To review: Badlands Blue is the official blog of the South Dakota Democratic Party. The Dems pay Lowell Feld of Virginia to write this blog. The blog is supposed to serve as a community blog, drawing South Dakota Democrats to contribute articles and comments to fight the mean nasty conservatives who used their blogs to help bring down Daschle in 2004. But with Feld and Badlands Blue commenters turning their personal attacks from former Lt. Gov. and potential Senate candidate Steve Kirby to loyal state Dems like Todd Epp, Badlands Blue isn't feeling like a very welcoming community to this Dem.
The details: Lowell's latest post in a steady stream of Kirby criticism is a "flashback" article from 1994 in which Bill Janklow criticized Kirby for comments about Janklow's health. Lowell concludes with a link to the Daily Kos's hyperbole portraying Kirby as a "flesh-eating zombie" (and people accuse me of ranting). Passionate blogger and Lincoln County Dem Todd Epp posts a comment asking what Feld's post is supposed to prove.
In return for an honest question, and for his comments Wednesday calling for his party to take the high road and avoid the politics of personal destruction, Epp gets replies from pseudonymous "NotPP" and "Barely40Dem" questioning his party loyalty:
"NotPP": ...And by the way Todd .. hitching your star to the "FrankenSteve Kirby is a nice guy" bandwagon is probably not the best way to show your democratic stripes at a time when he is considering challenging our senior elected official.
"Barely40Dem": So when did Todd get so sanctimonious or worse, when did he jump in bed with Steve Kirby? I thought Todd was supposed to be a Democrat? First he defends Steve Kirby as a great guy while blasting the Democrats for letting Kirby know he would be in a battle. And I will bet that Todd attacked Daschle for not being tough enough on Thune! But Todd is not finished. Now he appears to be defending Kirby when he attacks Janklow on Janklow's health! Does Todd really believe Kirby won't do the same to Tim Johnson. But he asks Lowell "what's the point?" I say what's the point of Todd if this is the extent of his loyalty to Democrats.
What nonsense. South Dakota Democratic Party money is being used to host a website that criticizes a loyal South Dakota Democrat who has worked for the party for years, who has taken all sorts of public heat for the party, and who has staunchly defended Senator Johnson since before Lowell Feld knew how to say "Pierre" (and who doesn't get paid for it).
These comments -- and Lowell's tacit approval of them -- prove that the state Dems need to reclaim their own blog. Paying someone from Virginia to host a discussion that publicly criticizes a loyal South Dakota Democrat is insulting and counterproductive. Lowell Feld, NotPP, and Barely40Dem can wage all the personal attacks they want on Todd Epp, but not on the Dems' dime.
And as I cross-post this article to Badlands Blue, I notice the "Rules" that appear when one enters a new post: "Be excellent to each other... or else." It appears Mr. Epp is getting the "or else."
The Johnson campaign has really made mistakes this political season and you are wise to point them out. Well done. Although I am not happy about this year's actions, I am most worried about something else I have read. I hope that you and other progressives will help me figure it out. I am so deeply offended and turned off by this that I may simply not be able to vote for Johnson. Do you know about this? Do you have an opinion on this blatant act of gay-baiting? I admit, I am gay. And I've had this happen to me before. And I can't stomach that Johnson did this. Or that Democrats are currently touting Jim Jordan when he did this. I'm just totally turned off. The info is here:
ReplyDeletehttp://southdakotapolitics.blogs.com/south_dakota_politics/2008/week10/index.html#entry-46712502
And Cory... you REALLY want to affiliate yourself with these yahoos? Do what I did, become an independent. Granted, you'll get a little flak for being a "fence straddler", but at least you'll have a clear conscience.
