Blue Note

Senator Johnson

2006-12-13T15:41:00.000-06:00

The SDDP asks that you keep Senator Johnson and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

The New Team

2006-12-10T19:51:00.000-06:00

From L to R, Deb Knecht Vice-Chairwoman, Bill Nibbelink Treasurer, Barb Himmel-Roberts Secretary, and Jack Billion Chairman.

Education Funding Still a Low Priority

2006-12-06T09:24:00.000-06:00

Breaking down the Governor's budget address yesterday, and education funding went from $4418 per student in 06 to $4496 in 07. That's an increase of 1.8%. When inflation is 3.9 %, how do we expect our schools to provide a quliaty educaiton?

The Real Reason

2006-11-29T08:40:00.000-06:00

The AP/Aberdeen American News is reporting that a language change may be introduced for Initiative Measure 5 to clarify penalities for misuse of state vehicles. This comes after the measure passed with broad support across the state. Instead of listenting to the voters, the Governor has complained that the measure would affect state employees.

It's important to note that the real reason the Governor has been criticized for his misuse of taxpayer owned aircraft is that he took several political and private trips to places like Boca Rotan, Seattle, and Las Vegas, and only paid back the money when called on it by the Argus. What mechanisim did he use to pay the state? The Governor's Club, an unregulated slush fund with zero oversight. That is not good government.

Back on track

2006-11-27T09:13:00.000-06:00

After a post election break, look for more posting as we approach the 2007 legislative session.

Democrats Make Legislative Gains

2006-11-08T16:22:00.000-06:00

From an SDDP Release:

- Will Use Momentum, Common Ground in ‘08 Push -

Pierre, SD

Though some results have yet to be finalized, it appears that Democrats gained a total of six legislative seats. The gain of five senate seats is especially significant. The entire slate of 89 Democratic candidates unified behind the Common Ground plan, which is a pledge to voters to change the priorities in Pierre from divisive social politics to the issues that affect all South Dakotans.

“Clearly the Common Ground message was accepted statewide, and this return to meat and potato issues resonated with voters,” said Judy Olson Duhamel, Chairwoman of the South Dakota Democratic Party.

“We’re proud of the races our candidates ran. They worked hard and stayed on their positive message for a new direction for South Dakota,” Olson Duhamel continued. “We plan to use this momentum and Common Ground to gain even more seats in the 2008 election.”

Olson Duhamel also pointed to Dr. Jack Billion’s campaign as a contributor to Democrats’ legislative success.

“Jack, while working hard on his campaign, also pushed the Common Ground agenda. He stumped for legislative candidates on his statewide travels and energized voters by talking about the issues that affect all South Dakotans.”

While Democrats Seek Common Ground, Republicans...?

2006-11-07T10:20:00.000-06:00

Have no plan. Zip. Nothing. Nadda. Just more of the same. Chronic under-funding of education, 90,000 South Dakotans without health care, state E85 vehicles that didn't even use one full tank of E85 in the past year, and the lowest wages in the region. Their focus has instead been on divsisve social issues like teaching creationism in public schools and absitnance only education.

In contrast, Democrats have a plan. A positive agenda for change in South Dakota. That plan is called Common Ground. Visit www.sdcommonground.org and look at the 11 points that lay out a new direction for South Dakota. The choice today is simple.

SDGOP asks you to vote...tomorrow?

2006-11-04T18:30:00.000-06:00

Empty Tanks, Empty Rhetoric Part 2

2006-11-02T17:43:00.000-06:00

From an SDDP Release:

- Rounds’ Attempt to Fool Voters Only Highlights Failure -

Pierre, SD

Today Governor Mike Rounds released a campaign radio ad designed to deflect significant criticism he endured over his lackluster support of South Dakota’s ethanol and bio-diesel industry. In the ad, Rounds states:

‘As Governor, I implemented a new policy to purchase flex fuel vehicles for the state automotive fleet.’ Listen to the ad.

What the Governor does not state in the ad is that the 558 E85 flex fuel vehicles purchased with taxpayer dollars used only 18 gallons each of E85 in the past year.

“What a waste of taxpayer dollars. Farmers should benefit from the purchase of these vehicles, not General Motors,” said SDDP Chairwoman Judy Olson Duhamel. “Governor Rounds should be held accountable for not supporting South Dakota’s farmers, and he should be held accountable for trying to pretend otherwise. It’s rhetoric, not reality.”

“Our state needs new leadership. With Common Ground, Democrats have a specific plan for change.” Olson Duhamel continued.

The Common Ground plan proposed by the entire slate of Democratic legislative candidates seeks to require ethanol and bio-diesel in state vehicles, as well as convert school buses to bio-diesel.

Furthermore, the Governor states in his ad that ‘As a leader in the Senate, I voted for ethanol incentives more than 20 times.’

Here are some of Governor Rounds’ votes as a member of the Senate for the ethanol industry:

1992 HB 1009: Supported by the State’s ethanol industry, this bill sought to fund the Ethanol Producer Payment Fund which had been depleted during the Janklow administration. It chose funding via the State transportation budget as per the recommendation of the official 1991 legislative interim study on economic development.
Passed Rounds: Nay

1993 SB 180: The bill appropriated $1.7 million for the Ethanol Producer Payment Fund during fiscal year 1994.
Failed Rounds: Nay

1996 SB 264: Revises the distribution of the petroleum release compensation and tank inspection fee to provide additional funds for ethanol producer incentive payments.
Failed Rounds: Nay

1998 SB 158: The bill would have stopped the transfer of unobligated cash from the ethanol fuel fund.
Failed Rounds: Nay

1998 SB 212: The bill increases funds for ethanol producer incentive payments through petroleum release compensation and tank inspection fee.
Failed Rounds: Nay

Johnson and Herseth Endorse Common Ground

2006-10-31T10:25:00.000-06:00

From an SDDP Release:

Johnson and Herseth Endorse Common Ground
-Praise Economic Development Emphasis -

Pierre, SD

The South Dakota Democratic Party is honored to announce today that US Senator Tim Johnson and US Representative Stephanie Herseth have endorsed the unified plan, Common Ground. All 89 Democratic legislative candidates have signed on to the plan which aims to change the priorities of South Dakota’s state government.

Senator Johnson and Representative Herseth pointed to Common Ground’s emphasis on small business growth and economic development as elements that generated their endorsements.

“The economic growth and development of our state is a key priority from me. As part of my Hometown Prosperity Plan, I want to promote partnerships with leaders at all levels of government. The focus that Common Ground and our Democratic legislative candidates have shown on economic development proves that they know that course we need to take and are committed to making this a reality,” said Senator Johnson.

“Common Ground is the kind of forward looking, long-term vision that rural America needs,” said Representative Herseth. “Whether by supporting renewable bio-fuels as the key driver of our agricultural economy or by assisting small business start-ups with tax free zones, Common Ground includes common sense policy solutions for our rural communities across the state.”

In addition, Senator Johnson and Representative Herseth commented on the unprecedented nature of the Common Ground proposal.

“South Dakota families expect and deserve a unified focus on the meat and potatoes issues that affect their daily lives. Common Ground represents that new direction,” said Representative Herseth.

