The Washington Monthly

April 28, 2004

FRIST vs. DASCHLE....Bill Frist really wants to get rid of Tom Daschle:

In the latest indication that Frist will personally campaign against his Democratic counterpart, the Republican leader signed a two-page fundraising letter last week for Thune that was sent to thousands of potential donors. The letter was a clear call to arms on behalf of the former three-term House Member who is trying to oust Daschle, a three-term Democrat.

“If you can only make one more contribution to one of our Republican Senate candidates this election cycle ... you should make that gift to John Thune,” Frist proclaimed in the letter. To add emphasis, that phrase was set in bold-faced capital letters, accompanied by an exclamation point.

Am I the only one who thinks this could backfire? State politicians can usually make a lot of hay over accusations of "outsiders" trying to influence their elections, and I wonder if Daschle can turn something like this into a positive?

UPDATE: A reader reminds me that Daschle testified as a character witness for South Dakota congressman Bill Janklow in his vehicular manslaughter trial last year. Janklow, of course, is a Republican. I guess no good deed goes unpunished.

—Kevin Drum 11:57 AM Permalink | Trackbacks

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