Tom Daschle Cabinet Nomination May Upset SD Prairie Dogs

Today is a proud day for my home state of South Dakota. One of our very own (not only from South Dakota, but also from my home town of Aberdeen), former Senator Tom Daschle, has accepted the nomination as President-Elect Barack Obama's Secretary for Health and Human Services. If confirmed Daschle will lead the charge toward an historic rewrite of this nation's health care policies.

This news is likely a shock for many of my fellow South Dakotans, who not only supported a McCain ticket on November 4, but who are also responsible for ousting Daschle from the Senate at the height of his leadership in Congress because of (but not limited to) a prairie dog war during his 2004 re-election bid.

Senator Daschle had gained prominence in the state with his bid for U.S. House in 1978 by traveling from county to county in an old beat-up green Pontiac that he drove until it literally fell apart. He won his election bid that year with a margin of just over 100 votes after a state recount.In 2004 an RNC backed candidate, John Thune (who had previously lost a bid to the House) was chosen to unseat the Senator.

The controversies were many that year, including a South Dakota visit from Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who campaigned for Thune. His visit broke what had been an unwritten rule - that majority leaders not stump directly for the defeat of another senate member.This effort alone, however, wouldn't have likely left the incumbent high and dry.

What really riled the electorate was the prairie dog controversies. Much to the ire of environmentalists, Daschle came out in favor of mass poisoning of the rodents, but only after Thune made it a campaign issue. The prairie dog had been a stickler issue in Western South Dakota for some years. The animal had been added to the endangered species list and their population had exploded, hindering farm lands and grazing pastures.

But the prairie dogs themselves were not as much the problem as what the issue represented. For many Daschle had become too much of a political "insider" and had lost touch with the realities at home. His failure to respond to the prairie dog problem led voters to believe that he had more interest in his own future career moves than in what was going on at home. Thune was able to easily encourage these sentiments.

In addition, Thune's campaign was accused of using racial tactics to get the point across even more strongly. One of Thune's campaign flyer's showed a picture of prairie dogs with the words "The dogs are lining up to vote for Tom Daschle".

While the words themselves seem harmless, many felt the blatant reference to "dogs" instead of "prairie dogs" was meant to stir up racial feels regarding the Native American population in the state. "Dogs" had become known as a racial epithet, and many felt that it was used specifically to appeal to racial prejudices.

These issues, along with $2 million dollars in Republican campaign backing, a 58% conservative Republican electorate and a popular Republican president, ended Daschle's re-election hopes.

I can't say though, that this was necessarily a bad day for Daschle. In an environment that had become increasingly Republican-centric, Daschle's loss probably opened more opportunities than it closed. In addition, Daschle could now devote himself full-time in Washington in leadership roles that better suited him than cow-towing to an electorate that never really appreciated what his qualifications could bring to the table for the state.

Since his electoral defeat Daschle has become a prominent representative for Democrats in Washington. He teaches law and policy and in February, released his book entitled "Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis". His backing of Barack Obama in 2008 was no accident either. Daschle had considered a Presidential bid himself, but instead he decided to utilize his role in Washington to back Obama.

There is no question in my mind that Daschle will fill the role of HHS Secretary with professional and dynamic zeal, in an effort to bring about real change in our health care industry.

In some ways, we have South Dakotan's and prairie dogs to thank for this cabinet appointment - if they hadn't tossed him aside on a whim and a prairie dog itch, perhaps he wouldn't be as prepared as he is today for this significant national post!