“To propose a clear unified plan with set goals for the next legislative session is just common sense,” said Senator Johnson. “The Democratic candidates have taken it a step further by reaching out to Republicans to accomplish their goals. That open attitude is what the voters of South Dakota expect.”

Common Ground Addresses Bleak SD State Education Investment Census Numbers

2006-10-30T10:33:00.000-06:00

From an SDDP Release:

Common Ground Themed Release
South Dakota Democratic Party
www.sdcommonground.org
October 30, 2006

Common Ground Invests in Education
- Census Numbers Show South Dakota Last in State Education Funding-

Pierre, SD

In March of 2006, the US Census released figures that are horrible news for South Dakota’s children. According to the figures, South Dakota ranks last in the nation in terms of state investment in public education. The unified Democratic Common Ground plan calls for the Adequacy Education Bill (SB 120) as the mechanism to invest in education.

“When you couple the record opt-outs with these bleak Census statistics, there is little doubt that South Dakota’s state education investment is inadequate,” said Senator Ben Nesselhuf, who serves on the Senate Education Committee. “With Common Ground, Democrats are the only candidates with a clear plan to address the issue.”

“With the Alliance Education Bill, we’re not asking for the farm,” said Representative Burt Elliott, an Aberdeen teacher who serves on the House Education Committee. “If you factor in the additional state investment the Alliance Bill provides, it only gets South Dakota to 42nd in the nation in terms of state investment in education.”

Common Ground is an eleven point plan and pledge to voters that seeks to change the priorities in Pierre from issues that divide, to issues that unite South Dakotans. The entire slate of 89 Democratic candidates has signed on to Common Ground, and has made a point to reach out to moderate Republicans who share the same desire to move South Dakota forward.

Breakdown of surrounding state’s investment in education from the US Census:

Minnesota is 4th with $7,272 per student in state funding.
Wyoming is 10th with $5,834 per student in state funding.
Iowa is 31st with $4,059 per student in state funding.
North Dakota is 46th with $3,307 per student in state funding.
South Dakota is 50th with $2,742 per student in state funding.

The Alliance Education Bill calls for $820 more per student which would place South Dakota at 42nd.

The figures can be found at http://ftp2.census.gov/govs/school/04f33pub.pdf and by typing page 23 in your PDF browser (not page 23 on the report) and going to Table 11.

# # #

SDGOP Using Flawed Logic to Defend Governor's Club

2006-10-26T14:06:00.000-05:00

From an SDDP Release:

SDGOP Using Flawed Logic
-Invites New Round of Gov Club Criticism-

Pierre, SD

In an obvious attempt to pre-empt Democratic calls for openness concerning this weekend’s Governor’s Hunt, the Chairman of the South Dakota Republican Party issued a statement that crosses all lines of logic and reason. The statement implied that the various levels of giving defined by the SDDP were of the same ilk as the shadowy slush fund known as the Governor’s Club.

“The Chairman’s logic is hard to follow. Is he suggesting that the money raised by our Truman program goes to the family of President Truman? The money raised by the Governor’s Club goes directly to the Governor,” said Jason Schulte, Executive Director of the South Dakota Democratic Party.

“Let’s remember that Randy Frederick is the same man who in the face of crippling drought, thinks South Dakota farmers are better off now then they were four years ago. With Common Ground, Democrats and moderate Republicans have embraced a positive plan for change. Is this the best Republican leadership can do to move South Dakota forward?”

“Furthermore, when you give to our Truman program with the South Dakota Democratic Party, you get a keyboard sweeper and the satisfaction of knowing you’re helping change the priorities of government in Pierre,” said Schulte. “Under the Rounds Administration, when you become a Governor’s Club member, you get to take political joyrides on state aircraft, attend swanky private parties at the mansion, and basically use your checkbook for government access.”

Schulte pointed to the following facts to support Democratic calls for openness:

1. Citizens and elected officials in South Dakota cannot pick up the phone and call the SDGOP or the Governor’s office and receive the names and amounts of Governor’s Club contributors.

2. Citizens and elected officials in South Dakota cannot pick up the phone and call the SDGOP or the Governor’s office and receive the names and amounts of all contributors to the Governor’s new $3 million mansion.

3. Citizens and elected officials in South Dakota cannot pick up the phone and call the SDGOP or the Governor’s office and receive the names of Governor’s Hunt attendees.

4. Contributions to the South Dakota Democratic Party and how that money is spent are reported to the Secretary of State’s Office and the Federal Election Commission. Contributions to the Governor’s Club and how that money is spent are reported to no one.

# # #

Where have I heard this before?

2006-10-24T15:12:00.000-05:00

Governor Rounds recently in the AP:

"We sometimes get so concerned with the issues that divide us, we forget all the things that unite us," he said. "We should always respect other individuals. We should recognize that other people have differing points of view, but at the same time we have a lot more in common than we'll ever disagree on."

Sounds like someone has been reading the Democratic Common Ground plan that states:

Democrats pledge to introduce legislation that focuses on the issues that unite South Dakotans, not divide us. Legislative sessions focused on divisive social issues do not solve the state’s education, economic development, and health care challenges.

Republicans Set Precedent for Common Ground Reserve Fund Use

2006-10-19T14:16:00.000-05:00

From an SDDP release:

On September 28th, the entire slate of Democratic candidates unified behind the Common Ground plan. The Common Ground plan does not raise or add taxes. According to the South Dakota Department of Legislative Audit there is $862,751,977.89 in South Dakota’s taxpayer money held in Pierre.

Upon the release of Common Ground and in the absence of their own plan, Republican leadership criticized Common Ground stating “…but you just can’t say ‘Oh we’ll take the money out of the reserves to settle that.” [SDGOP Chairman Frederick, Capital Journal 10-06-06]

Today, Democratic legislators responded to Republican leadership’s assertions by illuminating the fact that in the last legislative session, lawmakers set a precedent for reserve fund use by using the Railroad Trust Fund to fund other projects.

“It’s hypocritical of Republican leadership to back last session’s use of the Railroad Trust fund, and then criticize us for wanting to use some of the nearly one billion of taxpayer dollars in Pierre to help small businesses,” said Senator Julie Bartling, who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee. “We spent reserves to purchase the Homestake mine because it was the right thing to do. Converting school buses to bio-diesel is also the right thing to do.”

“We have no intention of spending the funds down,” said Representative Paul Dennert, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee. “We intend to follow the precedent set by the governor and the legislature to partially utilize reserve funds for the positive programs proposed in Common Ground like early childhood education.”

The components of Common Ground that do not require state funding are:

• Tax-free zones for small business start-ups.
• Restructuring the REDI Fund to include small businesses and for requiring REDI Fund loan recipients to pay a living wage.
• Addressing the challenges facing Native Americans by keeping their economic development opportunities free from undue government influence and bureaucratic red tape.
• Introducing legislation to make South Dakota’s government open and accountable. This includes reforming reporting requirements for legislative races and tightening regulations on political slush funds.
• Introducing legislation that focuses on the issues that unite South Dakotans, not divide us.

Common Ground calls for a new direction for South Dakota, and a return to the meat and potato issues of better jobs and wages, better use of taxpayer dollars, and a brighter future for all South Dakotans.

