Posted on 10/16/2004 1:07:01 PM PDT by wagglebee
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota. -- Control of the Senate will be up for grabs on Election Day. Right now, Republicans hold a slight edge 51-49, but there are some key Senate races that will determine the outcome. The biggest one is in South Dakota, where the top Democrat, Minority Leader Tom Daschle, is in the fight for his political life.
On the colorful, picture-postcard plains of South Dakota comes the story of Tom and John. That is how they are known out here. And no, they are not best friends. As a matter of fact, they are not that fond of each other.
But debates like that happen when you are involved in the most important Senate race in the country. So that is why CBN News came to this state, where the slogan reads, “Great faces. Great places.”
Maybe they should add a line this year to say, 'Great races, too." Because that is what this is. A heavyweight bout between Sen. Daschle, the leader of the Democrats in the Senate, and his challenger John Thune, who wants to send Tom packing. Thune is asking voters here to see Daschle for who he truly is: the liberal Washington, D.C. insider who is blocking the President's agenda at every turn.
And Thune says that does not jive with the conservative values of South Dakotans. He comments, "You cannot effectively represent your state, the state of South Dakota, at the same time you are having to take your cues and answers to a liberal Democratic caucus that consists of Ted Kennedy, Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. And that's who he has to answer to."
There is no arguing that the people here in South Dakota are pretty conservative. Four years ago, this state went to George W. Bush, and polls indicate it will again this time as well. So how is Sen. Daschle doing it? How, for 25 years has this state continued to elect him, even though his liberal views seem to be in direct contrast to the people here?
The Daschle camp will tell you it is really pretty simple. They point to how time and time again, he has come through with big money for the state, and has wielded his influential power in a way that benefits South Dakotans.
Jake Mass, Daschle's campaign press secretary, says, "When the farm bill was written, Tom Daschle was in the room. He ensured that it was the most South Dakota-friendly farm bill that's ever been written. We have that ability because we have Tom Daschle in Washington fighting for our states priorities."
Thune says South Dakotans will not take a back seat with him as senator.
"Does anyone really think that the money coming into South Dakota is going to completely dry up,” said, Thune, “if Tom Daschle is not the minority leader? Any senator who's worth their salt is going to get their fair share of the federal dollars. That's what senators do."
Yet for years, the image of Daschle as a prairie populist has stuck with voters here. The liberal Washington insider tag has not. And Daschle's TV ads really sum up what his campaign theme is: "It may seem like something small, but every year Tom Daschle gets in his car and visits every county in the state. Every year, Tom goes to all 66 counties and nine reservations to listen and to learn. And while we are a small state, Tom Daschle makes sure our voice is heard in the halls of power, and that South Dakota's needs are put to the top of the national agenda."
The Thune camp says, wait a minute. The South Dakota visits may be a nice touch, but what he's doing in Washington is downright wrong. They point to a list of legislation called the 'Daschle dead zone" that has passed the House, but Daschle has blocked almost all of it.
Like permanent tax cuts, a cloning bill, flag burning, an energy bill, welfare reform and yes, one of the biggest ones: judicial nominations, where Thune says Daschle is leading the crusade to block votes on Bush's nominees.
And the Thune camp says a shot of Daschle hugging Bush after 9/11, which Daschle is using in his ads in South Dakota, says it all. Thune says that picture is misleading voters because Daschle is not supporting Bush at all. So the question is, will the liberal label stick, or will voters go with a known commodity?. Right now, the race is a toss up.
David Kranz has been covering South Dakota politics for 30 years. CBN News asked him if this is the most danger Daschle has been in, in his political career in South Dakota. Kranz responded, "Oh, there's no doubt about it."
Kranz writes for the Argus Leader, the dominant newspaper in South Dakota and he says this race will be decided by one factor. "It's going to come down to get out the vote. The ground game is critical. You can look at all the ads you want to. You can listen to all the messages on radio. Read everything in the newspaper about this particular contest; but in the end, it's the people who are in charge; that says I need to get these people to vote. That's going to decide this election."
