Dave Kranz: Hildebrand dividing Democrats over Abortion

Dave Kranz has an interesting story this morning - one of his better ones in a while - on how Democrats are divided over using resources provided by Steve Hildebrand:
At issue is the state Democratic Party's contract with Steve Hildebrand, former campaign manager for former Sen. Tom Daschle. Hildebrand's backers say he provided a valuable voter registration file from that campaign to assist Democratic Party candidates.

Several Democrats who voted for the abortion ban don't dispute the value of the list, but are concerned that Hildebrand is helping defeat their pro-life candidates in the June 6 primaries or in the November election.

Letters are circulating from three players in the issue, but none of the authors made them public. They are state Sen. Julie Bartling, D-Burke, and former state Sen. James Hutmacher, D-Chamberlain, anti-abortion supporters; and pro-abortion rights state Rep. Elaine Roberts, D-Sioux Falls.

Also objectionable to anti-abortion lawmakers is Hildebrand's presence on the Legacy Fund that was formed with money left over from Daschle's campaign and is used to help legislative candidates.

Hutmacher wants Hildebrand removed from the Legacy Fund.

"In private business, if I had an employee who undermined the business, I would fire the guy. Bottom line, if I had the option, he wouldn't be doing the voter file," Hutmacher said.

If the voter list from Hildebrand is so important, Hutmacher reluctantly says he would be OK with them using it yet this year.
Go read it all here. God forbid, the Democrats are divided over abortion as well. Anyone have a copy of one of these infamous letters? (e-mail me here)

Comments

Anonymous said…
Looks like one current legislator facing a primary for her insane votes and one former legislator.
Anonymous said…
the quicker us Democrats can dump Hildy and his gang and get back to normal the better off we'll be...why Hildy attacks a good woman like Julie Bartling is crazy!
Anonymous said…
Why did Daschle give the big voter ID list to Hildebrand instead of the state party anyway??? Thanks Tom!
Anonymous said…
PP: I enjoy your site, because I can learn a few things that might actually help my party [dem]. On the topic, I'm OUTRAGED that Hildebrand and his Boyz have been extorting money from the state Dem Party so we can have the 'privilege' of using the voter list. As if the party has hardly any money to spare! And then these Hildebrand Boys think they need to squeeze even more blood out of the party turnip, it's crazy. These are the same geniuses who blew $30 million on the Daschle re-election, which shouldn't have been that difficult, and they LOST! And we still give them money--and they spend it on attacking our good pro-life Democratic legislators! I'm so tired of Hildebrand's left wing craziness and his abusiveness that I might just leave the Democrats behind. I don't want to be in the same party as that guy, who is an angry nut who Tom, for some crazy reason, gave so much power to.
Anonymous said…
How much is Hilde paying Chad Schuldt to smear people on his blog?? as much as he's sucking out of the Dem Party each month?
PP said…
Patti -

I think Chad and I would agree on one thing (and maybe that's it). Nobody pays anyone to blog nowadays.

If they did, the rest of us would try to jump on that gravy train.
Anonymous said…
Democrats everywhere should thank Hildebrand for keeping up the voter file. Do you really think Judy Olson and Jason Schulte are capable of using or working a voter file? Hell no, they probably don't even know what one is, let alone use it to get Dems elected in SD.
Anonymous said…
I think I have to step in and defend myself here and interject a few facts that are poorly lacking.

No one "gave" the voter ID list to Hildebrand. Daschle "gave" the file to the state party and I am paid to administer it. Democratic candidates for office are given any and all data they request.

The contract with the state party is very, very small. Almost not worth mentioning. Talk to the legislative candidates who have taken advantage of the voter file services offered by the state party through myself. I've adminstered this file for the past three years, so it made sense for me to continue to do it for a very small fee. I've calculated it out and I figure I'm earning about $12 bucks an hour for spending time with legislative candidates and come up with a targeted list for them. And I am happy to do it if it means electing more Democrats to the legislature.

And no one is "smearing" Julie Bartling. I'd like to see what "smear" has been put on her. Julie is a good woman. I think we can all agree on that. But she voted the wrong way on one very big issue and those who disagree with her are entitled to run a primary campaign.

And for the record, Julie Bartling has received voter file information from me through the state party and I am happy to provide her with whatever other data she may need to run her campaign.

