S.D.: Small state, big political influence
By Bret Hayworth,bhayworth@siouxcityjournal.com | Posted: Sunday, November 30, 2008
Tom Daschle is a likely cabinet member in the Barack Obama administration.
Tom Daschle is a likely cabinet member in the Barack Obama administration.
Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin has been picked to head a coalition of moderate Democrats in the U.S. House.
U.S. Sen. John Thune is the No. 5 Republican in the Senate.
All three South Dakotans have been tapped for those positions since the Nov. 4 election. And South Dakota Conservative Action Council executive director Lee Breard said that combination of events signifies a palpable power status for South Dakotans in national politics.
"Although South Dakota is a small state with three Electoral College votes, our level of representation and influence in D.C. is much greater than that," Breard said.
University of South Dakota political science professor Bill Anderson said a look at 20th century history shows a disproportionate number of national political leaders came from the Upper Midwest.
"We've seen these sorts of flashes before, but I think that having the three folks in the roles they have is kind of a remarkable thing," he said.
Anderson said the last time South Dakota Had such power and influence was in the late 1960s when Republican Karl Mundt and Democrat George McGovern overlapped service in the U.S. Senate, right before McGovern was the party's 1972 presidential candidate.
Daschle, the former U.S. Senate majority leader near the end of multiple terms in the Senate, was an early backer of Obama and will be nominated to be U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary. State Sen. Ben Nesselhuf, D-Vermillion, and Anderson agreed that Daschle, if confirmed, is poised to exert the most power of the three native South Dakotans nationally.
"As far as implementing Obama's health care plan, (Daschle's) the guy," Nesselhuf said.
Given the priority Obama has given to sweeping changes in his health care plan, Anderson said, Daschle could possess "tremendous public policy influence that maybe neither Mundt or McGovern had in the same way."
Anderson also threw another South Dakota name into the power mix, noting that just re-elected U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson, a Democrat, will have heft on the Senate Banking Committee. Anderson said even though Republicans like Thune are in a distinct minority in the Senate, he still is poised to exert influence.
"South Dakota's senatorial delegation is going to be pretty important in general. I think Thune will be, in particular, because he's shown a willingness, especially on fiscal matters, to be more moderate," the professor said. "...He's going to be an interesting sort of pivot point in the Senate. He could have potentially quite a bit of power, by virtue of the fact that he is probably a little bit more moderate than some of his colleagues on issues that might cause some of his Republican colleagues heartburn."
Breard said Thune will gain in stature as Republicans look for new national leaders.
Anderson said Blue Dog Democrat Leader Herseth Sandlin may not have more power in 111th Congress. He said as the number of Democrats has skyrocketed since she entered the House in summer 2004, and the Blue Dogs are being dwarfed by other Democrats in the chamber who can move legislation without concern for bipartisan accords with Republicans.
"They may have been more important four years ago when there was a tighter balance of power in the House," Anderson said.
However, Breard and Nesselhuf contended Herseth Sandlin's Blue Dog leadership is noteworthy since that group is going to be influential.
"The Blue Dog Democrats are really gaining in their importance, especially as we deal with fiscal matters, where they are the conservatives," Nesselhuf said.
That's another way to look at what the threesome can achieve. They also could bring some bacon back to the state.
Anderson said Thune and Herseth Sandlin have shown an ability to deliver earmarks of federal funding and that looks to only increase in the next congress. He said as health care changes are mulled in the Obama administration, it can't hurt that Daschle knew his way around the state and well recognizes areas of need for South Dakotans.
Both Breard and Nesselhuf said a higher peak for influence by South Dakotans occurred when Daschle was Senate Majority Leader.
"That trumps these three all together, as far as South Dakota interests," Nesselhuf said.
Said Breard, "When Daschle was the majority leader, South Dakota was at its peak of influence. Even when the Democrats fell into the minority, Daschle still wielded an incredible amount of power over policy. I don't think we're there with our current (contingent), but we are moving in that direction."
Tom Daschle is a likely cabinet member in the Barack Obama administration.
Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin has been picked to head a coalition of moderate Democrats in the U.S. House.
U.S. Sen. John Thune is the No. 5 Republican in the Senate.
All three South Dakotans have been tapped for those positions since the Nov. 4 election. And South Dakota Conservative Action Council executive director Lee Breard said that combination of events signifies a palpable power status for South Dakotans in national politics.
"Although South Dakota is a small state with three Electoral College votes, our level of representation and influence in D.C. is much greater than that," Breard said.
University of South Dakota political science professor Bill Anderson said a look at 20th century history shows a disproportionate number of national political leaders came from the Upper Midwest.
"We've seen these sorts of flashes before, but I think that having the three folks in the roles they have is kind of a remarkable thing," he said.
Anderson said the last time South Dakota Had such power and influence was in the late 1960s when Republican Karl Mundt and Democrat George McGovern overlapped service in the U.S. Senate, right before McGovern was the party's 1972 presidential candidate.
Daschle, the former U.S. Senate majority leader near the end of multiple terms in the Senate, was an early backer of Obama and will be nominated to be U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary. State Sen. Ben Nesselhuf, D-Vermillion, and Anderson agreed that Daschle, if confirmed, is poised to exert the most power of the three native South Dakotans nationally.
"As far as implementing Obama's health care plan, (Daschle's) the guy," Nesselhuf said.
Given the priority Obama has given to sweeping changes in his health care plan, Anderson said, Daschle could possess "tremendous public policy influence that maybe neither Mundt or McGovern had in the same way."
Anderson also threw another South Dakota name into the power mix, noting that just re-elected U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson, a Democrat, will have heft on the Senate Banking Committee. Anderson said even though Republicans like Thune are in a distinct minority in the Senate, he still is poised to exert influence.
"South Dakota's senatorial delegation is going to be pretty important in general. I think Thune will be, in particular, because he's shown a willingness, especially on fiscal matters, to be more moderate," the professor said. "...He's going to be an interesting sort of pivot point in the Senate. He could have potentially quite a bit of power, by virtue of the fact that he is probably a little bit more moderate than some of his colleagues on issues that might cause some of his Republican colleagues heartburn."
Breard said Thune will gain in stature as Republicans look for new national leaders.
Anderson said Blue Dog Democrat Leader Herseth Sandlin may not have more power in 111th Congress. He said as the number of Democrats has skyrocketed since she entered the House in summer 2004, and the Blue Dogs are being dwarfed by other Democrats in the chamber who can move legislation without concern for bipartisan accords with Republicans.
"They may have been more important four years ago when there was a tighter balance of power in the House," Anderson said.
However, Breard and Nesselhuf contended Herseth Sandlin's Blue Dog leadership is noteworthy since that group is going to be influential.
"The Blue Dog Democrats are really gaining in their importance, especially as we deal with fiscal matters, where they are the conservatives," Nesselhuf said.
That's another way to look at what the threesome can achieve. They also could bring some bacon back to the state.
Anderson said Thune and Herseth Sandlin have shown an ability to deliver earmarks of federal funding and that looks to only increase in the next congress. He said as health care changes are mulled in the Obama administration, it can't hurt that Daschle knew his way around the state and well recognizes areas of need for South Dakotans.
Both Breard and Nesselhuf said a higher peak for influence by South Dakotans occurred when Daschle was Senate Majority Leader.
"That trumps these three all together, as far as South Dakota interests," Nesselhuf said.
Said Breard, "When Daschle was the majority leader, South Dakota was at its peak of influence. Even when the Democrats fell into the minority, Daschle still wielded an incredible amount of power over policy. I don't think we're there with our current (contingent), but we are moving in that direction."
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