The challenge for both Daschle and Thune will be finding the votes here that matter. It is estimated that most people here in South Dakota have made up their mind. Polls are showing that only two percent of the population here is still undecided. That is very low, and it has both sides scrambling to find the undecided.
When you look for undecideds, you go just about anywhere, including the annual homecoming parade in small town Harrisburg, South Dakota. There is the homecoming king and queen, and the man on the tractor, and yes, there's Thune, glad-handing and high-fiving his way through the crowd. It is an advantage he has over Daschle, who has to spend most of his time in Washington.
Yet the Daschle volunteers are here handing out stickers to anyone they can find. One Daschle supporter said, "Daschle is strictly for the ordinary person. I think he's worked hard all these years in the Senate for South Dakota, the common ordinary person."
But if we move from the parade to one of the local hangouts in Sioux Falls, the view changes and the conversation is definitely top of mind.
One Thune supporter named Mark said, “I mean he's the minority leader. I mean, the things that's he done and stood up for and said. It's just not South Dakota, and it's time for him to go."
As for the signs around town, they are pretty split, just like this race. Daschle signs on one side of the street -- maybe it is the left side, and Thune on the right. At the Daschle campaign headquarters, the pro-Tom signs are up, and volunteers are at the ready.
All of them have one message to voters: Daschle is for South Dakota.
Mass said, "It's not about being a liberal or a Democrat. It's about putting South Dakota's priorities first, and I think South Dakotans know Tom Daschle, and they've seen him time and time again put South Dakota first."
But just a few minutes away, at Thune headquarters, volunteers there are on the phone to potential voters with a much different message. One that they hope will have a lasting effect.
CBN News asked Thune, "If you're able to send Daschle out of office, what kind of message is that going to send to the liberal wing of the Democratic Party?
Thune replied, "A win here in South Dakota will send a message once and for all to the Democrat caucus, that whoever their next leader is should not employ this block-and-blame game, this pattern of obstructionism that is keeping the work from going forward. I think it will break that logjam, get the Senate functioning and working again in a way that very few other races in the country can."
So the next time you think of South Dakota, remember, it is not just about Mount Rushmore, or cows, or small town U.S.A. It is also about Tom and John, and there is a lot riding on the outcome.
I would not be deeply saddened.
My prediction is that Daschle keeps his seat. I was in South Dakota a few weeks ago, and from the sound of his advertisements you'd think he was running as a Republican.
'Course, no one noticed, because he was standing under the table...
I disagree. I think Thune is going to win.
ROTF
Put your money where your mouth is. Send Daschle packing. Go here to donate a few dollars to the John Thune for Senate campaign. http://www.johnthune.com/
I was in Daschle's home town for their annual Gypsy Day parade. Whenever it's an election year the volunteers are out in force with stickers and flyers.
This year the Daschle folks came first with Daschle signs tacked to poles, three or four signs high. The enthusiasm was gone. Last election cycle the Dems were smacking stickers on everyone, riled up, getting the enthusiasm going. This year they came by and didn't even offer us stickers.
Then the Thune volunteers came by and everyone started cheering. Stickers were going everywhere, kids were begging for four and five of them. The crowd was really animated. I've seen very few Daschle bumper stickers. Finally there are some now. But I've seen many Dump Daschle stickers. And this is Tom's home town.
A loss by Dash-hole is the only thing that would soften the blow of a Kerry win.
Ping...
But we wouldn't have poor Daschle to heap shame and abuse on anymore. Whatever would we do without him to tease and tormnent? Sniff. [He says with an evil grin]
You mean to a very large mansion in Washington DC? Yes.
Regards, Ivan
Interesting report-but the "fraud factor" concerns me...
---he also was playing the Demotraitor social security card bigtime to get the greedy geezer vote---
For the sake of this country, there cannot be a sKerry win!
Better get your party favors ready to go because it's going to be Bush AND Thune.
There are plenty of soundbites with Daschle revealing what a liberal he is, and how much he's obstructed. Someone needs to get out some ads in Tom's own voice saying these things. This will counter all the republican, conservative rhetoric he's spouting. Let the people find out how much he's lied to them.
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