-Caveat Lector- http://www.rollcall.com/pages/politics/00/2002/01/pol0117a.html
WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! Daschle Becomes Campaign Weapon By Chris Cillizza In the wake of Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle's (D) controversial speech on the state of the economy in early January, a handful of Republican Senate candidates are beginning to make an issue of the South Dakota Senator in their 2002 races. Republican strategists and candidates are seizing on what they believe to be an opening to attack Daschle and Democratic contenders for office after he condemned President Bush's tax cut as a primary reason for the continuing recession in his Jan. 4 speech at the Center for National Policy. Republicans have since said that Daschle and Democrats are itching to raise taxes. In South Carolina, for instance, Rep. Lindsey Graham, the frontrunner for the GOP Senate nomination to replace outgoing Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.), is already trying to link his Democratic rival to the Senate Majority Leader. "People are beginning to know exactly who [Daschle] is," Grahamsaid in an interview. "The stand [Daschle] has taken in opposing a reasonable economic-stimulus package and trying to blame the recession on President Bush is a disappointing move for mostSouthCarolinians." Daschle is scheduled to make an appearance later this month at a fundraiser in Columbia, S.C., on behalf of former College of Charleston president and likelyDemocratic nominee Alex Sanders. He will also raise money for Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) at a Super Bowl event Feb. 3 in New Orleans. "He is coming here to recruit a new teammate in his efforts to push an agenda that is contrary to the average voter inSouthCarolina," Graham declared. "I am obviously going to say that the game is on and the teams are set. It's Daschle-Sanders versus Bush-Graham." Sanders campaign manager Chad Clanton responded, "It sounds like Lindsey Graham is just surprised that there is even one person in Washington not supporting him." Democrats this week were already dismissing the fledgling GOP tactics as ineffective in an age when Senate contests are largely waged on their own merits. "Senate races tend to be decided on which of the two candidates is best going to represent the people of the state," said Daschle political adviser Anita Dunn. "This Frank Luntz,Republican Party 'Gingrichization' of Tom Daschle may be continuing," she said, referring to the former Speaker whom Democrats tried to tie to Republican candidates. "But ultimately, voters in the state judge Senate candidates by what they've done and what they are going to do." "Voters don't behave that way," agreed Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Executive Director JimJordan. "It is not going to be turned anywhere into a battle of proxies between Bush and Daschle." Democrats further observed that Graham backed Sen. John McCain(R-Ariz.) againstBush in the 2000 presidential primary and even appeared in television ads for McCain in the pivotal South Carolina primary. Thus, they don't believe Graham can effectively make the argument that he is on Bush's "team." Despite his high-profile speech, Daschle is certainly not as familiar to the average voter as the President. Nevertheless, the Majority Leader is likely to expend a considerable amount of his political capital helping Democratic candidates on the campaign trail in order to retain and expand his Senate majority, meaning his stature across the country is only likely to increase. National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Dan Allen said, "Daschle's involvement in these races will only be as much as his policies affect those states, such as his recent call for tax relief." In Colorado, Sen.Wayne Allard (R) fielded a question about the Daschle speech during his announcement tour last week, according to campaign managerDickWadhams. "Senator Allard responded firmly that [the criticism of the tax cut] was a ridiculous notion," Wadhams said. While he said that Daschle has not been a major part of the Allard campaign strategy so far, he added that likely Democratic nominee TomStrickland (D) will have to answer for the ideas outlined in the South Dakota lawmaker's speech. "Does Strickland agree with Daschle that we shouldn't have tax cuts? Does he want to revoke those tax cuts? Those are questions that might come up in the coming months," said Wadhams. Nowhere has the Senate Majority Leader become more of an issue than in South Dakota, his home state, where he has pledged to make the re-election of Sen. Tim Johnson (D) his top priority. Johnson's rival, Rep. John Thune (R), was strongly lobbied by Bush to enter the contest and has already portrayed himself as able to work with both the President and Daschle to deliver for the state. Thune said Daschle's raised national profile and recent ideas on the economy only further reinforce that point. "Daschle is acting as the block against the Bush agenda," the Congressman claimed. "The state and the country could benefit from having someone who can work with the administration. To the degree [Daschle] keeps this up, it only makes my argument." "The last thing Daschle needs is an inexperienced politician being his go-between with the White House," retorted Johnson campaign manager Steve Hildebrand. Hildebrand also pointed out that Johnson voted for the tax cut bill that Daschle spoke out against in his speech. "Senator Johnson did so at a time when the White House and the administration was painting a much rosier picture of the economy," he explained. "Tim made the right vote at the right time." Othervulnerable Democrats up for re-election in November voiced little expectation thatDaschle will be a factor in their races. "Senator Daschle is not a household name inGeorgia," said Tommy Thompson, campaign manager for Sen.Max Cleland (D). "Max voted for the tax cut, and he is proud he voted for it and intends to stand by it." Jeff Blodgett, campaign manager for Sen. PaulWellstone (D-Minn.), who faces a stiff challenge from former St. Paul Mayor NormColeman(R), said that although the tax cut will be a "major issue" in the campaign, "We don't expect Senator Daschle to be an issue at all." Some Republican campaigns even downplayed the role that Daschle will play in their races, but held open the possibility that the Majority Leader could become an issue. "Senator Smith hasn't said you need to send me back toWashington to fight Daschle," said Lisa Harrison, spokeswoman for Sen. BobSmith (R-N.H.). Smith is embroiled in a serious primary fight with Rep.JohnSununu and is likely to face Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D) in the general election should he become the GOP nominee. "He hasn't really talked about Daschle," added Harrison, "but as a Republican, he criticizes the Democratic, liberal agenda." As for whether Daschle could crop up as a campaign issue, Harrison said it depends "on what constituents ask and what the Democratic agenda is here and how much it continues to adversely affect the citizens of New Hampshire." InArkansas, where Sen. TimHutchinson (R) is being challenged by Attorney General David Pryor (D), Hutchinson's campaign is withholding judgment onthe matter. "On both sides we will have to see how surrogates play with the people of the state," said Hutchinson consultant Richard Bearden. "I don't really think there is a strong sense of who Daschle is." However, he conceded that "we expect Daschle to be engaged" on behalf of Pryor in the race. "WithGeorge W. Bush on one side of the scale and a fellow fromSouthDakota who doesn't have much connection with folks here on the other side, I'll take our chances withPresident Bush," said Bearden. Chris Matthews, spokesman for Sen.GordonSmith(R-Ore.), is more blunt about Daschle's importance in the Oregon race: "There is no reasonSenator Smith would mention a Senator fromSouthDakota in Oregon." *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] Want to be on our lists? Write at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for a menu of our lists! Write to same address to be off lists! <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
