SOUTH DAKOTA STRAIGHT TALK

Quite by accident I came across Kevin Woster’s Blog at the “RC Journal”, Take It Outside. Kevin one of the best writers in South Dakota, blogs about the Outdoors. If it were not for Kevin I would never have found this site as with the exception of playing golf in 60 to 90 degree weather, I “hate” outside.

Because of my affection for Kevin I looked over his blog and found it while not in the least bit interesting to me, very attractive and of course well written. Well Done Kevin.

However there was an interesting post by Outdoors writer Tony Dean. Dean is a popular outdoors writer and broadcaster. This post may have been covered elsewhere in the Blogosphere but it was certainly a revelation to me.

Dean, purportedly a Republican vociferously endorsed Tim Johnson in the hotly contested 2002 Senate election against challenger John Thune. Johnson won by 524 votes. Clearly Dean and the Senator are close associates as Tony is one of the few South Dakotans who have been with Senator Johnson while he has been recovering from his surgery. Tony reported they shared a meal and that the Senator was recovering and would be back to work soon.

Many Republican activists condemned Dean for his Johnson endorsement and reportedly even sought to damage him economically. A lot of political blood was spilt on both sides and there remain plenty of hard feelings all around. Dean was so put out that he even was considering running for Congress as a Democrat against Bill Janklow who was our Congressman at the time.

Thus it is interesting - in “Take It Outside” that Mr. Dean has kissed and made up with Senator Thune. Perhaps of course this reconciliation is genuine but perhaps now that John Thune is also a popular U S Senator it is also a matter of political expediency.