Puhleeeze!
That race gave Thune a firsthand appreciation for the dangers of being perceived as straying too far from one’s heartland roots, so, as he faces reelection, he’s spending more time in his native Murdo, S.D., than in Manchester or Des Moines.
Murdo? More like the ‘C’ Street house and Sioux Falls.
Thune is generating buzz, but the early chatter also poses an important question: With few significant accomplishments, is the talk reflective of somebody seen as real presidential timber or a leading indicator of a party establishment casting about for a candidate in what could be a thin field?
What? He has said NO to everything Obama has proposed. Isn’t that significant?
“No one seems particularly excited about the current prospective field,†said GOP strategist Mark McKinnon. “And everyone loves Thune.â€
Who is everyone? How about interviewing some South Dakotans. He is a freaking tool.
Thune supporters point to his leadership on promoting energy alternatives and trying to overturn the Troubled Asset Relief Program and say he’ll step up his critique of what he believes is excessive spending by Democrats — a line of attack that could help further elevate his profile.
Even though he voted for TARP under Bush.
“At a time when we’re burning taxpayer money like coal in a 19th-century steam engine, Thune’s message of focused fiscal restraint, coupled with aggressive small-business incentives to drive growth, will resonate extremely well with the GOP base and independents as well as Democrats,†said Jeff Kimbell, a Republican lobbyist and Thune enthusiast.
And if DM & E would have gotten their 2 Billion dollar loan from the government we could be shipping that black gold across South Dakota right now.
“To a certain extent, he’s our version of Obama — the tall, lanky, good-looking, well-spoken senator†is how a former top party official put it.
Well spoken? You mean when he runs from bloggers when asked about his pro-rape vote? Or when he changes the subject about healthcare when a veteran asks him about his healthcare coverage?
“I think John has got unlimited potential,†said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a leading advocate for making the GOP more inclusive. “He presents well, he’s well-liked, he’s smart — I could see where he could be a national figure.â€
Yeah, because if you can take anyone’s word, it’s Lindsey’s. Mr. Talk out of both sides of his ass.
“He’s a great new leader for our party,†said DeMint, calling the South Dakotan a “common-sense conservative.â€
Conservative? Thune isn’t a conservative, he is a wingnut who will say anything to cover his ass, time and time again.
Though he doesn’t promote it, and it wasn’t listed on his 2004 campaign website, Thune is a graduate of a California Bible college. And on cultural issues such as gay marriage and abortion, he’s pure to the party base.
But protecting rape victims? Forget about it. That isn’t ‘biblical’ enough to be concerned about. If you get gang raped and pregnant, you better have that baby.
Those who witnessed him in both Senate races said the differences were striking and lauded his growth as a candidate.
They sure were. Thune and his goons, like Lauck, painted Daschle as a lobbyist lover because he was married to one, the thing they forgot to mention was Thune was a lobbyist before he ran against Daschle. I guess it is worse to be married to a lobbyist then to actually be one.
“The question for him would be his ability to handle the crucible of a national campaign,†said a Democrat who worked against him in the state, noting the contrast between the South Dakota and the national media.
Damn right there is a difference. The SD MSM acts like Thune walks on water. And there is yet to be a story about his rape vote in the SD Media.
It’s what Thune did before he took on Daschle, though, that could be used against him. After his 2002 defeat, Thune became a Washington lobbyist. While at Arent Fox, he represented a home-state railroad client that had an ambitious plan to rehabilitate and expand more than 1,000 miles of track. Then, after being elected to the Senate, he pushed for federal funding for the same rail project on which he had just worked for as a lobbyist.
“I don’t apologize, and never will, for working for South Dakota companies that are creating South Dakota jobs,†he said at the time.
Jobs. Yeah, whatever. How many jobs would have that 2 billion dollar loan created in SD? I think the estimate was like maybe a 1,000. Wow! What a bargain for taxpayers.
