Senate majority leader embroiled in S.D. race

Senate majority leader embroiled in S.D. race

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent

RAPID CITY, S.D. (May 22, 2:17 pm PDT) - Shattering precedent, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist campaigned for the defeat of his Democratic counterpart on Saturday, depicting Sen. Tom Daschle as a polarizing figure at home and an obstructionist thwarting President Bush's agenda in Congress.

Former GOP Rep. John Thune "would be a perfect United States senator to serve the people of South Dakota," said Frist, standing next to Daschle's rival. Blending local concerns with national issues, he pledged to work with Thune to find a new mission for a nearby Air Force base threatened with closure.

snip...
"We haven't found anything in our files" that is comparable, said Don Ritchie of the Senate historian's office. The only thing close occurred a century ago, he said, when the leader of one wing of the Republican party campaigned to defeat the leader of the other.

One Democrat took exception to Frist's politicking.

"What has become of civility? ... It used to be unheard of for Senate leaders to seek an active role against each other in campaigns," said Sen. Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, who has served for more than 45 years and led his party for a dozen of them. "That time has gone," he lamented.

more... http://www.tribnet.com/24hour/politics/story/1387420p-8641997c.html

of why there are no rules anymore.

some outsider telling them who to vote for. I am surprised that Thune agreed to this. This is Politics 101 stuff - Don't appear to be someone's toady.

:(

the Dems have a good one in his state?
I know that he is better than ANYTHING FRIST FAVORS. But I have been watching Daschle's performance and he is not one of our strong, courageous Dems (did you watch Rainer and Arianna in bookTV for Arianna's book? They cite Daschle as an example of weak performance).

Well, I guess we must support him. But can we send him a message saying:
SEE WHAT BEING A COLLABORATOR BRINGS YOU? TOTAL DISDAIN BY THE OPPOSITION AND RELUCTANT HELP BY YOUR OWN SIDE.

and you should send him a message saying whatever you want to say to him.

I'm going to send him a little money too.

He's not a collaborater, he's representing a moderate/conservative state. It compromises his effectiveness as minority leader. It would be better if he wasn't minority leader, but blame the other Democrats for electing him to that position.

I'd hate to see what the GOP calls "accommodating!" What fucking nerve. Frist needs to go back to killing kittens. Gods! I hate that sanctimonious twit. Even more because he's my fricking senator. He needs a good kick in the shins.

Hardhead, Frist is my Senator also. Where do you live in TN? I live 30 miles north of Nashville in Cross Plains (Robertson Co). Do you go to Kerry Meetups? Gayle

About 90 minutes east of Nashville. No, I've never been to a meetup.

A wholly owned subsidiary of his brother's Mammoth sized HMO...and of BTW his son got stopped in Princeton as a DUI.Ooooooops!

f we lived in a REAL republic, every seat would be contested every time it came up for election. Instead, far too many offices are simply conceded to whoever is holding them, and the "opposition party" doesn't even run a candidate.

Case in point, in CO, Mike Miles has been campaigning for the senate seat currently held by Ben Nighthorse Campbell, but had, and continues to have no support from the party. Only when Campbell announced his retirement did the Dems decide it might be worth the effort to field a candidate; then opted not to back the only Dem candidate wh had been running.

Notwithstanding the fact that I have been unimpressed by Senator Daschle, I do hope he wins re-election.


(I posted this on a different thread, but it seems pretty much a dupe, so I'll add it here in case the other thread gets locked.)

in what accomodation will get ya. Think they will EVER learn they are being fired at in a war begun by the extreme right, when will they get IT?