New York Times goes to Herseth Sandlin for voice of Congress' young generation
There's a great piece in The New York Times about the changing of the guard in Congress. It centers on the departure of Ted Stevens and Robert Byrd's relinquishment of his Appropriations Committee chairmanship.
The story goes on to discuss younger lawmakers who "are being inspired to assert themselves, spurred in some respects by the success of President-elect Barack Obama, a first-term senator who this year battered the seniority system on his way to the White House, leapfrogging more experienced senators of both parties along the way."
And who did the Times seek out as a voice for that younger generation of lawmakers? None other than South Dakota's Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.
“You have got a lot of ambitious — in a good way — and talented younger and newer members of the Congress who are trying to find ways to create their niche,” said Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, a 37-year-old Democrat from South Dakota who next year will take a leadership role with the centrist Blue Dog coalition. “I think there is certainly a respect for our colleagues who are longer-serving members of Congress, but also an impatience based on what we deem to be the issues of our time and our desire to influence those issues.”
Posted by: sethtupper on 11/21/2008 at 9:25 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Further proof that South Dakotans rule the world
In what amounts to further proof of just how hugely important the 2004 South Dakota Senate race was, Republican John Thune and Democrat Tom Daschle have both ascended to higher levels of national prominence this week.
Thune, according to the Associated Press, "was elected to the No. 5 spot in Senate Republican leadership Tuesday, a post he says he will use to push for South Dakota priorities, including increased development of renewable fuels."
And Daschle, also according to the AP, "has accepted President-elect Barack Obama’s offer to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, Democratic officials said Wednesday."
My immediate reaction to the Thune news is to wonder if he has made a mistake by rising to higher levels of national leadership. That's the recipe that cooked the goose of Daschle, Pressler, McGovern, et al.
As for Daschle, I suppose we'll all be flooded with breathless media reports (mostly on TV) about what great things his appointment might do for South Dakota. I have to wonder if it will mean much of anything to South Dakota, given that Daschle has been a permanent resident of D.C. since he lost the race to Thune in 2004.
All that being said, I think it's cool that two South Dakotans are held in such high esteem by their respective parties.
Posted by: sethtupper on 11/19/2008 at 3:05 PM | Comments (7) | Permalink
Mel Olson wants the open Mitchell City Council seat
Local teacher and former state legislator Mel Olson was present in the audience at Monday evening's Mitchell City Council meeting. I figured he was there because of the Ward 1 council seat vacated last week by Allen Lepke, so I approached him after the meeting and asked why he had attended.
He said he wants the council seat and has made his wish known to Mayor Lou Sebert. Olson said that, according to Sebert, several other people also have expressed interest. Sebert will select someone soon to recommend for appointment to the post, and the Council will vote on the recommendation.
Olson certainly has a weighty resume. He served a total of 12 years in the state Legislature: 1993-2000 in the state Senate, and 2001-2004 in the House, where he was the minority leader for the Democrats.
During Olson's time in the House, he served alongside Sebert, who was in the House from 1999 until he was elected mayor in 2006. Whether or not that past connection will help or hurt Olson in his attempt to get appointed to the City Council remains to be seen. Olson is a Democrat, and Sebert is a Republican, so they were on opposing sides of some battles at the Capitol in Pierre.
Posted by: sethtupper on 11/17/2008 at 10:28 PM | Comments (21) | Permalink
Mitchell's Hildebrand coming back to South Dakota
Mitchell native Steve Hildebrand, who was Barack Obama's deputy campaign manager, will apparently not go to Washington with Obama. From a Politico blogger:
Not moving to Washington
Steve Hildebrand, the deputy Obama campaign manager who ran its massive field program, and also one of the campaign's blunter voices, isn't joining the move to Washington, and doesn't find a top Democratic Party job terribly attractive.
"I'm going home to South Dakota to be with my partner and my dog," Hildebrand tells The Advocate, laughing off rumors that he's in line to head the DNC. "I would rather put a bullet through my head. I mean, that's nothing that will happen."
Posted by: sethtupper on 11/17/2008 at 3:24 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink
Is there life out there?
There was a very fascinating story on Page 12 of today's Daily Republic. Here's an excerpt:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Earth seems to have its first fuzzy photos of alien planets outside our solar system, images captured by two teams of astronomers.
The pictures show four likely planets that appear as specks of white, nearly indecipherable except to the most eagle-eyed experts. All are trillions of miles away — three of them orbiting the same star, and the fourth circling a different star.
None of the four giant gaseous planets are remotely habitable or remotely like Earth. But they raise the possibility of others more hospitable.
You can read the online version here.
This topic may be a bit too deep for a Friday, but do you think we'll ever find other life out there?
Posted by: sethtupper on 11/14/2008 at 9:10 AM | Comments (7) | Permalink
