By Denise Ross

Sure, Sen. Tim Johnson’s speech is thick and sometimes halting. We’ve gotten used to that, due largely to his campaign’s willingness to take the issue on directly and not try to pretend like everything’s A-OK on that front.

However, simply continuing to repeat the statement, “My speech isn’t 100 percent, but I’m getting better,” in scripted, controlled settings is not enough to deal with questions voters have - and believe me, they do have them - about his recovery from a brain injury.

Johnson needs to prove that his brain did not slow down with his speech - and believe me, his brain did not slow down. While I was reassuring  a concerned voter that his mental acumen remains intact, it dawned on me.

Spread the word

Hide Sites

By Denise Ross

Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., held a House subcommittee field hearing in Rapid City Monday. (I’m bringing up the rear on coverage, but I promise I have stuff you haven’t read elsewhere.)

(Photos by Denise)

Here was the scene. There’s Herseth Sandlin with the microphone. To her left is Rep. John Boozman (pronounced like the Montana city of Bozeman), R-Ark. On either side of the two congressionals are their lawyers. Seriously.

I post this photo simply to show that the Dems’ counsel also doubled as re-inforcement for the Cobbler banner, which kept falling down. This provided some amusement for spectators. I also was amused at the small Congressional seal that hung over the Cobbler banner. The stagecraft wasn’t the strongest. Whaddya gonna do?

So you probably read in Kevin Woster’s story that SHS blasted the DoD for blowing the hearing off. (That does seem pretty cavalier, no? )

Spread the word

Hide Sites

By Denise Ross

If you’ve been looking for Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., on the campaign trail this summer, you might have been disappointed. Our two-term senior senator hasn’t been terribly high profile yet.

But he showed up in the Hoghouse e-mail Monday, courtesy of one of these new-fangled netroots communiques, in the form of a TV ad - that I could help pay for. Yippee! (Sorry, Jarding. The Hoghouse doesn’t roll that way. We do, however, accept donations. See button at right.)

Here’s the video, with the full communique to follow:

Here are highlights from Steve Jarding’s e-mail, with the full message on the jump:  

Dear Friend, (wow, that’s not how e-mails from campaign managers usually start out.) …

This is a critical milestone in our campaign and our chance to convince voters why they need to send Tim back to the U.S. Senate. This milestone — for Tim and for the campaign — would not have been possible without your support over the years and throughout his recovery. (I’m feelin’ the sunshine.) …

Since his return, Tim has not missed a single vote, and he has sponsored or cosponsored 140 pieces of legislation. He continues to use his powerful and senior positions on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Indian Affairs Committee, and Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, to deliver important legislation and critical funding for South Dakota. (Get used to hearing this.)

Since the e-mail offers fans of Tim the opportunity to pay for the ad, I doubt we’ll see it on TV for at least another month. According to ActBlue, they’ve raised $670 from 13 people at the time of this post. South Dakota is a cheap media market, but they’ve still got a ways to go.

Read Jarding’s full message by clicking CLICK HERE below.

Spread the word

Hide Sites

By Denise Ross

South Dakota’s own John Thune will be on FOX News Sunday (airing 7 am and 4 pm out here in West River), representing John McCain’s presidential campaign.

Our exclusive guests this week:
• Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., McCain supporter
• Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., Obama supporter
• Karl Rove, former senior adviser to President Bush

…

And, the “veepstakes” continue. With the conventions looming, just how close are the candidates to picking their running mates?

Gaaah. Karl Rove. Sen. Thune, don’t look directly into his eyes. (Wait, I thought Rove was officially part of FOX’s team now. Why is he listed as a “guest”?)

In any event, it looks like Thune’s been assigned this portion of Operation Deflate Euro-Obama. Tune in to see if he’s up to the challenge. 

Spread the word

Hide Sites

By Denise Ross

Amid all the warm-hearted and joyful congratulations to South Dakota’s congresswoman on her little Dem in the oven, my former blog-mate Kevin Woster makes note that the baby factor has been part of speculation about Stephanie Herseth Sandlin’s future political plans.

