Daschle-Thune Debate: The Power of the Truth

KSFY-TV | October 18, 2004

[Kurt Evans]

Tom Daschle: I believe very strongly that there ought to be separation of church and state. And I know that this is a very difficult issue in many cases. But I strongly believe that one of the reasons our country was founded is a recognition that there can't be a state religion. I think we have to do all we can.

As a person who grew up in Aberdeen and acquired the values I did and a belief and faith and an altar boy, I feel very strongly about the opportunities I had at Sacred Heart School. But I went to a parochial school, and I think that is where the opportunities to learn religion and get an education can combine. But in public schools I think we have to keep that fire wall between church and state. As I said to others who have asked me the question about school prayer, I don't think I would want my children to say a prayer written by Sun Myung Moon. And I don't think that anybody would do that.

I believe that that's really what we ought to do, is ensure that we teach as much as we can in our churches and in our parochial schools, but keep that fire wall in public schools.

John Thune: I think that it ought to be left to local school districts, and that's why you aren't going to have a prayer by Sun Myung Moon here probably in South Dakota, because that's going to be a decision that's made. There are different faith traditions. Mostly here we're Judeo-Christian, but if a local school district wants to put up the Ten Commandments, wants to have voluntary school prayer before a football game, before a commencement exercise, I think that's a decision that ought to be made at that level.

But you know, I think it does come back to a broader discussion about values. And Tom talks about it. And he talks about we have the same values. Some of these issues we don't.

I mean, people know my position on these issues. When it comes to for example, the life issue, they know I've got a 100 percent pro-life voting record. People disagree with me on that, but they know where I stand.

Tom is in Washington, D.C., NARAL's poster boy and in South Dakota runs TV ads talking about learning his values as an altar boy. I mean, it is awfully difficult to square those two things. And in an election year he tries to become what he thinks people in South Dakota want him to be on some of these cultural issues.

But he's got an 18-year record in the Senate and a record in the House before that of consistently voting against the life position and now comes out in an election year and has the - I mean, I can't even believe, to say that 'I'm anti-abortion, I don't think abortions ought to be allowed' - when he's writing fund-raising letters for NARAL, when he is delivering speeches talking about this issue.

I think it's unbecoming a leader not to take positions. And no matter what side of the issue you're on, just take an issue and defend your position and own up to it. That's what leaders do. And Tom tries to be all things to all people, one thing in Washington and another thing in South Dakota. You can't have two sets of values.

Daschle: Well, John again is confusing the remedy with the issue. I oppose abortion very, very strongly. He opposes abortion. I think it's a tragedy. He thinks it's a tragedy. I think we ought to encourage abstinence. He thinks we ought to encourage abstinence. I think that we ought to do all we can to discourage abortions. He does. And that's the difference.

Thune: Eighty-three votes in Tom's 18-year career in the Senate that the National Right to Life rates. Seventy-five out of 83 Tom has voted against their position and yet comes out, you know, in an election year and says, 'Oh, I'm opposed to abortion.' You can't square those two things. It's not possible.

[Kurt Evans]

>Was this the final debate?

This was the final question of the final debate.

[sgtbono2002]

I watched the debate on Cspan2 and Thune tore Daschle a new butt.

I wish he had asked Daschle why: the Dems want separation of church and state, but they run wide open to black churches when they are out trying to buy votes?

[Free_at_last_-2001]

Excellent!

[workerbee]

Tom is in Washington, D.C., NARAL's poster boy and in South Dakota runs TV ads talking about learning his values as an altar boy. I mean, it is awfully difficult to square those two things. And in an election year he tries to become what he thinks people in South Dakota want him to be on some of these cultural issues.

Right between the eyes.

PLEASE, South Dakotans, take this burden from us and elect Thune!

[Kurt Evans]

>May I ask ... How did you think the overall "debate"
>impressed the voters.... How is the sentiment for
>Thune running, in order to replace the Puff-ster??

Any sane person who saw this debate was influenced toward Thune, which wouldn't have been enough in 2002 because the media successfully cast the race as one decent, honest man against another. The Thune campaign is obviously not going to let that happen this year, so Daschle's friends in the press have taken more drastic measures to demonize state and national Republican leaders.

Thune's supporters seem to have the edge over Daschle's in terms of passion, but based on the polling data I've seen, I'd guess that Daschle is probably still up by a couple of points right now.

[Kurt Evans]

>Thune was superb. He looked younger, more vigorous,
>fresh..His best line, IMHO, when talking about the
>prescription drug plan, he said that daschle voted
>against it, but ALL the Dem senators from the nearby
>states..Dorgan, et al..voted FOR it...

That was a good line, but I'm not sure it was the best. Daschle kept talking about how he'd done more in the last six weeks than Thune did in six years in Congress. Thune quoted a Republican Senator who acknowledged Daschle's cooperativeness by saying, "Maybe if South Dakota had an election every month we'd be able to get something done up here."

Thune then suggested Daschle's newfound spirit of bipartisanship was due to the fact that he was "running for his life" back home and called it a "deathbed conversion"...

>I was also impressed with the questions. They came from
>SDak voters who sent them in..far better than Schieffer
>and Ifil..

Also far better than the attack questions posed by the Argus Misleader's David Kranz in a debate Sunday night.

Kranz is the single most powerful political journalist in the state, and he's a close personal friend of Daschle. His lies more than accounted for Thune's margin of defeat in 2002. For over a year he told South Dakotans we had to re-elect Tim Johnson so Daschle would be majority leader rather than minority leader. That promise didn't quite pan out.