Here's one more aspect of the Johnson-Kirby kerfuffle that doesn't make my party look good: Badlands Blue is questioning the loyalty of South Dakota Democrats who don't hew to the party line as written in Virginia.

To review: Badlands Blue is the official blog of the South Dakota Democratic Party. The Dems pay Lowell Feld of Virginia to write this blog. The blog is supposed to serve as a community blog, drawing South Dakota Democrats to contribute articles and comments to fight the mean nasty conservatives who used their blogs to help bring down Daschle in 2004. But with Feld and Badlands Blue commenters turning their personal attacks from former Lt. Gov. and potential Senate candidate Steve Kirby to loyal state Dems like Todd Epp, Badlands Blue isn't feeling like a very welcoming community to this Dem.

The details: Lowell's latest post in a steady stream of Kirby criticism is a "flashback" article from 1994 in which Bill Janklow criticized Kirby for comments about Janklow's health. Lowell concludes with a link to the Daily Kos's hyperbole portraying Kirby as a "flesh-eating zombie" (and people accuse me of ranting). Passionate blogger and Lincoln County Dem Todd Epp posts a comment asking what Feld's post is supposed to prove.

In return for an honest question, and for his comments Wednesday calling for his party to take the high road and avoid the politics of personal destruction, Epp gets replies from pseudonymous "NotPP" and "Barely40Dem" questioning his party loyalty:

"NotPP": ...And by the way Todd .. hitching your star to the "FrankenSteve Kirby is a nice guy" bandwagon is probably not the best way to show your democratic stripes at a time when he is considering challenging our senior elected official.

"Barely40Dem": So when did Todd get so sanctimonious or worse, when did he jump in bed with Steve Kirby? I thought Todd was supposed to be a Democrat? First he defends Steve Kirby as a great guy while blasting the Democrats for letting Kirby know he would be in a battle. And I will bet that Todd attacked Daschle for not being tough enough on Thune! But Todd is not finished. Now he appears to be defending Kirby when he attacks Janklow on Janklow's health! Does Todd really believe Kirby won't do the same to Tim Johnson. But he asks Lowell "what's the point?" I say what's the point of Todd if this is the extent of his loyalty to Democrats.

What nonsense. South Dakota Democratic Party money is being used to host a website that criticizes a loyal South Dakota Democrat who has worked for the party for years, who has taken all sorts of public heat for the party, and who has staunchly defended Senator Johnson since before Lowell Feld knew how to say "Pierre" (and who doesn't get paid for it).

These comments -- and Lowell's tacit approval of them -- prove that the state Dems need to reclaim their own blog. Paying someone from Virginia to host a discussion that publicly criticizes a loyal South Dakota Democrat is insulting and counterproductive. Lowell Feld, NotPP, and Barely40Dem can wage all the personal attacks they want on Todd Epp, but not on the Dems' dime.

And as I cross-post this article to Badlands Blue, I notice the "Rules" that appear when one enters a new post: "Be excellent to each other... or else." It appears Mr. Epp is getting the "or else."

South Dakotans, Virginians, everyone! Post your comments at The Madville Times!