Daschle's Time

Here's a link to the Rapid City Journal story about Daschle becoming a lobbyist if he loses. Another interesting aspect of the article is Daschle's decision to run for re-election. Last year, Daschle said he was going to retire, run for President, or run for re-election. During the summer of 2003 rumors were common about Daschle retiring and/or, as both the Journal and the Argus have noted, working out some kind of arrangement with Congressman Janklow. The Journal notes that Daschle "wavered in his commitment to seek a fourth term until this time last year - seven months after he announced his candidacy - because he was weighing other options." My point is that one wonders if Daschle's heart is really in this. As Quentin noted today, Daschle still has 24 counties in South Dakota to visit this month for his August state-wide tour, the same number he had a week ago (all that time in the Hamptons cuts into campaigning). He spends a lot time out of state to raise the money to fund his $15 million campaign. He really has no message besides bacon, which really isn't a message but simply work that all Senators do, and perhaps some minor tinkering with the welfare state. His major new thinking on agriculture, after nearly 30 years in Congress, was to announce last week a slapped-together proposal to shuffle some bureaucrats in the USDA, a "plan" which provided no details and won't be introduced as legislation until next year. I'm a blogger who was looking to analyze not just politics but actual policy proposals, but Daschle, the leader of Senate, is essentially idea-less. I can't remember one interesting or new or incisive policy proposal so far during this campaign. He also refuses to accept the once-a-week Lincoln-Douglas debate plan proposed by the Rapid City Journal, in part, I suppose, because he got thumped in the only live audience debate he has agreed to participate in--when a pol won't debate, that's a sign of trouble. As for voters, many are aware that this is surely Daschle's last run and therefore his attention to the state over the next six years will be minimal at best. He's mired in the polls, consistently under 50%, despite running millions of touchy-feely ads, and Thune has barely put a glove on him. Even if Daschle survives, there has been much talk of him being dumped as leader. "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven," so says Ecclesiastes (and Pete Seeger and The Byrds). It just feels, every day more and more, that Daschle's time is passing.