# # #

In desperation, Republican leadership nationwide turning to the boogie-man

2006-10-10T16:21:00.000-05:00

Bush says Democrats would raise taxes

Sound familiar? Now we've stayed away from national politics on this blog because our focus is on making South Dakota a better place, but the parallel is eerily similar. In the face of failed foreign policy, a mess in Iraq, the return of the Taliban, Republican Legislators and leaders embroiled in one scandal after another, and a huge deficit powered by out-of control spending, Bush turns to the most tired of boogie-men, Democrats will raise taxes. They're dousing themselves in cologne in DC, and the scent's name is DESPERATION.

Funny thing is, the're selling the same brand here in SD.

When SD Democrats launched their unified Common Ground plan to change the priorties in South Daktoa, here is the only defense Republican leadership could counter with:

Republicans responded quickly to the news, issuing their own news release calling the Democratic plan a blueprint for higher taxes.

Boo! Did they scare ya? First, Common Ground does not raise taxes or add new taxes. That is a fact. In the face of a state where median wages are the lowest in the nation, teachers are paid lowest in the nation, state government spending has risen by 20% in 3 years, schools are opting out in record numbers just to survive, and on average the 544 E85 vehicles the state owns used a miniscule 18 gallons of E85 last year while farmers suffer from the worst drought in decades, this is the best they can do. Talk about no new ideas from Republican leadership in SD and nationwide.

Democrats are the ones with a plan for a new direction. Democrats are the ones unfied. Republican leadership is offering only more scare tactics.

The Need for Common Ground - Better Jobs, Better Wages

2006-10-07T06:30:00.000-05:00

From Today's Rapid City Journal

Even the limited 2.1 percent rise in wages in South Dakota last year may be deceptive because of the much higher percentage increases for essential expenses such as health-care costs, Democratic legislative candidate Pam Hemmingsen of Rapid City said. Wage earners must try to balance increases in their income against a much higher rise in other costs of living, the District 32 House candidate said.

“With the rising cost of health care, I’d argue that the actual wage increase is even smaller,” Hemmingsen said. “The average dollar amount in the pockets of South Dakotans is far less than it was a few years ago.”

Hemmingsen said priorities of Rounds and the Republican-controlled Legislature have been in the wrong place — emphasizing divisive social issues and missing opportunities to boost small business and support wage earners.

Hemmingsen and other Democratic legislative candidates are proposing an economic- development package aimed at increasing the minimum wage, re-directing state-funded loans to be more helpful to smaller businesses and requiring industries that benefit from the loans to pay higher wages.

Partisan politics shouldn’t stand in the way of a good idea.

2006-10-03T09:55:00.000-05:00

From today's Mitchell Daily Republic

But some of the Common Ground points deserve a good, hard look. No matter who is in the majority – Republicans outnumber Democrats 51-19 in the House of Representatives and 25-10 in the Senate – the Legislature should constantly be seeking ways to better the lives of South Dakotans. If it means developing a road map for the future, so be it.

Howard Dean

2006-10-02T14:14:00.000-05:00

Just a quick point in reference to this RCJ opinion column, show me a DNC chair was has done more for local legislative candidates in South Dakotathen Howard Dean. He pays for three full time staff members on the ground in this state. Unprecidented. Two of those positions directly affect legislative candidates.

Democrats Propose Common Ground, Republican Legislators Propose....

2006-10-01T09:55:00.000-05:00

More divisive social legislation.

The contrast could not be clearer. Democrats address the meat and potato issues of education, health care, and economic development, and far right Republican legislators want to teach creationism in public schools.

As the article mentions, mandating creationism in schools thwarts local control and will cost more money. Wow, I guess its OK for Republicans to spend money on not teaching facts in public school and bad for Democrats to propose loans and grants for small businesses. Using Randy Frederick's commments about Common Ground as a guide, I expect to see the following headline across the state:

Republican Plan to Teach Creationism Leads to State Income Tax

Common Ground Will Not Raise Taxes...It May Even Lower Them

2006-09-29T13:41:00.000-05:00

From and SDDP Release:

Common Ground Does Not Raise Taxes
(It May Even Lower Them)

Pierre, SD

Today, the South Dakota Democratic Party released the following fact sheet in response to the South Dakota Republican Party Chairman’s false assertions in regards to the SDDP’s unifying plan, Common Ground. In addition, South Dakota Democratic Party Chairwoman Judy Olson Duhamel made the following statement directed specifically at Mr. Frederick’s baseless remarks.

“Chairman Frederick knows he can try and muddy the waters with threats of high taxes,” said Chairwoman Olson Duhamel. “What really scares the SDGOP about Common Ground is the plan to limit the growth of state government and to have a full audit. An honest audit will reveal what years of mismanagement have done to our state.”

Olson Duhamel continued. “South Dakotans should reject the same old Republican politics of fear and embrace the positive direction of Common Ground.”

Common Ground fact sheet:

• Common Ground does not raise taxes. The state has nearly a billion dollars in reserves. Those funds belong to the taxpayers of South Dakota. The initiatives in Common Ground that require state assistance (incentives for converting school buses to agri-fuels, grants from the Future Fund to small businesses, and drought relief) are investments in the future of South Dakota. The tax dollars hoarded by the state should be partially used to build a better future for all South Dakotans.

• Republican leadership has no plan. Instead they criticize Common Ground for laying out a new direction for South Dakota. Democrats are not criticizing Republicans, and instead are offering a positive plan for both parties to work together. Once Republican leadership tires of throwing punches, Democrats welcome the opportunity to work together for the future of South Dakota.
• How do you equate a plan that seeks to shrink the growth of state government from its rapid three year growth of 20% under Republican rule with raising taxes?

• Republican Party leadership should be accountable to the facts. When they make wild claims that the Democratic plan will raise taxes without a shred of evidence, their claims approach slander. Republican leadership should have to provide factual data to support their claims that Common Ground will raise taxes.

• The education portion of Common Ground is specific and detailed in that it uses the Alliance Education Bill (SB 120) as its guide for fully funding education. This is a creative solution that fully funds education without raising taxes. In addition, when schools are fully funded, opt-outs will cease. The Common Ground plan has the potential to lower property taxes. (In the 2006 legislative session, every Republican voted against SB 120 while every Democrat voted for it)

Learn more about Common Ground at www.sdcommonground.org

Common Ground

2006-09-29T00:31:00.000-05:00

Common Ground
The Democratic Party Charts a New Direction for South Dakota

Your Paycheck…Bigger
Democrats understand that average South Dakotans work hard for their paycheck…and we want to make sure it stretches out far enough to make up for skyrocketing energy, health care and transportation costs.
1. Democrats will introduce legislation to increase economic development for South Dakota’s small towns and rural communities. First, by requiring ethanol and bio-diesel use in state vehicles. Second, by offering incentives to school districts to switch their buses to use ethanol and bio-diesel. Third, by bringing South Dakota’s wind energy production to levels equal with surrounding states.
2. Too often, large out-of-state corporations are given preferential treatment in South Dakota at the expense of small business. Democrats will introduce legislation that uses the Future Fund for grants and loans for small businesses, the backbone of South Dakota’s economic development engine.
3. In the 2007 legislative session, Democrats will introduce several choices for legislators that directly benefit the pocketbooks of South Dakotans. These include tax free zones for small business start ups, raising the minimum wage, restructuring the REDI fund to include small businesses, and requiring REDI fund loan recipients to pay a living wage.

