Daschle Bids Democrats Goodbye

[Moloch]

WASHINGTON - Tom Daschle bade his fellow Senate Democrats farewell Tuesday with a plea that they seek common ground with Republicans yet continue to fight for the less fortunate. After 10 years as the Senate's Democratic leader, Daschle congratulated his longtime assistant and now successor, Harry Reid of Nevada, as Democrats chose their leadership team for the 109th Congress that takes office in January.

The South Dakota Democrat, narrowly defeated by Republican John Thune in a bid for a fourth term, kept a low public profile on Tuesday.

He spoke only briefly on the Senate floor, making perfunctory remarks about the week's legislative calendar. He plans a public farewell on Friday, a day after attending the opening of the Clinton presidential library in Little Rock, Ark.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=536&ncid=536&e=6&u=/ap/20041117/ap_on_go_co/congress_daschle

[Mizmoon]

1. "seek common ground"?

What a limp fuck.

[pmbryant]

2. Daschle sacrified his job for our cause.

He deserves our respect.

Perhaps he was not as effective in his role as you and me and others would have liked, but he fought valiantly, while also trying to retain his position.

He should not be a scapegoat for the failings of all of us to make our case to a majority through the din of the smear machine run by the Bushies.

--Peter

[vi5]

4. I don't think he was a bad Senator or Democrat...

His positions and concilliatory attitude were totally fitting for a red-state democratic senator. I don't begrudge him that.

It was just totally ineffective as a Minority Leader of the democratic party. I can't say I anticipate Reid being much better, but I just cannot forgive any leader of the democratic party who uttered as many words of praise and outreach to a group of people who would stab us in the back with the other hand at every single turn.

The fillibusters were the only effective thing he accomplished as minority leader and that is not to be diminished. But overall I'm not sorry to see him go as leader, just as a Senator.

[Deb]

8. Yes, he does deserve our respect

His gentle way brought out the best in many of our Senators. Sadly, that is an often forgotten leadership skill.

[el_gato]

34. one of the biggest wimps in the history of the dem party

fuck daschle

[Nestea]

56. Brilliant!

Your analysis is nothing short of brilliant!

I guess you believe that belligerence is the only way to get things done.

It's worked so well in the past, eh?

[CityDem]

49. His gentle way

Left us with over 200 Bush judges, a massive unfunded tax cut and a war in Iraq. I am so happy to see this limp wristed bastard hit the road. Too bad he was replaced with another weak kneed yes man.

[Sterling]

15. "Daschle sacrified his job for our cause." excuse me his job was our cause

And he failed miserably. I could give a flying fuck about any pols "job".

[pmbryant]

18. His job was representing South Dakota

He sacrificed that to become a national party leader. In retrospect, perhaps not a wise decision, but a respectable one.

--Peter

[Sterling]

20. Well he failed at that as well.

I would also assume that Representing SD is not mutually exclusive from representing the best interests of all of America. I agree that it was not a wise choice to have him in a party leadership position, he is clearly not a leader.

[bunkerbuster1]

58. So tell me why we're installing another Senate minority leader

from a pissant flyover state, who has to kiss reThug ass at home to continue to remain viable?

goddamn this party pisses me off, oftimes.

[Laelth]

64. Agreed.

We can't afford any more red-state leaders who are always looking over their shoulders, trying to get re-elected. We need blue state leadership. We need people who can be honest about what we believe and who won't be afraid of offending their brainwashed constituency back home.

-Laelth

[pmbryant]

68. "Pissant flyover state"!?

Ok, that attitude is shameful.

Second, look up the numbers. Bush won Nevada by 2%. That's barely more than he won Ohio by. Nevada is essentially evenly divided. Reid won far more votes two weeks ago than Bush did. And furthermore, Reid isn't even up for re-election for another six years.

--Peter

[Yupster]

65. And another thing

he ran for reelection hugging Bush. Hardly sacrificing himself for the cause.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

30. Daschle USED to be a good fighter and reasonably good leader BUT

his wife was complicit in airlines being able to block legislation that arose out of the Hart Rudmann report as a lobbyist for the airlines....I am not sorry to see him go...although we lost his seat, we need fresh blood that isn't quite so power hungry.

[JanMichael]

35. How did he "sacrifice" his job for us? By fighting the Invasion?

How?

[pmbryant]

37. By being a lightning rod

The Bushies slime machine is vicious and extreme, and he put himself up as a target, leading the fight to block Bush's most extreme judicial nominees, amongst other things.

It didn't work out, but we still owe him our thanks and our gratitude.

--Peter

[JudyM]

41. and he didn't back down on opposing the 'marriage' amendment

even though he caught a lot of heat for it in SD - part of the rethug smear campaign against him.

