Sibby Online

Word on the street

DVT and SDP are saying that the word on the street is that Tom Daschle called Tim Giago yesterday to stop his third-party bid for his seat. This reminds me of how Daschle became Senate Majority Leader. Remember Jim Jeffords and the behind close doors deal making.

SD Abortion Poll

Today’s Mitchell Daily Republic reports on the result of a South Dakota poll regarding abortion, at the top of the front-page:

Even though an effort to restrict abortions failed during this year’s South Dakota legislative session, a new Daily Republic poll shows 52-percent support for the restrictions contained in the bill.

The poll, conducted Saturday and Sunday by Zogby International, was based on phone interviews with 501 people selected at random from around the state.

The 52 percent support on the ban broke down this way:

“Strong” supporters of the restriction accounted for 36.2 percent of those polled, while 15.5 percent said they “somewhat” supported the restriction. When taken together, those two groups account for 52 percent of the people interviewed.

As 52 percent supported the ban, only 43 percent opposed it:

Opponents of the abortion restrictions accounted for 43 percent of those polled - 28.3 percent said they were strongly opposed to the restrictions, and 14.6 percent said they were somewhat opposed. Five percent of those interviewed said they were “not sure” what their opinion was.

Kate Looby, State Director of Planned Parenthood Minnesota/ South Dakota said this in a letter to the editor in yesterday’s Daily Republic:

I have had the opportunity to speak with many South Dakotans about abortion during the legislative session. Some supported HB1191, most did not, but all agreed that more must be done to make abortion rare in South Dakota.

Emphasis added

Looby’s lack of comprehension of realty continued in today’s report:

Kate Looby, director of South Dakota Planned Parenthood, lobbied against the abortion-restriction legislation. She said more people in the poll would have voiced opposition if they had known there were no exceptions for rape or incest in the bill.

“I think these numbers reflect how divided our state and nation are on this issue,” Looby said. “We at Planned Parenthood know the values of mainstream South Dakotans are not consistent with the criminalizing of all abortions, particularly in cases of rape and incest.”

Yesterday Looby said most did not support the ban, but today we are divided. What Looby also fails to understand is that making an exception for rape and incest violates the constitution’s equal protection clause. Funny how one of her main arguments, during the legislature, was the constitutionality. Further, the report stated that, “Poll subjects were asked if they supported the restriction on abortion as proposed by the bill.” Emphasis added

Daschle…the McGovern of 2004?

DVT has detailed all the problems Tom Daschle confronts in this year’s reelection attempt. He correctly brings up George McGovern who was favored to beat Jim Abdnor in 1980, but did not. Shortly after that loss, this shows up in an 11/8/1980 Mitchell Daily Republic op-ed, while David Kranz was the managing editor:

Tom Daschle has to be regarded the new leader of the Democratic party in light of his overwhelming victory. That makes him a hard act to bear for Clint Roberts in 1982 when the two will likely challenge each other. Daschle has been labeled the heir to McGovern by the people in power positions in the party. They privately groom him for a race with Larry Pressler in 1984 – one they are convinced will be winable at that point. And Daschle seems ready to face that confrontation.

Looks like Kranz will be looking for another heir.

Rush Limbaugh challenged

Jack Cashill has challenged Rush Limbaugh to take his analysis of the TWA Flight 800 explosion. Here is an excerpt from the Limbaugh revelation:

In 1996, after TWA Flight 800 exploded, then-Vice President Gore chaired the Commission on Aviation Safety and Security. Algore had a $300 million budget, and according to the CNN story from September 5, 1996 which I shared with you today, ended up recommending "counterterrorism measures, better screening of airline passengers, and more teams of bomb-sniffing dogs" as well as other security measures.

But if the Clinton administration did all of this in 1996, then how did the Al-Qaeda guys sneak past this dragnet? Well, they used box cutters -- and of course that's George W. Bush's fault, because the Clinton team told them about box cutters. Richard Clarke probably wrote it down somewhere in his book. The truth is, the airline industry squawked and screamed about putting any of Algore's security measures into place, which brings us to the wife of Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle: Linda Hall Daschle.

Ms. Daschle was deputy manager of the FAA from 1993 to 1997, and her clients while a lobbyist include American and Northwest Airlines. Joe Farah of WorldNetDaily.com sums up how the airlines and their lobbyists jumped all over Algore after his preliminary report. Gore wrote to one lobbyist "promising that the commission's findings would not result in any loss of revenue," and the very next day the Democrat National Committee received a $40,000 donation from TWA. In the next two weeks, checks came raining in from Northwest, United and American airlines.