Your Tax $$$...Used Responsibly
Democrats understand that your tax dollars represent a relationship of trust with your elected officials. We will respect that trust by investing in necessary and appropriate government programs, and cutting down on waste in the system.

1. Democrats will introduce legislation to curb the dramatic growth of state government from its recent three year spurt of 19.9%, under Republican rule. The current administration’s unchecked discretionary spending on new airplanes and additional employees is not sound fiscal policy. Democrats’ first step toward fiscal responsibility will be a call for a full audit of South Dakota’s state government.
2. Democrats pledge to introduce legislation that focuses on the issues that unite South Dakotans, not divide us. Legislative sessions focused on divisive social issues do not solve the state’s education, economic development, and health care challenges.
3. Democrats will introduce legislation to make South Dakota government open and accountable. This includes reforming reporting requirements for legislative races and tightening regulations on political slush funds. The responsible use of tax revenue relies on transparent government.

Your Family’s Future…Brighter
South Dakota Democrats understand that we need to invest in the next generation today. That means creative and innovative solutions to the challenges we face as a rural state.

1. Democrats are committed to a quality education for our kids. Democrats will introduce legislation similar to the ‘Alliance Education’ bill. By placing state government on the same diet as schools, Democrats will adequately fund education without raising taxes.
2. Democrats are committed to addressing the challenges facing Native Americans by keeping their economic development opportunities free from undue government influence and bureaucratic red tape.
3. Early childhood nutrition and education should be funded at a much greater level than South Dakota funds new prison construction. Democrats will introduce legislation that looks at long-term and positive solutions to our burgeoning prison population.
4. In other states, Democrats and Republicans are working together to craft solutions to health care challenges. 90,000 South Dakotans are currently without health coverage. Democrats will introduce legislation that looks for partners to meld new ideas with South Dakota’s fiscal realities.
5. Democrats support the partial release of state reserve funds to provide much needed assistance to farmers, ranchers, and small businesses hard hit by the current drought crisis. While it is important to balance unknown future needs with current challenges, emergency funds exist for a reason.

Common Ground
The Meat and Potato Issues that Affect South Dakota’s Families

Air Let Out of Whalen Debate Balloon

2006-09-25T18:35:00.000-05:00

From the Mitchell Daily Republic

CHEERS to news that Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth and Republican challenger Bruce Whalen will meet in a series of three debates next month. Voters in the state are ready to hear what each has to say during this election season. Whalen insists Herseth has been dodging him, but we feel that three debates in October, all to be broadcast, will give the state’s voters a good idea what is on each candidate’s mind and in plenty of time before the Nov. 7 election.

Interesting Omissions and Additions to the redesigned SDGOP web site

2006-09-21T19:06:00.000-05:00

First of all, I have to admit the redesigned site looks good. While viewing the site, however, I noticed three very interesting things. First, I can find no link to the 2006 SDGOP platform. Remember, this is the platform that endorsed teaching Creationism alongside Evolution in public schools.

The other interesting item is found on the page that gives talking points for radio call in shows.
Read them all, becuase it sounds to me a lot like the SDGOP is endorsing the idea of privatizing social security. When the President tried to push this, it went down in flames. Furthermore, if memory serves, that issue went over like a lead balloon with South Dakotans as well.

Then there's this gem on the 'I'm a Republican Because' page

I BELIEVE government must practice fiscal responsibility and allow individuals to keep more of the money they earn.

Then why has state goverment, where we have a Republican governor and both sides of the legislature have Republican majorities, grown by almost 20% in the past three years?

Daschle Legacy Day

2006-09-15T15:14:00.000-05:00

Dear Friend,

I write to you today asking that you join us in fighting for a new direction for South Dakota. You can join this fight by attending the first annual Daschle Legacy Day on September 23 in Sioux Falls. The event benefits the South Dakota Democratic Party’s Daschle Legacy Fund. The sole purpose of the Daschle Legacy Fund is to elect Democrats to the South Dakota Legislature.

This November we have an opportunity to return South Dakota to a state that reflects the hearts and values of its people. In past sessions, the Republican majority has choked the agenda full of divisive social legislation. They do this while ignoring the meat and potato issues that affect South Dakotan’s every day lives like quality education, affordable health care, open and accountable government, and better jobs and wages. By supporting the Daschle Legacy Fund you will help our 10 year record high slate of ninety candidates change the focus to common ground issues that benefit all South Dakotans.

The Daschle Legacy Fund contributes all proceeds to targeted legislative races in a strategic manner. We have the opportunity to elect a Democratic majority in the Senate this year and get very close to doing the same in the House. By focusing on these races now, our Party will be stronger leading into the 2008 election. Now is the time for a new direction and we can’t do it without your generous contribution.

The first annual Daschle Legacy Day will be in Sioux Falls at the Thaler residence on Saturday, September 23. Their address is 2502 South Timber Place. All proceeds from this event will go toward targeted legislative races. We hope that you are able to join Senator Daschle and honor him with your presence at this inaugural event. However, if you are unable to attend please consider contributing to the Daschle Legacy Fund as a show of your support by giving $1000, $500, $250, $100 or whatever you can to the Daschle Legacy Fund today. Please make checks payable to the South Dakota Democratic Party.

I am grateful for your friendship and support for this important battle. For additional information on how to play a larger role in this campaign, please contact the South Dakota Democratic Party at (605) 224-1750.

US Senator Tim Johnson

More Whalen Wisdom

2006-09-15T14:50:00.000-05:00

From the Rapid City Weekly News

"...I’m happy to be the representative of the South Dakota Republican Party.”

and

Whalen said he doesn’t owe Herseth an apology and will not offer one. “I have nothing to apologize for.”

So as the representative of the SDGOP, Whalen feels that he does not need to apologize for his campaign manager spreading viscious personal lies about the Congresswoman. And yet he claims that his values are closer to average South Dakotans.

Broken Crystal Ball

2006-09-15T09:57:00.000-05:00

From today's Argus Leader

Breard also says, "you definitely don't want to underestimate running against an incumbent: It's the hardest race to run." But he discounts speculation Democrats will take over the House.

I don't know how much stock you can put in someone's opinion when running a congressional campaign they 'don't' know what Wikipedia is. Also in the article, Breard talks about the campaign boosting momentum because of billboards and radio. Yet, in the article Whalen refuses to talk to the Argus, the largest paper in the state, nor several key constituency groups. Must be the fabled 'invisible candidate' strategy.

Rounds Refuses

2006-09-11T10:38:00.000-05:00

From Today's Argus Leader

Where's the help?

2006-09-07T16:36:00.000-05:00

At least when Janklow was governor, he had inmates on the scene immediatly to clean up after a tornado.

From the Argus Leader:

Farmers in tornado area near Huron need help

A Simple Equation

2006-09-06T13:52:00.000-05:00

Today, the SDWC highlights the recent public endorsements of the SDEA. There is a simple equation to remember here.

Instead of focusing on adequately funding education, the Republicans in power in Pierre focused on restricting local control and divisive social issues like Intellectual Diversity, a bill that would have policed the speech and actions of university professors. Had they instead focused on the crisis our schools face proven by opt-outs for survival and the coalition of schools lawsuit, they would be on the receiving end of an SDEA endorsement.