[JanMichael]

57. That IS, I mean WAS, his job. How is doing your JOB a "sacrifice?"

Unless you're a sapper or suicide bomber that is...

[pmbryant]

62. I think you know what I'm talking about

Quibble over precise wording if you want, but Daschle put his reputation and long career as a South Dakota legislator on the line in order to fight for Democratic values against the tide of the Bush smear machine.

I'd like to see more of us have the guts to do the same.

--Peter

[JanMichael]

63. No. I think you saying that he "Sacrificed" his job is extremely ...

...disingenuous.

He did no such thing.

[pmbryant]

67. Sacrifice is a very appropriate word

I used the word sincerely, so I don't appreciate being called disingenuous in response just because you disagree with its application. But since you want me to spell it out for you, I will.

According to the American Heritage dictionary, 'sacrifice' means: "To forfeit (one thing) for another thing considered to be of greater value."

Tom Daschle forfeited his job as an elected legislator from South Dakota due to his efforts as national legislative leader for the Democratic Party.

Those are the facts, whether you like the guy or not.

--Peter

[barb162]

71. take a look at post 66, Reid is a pro-life Mormom

[JudyM]

40. I agree completely - well-put.

[pmbryant]

53. Thank you (n/t)

[Voltaire99]

43. *sniff* You...you're right--I...I think I'm going to cry!

I...*sniff*...agree. Daschle does deserve our respect.

For the way he stared down the airlines after 9/11, telling them there'd be no federal hand-outs after their years of using lobbyists like his wife to defeat security initiatives that would have harmed their profits.

For the way he boldly told the administration to take the Patriot Act "and shove it up your Ashcroft." That was a proud moment!

For the way he tried to slow the rush to war in Iraq by pointing out that nobody else in the world, outside of Tony Blair and a few nations desperate for relief funds, believed in our manufactured evidence.

For the time he waved the photos of Abu Ghraib over his head and declared, "This will not stand, Mr. President! This will not stand! We Democrats demand an answer!"

Oh, that was a Tom Daschle to be proud of! And he even "sacrificed his job for our cause"!

Thanks for putting it all in perspective, Peter.

[pmbryant]

51. Mock all you want

Having a selective memory is not something to be proud of.

--Peter

[Moloch]

59. I especially like...

The way he didn't have a campaign ad of him hugging *

[PeteGammons]

3. I think he fought the good fight.

Look at all the judges they kept off the bench with the filibuster. No one had ever done that before - that took stones. I fear Reid will be much limper than Daschle was...

[w4rma]

7. Not true. The Republicans kept FAR more judges off benches from

1994 - 2000.

[PeteGammons]

9. Not with a filibuster.

Not as a minority party.

[JudyM]

42. Right - they have had more power than us for years.

[pmbryant]

12. Don't worry about Reid

He is a fighter, despite the rhetoric. And Nevada is no South Dakota.

--Peter

[barb162]

50. I really hope you are right; I don't know anything about him but he

just sounded so wussy yesterday.

[Yupster]

66. Here's wickipedia entry on Reid

It says he's a pro-life Mormon.

Could that be true?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Reid

[barb162]

69. If that is true the Dems are truly f--ked up. What happened with

pro choice? Pro life Mormons sound like repukes to me. Why in the world would the Dems in the Senate put this guy in as minority leader? I think I am going to the Green Party or Nader or something.

[barb162]

70. see post 66, Pro life Mormon as Senate minority leader?

[barb162]

47. yes, he sounded like he wanted to "dance" and I thought, where's

Daschle.

[Lerkfish]

11. IMHO, there is no common ground, there's hegemony or the hiway.

The neoconrepublinazis will stop at nothing less than complete domination. the only way to find common ground in that case is the common ground to grovel at their feet.

[pmbryant]

13. He didn't say "find common ground"; he said "seek it"

Very different.

--Peter

[Sterling]

21. Sure, keep looking for it.

It's not there.

[pmbryant]

24. I didn't hear anyone saying it was. (n/t)

[Leilani]

5. I feel sorry for him

I believe he really tried to do a good job for his state.

They're nuts for electing Thune.

[wicket]

10. I agree

Thune is such a whack job!

[Kolesar]

16. I saw Thune on the Sunday talk shows. He is a stuffed suit

The only dumber performance I saw was K. Belly Hutchinson on TDS w/JS on Monday night. That airhead claims she actually wrote a book and is promoting it.

[Justitia]

44. No kidding, Stewart really tried to help her out,

but she couldn't help but make herself look like an airhead.

I thought he was a gentleman and she was clueless.

