friend of mine. And Jason Glodt is dumb like a fox.

AP exposes Herseth's secret website

The AP's Chet Brokaw has an intriguing report on political blogs headlined "GOP criticizes Democratic House candidate's Internet fund-raising." Excerpt:

Republicans have accused Democratic U.S. House candidate Stephanie Herseth of maintaining a secret Web page to receive campaign donations raised from ads on liberal groups' Internet sites.

But a Herseth campaign official scoffed at the charge, saying the Web page is not secret and can be found easily with a standard search of the Internet....

Jason Glodt, executive director of the South Dakota Republican Party, said the Herseth campaign arranged the special Internet donation site to prevent most South Dakotans from knowing about Herseth's relationship with such liberal groups....

The supposedly secret Web site is one of the first results when an Internet user does a standard search for the terms "blog" and "Herseth" on the Google search engine, [Herseth spokesman Russ] Levsen said.

You can access Herseth's "secret site" HERE. Note that there's no link to the "secret site" via Herseth's main website. None. The "Contribute" link on the main site leads HERE (Note the slight difference; there are no links to Daily Kos and Democratic Underground). That's why Glodt is calling the page WITH links to Daily Kos and Democratic Underground a "secret website."

Rep. Katherine Harris in Rapid City

Katherine Harris, the former Florida Secretary of State who became famous during the 2000 post-election fiasco, was in Rapid City yesterday to support Larry Diedrich. The Rapid City Journal has a story headlined "Harris stumps for Diedrich."

Interestingly, during the post-election fiasco in 2000, Tom Daschle urged Harris to recuse herself because of "problems of perception" according to a story in the LA Times at the time.

"She has a very tough job to do, but I wonder if it may not be time to recuse herself," Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) said earlier this week. "I certainly wouldn't allege any wrongdoing, but I think there is a very serious problem of perception."

Does Herseth plan to endorse John Kerry?

The Hill carries an interesting article headlined "Some Dems to run away from Kerry." Excerpt:

A handful of House Democrats who look vulnerable in November’s election, plan to run away from their party’s presumptive presidential nominee, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), and will not endorse him.

The holdouts are a minority of the 17 “frontliners” selected by the party leadership for member-to-member cash infusions, but their attitude reflects varying levels of comfort with how the New England senator will play in their districts.

Here in South Dakota, Democrat Stephanie Herseth, currently the frontrunner against Republican Larry Diedrich in the campaign for South Dakota's lone House seat, recently had this to say about her party's presidential candidate (according to an excellent report by Bob Mercer):

Now that U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts is the apparent Democratic nominee, Herseth was asked Thursday if he might be coming to campaign for her before the June 1 election.

She laughed. "I just don't see that there would be any interest from my campaign or the national party," she said.

Perhaps the better question to ask Herseth is whether she plans to endorse John Kerry.

UPDATE: Although Herseth seems hesitant about supporting John Kerry, Senator Tom Daschle has pledged to help raise $10 million for Kerry by March 25, according to a story in the Washington Times headlined "Clinton supports Kerry fundraiser." Excerpt:

According to a statement by the Kerry campaign Tuesday, Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, Democratic strategist James Carville, former Texas Gov. Ann Richards and several former Democratic presidential candidates have signed on to a 10-day push to raise $10 million online to fight against the Republican incumbent.

Herseth attends NYC fundraiser

Stephanie Herseth, a self-described conservative Democrat, attended a fundraiser yesterday in New York City. The fundraiser was hosted by Representative Carolyn Maloney, who represents the tony Upper East Side "Silk Stocking" district of Manhattan, the richest congressional district in the nation (the district has the nation's highest average household income, and 70 percent of those households are headed by unmarried adults). The district's zip code -- 10021 -- is the top zip code in the country for political contributions. Woody Allen lives here. Ritzy dinner parties are held here, where the nation's elite gather, who generally have nothing but contempt for the red state values of South Dakota. These folks are the most limousine of limousine liberals.