In contrast, Democrats proposed legislation (SB 120) that would have adequately funded education without raising taxes and by curbing the astonishing 19.9% growth in state government in the past three years. The SDEA has a singular goal of providing a better education for South Dakota's kids. They are going to support candidates who share that goal. Who might those candidates be? The proof is in the pudding.

Your next PUC Commisioner

2006-09-01T16:07:00.000-05:00

Steve Kolbeck just fixed my wireless connection here at the State Fair. Talk about hands on experience.

Let's save education funding to the last day...again

2006-08-30T10:17:00.000-05:00

After listening to the governor dodge his leadership responsiblites last night, I was struck, like many others, by his willingness to dump the death penalty debate back into the lap of the legislature. There's an almost gleeful 'whew,' thought we might have to talk about real issues next session, moment from far-right legislators:

From the Argus story -

Rep. Ryan Olson, R-Onida, another death penalty supporter, said Tuesday's delay will focus attention on the issue.

"There's no doubt in my mind that it will be a major issue, not the technicality, but the broader issue of whether South Dakota should continue to support the death penalty," he said.

Poeple wonder why there's an education funding crisis, why 90,000 South Dakotans go without health care, and why South Dakota lags behind surrounding states in wind energy production. It's because far-right legislators would rather exploit divisive social issues than roll up their sleeves and do the hard work required to face South Dakota's challenges.

Democrats, in contrast, want to concentrate on the issues that unite us, not divide us. Next session, how about legislators concentrate on education funding first, then social issues.

'Part of the problem is that we’re all used to local control”

2006-08-29T10:37:00.000-05:00

From today's Mitchell Daily Republic story on Rounds' education town hall meeting in Wagner. His new line is that if schools are hurting, they should pool resources instead of looking for more funding. That's just callus. First, the current group in power rejected a Democratic proposal in the 2006 session that would have fully funded schools without raising taxes. Why was it rejected? Becuase it would impose spending restrictions on a state government that has grown a shocking 19.9% in the past 3 years. Maybe Rounds should be forced to consolidate resources the same way schools are being asked to. Stop buying new planes and expanding the travel budget for one thing.

The most telling part of the story, however, was this quote from Rounds:

“Part of the problem is that we’re all used to local control”

Wow. He came out and said it. This past session was filled with examples of far-right legislation such as abstinance only education and no contraceptives in school bills that thwart local control. This current group in power is not for local control. If anything, they want to keep government centralized in Pierre and tell local districts what they should do. In contrast, Democrats want decsions concerning local districts to be made by local districts.

Dirty Politics and Classy Campaign Tactics

2006-08-23T10:03:00.000-05:00

The SDDP had a great series of events last week in Rapid City with DNC Chairman Howard Dean's visit. Before he touched down in Rapid City, the ED of the SDGOP issued the expected release criticizing his visit and regurgitating old quotes taken out of context. Their release included this nice chunk of hypocrisy:

“Howard Dean has spent his time as head of the DNC not as a positive force to make America better, but to tear down people and inject venom into our political process,” Wetz said. “South Dakota has a lot of honest, hardworking people who don’t take kindly to Dean’s brand of slash and burn politics."

Let's start with obvious hypocrisy:

Two west river editorial boards have called on Bruce Whalen to apologize to Stephanie Herseth for what can only be called venomous slash and burn politics. How was the SDGOP leadership able to accuse Howard Dean of something that their handpicked congressional candidate engaged in without getting called on it? Talk about double standards. What was Dean's response? To welcome the SDGOP ED who was sitting in the audience that night at the Radisson. Hardly the venomous attacker they made him out to be.

The worst, however, is yet to come. The South Dakota College Republicans were on the Radisson corner that night with their 'scream' contest, which was admittedly pretty clever.

Where the SDCR's really crossed the line, however, was with their handouts (front and back):

Wow. I don't know what's more distasteful. Using the tragedy of Flight 93 and 911 as a political tool (SOP for the GOP), or the underlying hypocrisy of the SDGOP critiquing Dean for venomous slash and burn tactics while the SDCRs employ such crass and classless tactics. Not to mention that it's patently false. The majority of Americans could argue that the Bush Republicans have done more in the past three years to grow global terrorism than to fight it. Is this the type of political education that goes on at TAR camp?

*Update*

Just to assist my point - only 1 in 4 Americans believe we were safer from terrorism before 911. College Republicans who attend a school of higher learning...must not read the papers.

Rapid City Journal - Whalen Owes Herseth an Apology

2006-08-20T08:58:00.000-05:00

From Today's RCJ:

The editorial starts off with a list of the mistakes made by the Whalen campaign:

Fourth, Breard is Whalen's campaign manager and his communications are official.

Fifth, having been caught in the act of spreading false rumors about Herseth, neither Breard nor Whalen have apologized.

and ends with this:

Exaggerating an opponent's faults is fair politics; lying about them is not. Bruce Whalen owes Stephanie Herseth an apology for his campaign manager's inappropriate gossip.

What's so hard about admitting your mistake and moving on? Furthermore, where does Republican Party leadership stand? Randy Frederick and Mike Rounds have done nothing to condemn Whalen and Breard's actions. Not a peep. Talk about slash and burn politics. Their handpicked congressional candidate spreads lies about a sitting Congresswoman, and they...sit on their hands.

Where's the Meat in Round's Beef Policies?

2006-08-18T17:46:00.000-05:00

From an SDDP release:

Pierre, SD

Under pressure from Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Jack Billion [Rapid City Journal, 7-31-06] and the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association, Governor Mike Rounds has organized a new task force to study the Country Origin of Labeling, or COOL, law. [KGFX, 8-18-06].

“The governor has had three years plus to study COOL,” said South Dakota Democratic Party Executive Director Jason Schulte. “It’s this simple, as governor, Mike Rounds needs to enforce South Dakota’s laws. Our beef producers deserve nothing less. If he feels strongly about the COOL issue, then day one in office he should have made it a priority.”

Schulte continued. “From drought relief to the enforcement of COOL, Jack Billion is the only candidate for governor proposing immediate solutions to the challenges facing our producers and farmers.”

In addition, this is not the first time the governor’s beef policies have come under fire. In August of 2005, Democratic legislative leaders called on Rounds to do more to protect South Dakota producers. They made notice of Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer’s order that all animals destined for Montana be checked to ensure they comply with new federal restrictions. A mandate from Gov. Schweitzer ordered that the importers pay the cost of inspections. At the time, Schweitzer urged other states, including South Dakota, to take similar action [Associated Press, 8-03-05].

SDGOP Leadership's Misplaced Priorities

2006-08-15T15:50:00.000-05:00

From and SDDP Release:

Pierre, SD

The South Dakota Republican Party issued a release yesterday criticizing Wednesday’s visit to South Dakota by Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. Chairman Dean is visiting the state to honor WW II hero and code talker Clarence Wolfguts. Chairman Dean has injected momentum into the South Dakota Democratic Party by placing three full time staff members in the state as part of the DNC’s 50 State Strategy. This year, the SDDP fielded 101 primary candidates for 91 legislative races, a decade high total.

“Isn’t it more reasonable for the Republican Party to issue a public apology to Congresswoman Herseth then to attack Chairman Dean for honoring a WW II hero?” asked South Dakota Democratic Party Chairwoman Judy Olson Duhamel. “South Dakotans would rather see us working on common ground issues like education and drought relief then to see us trading venomous releases.”

