Daschle: The politics of hugs
By jannelsen Posted in User Blogs — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Tom Daschle is in serious trouble in South Dakota. So serious, he's been running an ad showing him hugging President Bush on the floor of the Senate.
Big mistake.John Thune, the former Republican congressman who is challenging Daschle, gave one of the best two-minute convention speeches I've ever seen on Monday, lambasting Daschle for creating, in the words of the Wall Street Journal, the Daschle Dead Zone -- the land where judges and legislation go to die.
(The Sioux Falls Argus Leader, which is in the tank to Daschle, ran this story about Thune's remarks, about which I could cavil. Still, it also ran this story, about how Thune essentially told Al Jazeera to go to hell. That's a winning position in South Dakota, I assure you.)
The Thune speech was effective because it went to the fundamental flaw in Daschle's campaign for re-election. He is the Senate Minority Leader, has blocked President Bush and the Republicans' agenda, and is, quite simply, a base obstructionist. Despite the best efforts of the Argus Leader, he cannot disguise that fact.
And how does Daschle respond?
He has been running an ad showing him hugging President Bush on the Senate floor before the President gave his post 9/11 address to the nation. (You can see a screenshot at the fine, social conservative, pro-freedom S.D. blog, Sibbyonline. Read the whole post.
Hugging Bush? Hugging Bush? How silly is that?
Look, Tom, no one buys it. Media, including the blogs, have evolved enough that you can no longer make laughable claims about supporting the president in South Dakota, while throttling his priorities in Washington. Accountability has arrived.
Accountability? Well, the RSCC has called upon Daschle to pull his ads, because they pretend to represent a Bush endorsement for the Senate minority leader. The release is mild, well-crafted.
Meanwhile, the Thune campaign has released a Public Opinion Strategies poll that shows Thune up on Daschle by 50-48 percent. I've worked with POS before, one of the best polling firms, and they're solid. There's no benefit in misrepresenting the numbers.
In short, Daschle is on the run. He's been outed as a left-wing Senator in Washington, whose wife makes millions as a lobbyist, and the voters have tired of the game.
Again, I give all credit to the South Dakota bloggers, daschlevthune, southdakotapolitics, and sibbyonline.