Daschle, Thune to debate during ‘Meet the Press' 9/19 (First debate will be August 18th)

Daschle, Thune to debate during ‘Meet the Press'
Last Updated: Wednesday, August 4, 2004 10:30 PM MDT

South Dakota's U.S. Senate race, already topping the national marquees, will get a solid hour of national TV attention on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Sept. 19.

Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., accepted the invitation on Tuesday. His Republican challenger, former Rep. John Thune, had previously accepted an invitation to two "Meet the Press" debates, one in September and another in October, his campaign manager, Dick Wadhams, said.

Daschle campaign spokesman Dan Pfeiffer said the October date offered was the Sunday before the Nov. 2 election, a day when Daschle wants to be in South Dakota.

A "Meet the Press" spokeswoman said the hourlong live broadcast will be devoted to South Dakota's U.S. Senate candidates unless breaking news pre-empts them.

The "Meet the Press" debate will come one month after the first Daschle-Thune debate on Wednesday, Aug. 18, in Mitchell.

Since the Thune campaign last week challenged Daschle to a series of 66 joint appearances, then complained that Daschle was ducking debates, Daschle has accepted four more debates, including the NBC show.

The additional debates set so far are a KELO-TV/Sioux Falls Argus-Leader debate on Monday, Oct. 11, a debate sponsored by several media, including the Rapid City Journal, on Monday, Oct. 18, and a debate sponsored by South Dakota Public Television and the South Dakota Newspaper Association on a date to be determined.

Now the campaign of Senator Tom Daschle, the Democratic leader from South Dakota, wants an apology from his opponent for a bit of foul - or perhaps fowl - language.

According to Mr. Daschle's office, Dick Wadhams, the campaign manager for former Representative John Thune, cornered a young campaign worker for Mr. Daschle at a candidates forum and repeatedly referred to Mr. Daschle in derogatory terms for not attending. As described in a press release from the Daschle campaign, the word that Mr. Wadhams used was a vulgarity that referred to chicken droppings.

"Berating young staffers and referring to public officials with obscenities is not how we do things in South Dakota. John Thune owes Senator Daschle and his staffer an immediate apology," said Daschle campaign manager Steve Hildebrand.

It doesn't look like an apology will be forthcoming. Mr. Wadhams said he would not say a peep about his conversation with the Daschle aide. But he criticized Mr. Daschle for failing to accept some of the invitations to appear with Mr. Thune and instead dispatch an aide to "slink around in the shadows'' and record Mr. Thune's comments.

"Clearly, Daschle is running from John Thune and I would too if my standing with my home state voters is as bad as Daschle's is right now," said Mr. Wadhams.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/14/politics/trail/14TRAIL-CURSE.html?ex=1093320000&en=367975f800e34e35&ei=5006&partner=ALTAVISTA1

Daschle traditionally has drawn 20 percent to 25 percent of registered Republican voters, and a victory depends on him doing that again this year.

"In South Dakota, you have to have Republican votes to win," Maynard said.

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2004/08/18/front/top/news01.txt

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