In Break With Tradition, Frist Takes High-Stakes Fight to Daschle's Turf

[kskiska]

One of the few bright spots in the otherwise bleak relations between the two parties in the Senate has been the civility -- even cordiality -- maintained by Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) in dealing with each other.

But politics is politics, especially in the superheated atmosphere of the narrowly divided Senate as it heads into elections that will determine control of the chamber for the next two years. So Frist, in a break with longstanding tradition, is going to South Dakota next month to campaign for the Republican who is trying to unseat Daschle.

The Senate historian's office cannot recall another time, at least in the last half century, when one Senate leader went to the home state of another to campaign against him. One reason is that it has been a long time since a Senate leader of either party was engaged in anywhere near as close a contest as Daschle faces in heavily Republican South Dakota. Another is that the across-the-aisle comity that used to characterize the Senate is breaking down, especially given the high stakes involved in this November's elections.

On the Senate floor, Republicans bring up bills on such issues as curbs on civil liability lawsuits that they know will be defeated -- along with vote after vote on judicial nominations that are being held up by filibusters -- so they can point to Democrats as obstructionists. And Democrats trot out amendment after amendment aimed at forcing Republicans to flinch, capitulate or take unpopular stands on such issues as overtime pay and outsourcing of jobs.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22556-2004Apr18.html

[aquart]

1. I guess sucking up didn't work.

[w4rma]

2. Frist's actions are disrespectful to the people of South Dakota, imho.

Frist is scum.

[Lindsay]

3. That is an insult

to scum.

[SharonAnn]

4. The shame is that Frist is simply a puppet for the right-wing

I doubt that he has any thoughts ofhis own. All he's in the Senate for is to dismantle government patient protections and government watchdogs so that his family HMO can copntinue to rape the American taxpayer.

In 2000-2002 his family business, HCA in Nashville, settled suits from the US government for over $1 BILLION for dafrauding Medicare and Medicaid.

Think about it! More than $1 BILLION in fines.