If she wasn't such a heartless bitch who ignores my incessant e-mails, I might actually have felt sorry for her.

[StClone]

6. Daschle did well as a Dem from Red State

He was cast as a villain, El diablo and obstructionist by a coordinated Right-wing attack. A quiet man of character he could not withstand the ugly Pro-westling mentality that is modern Reptile-brained politics.

[underpants]

14. Shut up and get out Tom

And take your weak ass let's be nice crap with you.

[Moloch]

23. My sentiments exactly...

NT

[pmbryant]

27. Pleas read what he actually said (n/t)

[rocktivity]

17. Seeking common ground is EXACTLY why he's out of a job!

Seeking "common ground" with Republicans gets you NOWHERE no matter WHAT you do. They're going to screw you no matter what, so you might as well go down kicking and screaming with your dignity intact.

The Democratic party should consider itself at war.

:headbang:
rocknation

[strangemedicine]

25. Greetings from the Black Hills, DU'ers: Hello from a rookie.

DU has been a lifesaver for me and many other folks out here hanging on by the skin of our teeth. Thank you ... although I don't know you all personally, you are my friends. :)

Many of us here are grieving the loss of our Senior Senator and the Senate Majority Leader. Many of us know Tom personally. We are a small state, and like many of you, we have been, and are struggling. Blessings to you and yours as we all continue the good fight.

My take? Tom Daschle is an honest, intelligent and compassionate man. He worked tirelessly for the Natives here, for the family farmers, for those on the edge of the chasm. And he worked for this country. Believe it or not, it is true. And this good man was taken down by the right-wing republicon machine that spewed its hatred and brain-numbing lies beginning last spring. It is, and was everywhere ... like a virus.

We bless Senator Daschle and his family, and we fight on here, carrying his message. We will not give quarter to the mindless destruction of this election cycle. And here at Paha Sapa, we send strong and beautiful greetings and many thanks to the DU family. Your voices and songs inspire. Peace.

[jarab]

28. Welcome !!

...O...

[Moloch]

31. Welcome to DU....

I am sorry at the loss of your Senator, he may have been a good Senator but he was a terrible minority leader. We need someone with more fight in them, maybe Reid will do that but I doubt it.

[prairierose]

38. Thanks Strangemedicine, I'm here

in PahaSapa too. I am not looking forward to what our state will lose now that we have lost Tom. The consequences are already beginning but have not yet hit the media (big surprise there!) South Dakotans will pay very dearly for falling for the lies of the regressives. One of the first groups to pay will be the family farmers because the drought disaster relief that Tom pushed through just before 11/2 will never get to the people who really need it. * told these family ranchers after 5 years of drought to tighten their belts. Most of them don't have belts left. Thune is just a tool of the regressive party & there are not enough people here for them to care about. More importantly, there is not enough money here for them to care about. We are really only good as a back drop (think * at Mt. Rushmore)

Tom did care about us as well as the future of this country. He cared about seniors, education, health care, and renewable energy He cared about veterans and worked tirelessly for their benefit. They have very few advocates left in Congress after *'s attacks on Viet Nam Vets in Congress. Who will fight for them as we create a new generation of veterans who will need the help of the VA?

We are going to need all the strength this place gives us to survive the dark days ahead.

[strangemedicine]

39. Hello, Prairierose! It's good to know you are here.

I echo your sentiments, and testify to the truth of your words. I am saddened by the number of people here who fell for the lies. It is their childre, our children who will fight the dreadful war overseas, their grandparents, our seniors who will go to bed hungry, and our farmers who will go bankrupt and leave the state, or fall into further despair. A friend of mine works in social services here, and the number farm families dealing with depression and suicide has increased alarmingly over the last four years. I work at a college, and the number of our Native students that have to leave school and return home to help support their families has doubled. Tom did care, and worked hard not only for SD families, but families all across the US. Thune will be dropped like a hot potato by the thugs in the RNC and white house. Their goal has been accomplished; they wanted Daschle out, and he's gone.

I will be on Thune like a hawk on a rat. There are many of us, yes? We will call him on every move. The battle is only beginning, my friend. We have our voices, we have our energy, we have our INTEGRITY. We WILL prevail. It is good to have DU ... we are not lone voices.

"Many colors of the spirit, Many lives below the sun. We are colors of the spirit. We are many. We are one." -Perry & Schon

[prairierose]

46. Yes, I will be watching him too

and I agree that it is nice to know that we are not lone voices. BTW, I think there are now 4 members of du from SD :hi:

[barb162]

55. oh welcome and thank you for the kind message. I always liked

Daschle and I understand with his constituency he couldn't do a lot on the far liberal side. I liked him...sometimes he sounded like the only voice of reason the last few years.