Olson Duhamel continued. “It’s the height of hypocrisy for the South Dakota Republican Party to accuse someone of ‘slash and burn’ politics. Republican Party leadership remains silent when their handpicked congressional candidate spreads vicious personal lies about a sitting Congresswoman.”

RC Weekly News - Whalen campaigning in the gutter

2006-08-11T10:06:00.000-05:00

From and editorial in the Rapid City Weekly News:

The Bruce Whalen for Congress campaign, sagging well behind in a recent poll, slid into the gutter last week.

and

This is sleazy politics at its worse and an example of how political operatives use the fast-and-loose online playing field to throw a little mud.

and

Whalen has kept his head down so far, but if he wants to clear some of the muck off himself and his campaign, he should apologize and demand Breard do so as well. It may even be time to seek a campaign manager who won’t use such underhanded tactics.

Where is the apology from the Whalen campaign? Is he going to take action on Breard? Where does governor Rounds and Randy Frederick stand on this? Where does the SDGOP stand? Do they support in the words of the RC Weekly, gutter and sleazy politics?

SD-EPIC Endorses Dinah Paris for SD House

2006-08-09T10:15:00.000-05:00

SD-EPIC Endorses Dinah Paris for SD House
8/8/2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (Issued August 8, 2006)

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Nick Krebs
(cell) 605-430-9020
(email) nmkrebs@rushmore.com

SD-EPIC ENDORSES DINAH PARIS IN DISTRICT 31 SD HOUSE RACE

LEAD--South Dakota Educators Political Involvement Committee (SD-EPIC), affiliated with the South Dakota Education Association (SDEA), has endorsed Dinah Paris in the District 31 race for SD House of Representatives.

Dinah was honored by the endorsement.

"Receiving this endorsement based on the recommendation from the local teacher's interview team makes it even more significant," Paris said. "I have several goals in common with the SDEA and local teachers, including paying our teachers comparably to surrounding states, and ensuring that our children receive the best education possible. "

For more information, contact Nick Krebs at the information below.

Nick Krebs
Treasurer
Dinah for House
(cell) 605-430-9020
nmkrebs@rushmore.com

Authorized and paid for by Dinah for House,
614 W Main St, Lead, SD 57754, Nick Krebs, Treasurer.

Thune Refuses to Condemn Whalen's Actions

2006-08-09T09:20:00.000-05:00

In today's Rapid City Journal:

When asked whether he thought Breard's e-mail was appropriate, Thune said:

"It's an unfortunate incident. I can't speak to the specifics of how this whole thing originated. All I can say is that I sympathize with Stephanie when it comes to the result."

The 'specifics of this whole thing' are 1) Breard, Whalen's campaign manager, sent an email to the media (RCJ) with two lies about Herseth, one from Wiki, and one he wrote. 2)Whalen was oblivious to the actions of his campaign manager. 3) Whalen has yet to apologize or take any action to correct the situation. Instead, he and his campaign manager continue to defend the actions by the illogical assertion that they were looking for verification. 4) Mike Rounds who shares the ticket with Whalen, and Randy Frederick have refused to condemn Breard's actions. In the absence of comment on the subject, one could assume they condone the spreading of lies by campaign staff to the media. Is this the type of dirty politics the SDGOP wants to stand for?

Whalen Oblivious to His Own Campaign

2006-08-07T09:26:00.000-05:00

In an attempt at damage control, Bruce Whalen's campaign manager, Lee Breard, said this in regards to his gutter level and completely manufactured attack on Stephanie Herseth:

"I personally don't know a lot about Wikipedia, so I sent it to the blogs to find out if it was legitimate or if it wasn't," he said.

and this:

"Mr. Whalen was not involved," Breard said.

Read the Rapid City Journal piece here.

This brings up a couple of interesting points:

1. If you are running a congressional campaign, you should know what the limits of Wikipedia are. If you're running a state legislative campaign, it wouldn't hurt to know something about Wiki. Woster addresses the well displayed 'edit' button on each Wiki page in the article. This means that either Breard does not know much about modern campaigns, or he's trying to spin his way out of a very dumb move.

2. If Bruce Whalen was not involved, then what else is Breard doing without his knowledge? How engaged is Whalen in his own campaign?

3. What is the SDGOP's stance on the issue? Does Chairman Frederick agree with this type of smear campaign? Like the old saying goes, you can't wallow with the pigs at night and soar with the eagles during the day.

Duck, Dodge, and Hide

2006-08-04T15:10:00.000-05:00

From today's Argus Leader:

The results of the school-funding question – 8 percent said funding is more than adequate, 28 percent said it is adequate and 55 percent said it is less than adequate – shows that education advocates have made citizens aware of the need for more money, said Christie Johnson, executive director of the School Administrators of South Dakota.

“I think a majority of people do have the awareness that money is at issue,’’ she said.

Attempts by schools to opt out of property-tax limits and moves by boards and administrators to reduce programs and staffs also raised that awareness, she said.

Republican Sen. Tom Dempster of Sioux Falls said he thinks the results reflect years of schools “saying over and over and over’’ that they don’t have enough money.

The obvious follow-up question, he said, would be to ask those who believe funding is inadequate if they would be willing to pay higher taxes or contribute to some other revenue programs to boost state aid.

“That’s a question that should be asked,’’ Dempster said.

Here's the answer that should be given - "NO." Why? Because Democrats in the 2006 legislative session proposed a plan that would have adaquetly funded education without raising taxes and would have limited the growth of state goverment. The bill was called SB 120 and it frightened the other party because it threatened the breakneck speed with which they have been growing government in the past three years.

And schools have been saying they need funding 'over and over' becuase...THEY NEED FUNDING. Maybe a better question that should be asked of Senator Dempster is how high will our taxes be raised to fund their 19% growth in government?

SDGOP Chairman makes 'ridiculous' comment

2006-08-03T18:23:00.000-05:00

From an SDDP release:

SD Republican Chairman Makes ‘Ridiculous’ Comment about Drought Conditions

Pierre, SD

In today’s Argus Leader [Bush popularity dwindling in S.D.], South Dakota Republican Party Chairman Randy Frederick made the following statements:

The classic question – are you better off now than four years ago? – would play well for Bush, Frederick said.

“Most people would have to look in the mirror and say ‘I’m better off’ – even farmers, despite the drought. The vast, vast majority of people would have to say, ‘Yes, I am.’ I really don’t know why he doesn’t focus on that.”

“The Chairman is completely out of touch on the drought crisis,” said South Dakota Democratic Party Executive Director Jason Schulte. “With gas and energy prices sky-high, health care costs through the roof, and the President's refusal to support drought relief - Chairman Frederick’s claim that ranchers and farmers are 'better off' than 4 years ago despite the terrible drought is ridiculous.”

Schulte continued. “Most South Dakotans realize the gravity of the drought situation, and are working together to craft a solution no matter what their political affiliation. What we don’t need are more Pollyanna-statements about how good things are.”

Herseth Holds Huge Lead

2006-08-02T12:11:00.000-05:00

From the Argus Leader:

If the election were held now, Herseth would lead Whalen 60 percent to 26 percent, with 14 percent of voters undecided.

