Posted on 06/25/2003 9:00:34 AM PDT by SoDak
Two questions for you: Would you consider me a conservative activist? Do you think I'm a conservative activist worthy of an investigation by Tom Daschle's goon squad?
I've been wondering that lately, ever since Daschle's campaign manager, Steve Hillofbeans, told a Washington Post reporter that Sen. Daschle will spend "a lot of time attacking" conservative figures and that Daschle "has assembled embarrassing information on several conservative activists." Cool, maybe I'll be in his soon-to-be-released book.
But I don't know if "conservative activist" really fits me, though the Argus Leader referred to me as "conservative columnist and John Thune supporter." So maybe I am, though I think I lean too libertarian for some of my fellow conservatives.
On one hand, I doubt Daschle's staff pays much attention to little ol' me. You'd think they'd have better things to do, like maybe securing money for a water pipeline!
But on the other hand, I know the staffers for Daschle and Tim Johnson read me on occasion. Once at the Tri-State Neighbor, one of Daschle's hand-maidens brought me a "Tom Daschle" coffee mug after I wrote a column about all the freebies I'd received from candidates, but hadn't received anything from Daschle, despite all his millions. Also, once in Tea, upon being introduced to a Johnson field marshall, she said: "Oh, you don't have horns on your head." So, they know me, but I'm sure they don't lose any sleep over me.
The thing is, if they have been rummaging through my garbage cans, I wonder what "embarrassing" things they would find. Much of it I've written about anyway. Most of it my wife already knows. Much of it is already known by one of Daschle's staffers, whom I've known for several years and worked with together at the Argus Leader. He's actually a nice guy, considering who his boss is. So I'm not too worried.
The thing is - after having partied heartily for 15 years of my life, there's bound to be a couple things I forgot. Let me refresh my memory: an underage consumption at 16, a DWI at 21, several speeding tickets,driving without a seat belt (only an allegation), driving with an altered license as a kid (I changed it so I could get in to R-rated movies, true story), most every kind of gambling, I stole a whistle from a neighbor kid in grade school, and I went to an illegal after-hours bar in Sioux Falls and watched about 30 black guys play an illegal game of craps. I would have played but didn't know the rules.
Maybe it would have been easier to list the embarrassing things I haven't done. The good thing is, I'm no longer that person I just got done telling you about, and haven't been for many many years. People change. People make mistakes and hopefully learn from them.
That brings me to one of the guys that Daschle is going to target for sure - my ol' bud Rob Regier. I introduced him to you last year as one of the Four (then three) People You Should Know a Little More About. He's a former C-Hawk athlete, son of a Canton doctor, and current executive director of the S.D. Family Policy Council.
Rob is another guy who grew up and learned from one of his mistakes. He's often spoken publicly and even in the Argus Leader about years ago getting his ex-girlfriend pregnant and paying for her abortion. He's spoken about this at churches. Heck, you run into him at Pizza Ranch and he'll tell you about it. He's not proud of it, but he does use it as one of the benchmarks for his Christian belief of how a person's life can be changed by Jesus Christ. Who better to know of the devastating after-effects of abortion than the parents?
The funny thing is that even though Rob has been so open about his experience, for some reason, Daschle, the man who never met an abortion he didn't like, now has his campaign slime-manager touting the fact that they have: "a videotape of a conservative activist discussing how he paid for his girlfriend's abortion."
Like this is something new? Some great scoop Daschle has? Rob has talked about it on the radio for crying out loud - KELO, not some campus station. Mr. Hillofbeans accuses Rob of being a hypocrite for now actively fighting against abortion and opposing candidates who worship at the abortion table. Either Hillofbeans is a moron or he's just a political hack (or both), because it isn't hypocritical to do something, find out it is bad, and then tell people it is bad. It would be hypocritical to be speaking out against abortion and then to go out and have one. That isn't the case. But Daschle has never been one to let the truth get in the way of a politics.
Though I no longer drink, am I a hypocrite if I try to persuade others not to drink and drive? I guess according to Daschle I would be.
Was it hypocritical for former Viking wide receiver Cris Carter to speak out against drug and alcohol abuse after he had been an addict? I think not. He found Christ and turned his life around. Do Hillofbeans and Daschle think that's hypocritical?
I guess this is supposed to be the kind of politics Daschle thinks South Dakotans want. I for one am not surprised at all by his gutter politics. Maybe he's jealous of anybody who has become a better person as they have matured. Maybe he's envious of somebody who is honest. Maybe he's looking for any chance to take shots at Christians, now that he can't take communion any more in the Catholic Church.
Finally, out in the open, we are seeing the real Daschle I've always alleged he was - just a moral pygmy, driven only by political aspirations, with no concern for South Dakotans other than how he can massage and manipulate them so they can help him and wifey make the payments on that new $2 million mansion of theirs.
As a recent NBC poll showed, only 17 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of Daschle. Election day can't come soon enough for the little man, as more and more South Dakotans are starting to see the real Tom Daschle as well.
I expect Mitch Daniels will be attacked in Indiana as well, since his most likely opponent will be Joe Andrew, Gore's former DNC chair.
I vote for moronic hack...
Where else would you find dog turds?
So now little tommy has turned loose his wicked attack poodles? What a scary thing.
Thanks for the ping to this great article.
On the west side of the state you have conservative ranchers and independent "mountain men" mixed in with Vietnam vet bikers, military, and military retirees. They only account for about a third of the populaton, unfortunately.
On the east side of the state are big-labor packing house and techno workers (getting fewer and fewer as Somalis/Russians/Mexicans displace them) and the corn and bean farmers who think McGovern was right-wing. Add to all this a trio of reservations with 110% turn-out at 99% democratic voter registration, and some big state universities with Marxist leanings. And, of course, voter fraud out the wazoo thanks to the time change between "east" and "west river".
SoDak may eventually becomet a democratic dynasty ala Daley Chicago or Kennedy Massachussets. What's amazing is how many votes Bush and the other pubbies actually get.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.