Thune backers suggest that portraying the senator as a slick former lobbyist won’t be easy, given his small-town profile and the brief period of time he spent on K Street.
And don’t forget about his cute picture in a black-eyed susan field with his family.
Thune, his aides noted, returns to the state nearly every weekend.
“He lives in a regular house in a regular neighborhood in Sioux Falls, S.D.,â€
I live in a ‘regular’ neighborhood. Mr. Thune does not.
A former aide recalled that when the then-candidate greeted scores of fans by name at a 2002Â South Dakota State football game, a national TV crew got angry, thinking the campaign had planted a group of supporters to come through the gate while Thune was working the crowd.
“I told them, ‘John is just amazing at remembering people’s names,’†said the former aide. “He proved it when he later remembered the entire four-person TV crew’s names two hours after he met them while walking in.â€
BAHAHAHAHHAHHA! I have a Thune ‘Popularity’ story for you. Right after Thune lost to Johnson I was working at the Washington Pavilion as a lead usher. Thune was attending a concert and as he was leaving, several people walked up to John and shook his hand and thanked him for running. Well Thune got into ‘politician’ mode and just started shaking every hand that came up to him thinking everyone there wanted to. He reached out to one man, and the guy scowled, put his hands in his pockets and walked away. The look on Thune’s face was priceless. Sorry, Politico, Ironic Johnny isn’t as popular as you think he is in SD.
I’m pretty sure Thune’s future in South Dakota is very, very solid. I realize not everyone likes him (no politician is that popular), but if Thune does run for President you can bet he would win South Dakota by a huge margin… I’d peg him for at least 70% of the vote.
Truth be told, unless Obama can make some major changes and turn things around both domestically and over in Afghanistan and Iraq… I’m not so sure Thune couldn’t beat him at this point.
Thune in Murdo? Better check the beaches in FL on vacation!
Politico:
“With few significant accomplishments,”
Versus, the current POTUS who had NO significant accomplishments prior to running. That’s working out great, isn’t it?
L3wis:
“What? He has said NO to everything Obama has proposed. Isn’t that significant?”
Exactly. Why do you think Thune is so popular, whilst Obama has dropped below 50% faster than anyone since the Unabomber? It was pointed out during the campaign, and ignored by the likes of you, that Obama had the most Liberal voting record in the Senate per the National Journal. His agenda is extreme Left wing and he’s not been bashful about using crisis mode, fear-mongering & good old Chicago-style graft to cram it down the country’s throat. Wonder why there’s pushback?
“Even though he voted for TARP under Bush.”
Which was a success as I’ve pointed out before. Obama & Biden also supported it. It got us past the meltdown crisis, which was the original intent. What Thune is doing is trying to prevent it from turning into another Slush fund to buy votes and peddle influence, like every other pile of printed money that BHO & crew get their hands on.
“Well spoken?”
IE..he doesn’t have his TelePrompter tucked into bed with him like certain other Pols.
“Thune isn’t a conservative, he is a wingnut who will say anything to cover his ass, time and time again.”
All Pols do the CYA. At least Thune isn’t trying to deny his true colors. He’s an admitted conservative and has the record to show it. He isn’t trying to paint himself as something he isn’t, like an extreme Liberal who claims to be moderate, transparent & willing to reach across party lines to solve issues. Many voters bought that line of crap, and now realize they were snookered:
“Obama’s approval rating is down to 47%, the poll showed, a 14-point drop since the April survey. 45% disapprove, up 17 points from April.”
and:
“Just 34% say the country is moving in the right direction, down 13 points since April, and 55% say it is off on the wrong track, up 13 points over the same period.
But as GOPers focus on taxes and spending, that message seems to be causing Obama the most harm. Among those who believe Obama’s policies have moved the country in the wrong direction, 45% cite spending and government regulation as a top cause for their opposition.”
http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2010/01/majority_would.php
“painted Daschle as a lobbyist lover because he was married to one, the thing they forgot to mention was Thune was a lobbyist before he ran against Daschle.”