Herseth Spokesman Russ Levsen says “it tells us that South Dakota approves of the job Stephanie is doing in Congress and wants to send her back for another term.”

Darwin Wins

2006-08-02T12:04:00.000-05:00

From the National Journal's Hotline:

August 02, 2006
Darwin Wins

Conservative GOPers who favor teaching theories questioning evolution lost their majority 8/1 as GOP nominations for two seats on the Kansas Board of Education went instead to moderates who favor teaching evolution.

Retiring BOE member Iris Van Meter (R), an anti-evolutionist, will likely be replaced by moderate Jana Shaver (R) in district 9. Shaver defeated Van Meter's son-in-law, conservative Brad Patzer (R), 58%-43%. And incumbent district 5 conservative Connie Morris (R) trails pro-evolutionist Sally Cauble (R) 54%-46%.

Conservatives John Bacon (R) and Ken Willard (R) beat out two opponents each to hold on to their seats. Bacon took 49% of the vote while Willard received 54%.

In the only Dem primary of note, pro-evolutionist board member Janet Waugh (D) easily beat back a challenge from Jesse Hall (D), who had been backed by creationists, 63%-37%.

However, folks in Kentucky are not so lucky, becuase the Creation Museum is set to open.

From AOL News:

PETERSBURG, Ky. (July 31) - Like most natural history museums, this one has exhibits showing dinosaurs roaming the Earth. Except here, the giant reptiles share the forest with Adam and Eve.

That, of course, is contradicted by science, but that's the point of the $25 million Creation Museum rising fast in rural Kentucky.

$25 million spent to 'contradict' science? I thought we were trying to compete in the global economy. Maybe we should spend that money on enhancing science education in America. The list of things off the top of my head that $25 million could be used to fight starts with...Oh I don't know...cancer, AIDS, poverty, global warming, South Dakota's drought, near Earth objects...

The SDGOP adopted a 2006 resolution that states:

WHEREAS, education on species origin is a vital aspect in the understanding of nature and the purpose of human life; and, WHEREAS, evolution is a theory that is taught in public school as a fact and at the exclusion of all other theories; and WHEREAS, the South Dakota Republican Party believes there are other plausible theories, including creationism; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the South Dakota Republican Party supports efforts to expand beyond evolution the knowledge, scope, and debate in public education on the theories of species origin.

There is a good chance that this is a prelude to legislation in the next legislative session. Far-right candidates need to be put on the record as opposing this - we need to protect our education system. Our kids deserve it.

Hargens to Olson: 'I'll Debate.'

2006-08-01T12:24:00.000-05:00

From today's SDDP Release:

For Immediate Release
South Dakota Democratic Party
August 1, 2006

Hargens to Olson:
‘I’ll Debate.’

Pierre, SD

On July 29th, South Dakota state Representative Ryan Olson challenged Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Jack Billion to a debate on South Dakota’s drought conditions and plans for relief. Today, House Democratic Leader Dale Hargens, Miller, challenged Representative Olson to a debate.

“If Representative Olson really wants to debate about drought conditions and what needs to be done, he can debate me,” said Hargens who operates a farm and ranch in Hand County. “Hand County is facing significant challenges. My hope is that Representative Olson is not using cheap tactics to play politics with South Dakota’s critical drought situation. However, I’d welcome the opportunity to hear some creative solutions from the Representative from Onida on how to address the current crisis.”

“Speaking of solutions, South Dakota Democrats endorsed a resolution at our 2006 state convention in Huron that addressed the drought crisis,” said Leader Hargens. “I don’t recall hearing anything of the sort from Representative Olson’s party.”

South Dakota Democratic Party Executive Director Jason Schulte has agreed to organize the debate in Pierre, and provide any support necessary to facilitate the event. “Governor candidates debate governors. Representative Olson should feel honored to engage a legislative leader in an exchange of ideas in regards to the extreme challenges facing our farmers and ranchers.”

Dr. Billion has been asking his opponent, governor Rounds, to participate in a series of debates sponsored by the Rapid City Journal, KELO TV, and South Dakota Public Broadcasting. Rounds has declined to participate in the Rapid City Journal debates citing that there is not enough time in the three months remaining until election day to schedule additional debates. He has yet to respond to the KELO or SDPB requests.

Representative Olson’s debate request:

Name: Ryan Olson
Email:
Subject: Open letter on Drought Relief
Recipient: Jack Billion

Comments/Questions:
This is an open letter that will be published:

As lawmaker and farmer/rancher who sits on the taxation and education committees, I would like to debate you in an open forum on your proposal for drought relief for ag producers.
Will you accept?

This will be sent to the associated press.

Submitted: 7/29/2006 at 6:10:28 PM CST

South Dakota Democratic Party 2006 Convention Resolution on the current drought crisis:

Agriculture and Rural Life Resolution 2

WHEREAS, central South Dakota is suffering under the current drought spell; and,

WHEREAS, President Bush and the Republican controlled House of Representatives recently slashed $4 billion in farm disaster aide.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the South Dakota Democratic Party urges the Governor, the state legislature, and the South Dakota Federal Delegation to deliver emergency assistance to drought stricken South Dakota farmers and producers.

# # #

Science based?

2006-07-31T13:23:00.000-05:00

From today's Argus Leader:

Gov. Mike Rounds today proposed a “science-based drought assistance program” that would replace the nation’s current, case-by-case response to drought.

How can Rounds propose anything "science-based" when as leader of his party, the SDGOP endorsed teaching creationism in our public schools alongside evolution?

Why doesn't Bruce Whalen go to Mike Rounds for this stuff?

2006-07-28T18:28:00.000-05:00

From SDP

Provide or a permanent solution to South Dakota’s struggling rural water system. On Wednesday in Belvidere, SD, the water pressure was so low that the state had to shut down the rest stop. If we as a state cannot provide enough water pressure to flush a toilet then how will we fill our fire trucks to protect our local communities or to send brush trucks to fight the wild land fires burning in South Dakota this week? This has evolved beyond the need for water for our state’s Ag land into a real life public safety issue. We must provide this basic safety infrastructure to all rural communities.

If a state rest area has to close for lack of water pressure, then I'm assuming that's a question for Governor Rounds.

SDDP Urges John Thune to Put South Dakota First

2006-07-26T15:36:00.000-05:00

From an SDDP Release:

Pierre, SD

John Thune’s controversial campaign for the job of Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee shows that John Thune is willing to put his political party ahead of South Dakota, said Judy Olson Duhamel, Chair of the South Dakota Democratic Party.

Recently, John Thune told a group of reporters at the National Press Club that Republican candidates would be wise to distance themselves from President Bush. As a candidate for a partisan job in Washington, however, he was forced to immediately distance himself from his own words.

“Given the President’s domestic and foreign policy failures, John Thune is right that candidates should distance themselves from George Bush,” Olson Duhamel said. “But his immediate backtrack to appease the most partisan in Washington shows he will do whatever it takes to win a partisan job that does nothing for South Dakota.”

As has been widely been reported, Thune is running to chair the partisan National Republican Senatorial Committee – a purely political position that provides no legislative responsibilities and no tangible benefit for South Dakota. Ironically, his campaign for the new job comes on the heels of his brutally divisive negative campaign in which he attacked Tom Daschle for putting his party ahead of South Dakota.

