Posted on 09/03/2004 10:15:41 AM PDT by SoDak
The nearly 3,700 Republicans for Daschle list announced by the Democrat's re-election campaign Wednesday is suspect, Republican Senate candidate John Thune said.
"Saying you've got all these names but not providing a list to the public to me is very phony," Thune said. "I believe they do have a lot of Republicans, but to tout this thing and say you're not going to disclose any of it suggests they're not very confident about the list."
Thune, a former congressman, is challenging three-term incumbent and Senate minority leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., in a heated and nationally watched race.
A random check of 11 Republicans for Daschle by the Rapid City Journal found one who was not aware she was on the list, one Thune supporter and a Daschle supporter who asked to have his name removed.
However, most people contacted by the Rapid City Journal adamantly confirmed their place on the Republicans for Daschle list.
Thune campaign manager Dick Wadhams called his opposition's list "the kind of doubletalk the Daschle campaign engages in, day in, day out."
"What would prohibit us from saying we have 20,000 Democrats who support John Thune and assume that should be taken seriously?" Wadhams asked. "Trying to create the impression that a large group of Republicans support Tom Daschle when they don't even have the courage to release the names speaks for itself."
Steve Hildebrand, Daschle's campaign manager, said the list won't be distributed for strategic reasons. Only reporters will be allowed to view the list, he said. Others can't view it, and no copies will be distributed, he said.
"No smart campaign would do that. We don't want Thune's campaign to get ahold of this list so they can go intimidate them or match it against their voter file and write those people off. We're not about to go out and identify voters on John Thune's behalf," Hildebrand said. "We feel very confident about the list. You can go to our (campaign) office and call 100 of them and see how phony it is."
Modern campaigns, especially those as well-funded as South Dakota's Senate race, identify voters individually through telephone surveys and door-to-door canvassing. Closely guarded databases built through this labor-intensive work are used in get-out-the-vote efforts on Election Day and for campaign fixtures such as Republicans for Daschle.
"I put my name on there. I'm going to vote for him, not for Thune," said Joyce Amerson of Rapid City.
Gary Bishop of Huron was equally enthusiastic. "You bet," he said. "They called just the other day."
But Angie Whelchel of Sturgis, Patsy Hattervig of Custer and a third voter who asked to be removed from the list needed an explanation when questioned about their names appearing on the list. All have had contact with the Daschle campaign.
"I know I specifically said I didn't want to be put on anything I didn't know about," Whelchel said. "I don't agree to stuff over the phone."
Whelchel said she got a telephone call, probably from the Daschle campaign, during a hectic day working out of her home.
"We were so busy. I didn't say yes, and I didn't say no," she said.
Hattervig said she plans to vote for Thune and has no idea how she ended up on Daschle's list.
"I had a call a long time ago, so long I kind of forgot about it, but I did not say I wanted my name on a list," she said. "I have nothing against Tom Daschle."
Hattervig, conferring with her husband, Jim, in the background, said their household did not receive the follow-up correspondence the Daschle campaign said it sent to all on the list.
Dan Pfeiffer, campaign spokesman for Daschle, said their records indicate that Hattervig agreed to be on the list in June when contacted by phone.
"We sent a follow-up letter on June 22," he said.
Hattervig said she will "definitely" ask to be taken off the list.
The unidentified voter who was removed from the list Thursday is clear on his support for Daschle and equally clear on his ambivalence toward the Republican Party. He asked the Rapid City Journal not to identify him because his name is being removed from the list of Republicans for Daschle.
That list should include rock-ribbed Republicans, and that's not him, he said. However, he said he did think his name probably would be on such a list before it was announced this week.
Hildebrand said he agreed to remove the unnamed voter from the list and would remove others who ask. But he said the campaign followed sound practices in building the list.
After agreeing to be named, those on the list received a follow-up letter to give Republicans for Daschle an opportunity to withdraw.
"We were playing absolutely fair and square. We were absolutely careful," he said. "If there's a simple misunderstanding, we have no problem taking people off of a list."
When he announced his Republican backers Wednesday, Daschle said every person on the list was contacted two or three times to confirm their inclusion. Hildebrand said the campaign's goal was to top 4,000 Republicans for Daschle, but during an intensive confirmation effort, about 400 voters could not be reached. The number announced Wednesday is 3,691, but Daschle said that will grow.
"This is the beginning, not the end, of this organizational effort," Daschle said. "It's just the foundation."
Thune, too, is busy identifying who will vote for him, and that includes some of South Dakota's 185,000 or so Democrats.
There will be a Democrats for Thune group unveiled before the Nov. 2 election, and he said there are "a substantial number" of socially conservative Democrats who back him because of his anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage stances.
"They are conservative Democrats, the kind of Democrats Zell Miller talks about, who are going to be far out of sync with where Daschle is. Many are people who probably voted for Johnson," Thune said. "The work is ongoing, and significant progress is being made." (Miller is a Democratic senator from Georgia who has become a vocal Republican supporter).
Thune predicted that this year, he will draw more than the 10 percent of Democrats he believes crossed over to vote for him in 2002.
So far, publicly released polls have shown that Daschle enjoys support from close to 95 percent of South Dakota's Democrats.
Wadhams said the Thune campaign is working to lower that figure.
"It will be a rude awakening for Tom Daschle when thousands of conservative, pro-life, anti-gay marriage Democrats realize the charade he's been living in South Dakota for the last 18 years, portraying himself as pro-life," Wadhams said.
I wonder, how many reside in a graveyard...Chicago style.
What you have here is the senators office retreiving all the files of constituants Daschle has represented in matters with his office. Anyone who needed a phone call from the senator to the social security office, a VA hospital matter, a civil rights issue, etc.........Not hard to do in these days of vote selling.
I send money to Thune every month (even though I am from Nebraska). I want to see that soft-spoken girlie boys' butt kicked.
I truly don't understand how any Republican could vote for Daschle and still consider him/herself a Republican.
It's a pretty hilarious campaign tactic. It's as if he's saying, "See??? 3,700 clear-thinking individuals support me along with my usual goofballs!"
ping
I believe that these people, if they are in fact registered 'Republicans', are nothing but complete FRAUDS, because DASCHLE STANDS FOR NOTHING A REPUBLICAN STANDS FOR!
I have often said that the GOP would be money ahead to build 10,000 timeshare units in SD and have GOP faithful from other states where their votes are not needed move into them in time to register and vote in the election every couple years.
Go Thune!
Reason I ask is last time I checked, there were some 294 million Americans .... so there is bound to be the odd one out there in the Country who would be dumb enough to vote for this dude. But 3,700 in a state with a population that I thought was around a million or so, is to me surprising.
Either way I think one should disclose the list to confirm the support. For Dashle not to is downright wrong.
Just watch out for the usual "Digging up the vote tactics" and "Herding the Indians to the Booth".
I don't either, and it p*sses me off! I can't get anyone to admit to it, but it's clear that it happens. I think it's mainly retirees who think Daschle controls their Social Security checks. Daschle is above nothing when it comes to holding power, and will use any and every tactic at his disposal.
what is the address of the Thune website? I want to contribute to get rid of little Tommy Dashole
Here's a partial list for the reporters:
Ben Dova
Phil McCrackin
Helen Waitt
Seymour Butz
...
I found it:
http://www.johnthune.com/
I think they might still be accepting contributions (goofiness -off)
8-)
Campaign violations?
Shouldn't he have to reveal the list of names if they donated to his campaign?
Or how about suing to get the list under FOIA?
Just some crazy ideas......
"Release the list! What are you trying to hide?"
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