Another Daschle Meltdown

(Editor's note to repeat readers: I have added updates to the bottum of this post. The above Montage is from Rush Limbaugh's web site.)

I received this email yesterday from a person in Virginia:

I was a life-long Democrat until 9-11. I did not really search for the truth before then. I am now an Independent voter. I have watched Daschle on C-span (live in the senate). It has shocked me to see how well he, and others, operate.

I watched the "Meet-the-Press" debate. I thought that Thune had won until Daschle became theatrical there at the end. He's actually an amazingly good actor.

You know the hearts of the people of South Dakota. Will they be sufficiently fooled, do you think?

The question was about this comment by Daschle toward the end of the debate:

John's attacks on me, where I come from, would earn a trip to the woodshed. He knows that's wrong. His effort to demonize me won't work in South Dakota. It's not only an attack on me--I take this personally.

The question…Will they [the people of South Dakota] be sufficiently fooled, do you think? Good question. The Argus Leader will do it’s best to fool the people of South Dakota, but things are different in 2004.

I just got done listening to Greg Belfrage’s Straight Talk. He was not fooled, and most of his viewers were not fooled by the Daschle stunt. Belfrage pointed out that Daschle had this rehearsed. The Daschle campaign does not want to discuss issues, so they have been running smoke and mirror ads to paint himself as a victim. But as Belfrage also pointed out, holding Daschle accountable for his act of aggression against the President on the eve of war created this episode. Belfrage also noted another time when Daschle also went over the top. It was in September 2002 on the Senate floor as he attacked the President for politicizing the war:

And all along I was asked: Are you concerned about whether or not this war is politicized? And my answer, on every occasion, was: Yes.

And then the followup question is: Is the White House politicizing the war? And I said: Without question, I can't bring myself to believe that it is. I can't believe any president or any administration would politicize the war.

But then I read in the paper this morning, now even the president -- the president is quoted in The Washington Post this morning as saying that the Democratic-controlled Senate is "not interested in the security of the American people."

Not interested in the security of the American people? You tell Sen. Inouye he is not interested in the security of the American people. You tell those who fought in Vietnam and in World War II they are not interested in the security of the American people.

That is outrageous, outrageous.

Rush Limbaugh was one among many who thought Senator Daschle went over the top. The picture a the top of this post came from Rush Limbaugh’s web site where he states:

Remember the movie Falling Down from 1993? Michael Douglas embodied the so-called "angry white male" in America. Well, if you've wondered where that AWM has been all these years, you found out with Tom Daschle's Wednesday Morning Meltdown on the Senate floor.

Thanks to talk radio and also the blogosphere, the people of South Dakota have more sources of political discourse than just the mainstream media. As we see the blogosphere cause the meltdown of CBS News, today the blogosphere is reporting on the self induced meltdown of Tom Daschle. Even those on the South Dakota's left had problems with Daschle’s meltdown:

Yeah... I did catch myself yelling at the television, "Don't [email protected]#$ cry!!" I'm pretty sure he didn't, but we night (SIC) need someone with HD TV to prove it.

UPDATE: Quentin Riggins as a great thread running on this. Here is one comment:

I have been away from SD for many years and could never understand why Daschle kept getting relected (SIC). I am usually proud to say I'm from SD, but am embarrassed by having Daschle as a Senator. I saw John Thune's ad with his daughters, loved it, and am praying he whips up on Puff Daddy.

DVT also has some feedback.

SDP has a post on a post-debate poll.

Another Update: DVT has a post on the Argus Leader's March 19, 2003 editorial that took Tom Daschle to the woodshed for calling President Bush a miserable failure on the eve of war. Lauck said the Argus Leader deserves credit. I agree. But we must not forget that just days later, the Argus Leader announced a policy that forbade it’s readers from writing letters to the editor regarding that issue. In fact that used that policy to censor one of my letters. The Argus Leader must have known how sensitive this issue was. We saw how sensitive Daschle still is about it on Sunday. I am sure he wished we all had forgotten about it by now.

Rush Limbaugh has links to the text and video of the debate. He labeled it, "Daschle Melts Down in Thune Debate".

DVT has posted an editorial in today's Wall Street Journal that takes Daschle to the woodshed for doing the liberal thing in DC, but comes back to South Dakota and says he is doing the conservative thing.

More Updates: SDP has found a debate perspective from a John Kerry aid:

Well, Tom Daschle is in a close race in South Dakota. And there are certain things he has to say during that race.

Yes, that's right...Daschle will say anything to get reelected. Wait until you see my post on Daschle's ad that states, "I believe in the Second Amendment". And for more see this Jon Lauck column.

Perhaps this point that was brought out during the debate helps explain Daschle's meltdown:

How worried are Democrats about Republican gains? Check out the latest from South Dakota, where Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, a leading Bush antagonist, has aired a TV commercial with a shot of the President hugging him. There's good reason for Daschle to belatedly embrace Bush: He knows that the President will carry South Dakota by a wide margin and perhaps carry Republican nominee John Thune to victory -- just as Ronald Reagan did when Republicans ousted another liberal South Dakotan, George McGovern, in 1980.

I am sure that Daschle is smart enough to understand what happened to McGovern. This explains his Kerry-like flip flopping. Then when his hypocrisy is brought to light, Daschle can't handle it. He is not used to being challenged.

I don't think the latest revelations from Ra^thergate is helping the Kerry/Daschle Democrats. South Dakotans should also remember which side of Clintongate Daschle was on. So as the rest of the Nation continues to vote Republican (like in 2002), a straight Democrat South Dakota pressence in DC can't be good. As DVT has pointed out, Daschle should agree with this one.