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Herseth Sandlin: A moderate, no-nonsense voice
October 23, 2008 | Sioux City Journal

There was a time in our nation’s political history when "Blue Dog" Democrats were more than a strong voting block in Congress. Back then, they were simply Democrats.

South Dakota Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, one of the key leaders of the group of 47 moderate and conservative Democrats often called “The Fiscal Police” represents the very best of that tradition. She’s a fiscal conservative, often eschewing big-government solutions as she did recently in voting against the $700 billion bailout of the financial sector. She’s a social moderate but a hawk on national defense, favoring an increase in defense spending as a percentage of gross domestic product.

Those values are reflective of most South Dakotans' values. And as Herseth Sandlin continues her climb in Congress (Time magazine recently named her one of five Democrats to watch), those values will serve her state well.

For those reasons, the Journal today endorses her bid for a third term in the U.S. House.

Of course, much of this isn’t news to South Dakotans. Her grandfather was South Dakota’s governor and her grandmother was secretary of state. Her father spent 20 years in the state Legislature. She knows her state and her state knows her.

Since being elected to South Dakota’s lone House seat in 2004, her accomplishments include the 2006 Biofuels Act and the modernization of the Montgomery GI Bill. Particularly impressive is her grasp of the energy crisis facing America. She was a proponent of the Gang of 10 proposal that drew headlines for lifting the offshore drilling moratorium. Just as important, it laid out a plan that envisions a more diverse energy stock n including wind, nuclear, ethanol and other biofuels.

Her no-nonsense approach to these issues and others, including health care and illegal immigration, make her a clear choice on Nov. 4.

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