January 11, 2004
60-40 VISION:
Daschle, Democrats' Leader, Faces Tough Race in South Dakota (SHERYL GAY STOLBERG, 1/11/04, NY Times)
Long before Mr. Thune declared his candidacy, Republicans had tagged Mr. Daschle as "obstructionist," complaining that the only time he used his power in Washington was to thwart Mr. Bush."You'll hear a lot of that coming from us," Dan Allen, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said. "President Bush won the state 60-38. He's hugely popular in South Dakota, and Daschle is the point man in the Senate in obstructing the president's agenda."
Republicans intend to hit Mr. Daschle hard on the energy bill that failed in the Senate last year. Mr. Daschle backed the measure, and promoted a provision to expand the use of corn-based ethanol — an issue of extreme importance to South Dakota's farmers. But many Democrats voted against the bill, and their leader did not try to stop them.
"He said that we should send him back because of his clout, but when it came to the energy bill and the ethanol that we really need in this state, he couldn't deliver one-third of his caucus," said Randy Frederick, chairman of the South Dakota Republican Party. "And we're saying, `What clout?' "
A poll taken in December apparently had Mr. Daschle up by only 5 points and right at 50%--given that President Bush will carry the state with over 60% of the vote, Mr. Thune's race is very winnable, though would be a major upset. Posted by Orrin Judd at January 11, 2004 10:47 AM
I think Daschle is beatable, but they really need to get a handle on the fraud. Thune may have won the last election but was most probably defeated through ballot stuffing. Who's to say the same thing can't happen in the next election?
Posted by: NKR at January 11, 2004 12:57 PMBesides the fraud, Johnson (and Daschle in his last election) were assisted by the fact that a vote for Johnson kept Daschle as the majority leader, and even SD Republicans liked the idea of the Senate Majority leader being from their state (I can't understand why, but it's there) as it becomes obvious that Daschle is not now and never again will be majority leader, that support is going to fade. Johnson's family (his son was a military man) helped him while Daschle's family (his wife is a major lobbyist) will hurt him. Not only is it winnable for Thune, I wouldn't even call it an upset if he pulls it off.
Posted by: MarkD at January 11, 2004 02:44 PMHis prospects should be guaged by his ability to get the pork home. Watch for Daschle to support some bills like the mentioned energy bill that have the support of the people back home but not the party. If he can't deliver, then there's no longer any reason to vote for the guy.
I hope the Republican party can keep the voter fraud down a little better this election. It was outrageously obvious in 2002.
Posted by: erp at January 11, 2004 07:40 PM