Chicken what?

| Saturday, August 14, 2004

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Daschle seeks apology from Thune on statements to staffer

By Denise Ross, Journal Staff Writer

Feathers were flying Friday after the man running Republican John Thune's Senate campaign used a barnyard epithet to refer to Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D.

South Dakota's two Senate campaigns traded barbs Friday over Thune's campaign manager's use of a swearword to refer to Tom Daschle and over Daschle's absence at events hosted by South Dakota organizations.

A fuss over debates, ongoing for weeks, got ratcheted up when Thune campaign manager Dick Wadhams approached a Daschle staffer who was videotaping Thune's remarks and said: "Your boss is a chickens**t. You know that, right?"

The exchange, detailed in a news release from the Daschle campaign, took place at a forum in Sioux Falls hosted by Associated School Boards of South Dakota and the School Administrators of South Dakota.

The Daschle campaign took offense and issued a news release calling for an apology from Thune, Daschle's challenger in the Nov. 2 election.

"Later, Wadhams approached Jeremy again and said, ‘So, let me get this straight. Your boss is too chickens**t to show up, so they sent you here? How do you feel about that?'" reads the release.

The videotaping Daschle staffer is 25-year-old Jeremy Funk.

"Berating young staffers and referring to public officials with obscenities is not how we do things in South Dakota. John Thune owes Sen. Daschle and his staffer an immediate apology," Daschle campaign manager Steve Hildebrand said in the release. "I know Mr. Wadhams is not from South Dakota, but you don't have to be here long to see that this sort of behavior goes beyond the pale of what is acceptable in South Dakota politics."

Thune will not apologize, Wadhams said. Instead, Daschle should apologize for ducking debates, he said.

Weeks ago, Thune challenged Daschle to a series of debates throughout August in each of South Dakota's 66 counties. Daschle declined but has accepted five debates between now and the election.

It is Thune's policy to accept any invitation from any legitimate media or community organization, Wadhams has said.

"Tom Daschle should apologize to the people of South Dakota for refusing to debate and for rejecting legitimate South Dakota organizations who want debates," Wadhams said.

"It is pathetic when Tom Daschle will not debate John Thune and then sends this staff person to slink around in the shadows and tape John Thune when Thune is the one who shows up for these events."

Daschle's deputy campaign manager, Dan Pfeiffer, said Wadhams should not have taken his frustrations out on Funk.

"He knows that staffer was in no way involved in the decision as to whether Tom Daschle would be at that forum or not," Pfeiffer said. "It's conduct Tom Daschle certainly would not accept in his employees."

Friday morning's incident came five days before Thune and Daschle will square off for the first time in a debate Wednesday, Aug. 18, at Dakotafest in Mitchell.