Foot in Mouth

SDP's Quote of the Day came from this Rapid City Journal report:

The subject of money — specifically how much and where from — can become a campaign issue. On Monday, Democratic House candidate Stephanie Herseth fielded a question about the bundling organization EMILY's List at a news conference in Rapid City. Her receipt of money from the group simmered as a second-tier issue in 2002.

"EMILY's List is not a pro-abortion organization. Some believe it is a radical, pro-abortion group headed by a woman named Emily. It is not," Herseth said. "They want to help women be more viable candidates."

The group's name stands for Early Money is Like Yeast, and its tag line is, "It helps the dough rise."

On its Web site, the group describes itself this way: "EMILY's List is the nation's largest grassroots political network, raising campaign contributions for pro-choice Democratic women candidates running for the House, the Senate and for governor; helping women candidates build strong, winning campaigns; and helping mobilize women voters."

It includes this 2001 quote from Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D.: "The reason I'm here today as Senate majority leader can be said in two words: EMILY's List."

More on Democrats lack of tolerance

Jeff Gannon’s Talon News report has more on Democrat’s reaction to Stephanie Hersth’s position regarding the ban on gay marriage:

A rift has developed between the campaigns of Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Stephanie Herseth, the Democratic candidate for South Dakota's lone House seat over the issue of gay marriage. A month ago, the Associated Press quoted Herseth as saying, "I agree with the president on this issue. Marriage should be between a man and a woman."

Her statement produced a strongly negative reaction from some Democrats, especially from inside the Daschle campaign. The Rapid City Journal reported that Steve Hildebrand, campaign manager for the Senate minority leader asked for a refund of his contribution to the Herseth campaign. No reason was given for the unusual request and requests for comment by Talon News were not returned.

A recent Associated Press story said that donations coming in through web sites had dried up, and Democrats were criticizing Herseth on the Internet. Ben Hanten, an executive board member of the South Dakota Democratic Party considered withdrawing his support until the candidate reassured him that her intent was to take the issue "off the table."

Others have not been as understanding.

Sam Hurst, a columnist for the Rapid City Journal wrote a blistering commentary in which he said, "Stephanie Herseth is too young and too bright to have lost her backbone. At an age when she should be known for brash idealism, she has chosen instead to pander to the dark voices of discrimination. Such is the cynical calculus of electoral campaigns."

Hurst said that at least one influential Rapid City couple canceled a fundraiser for her in disgust. Hurst noted that Herseth's stand puts her in direct opposition to the positions shared by Daschle and Sens. Tim Johnson (D-SD) and John Kerry (D-MA).

Looks like the Democrats need a Unity get-together in South Dakota.

Daschle receives body blow

Today’s Argus Leader has a David Kranz report regarding Tim Giago:

Tim Giago now plans to run as an independent for the U.S. Senate, a move expected to change the complexion of a South Dakota race full of national implications.

Giago, of Rapid City, publisher of the Lakota Journal, had planned to challenge Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle in the June 1 Democratic Party primary, with the winner to face Republican John Thune in November.

But Giago said switching his effort to the fall gives him more time to get petitions signed and gives him a greater forum for discussion of Native American issues.

"Our issues need to be analyzed, put on the table and discussed," he said.

Giago running in November could alter the result, said Bill Richardson, political science professor at the University of South Dakota. "It could influence the race big-time," he said. "The obvious possibility is that he will take away votes that possibly would have gone to Tom Daschle."

As expected, Kranz included misleading statements from the Daschle camp:

Campaign spokesman Dan Pfeiffer dismisses the suggestion that this could hurt Daschle.

"Senator Daschle wants this campaign to include issues important to the Native American community and Giago's candidacy helps accomplish that," he said. "In his position as minority leader Senator Daschle has been one of the primary voices putting Native American issues on the national agenda."

Recently Daschle choose not to support South Dakota Native Americans by voting against the FY04 Omnibus bill. I have informed Argus Leader Executive Editor Randell Beck that Daschle is taking credit for funding he voted against, many of which includes funds for South Dakota Native Americans. Why wasn’t this point included in the Kranz report? The one-two punch would have been devastating to Kranz’s college buddy.