Daschle Has His Share of Critics In a December 2001 memo, Frank Luntz wrote, "It is time for someone, everyone, to start using the phrase 'Daschle Democrats' and the word 'obstructionist' in the same sentence.  It's time for Congressional republicans to personalize the individual that is standing directly in the way of economic security, energy security and even national security.  Remember what the Democrats did to Gingrich?  We need to do the same thing to Daschle."  As shown below, conservative groups and Republican leaders have not been hesitant to criticize the Senate Majority Leader, often by targeting him in his home state.

Alan M. Gottlieb and Dave Workman penned a 192 page book, DOUBLE TROUBLE: Daschle and Gephardt--Capitol Hill Bullies, published by Merril Press (Bellevue, WA) in Aug. 2001.
American Renewal/Family Research Council print ad run in South Dakota on Nov. 8, 2001 and Feb. 19, 2002 showed side by side photos of Daschle and Saddam Hussein and asked, "Why is he blocking bipartisan efforts to free America of dependence on Saddam Hussein's oil?"
Vice President Dick Cheney on NBC's "Meet the Press," December 9, 2001:	"Tom Daschle, unfortunately, has decided...to be more of an obstructionist."
The Club for Growth TV ad "Daschle Deficits," run in South Dakota starting Jan. 10, 2002, concluded with the line, "Tell Tom Daschle to put our jobs ahead of his petty partisanship."
The www.dumpdaschle.org website, launched Jan. 16, 2002, seeks "to convince South Dakotans to replace Daschle in 2004."  The Fight Back South Dakota PAC raised modest sums ($18,947 in the first quarter according to its FEC report) through dumpdaschle.org and produced a TV ad, "Listen," which it aired in the Sioux Falls market for a run starting Feb. 14, 2002, and again on April 23 and 24, 2002 coinciding with President Bush's visit.
In addition to print and television ads, various groups have run radio ads in South Dakota targeting Daschle, including United Seniors Association; Tax Relief Coalition (coordinated by Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform); People for Common Sense Courts; American Renewal (the legislative arm of the Family Research Council); Concerned Women for America; and the National Right to Life Committee.  The ads have taken Daschle to task on issues such as blocking the economic stimulus, blocking a couple of Bush's nominations, and cloning.
American Renewal/Family Research Council print ad run in South Dakota on March 21, 2002 stated, "Fair play and the Constitution demand full Senate votes on Judge Pickering."
House Majority Leader Dick Armey has prodded "Daschle to vote on 50 bills that have passed the House and are stalled in the Senate."  The measures range from H.R. 7, the Community Solutions Act of 2001 (charitable choice) to H.R. 4085, the Veterans' and Survivors' Benefits Expansion Act.
In April and May the House Budget Committee issued a steady stream of releases under the masthead "The Daily Daschle: Budget News from the Senate" pushing for Daschle to let the Senate vote on a budget.  (The House passed a budget on March 20; the Senate Budget Committee passed a budget resolution on March 21).
On the one-year anniversary of Sen. Jim Jeffords' switch, Senate Democrats held a number of events with the theme "We're Making a Difference."  The RNC produced an "Employee Performance Review Form" in which they accorded Daschle a 23.8% job performance rate.