Nesselhuf Strikes Back, sort of…
In the first print edition of The Volante, which came out on Constitution Day (Wednesday), the political mud was already flying. Verve columnist Matt Hittle’s first opinion piece of the fall was an attack on Ben Nesselhuf, the incumbent District 17 senator from Vermillion. The column was a focused assault on Nesselhuf’s voting record.
It’s not up to this journalist whether or not the attacks were warranted but, by the way it read, Hittle is absolute in his beliefs. He criticized the senator for voting in support of the statewide smoking ban last year. He criticized him for voting to regulate preschools. And he criticized him for voting to raise the minimum wage. Hittle also made claims that, although the senator is a USD student, Nesselhuf has “rarely impacted the university in any meaningful way.” In concluding his column, Hittle listed the accolades of Nesselhuf’s competition, Jerad Higman(R-Vermillion).
Hittle’s rhetoric, and I use rhetoric in the most literal sense, should not take anyone by surprise. It’s no secret Hittle is the president of the College Republicans on campus and is notorious for having strong libertarian views. However, what may be relatively surprising to some is in a press release issued Wednesday afternoon in response to Hittle’s column, Nesselhuf’s camp only addressed one of the columnist’s claims, the claim accusing the senator of not doing enough to benefit the university he attends.
The press release cited four occurrences where, from their viewpoint, the senator has benefited the school and students statewide. One could assume that in analyzing the column and the press release Nesselhuf feels justified in voting for a statewide smoking ban, preschool regulation and a minimum wage hike. I can’t really speculate on why he feels the way he does or whether he does at all, but you can be sure I will find out.
Have no doubt the College Democrats are preparing a response. I cannot wait to see if the mud is thrown back, or, if by some incredible means, a more positive stance is taken.