It's just a election, folks. If you're upset about a primary (in a brand new district with no true incumbent, mind you), then just win. Whining is counterproductive. I don't really care what side you're on. If you are interested in this race, then get involved and do what it takes for your side to win. For too many years we as a party have been preoccupied with whining. That needs to change and we need to focus on winning.
Anonymous said…
Chad -- you're a hypocrite. Now that you and your boss are getting a little blow-back for the Roll Call article and emails about a "pro-choice majority", you say Bartling is a "good woman" and "we can all agree on that". You called Bartling - and the other legislators who voted with her on 1215 "f***ing nuts". You even went out of your way to link to the JC Christian post, insulting as it was to Bartling.

So now you "don't really care what side people are on?" Wow!
Anonymous said…
What everyone seems to forget about with the District 26 race is that Julie Bartling has never represented 3 of the 4 counties in the new district. To 75% of the voters, she is not an incumbent.

So, why is it being disloyal to support a different candidate in a primary when there is no incumbent? Especially when the opponent is better known in the new district and has a better relationship with the Tribal Leaders in Todd County (where most of the Democratic votes are)?

Sounds to me like Julie Bartling and her friends are just suffering from a case of sour grapes. Apparently they think there is such a thing as a free ride in politics.
Anonymous said…
I agree with Sal, as much as don't want to. Hildebrand and hateful following need to be left in the past. Isn't Hildebrand something like 1-7 in big elections? That should get you sent back to the minors, not a bunch of lucrative "consulting" contracts. The people he pays who also blog do noting but spew hatred and attacks against anyone who isn't a Berkely liberal like them. Hello, people, this is South Dakota, not California, and many of us Democrats are sick of you attacking good people like Julie. I've been at recent Jeff-Jack day dinners and I know how the hard left Looby/Hilde types attack Julie and it has to stop!
Anonymous said…
Re: anon 9:40,
You are so right when you refer to Chad as a hypocrite. In a recent blog he allowed a comment about Meatloaf's children and whether or not they were virgin's while taking off comments about Kate looby's kids.
HYPOCRITE is the only word you can use on him.
What's worse is that he hides it.
If you are in love with Kate just ask her out or are you a coward as well as a hypoctite.
Anonymous said…
I tried to register on Chad's site and when he found out what my opinion was he refused to send me a password.
The only thing worse than a hypoctite is a liar. No wait, I guess if you are a liar and a hypocrite it would be worse. So congrats you are both.
Anonymous said…
What's with the attacks on Chad? Come on, given his handicap's he's come a long way.
It's hard running a blog when english is a second language for you.
Clean up the "f's". Show a little class.
Your mendacious (look it up) proclivities are getting the better of you and your blog.
Anonymous said…
It's nice to see that I've gotten under so many people's skin.

Unfortunately, no one really wants to address what they have in front of them: a primary election. They'd rather whine. What a sad state our party is in when those who are supposed to be its activists can't get off their asses and do anything for their chosen candidates but instead only whine about a primary election. That is the makings of a loss. Aren't you guys tired of losing? It's getting pretty old to me. The whining has gotten us nowhere.
Anonymous said…
All these comments talking about "our party," referring to the Democrats, made me wonder if our War College had developed a worm hole and we had been sucked into the Democrat end of the universe.
Here are the facts as I've learned them. This flap didn't start because Julie Bartling attacked Democrat consultant Steve Hildebrant or any pro choice Democrats. It was consultant Hildebrant and his employees on their blogs who fired up the flamethrowers to scorch Bartling because she supported HB 1215. Bartling has no choice but to defend herself.
For Republicans, we've seen the same dumb thing happen with the Grand Imperial Purge of the RINOs (Republicans in Name Only), which caused some very loyal Republicans to get disgusted and walk over to the Democrats. That was dumb and so is the Martha's Vineyard Liberal Purity Test that Democrat consultant Hildebrant et al are running.
What consultant Hildebrant violated is very simple to understand: If you take a job or a contract for a major function for the state party, Democrat or Republican, you lose your right to participate in primary campaigns -- especially against an incumbent senator who also happens to be the party's senate whip.
If that is not a major violation of the Dems' party bylaws, it is certainly a major violation of a time-honored professional ethic for political consultants: Don't bite the hand that pays you.
If he were in the United States Senate today, would Hildebrant's former boss Tom Daschle give a staffer or campaign contractor the boot for helping in a primary against Hilary Clinton or Ted Kennedy or Kent Conrad? Hell yes! Then he'd make the fool shine the boot once it was extracted before seeking a new job at Wal-Mart.
When the D.C. clients learn that consultant Hildebrant can't even keep his act clean in South Dakota, there will be fewer of them taking his phone calls in Washington or anywhere else.
Anonymous said…
What's sad is your hypocracy and your recalcitrance to the correct political issues in this state.
You continue to fulminate against anyone who disagrees with you. It's pathetic and so is your "edited" blog.
Anonymous said…
You're right about Steve. He has lost his usefullness. Time to move on before things get embarrassing for him.
PP said…
"All these comments talking about "our party," referring to the Democrats, made me wonder if our War College had developed a worm hole and we had been sucked into the Democrat end of the universe."