Bullshit…Daschle had the exact same problem Obama does: He was trying to claim he was something else, when all the evidence says otherwise. Daschle got to Washington as a conservative Democrat, even claimed to be Pro-life. Not only did he dump his first wife to marry a better looking lobbyist, but he also has lobbyists throughout his family. The more Liberal he became, the higher he rose in his party, to the point where he fully embraced the DC power couple lifestyle and all the trimmings. Kinda amazing (and at the same time kinda pathetic) how you give Daschle a pass, considering how hung up you are on who make what, who drives what (or is driven by whom), and who lives where in what type of house. Daschle makes Thune look like a piker. (a piker who at least pays his tax bill)
“How many jobs would have that 2 billion dollar loan created in SD? I think the estimate was like maybe a 1,000. Wow! What a bargain for taxpayers.”
Phuc-n-a right that’s a bargain. Like TARP we are talking a loan, paid back with interest = good thing. Especially when compared to the non-stimuluating Stimulus that has yet another revision on how many jobs have been “created or saved”. We are at 10% unemployment and still climbing. And that’s still on top of massive new Government hiring with all the damn Czars we now have.
Here’s the rub, that project will still get built, expect now all the profits realized will be flowing to Canada instead of a local company. Thank Tom (and his other Mayo buddy Janklow) for that.
“And don’t forget about his cute picture in a black-eyed susan field with his family.’
Jealousy is an unbecoming quality.
“I live in a ‘regular’ neighborhood. Mr. Thune does not.”
It’s still in SF, which is where his family is. See also the comment above.
” Right after Thune lost…”
So one guy out of dozens was a rude prick to him and that’s your gage of his popularity? No wonder you dig the fuzzy math crowd.
It ain’t a story until Interloper says it is.
It wasn’t dozens, it was like the 4th person he approached. I just find the Politico story pretty funny, because they know nothing about him.
Sy: bu bu bu Obama…
Yea – we’ve heard that before. At least you saved me the trouble of reading your entire dissertation and used your defense in your very first sentence.
As for the rest of it… TLDR.
Costner:
“Yea – we’ve heard that before. At least you saved me the trouble”
Kinda like how for the better part of the last decade it was all bu, bu, bu Bush. If you listen closely, you still hear it.
I don’t blame you though, If I were an Obama supporter/apologist like you, I’d do anything I could to change the subject too.
Costner:
As for the rest of it… TLDR.
Whatever….my reply wasn’t any longer than the OP. Still lying, eh?
Who gives a fuck about Obama, he sucks, we know. This conversation is about what kind of president Thune would make. A very unqualified one IMO.
Seriously, L3wis?
If we’re talking Presidential Politics, than how can you NOT juxtapose that with the current occupant of the White House?
That’s been the context of the discussion for the last decade, why all of a sudden is it irrelevant?
Slippery fuckin’ slope you Libs have been enjoying up to this point, eh?
Sy: Kinda like how for the better part of the last decade it was all bu, bu, bu Bush. If you listen closely, you still hear it.
I agree you still hear it, and I still hear from people like you what a lame excuse it is. I guess this must only work in one direction… thanks for clearing that up.
Sy: I don’t blame you though, If I were an Obama supporter/apologist like you, I’d do anything I could to change the subject too.
And if I had to continually refer to anyone who calls out my bullshit an ‘Obama apologist’ like you have to, I’d probably resort to lame “bu bu bu Obama…” comments as my only retort as well.
What trick will you pull out of your bag next – calling me a liberal? Haven’t seen that one from you in a few days so I’m sure you’re overdue.
Sy:Whatever….my reply wasn’t any longer than the OP. Still lying, eh?
It wasn’t so much about length, but when you start off with a lame “bu bu bu Obama…” comment I know where it is going. You are like a dollar store romance novel – once you read the first line on the back cover you pretty much know how it ends.
So no… not lying.