I’ve framed it this way in past conversations: If she wants to raise small children, that would be a heck of a lot easier as a chief executive and all the accompanying accoutrements than it would schlepping to a House office building each day and receptions/fundraisers/dinners most evenings. Not to mention the frequent flights back and forth from DC to SD.

Here’s how Woster frames it:

The annoucement today that Herseth Sandlin and her husband, Max, are expecting a child in December could carry a second bit of happy news - for Democrats longing for their first South Dakota governor since 1978, at least.

Spread the word

Hide Sites

By Denise Ross

A friend kindly let me know that there’s a commenter over at the Argus site who writes under the name “hoghouse”.

Lest there be any confusion, that is not me. I wish I had that kind of time.

As far as I know, the comments aren’t objectionable, scurrilous, libelous or an attempt to pretend to be me (benefit of the doubt given here), but I wanted to clarify for the sake of clarifying.

Spread the word

Hide Sites

By Denise Ross

The second-quarter campaign finance reports have a few goodies in them. Here’s one that really shouldn’t wait. Oh, the sweet irony of it all.

Former chief of staff to Republican Gov. Mike Rounds, Rob Skjonsberg, has donated $850 to the campaign of Democratic incumbent Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.

Click here to see the FEC report. (Names aren’t listed in alphabetical order. Scroll down about a third of the way to find this entry.)

South Dakota’s chattering class will recall the kerfuffle caused when Rounds replaced Skjonsberg with Neal Fulton, who had been known to consort with the Herseth Sandlin campaign - most notably as treasurer. The partisan equivalent of high treason.

Also recall the near open warfare that erupted between Rounds and Skjonsberg when Rounds insisted that the state impose a new (read “higher”) tax framework on higher blend ethanol pumps. Skjonsberg had gone on to the employ of an ethanol giant, and he did not appreciate his former boss’s efforts.

Spread the word

Hide Sites

By Denise Ross

In the latest VP installment, our junior senator is not on a mere list of potential McCain VPs. He’s got an entire Washington Post column to himself this weekend. And the columnist, she made note of some of Sen. John Thune’s finer qualities.

He’s young, easy on the eyes, articulate and personable. At the ripe age of 47, standing tall, trim and fit, Thune’s good looks could counterbalance McCain’s most glaring liability: his old looks.

Imagine if some menfolk had made such observations about our congresswoman. The disapproving tsk, tsks would deafen us - not that that’s stopped folks in the past. I recall making a Blogmore post featuring both Herseth and Thune for winning some literal beauty contests.

But all this going-weak-in-the-knees is only a distraction.

There are more important signals being sent in this column. Our old friend Dick Wadhams makes an appearance, after a run-down of Thune’s recent appearances on behalf of the McCain campaign.

Spread the word

Hide Sites

By Denise Ross

SD’s former senator Tom Daschle, currently incommunicado somewhere in Africa?, is on the list of potential Obama VPs released late last week by CBS News.

TAD weighs in at No. 7:

Tom Daschle

An early and eager supporter for Obama, who appears to have forged a close relationship with the former Majority Leader. A consummate insider helps soothe concerns of inexperience but also brings a lot of insider baggage. And what happened to Obama in South Dakota?

What happened to Obama in South Dakota? Oh, yeah. That.

Daschle is listed behind, in order of ranking:

• Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius
• Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh (who’s been making the TV rounds this past week)
• Nebraska Sen. and Republican Chuck Hagel (the new John McCain)
• New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson
• New York Sen. Hillary Clinton
• Delaware Sen. Joe Biden.

Spread the word

Hide Sites

By Denise Ross

After defeating Tom Daschle in South Dakota’s historic 2004 US Senate race, Sen. John Thune, R-SD — who we all still know as that tall guy from Murdo — remains popular on the GOP fundraising circuit.

As evidenced by this item courtesy of Google news alerts:

Republican meeting: The Hillsborough County Republican Executive Committee hosts its annual Lincoln Day Dinner with Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., as keynote speaker. 7:30 p.m., Friday; Grand Hyatt Hotel, 2900 Bayport Drive, Tampa. For tickets, tables and sponsorships, call (813) 978-8228 or visit www.hcrp.org.

Tampa in July. I’m sweating just thinking about it.

Spread the word

Hide Sites