More Clues in the District 15 Mystery

In looking at the SD Family Policy Council's voter guide, one can't help but notice that recent democratic convert John Madigan lines up almost issue for issue with DakotaWomen favorite Manny Steele. Manny isn't exactly what I'd call a moderate Republican, and yet the only places their answers don't match are issues on which Mr. Madigan appears to be "undecided" -- allowing homeschool students to enroll in public schools less than half-time, and universal pre-school. Would one of the bluest districts in the state really want to elect a Manny Steele think-a-like? Or outside of the social issues that the SDFPC focuses on, is he a really progressive guy?

A quick breakdown of the voter guide questions:
1. Support sonogram requirements
2. Support giving Dept. of Ed authority over pre-K programs
3. Support more regulation of adult businesses
4. Support getting rid of the pharmacists conscience clause
5. Support allowing firearms on college campuses
6. Support allowing homeschoolers to attend public school less than half time
7. Support state website explaining how tax dollars are spent
8. Support giving benefits of marriage to gay couples
9. Support prohibiting gay couples from adopting (P.S. Anti-choicers who answer yes to this need to be slapped. "Yeah, we know that thousands of children are languishing in foster care, but we'll decide which loving homes they don't go to.")
10. Support abstinence-only education
11. Support universal pre-K

Dirty Tricks Don't Help Anyone

While Hillary isn't my #1 candidate, I really do want to like her. A lot of friends and people I respect are Hillary fans and I want to understand what they see in her. But when she pulls crap like this, it's really difficult for me. If she wants to point out the differences between her positions and Obama's, that's fine. But there is no question that in this case, she (or someone working on her behalf) purposely distorted his record for political gain. The local Planned Parenthood has explicitly said they asked him to vote this way and he did. If anything, this shows his commitment to the pro-choice movement. For NOW to assert that because he went with his local Planned Parenthood's strategy instead of theirs, he's somehow not totally pro-choice is the height of B.S. If they were honest, there's plenty in Hillary 'every abortion is a tragedy' Clinton's record that they could take issue with as well.

Admittedly, Hillary being a woman is a plus for her as a candidate in my book. But that doesn't mean she gets a pass for every misstep she's ever taken or that she can engage in whatever Rove-like tactics she wants in the name of winning.

Edit: Here's a great article by Rebecca Walker that sums up a lot of what I've been feeling about the primary lately.