Larry Diedrich is Stephanie Herseth's opponent in the June 1st special election. By virtue of the (R) next to his name, Diedrich has crawled to within a few points of Herseth in the waning weeks of the election.
I have spent some time looking at Diedrich's record, and some of it is frankly quite surprising.
Diedrick is one of those Republicans who opposes taxes, except when he raised them or blocked tax cuts on telecommunications retail services (HB 1243, 2/24/97), cell phones (HB 1104, 3/4/03), cigarretes (HB 1147, 3/8/03), cider (SB 157, 2/17/98), alcohol (SB 62, 2/10/03), food (SB 67, 1/25/02), and books (SB 60, 1/18/02). His family also reaps a windfall from federal farming subsidies -- to the tune of $206,500 in 2003 alone.
So he's a typical Republican -- railing against taxes while raising some and feeding from the public trough. While I am not anti-tax -- government must fund its services somehow -- I am anti-hypocrisy on the tax issue.
But far more serious is his record on child abuse.
- SB 167, Feb. 6, 2001. Diedrich voted against a bill that would strengthen child abuse legislation my making "causing, encouraging or contributing to child abuse or neglect" that resulted in "serious bodily injury" a Class 4 felony.
- SB 93, March 4, 1997. Diedrich voted against recognizing out-of-state orders of protection. The bill granted full faith and credit to out-of-state and tribal protection orders.
- SB 105 and 106, February 23, 1998. Diedrich voted against allowing evidence of prior acts of child molestation and sexual assault into criminal trials for the same crime. Senate Bill 105 provided that if a defendant is accused of child molestation, evidence of the defendant's commission of any other act of child molestation is admissible in criminal court. Senate Bill 106 would have enacted the same provisions in sexual assault cases.
Ugh. I'd love to see Diedrich defend these votes...
In a bit of good, happy news from South Dakota, Herseth has received the endorsement of the Argus-Leader.
But the real issue in this race is simple. As one member of the 435-person Congress, who can better lobby for the needs of South Dakotans? Who can make a voice heard? Who can build coalitions? Who can persuade? Who is a better spokesperson for South Dakota?
The answer is Herseth.
A year and a half ago, the Argus Leader endorsed former Gov. Bill Janklow over Herseth. While she was articulate and passionate, she also was naive and lacked a clear understanding of all the issues. We felt then, and we feel now, that we need someone in Congress who can stand up for South Dakota.
Eighteen months later, the answer is Herseth.
She still is articulate and passionate. But in the 18 months since that last election, she's also become knowledgeable about the issues, inside and out. She doesn't stumble or get thrown off. There is depth to her knowledge and her ideas. There is thought. There is logic. There is a pragmatism that seeks to answer, "What is best for South Dakotans?"
That was indeed beautiful.
There's one more thing for South Dakotans to consider -- in a body of 435 congresspersons, it is difficult to stand out and make an impact. Diedrich will fade into obscurity, consumed by the DeLay borg.
But Herseth! She's a star, and there's no way you can keep her from shining. South Dakota will literally have a budding superstar in Congress. She won't be overlooked by members of either party in the 109th Congress.