When Dick Cheney was here in the state on Monday to raise money for John Thune, the local newspaper and television press spent a large amount of time on the fact that people had to pay to see the event. Steve Hildebrand pounced on this. But of course, not a paragraph will be written in the local press about Herseth hobnobbing with her hip fundraiser friends on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

Nor will there be a paragraph written by the local media about Tom Daschle's most recent fundraiser in Colorado, as reported by the Daschle v. Thune blog.

Diedrich raises $300,000 in 3 weeks

The Hill is reporting that Larry Diedrich, Republican House candidate for the special election in South Dakota on June 1, says he has raised a cool $300,000 in three weeks, under the headline "Post-Ky., S.D. takes GOP’s center stage." Excerpt:

Diedrich said he has raised nearly $300,000 in the three weeks since the state Republican Party chose him as the candidate. Some of this money has come from the NRCC and Hill lawmakers. He said he does not know who has given the money, or exactly how much. With the Kentucky race over, House members and the national committee would now focus more on his race, he said.

Last week, Diedrich traveled to Washington to meet Republican members and garner additional support. He was pleased with his reception, saying, “The commitment has been, ‘You tell us what you want.’”

He intends to return to Washington this month to continue campaigning and raising money.

For some interesting discussion of this story, click HERE. (Thanks to Cory Skluzak for pointing this out.)

Herseth hires ND campaign manager

The North Dakota blog "Flickertail" reports that Stephanie Herseth has hired Tessa Gould, a former staffer for Congressman Earl Pomeroy, to be her campaign manager.

Diedrich finishes strongly on "First Monday"

I watched the first debate tonight between the two candidates vying for South Dakota's lone seat in the House, and came away impressed with Larry Diedrich's poise and folksiness. I particularly liked the very end of the debate, when Herseth was railing about how only multi-national corporations have a seat at the table during trade negotiations, and how farmers do not. Diedrich responded by directly contradicting her with his own experience actually participating in trade negotiations in Geneva in his capacity as a farmer. In one fell swoop, Diedrich highlighted his know-how and expertise on important ag issues, and completely punctured Herseth's rhetoric. And that was the end of the debate. Kudos to Steve Kirby for asking Herseth how she felt about NAFTA. That question set up the whole conversation that allowed Diedrich to hit a homerun by talking about his trade negotiation experience. All in all, an impressive showing by Larry Diedrich.

The Herseth propaganda machine, a.k.a. the Argus Leader

A reader observes:

Monday Larry Diedrich announced his resignation from the state senate. A pretty big announcement worth an article in the Argus Leader?

Sure. Did he get an article noting his resignation?

Sure. It was titled, "Herseth holds 10-1 advantage in money." Give me a break.

This is yet another example of the biased headline technique that the AL often engages in, a technique I discussed at length in an earlier post. As the author of Journalistic Fraud writes: "To influence the headlines is to influence public opinion."

To underscore the point that the AL is nothing but an instrument of the Herseth campaign, see this comment posted today on a blog that solicits campaign donations for Stephanie Herseth:

wouldnt want you to make enemies with the folks at the Argus-Leader... we need em on our side :)

Apparently even liberals in this state, in guarded moments, concede that the AL has a liberal bias.

Contribute to Larry Diedrich's campaign

Larry Diedrich, the GOP nominee for the special election to fill South Dakota's empty House seat, has begun his campaign. The special election will be held June 1, and you can contribute to Larry's campaign by clicking HERE and scrolling to the bottom of the page. Though I'm a starving student, I've already made a small donation. If you're reading this blog, you're a motivated reader who cares about the issues, and if I can spare at least $10, you can too. Larry is a good man and deserves as much support as possible.

Diedrich opposes Stephanie Herseth, one of Emily's List's "recommended candidates." Herseth is trying to raise $3 million for her campaign. Emily's List is a political action committee that supports candidates with radical pro-abortion views. They oppose the partial birth abortion ban. Despite what David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters, tried to tell us in his column yesterday, Herseth is not a moderate. The most compelling evidence of Herseth's extremism is that Herseth's picture is right next to Senator Barbara Boxer's picture on the "list." Even establishment Democrats think that Emily's List is too extremist for their tastes, as recorded in a story in the American Prospect, a liberal publication.

And isn't it interesting that Tom Daschle is the very first person quoted on the "About Emily's List" page?