[Voltaire99]

45. No, "bipartisanship" is the name of the game!!!

Stop right there, you spoilsport! You're wrong!

We've got to keep doing what we do best: letting the GOP set the agenda, offering watered-down versions of their ideas, appearing on their media to make quiet little murmurs of polite disagreement, and losing more and more power every year! That's called being united!

Why, there's almost $50 million left over in unspent campaign funds from this election--look, it's working!

[Massachusetts]

19. Bye Tom don't let the door hit you on the way out!

There are a lot of disenfranchised Dems and citizens out here, just "danglin". Tom may have been a "good guy", but he was never able to have the voice of the disenfranchised heard over the rumble of the Bushco coup. These people are obligated to educate their constituents as well as FIGHT HARD for them!

[GOPNotForMe]

22. I'll miss you, Tom

Despite what a lot of the people here are saying, I found Tom to be a very effective minority (and majority) leader. He just wasn't flashy and showy like the Republicans - big deal. He also had to coordinate a party that is, by definition, a lot LESS naturally coordinated than the opposition. The Republicans all line up together on virtually every issue. Leading Democrats has often been likened to herding cats. It's just a much more diverse group.

[pmbryant]

26. Daschle: "Never compromise your principles"

From the article:

He urged senators "to find the politics of common ground, but to never compromise their principles," the aide said.

He concluded with a favorite quote from Teddy Roosevelt: "You should always work hard at work worth doing."

[barb162]

48. too bad there is no common ground with the radical right

[hyphenate]

29. Daschle was/is a weakling

And the folks in S. Dakota saw it. It's bad enough to be replaced by a puke, but when he was wussing out in almost every confrontational situation, he was hardly useful in the first place. It will be 6 years now, til S. Dakota gets another chance to bring someone to the fore who isn't a damned weakling, and can stand on his own two feet, and vote his conscience instead of the fucked up party line (referring to Thune).

There have been so many times over the past four years where I have wanted to meet Daschle just for the sole purpose of slapping him upside his head. I can not think of even one time when he's been able to speak out when it was necessary, like the situation with Trent Lott making comments at Strom's b-day party. That's one of the reasons I stuck with Kerry--he didn't keep his mouth shut, and when he made promises, albeit not that many of them, he kept his word.

Why is it that Dems have to be "conciliatory" and pukes can be the same fuckers they always are? Not ANY MORE.

[Massachusetts]

32. Sense

Tom and many other Dems didn't or still don't have the sense of urgency required to fight for OUR Constitution when it is under attack by the Rethugs and compromising DEMS.

[Voltaire99]

52. Please, that kind of talk won't help us win evangelicals in 2008!

If we hope to share a teensy bit more power with the other half of the mono-party, rebellious talk like yours will have to yield to straight-shootin' healed-up unitedness, partner!

I'm talkin' God-fearin', Bible-quotin', terrorist scum barbecuin', tax-cuttin', values-professin', political capital-spendin' LEADERMICATIONSHIP.

In other words: We're going to have to take back the party, first. Because if you think Daschle was a wimp, wait until you see what the DNC trots out to replace him.

[cosmicone]

33. It is self-inflicted

If he had led an opposition to the Iraq war and filibustered it, the chimp would have been merely a footnot in American history.

The democrats signed off on an illegal war without making a big deal and paid for it.

[barb162]

54. "democrats signed off on an illegal war " the true tragedy but one

of many. The Dems should have just obstructed and been proud of it. They should have been yelling it form the rooftops.

[leftchick]

36. don't let the door hit you on the way out tommie.....

WORST DEMOCRATIC SENATE "LEADER" EVER! :puke:

[Deja Q]

60. Uh, Dash-hole, most of the PEOPLE have common ground. It's you lot of

politicians, on either side of the diamond-encrusted fence, that are out of touch with reality and have no common ground on anything except your own interests, either after getting elected and after leaving office.

[lateo]

61. Don't let the door hit you on the ass!

Fuck Daschle, that spineless, no good, bush butt licker.

[barb162]

72. and now we get Reid, an anti abortion Mormon (a pug)

[yorgatron]

73. i have zero sympathy for him

sometimes i think all his work went to protect the interests of the people his wife lobbied for:mad:

[truebrit71]

74. See Ya Later You Spineless Joke...

He was utterly ineffective....

[ekhunter]

75. the incumbent, John Thune, who beat him will probably get

more accomplished for south dakota and our country.

[DCal]

76. If you support Thune's right wing agenda

then maybe anything he does will be an accomplishment to you. I, for one, don't.