ReplyDeletespeaking of having a Virginian run the South Dakota Democratic Party website, somebody HAS to explain why SD Democrats are using this anti-gay Jim Jordan thug:
ReplyDeleteMitchell Daily Republic (9/28/96)
Sen. Larry Pressler Friday accused Rep. Tim Johnson’s campaign of orchestrating the gay issue to damage Pressler’s re-election bid and said Johnson’s press secretary had boasted about that strategy weeks ago.
During a conference call Thursday morning, Pressler told reporters that Johnson’s press secretary, Jim Jordan, had bragged that the Johnson forces “were going to cut my liver out with this smear.”
When contacted about the charge immediately after the conference call, Jordan declined to comment, saying he would release a prepared statement.
He later faxed a denial of Pressler’s charge, calling the allegations “silly.”
Jordan said “no such conversation ever took place. Congressman Johnson has condemned this attack on Senator Pressler and said those responsible should apologize.”
Johnson said Friday afternoon that he supports his press secretary and dismissed Pressler’s charges as a desperate act.
However, Pressler said KELO-TV reporter Vernon Brown had heard Jordan’s remarks, as did one of Pressler’s aides. Pressler also cited a letter to him from a Rapid City woman, Jane Rogers, that said she was told months ago by a member of Johnson’s staff that “some bad stuff was going to come out about you later in the campaign.”
The letter continued: “Johnson’s staff member went on to say that a book had been written which accused you of being gay.”
so, how about Mr. Madville? Do you condone what Jim Jordan and Tim Johnson did? How can I just ignore this obvious case of gay-baiting?
ReplyDeleteIt appears that when demos criticize other demos legitimate criticisms of Kirby, that they run the demos and themselves into the ground. Kirby is playing both ways here. The media refuses to call him on it. Do we believe his words, or his more important actions? Is he trustworthy when his lips are moving or when takes out websites and makes commercials? It appears that some SD demos are taking a page from Hillary Lieberman's playbook when she touts McSame over Obama. Join the circular firing squad and don't be surprised when the demos are in the minority. It might be a better idea to make critiques private until such time as the behavior is counterproductive. What's counterproductive? Depends on the situation, but bear in mind that as a body South Dakotans are too often hyper-sensitive.
ReplyDeleteI disapprove of any slimy campaign tactics -- stalking, gay-baiting, what have you. But I also just got back from a big day of celebrating Madville Times Jr's birthday, so before I shoot my mouth off about Jim Jordan, I want to do some reading.
ReplyDeleteAnd Anon 6:18, I'm criticizing criticisms of Kirby largely because they're unnecessary. Johnson has the record and the reputation to beat anyone the GOP can muster. He's a decent guy. But with friends like Lowell Feld, who needs enemies?
Supersensitive? Call a faithful party member disloyal on the website portraying itself as the official party blog -- yeah, I'm sensitive to that.
Madville, thank you for the service you provide, allowing us to disagree without being disagreeable (mostly). I appreciate your optimism that Johnson has the record and reputation to beat anybody . . . but please excuse some of us who temper optimism with the harsh history of reality. Reflect on whether you were that confident in 2000 when Gore won a popular vote, in 2004 when the coastal demos "knew" Kerry would win over a bufoon who's service record was little more than a dental record, in 2002 when Johnson squeaked past an empty record with a pretty face by 524 votes. Gore, Kerry, and Daschle are all decent guys - and that had little to do with their defeats. Many of us will gladly trade a little empty "South Dakota nice" for a dash of passion . . . and a farm bill.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anon!
ReplyDeleteYou know I appreciate a passionate argument as much as anyone (that's probably why you give me the "mostly" on not being disagreeable ;-) ). And yes, overconfidence is deadly (just ask the Clinton campaign, who expected to be vacationing after Super Tuesday and now get to spend May in South Dakota and Montana!). Johnson should campaign hard. But when aggressive campaigning turns into a party hack calling SD Dems disloyal... well, nothing good comes from that.
We'll do a lot more good for Senator Johnson just talking to our neighbors and reminding them of the good he has done and will continue to do for the state.