Saturday, July 17, 2004
Sooner or later the South Dakota senate race is going to erupt into unfettered mudslinging. When it does, expect to learn about John Thune's dodgy activity as a lobbyist.
The Boston Globe reports that Thune may have broken a lobbying law by pitching directly to the Senate and House in 2003. By law Thune, who left office after the 2002 election, was not allowed to lobby former colleagues for one year.
Daschle does not strike me as the mudslinging sort, but if the campaign gets nasty - and Thune's slur that Daschle is an "embarrassment to South Dakota" augurs a harsh phase of campaigning - expect this to come up. As a non-South Dakotan gamely trying to understand small-state politics, I can't tell you conclusively what kind of impact this might have, but if it leads to an ethics investigation, Thune may be on thin ice.
The Boston Globe reports that Thune may have broken a lobbying law by pitching directly to the Senate and House in 2003. By law Thune, who left office after the 2002 election, was not allowed to lobby former colleagues for one year.
Daschle does not strike me as the mudslinging sort, but if the campaign gets nasty - and Thune's slur that Daschle is an "embarrassment to South Dakota" augurs a harsh phase of campaigning - expect this to come up. As a non-South Dakotan gamely trying to understand small-state politics, I can't tell you conclusively what kind of impact this might have, but if it leads to an ethics investigation, Thune may be on thin ice.