Deomcrats on the SDWC. There goes the neighborhood.
Anonymous said…
Hilderbrand was a biggie for Emily's List, which never met an abortion it didn't like. And he made clear his feelings on gay marriage when he took his money back from Stephanie when she supported the gay marriage ban. That kind of liberalism only hurts the Democrats. Look at what happened to my friend Tom...in the old days, he never would have been so liberal. The Repugnicans pounded him over the head with it. Thanks for letting our champion go down Steve. I just can't forgive you for that.
Anonymous said…
Steve Hildebrand is the Bob Shrum of South Dakota politics.

But I don't mind if he takes out Julie Bartling...
Anonymous said…
Please someone take out bartling...and weems. I'm going crazy here in Pierre.

Is the simpson that's running against Bartling Bob Simpson's Dad (Daschle ex-staffer)?
Anonymous said…
John Simpson's sons include Bob.
Anonymous said…
Yes, please hammer Bartling, who is just way conservative.

Looks like Hildy will have a presidential campaign to run. He can practice taking out Bartling, then take out Hillary!! GO TOM!
Anonymous said…
If Hildy goes to run the presidential campaign, who will pay Chad Schuldt to blog??
Anonymous said…
PP, I don't think you have to worry about democrats taking over your blog. I have never seen so many GOPsters posting comments pretending to be democrats. Particularly telling is MDSA who claims to have been at recent Jeff-Jack day dinners. If MDSA were a democrat and had been to such dinners, he/she would have realized they were renamed McGovern Day dinners several years ago. Nice try, ignoramus.

The "attack Hildebrand" campaign is nothing more than an attempt by the anti-choicers at a hostile takeover of the entire SDDP apparatus. Won't work.
Anonymous said…
Yup. There's the problem. The SDDP "apparatus" is not supposed to be anti-abortion or pro-abortion or pro-choice or anti-choice. It's supposed to be about electing Democrats. Not electing one sort of Democrat as opposed to another sort of Democrat. Just Democrats. Hildebrand made it pretty clear he puts the abotion issue before party. He's quoted in Roll Call. He said it, I believe him.
Anonymous said…
several of Hildebrand's campaigns have been known as abortions...
Anonymous said…
It's about time some Dems stood up to Hilde's big mouth...Go Julie! She's the future of the party, not Hilderdoofus
Anonymous said…
If you want to talk about putting the "abortion issue" above the Democratic Party, you don't need to look any further than those who supported 1215. They have gotten into bed with those who have worked tirelessly to defeat our elected our elected Democrats -- Herseth, Johnson, Daschle, Clinton, etc. Who is putting the "abortion issue" above Party?
Anonymous said…
I find it ironic that the same people who claim that Hildebrand is smearing other Democrats are - in the same sentence sometimes - smearing Hildebrand.

Regardless of how you feel about these individuals, you should be ashamed of yourselves. Is this how you want your children to act?
Anonymous said…
Nobody has done more damage to the SD Demo Party than Hildy by losing an easy Daschle re-elect....he's a hack obsessed with gay issues and abortion
Anonymous said…
easy Daschle re-elect?

i've volunteered on elections for nearly 30 years and I can tell you from my experience there has been no tougher election for either side. there were a lot of voters i talked to that really wanted to vote for both men.

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