After his comments about Bush, his Republican colleagues in the Senate say he must pledge to put his party first in order to win the position. According to Roll Call, “GOP Senators and aides” made clear that he must “reinforce that he will put the party first.” [Roll Call, 7/24/06]

Unlike every other leadership position in the party, this position includes no legislative responsibilities. It does, however, require the Chairman to raise money from special interest donors, travel the country to recruit candidates, and to levy partisan attacks in the national media. More time traveling for fundraisers and recruiting obviously leaves less time to represent South Dakota. In fact, Thune acknowledged to Congress Daily earlier this month that the position would create “competing time demands” among his family and “representing South Dakota.” [Congress Daily 07/14/06]

“This may be the defining moment in John Thune’s career. South Dakota gets nothing by having John Thune spend time and energy focusing on raising special interest money and launching partisan attacks,” noted the Chairwoman. “With a massive drought in our state this year and the Farm Bill coming up next year, now is not the time for South Dakota’s Junior Senator to put his time and energy towards partisan politics.

Excuse number whatever

2006-07-25T23:02:00.000-05:00

Governor Rounds declined today to engage Dr. Jack Billion in a series of debates proposed by the Rapid City Journal. While I'm sure everyone is shocked that Rounds wanted to shy away from debating a smart cookie like Dr. Billion, his excuse was...

"Rounds said it was too late in the campaign to begin scheduling a series of weekly debates between him and Billion."

I sure hope the dog doesn't eat his homework on drought relief.

This, and he's never declared if he would serve out his term if reelected.

Thune flip-flops on Bush agenda

2006-07-23T10:56:00.000-05:00

Today's Meet the Press had a telling exchange between host Tim Russert and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolton. When Russert asked Bolton about Senator John Thune's statement in an AP story that if he were running this year, he would distance himself from the President and his agenda, Bolton answered that Thune had called him 'very concerned' and 'chagrined' that his comments were taken out of context. Russert then told Bolton that not only had they contacted the AP and comfirmed the story, but that the Hill newspaper was at the same news conference and reported the exact same thing.

'What are the chances that both papers got it wrong?' Russert asked.

Rounds once again powers up the waffling machine

2006-07-20T10:36:00.000-05:00

Today's Rapid City Journal article highlights the boiling tensions within the SDGOP. When a former Chairman of the South Dakota Republican Party announces that the 'tent has collapsed' and that 'Republicans have vacated the middle ground,' well, the writing is on the wall.

What was also interesting to me, was the comments made by governor Rounds.

"I told Mr. Kephart personally that I was surprised that the recognition that there were reasonable and decent people on either side of the issue wasn't acknowledged," Rounds said. "I would have preferred to have seen that moderation identified in order to emphasize the need for a civil debate on this issue."

Just another example of Rounds trying to distance himself from signing HB1215. If he was really concerned about a moderate voice at the SDGOP convention, then why not speak to the group BEFORE action was taken? Maybe he feared being shouted down like Mr. Kephart was. To pine for moderation post convention by a party leader is well...not leadership.

SD Partisan Republican Strategy - Distract and Divide

2006-07-19T11:06:00.000-05:00

From yesterday's SDDP Release:

Democrats expressed concerns that today’s US Senate vote on stem cell research and the South Dakota Republican Party’s recent platform stance on creationism, could be preludes to a divisive campaign strategy focusing on social issues. Today the Senate approved expanding federal funding for stem cell research. South Dakota Senator John Thune voted against the measure and President Bush has expressed his intentions to veto the bill. Last month in Watertown, the state Republican Party adopted a pro-creationism resolution to the state party platform. The resolution states in part:

WHEREAS, education on species origin is a vital aspect in the understanding of nature and the purpose of human life; and, WHEREAS, evolution is a theory that is taught in public school as a fact and at the exclusion of all other theories; and WHEREAS, the South Dakota Republican Party believes there are other plausible theories, including creationism; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the South Dakota Republican Party supports efforts to expand beyond evolution the knowledge, scope, and debate in public education on the theories of species origin.

“Beyond the impact creationism has on a South Dakota public education system already in crisis, it’s important to note how the debate has torn apart Kansas,” said Judy Olson Duhamel, South Dakota Democratic Party Chairwoman. "It nearly ground Kansas state government to a halt, from the State Board of Education, the State Legislature, their universities, and even the Kansas Republican Party. Our state does not need one more issue that divides us. There are many more core issues that unite us.”

Olson Duhamel listed education, health care, better jobs and wages, a real commitment to agriculture and alternative energy, and open and accountable government as uniting issues.

The Chairwoman continued. “The narrow focus of the far right wing of the Republican Party is in direct contrast to the SDDP. It’s time to highlight the differences between the two parties. The 2006 South Dakota Democratic platform is available on www.sddp.org for all to see. Our platform embraces a diversity of views and not rigid ideology.”

Rapid City Journal Editorial Calls Out SDGOP

2006-07-19T10:51:00.000-05:00

Missed this one earlier - from Sam Hurst at the RCJ

On and on it goes. We feed the politicians our biases, and they reflect them back at us. Low wages are a necessary evil. Teachers have a sweet deal; they only have to work nine months. Environmentalists want to destroy our property rights. The history of the Lakota is tragic, but it doesn't have anything to do with us. The crown jewel of our vanity is the biggest lie of all. "I'm independent. I vote the man, not the party." No we don't. We vote Republican. Give 'em credit. Republicans know how to lie to us and feign sincerity at the same time.

Republican politicians have learned over the years that's it's not the policy that matters. What counts is the rhetoric of affirmation. John Thune has one of the worst voting records in the Senate when it comes to supporting veterans, but on the campaign trail he is the first to wrap himself in the flag and "support our troops." Every Republican in the state legislature can give a Fourth of July speech about keeping big government out of our lives and then vote in lockstep to shove the police right smack into the middle of our most private doctor-patient decisions.

Last weekend, I went to the Billion for Governor picnic. For the first time in decades, the Democrats have a smart, dedicated, hard-charging candidate for governor in Jack Billion, and a half dozen legitimate candidates for the state legislature. Billion's choice for Lt. Governor, Eric Abrahamson, is the sharpest intellect in state politics since the young Bill Janklow. Together, they have the ability to offer us truly innovative policies in education, health insurance and economic development.

Sam Hurst, telling it like it is.

Happy Birthday Senator McGovern

2006-07-19T09:52:00.000-05:00

Today is George McGovern's 84th Birthday. The man has accomplished a great deal in his life, including a presidential run as the Democratic nominee, seats in both the US House and Senate, and a post as a UN Ambassador. We also credit him with building the modern SDDP, and bringing grassroots organizing to South Dakota politics. In addition to being a devoted father and husband, Senator McGovern has remained active in South Dakota politics and the South Dakota Democratic Party. He is always game for our requests, and is a warm, humorous, and intelligent conversationalist.

My fondest memory of Senator McGovern occurred last November when we went to his home in Mitchell to interview him for the Dakota Blues podcast. He took three hours out of his day to chat with us and regale us with tales of his involvement in politics from Kneip to the 72 presidential election.

The best part of the day for me came when I asked him to sign my first edition of Hunter Thompson's Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 72. Hunter is one of my literary heroes, and Senator McGovern had recently attended his memorial service in Colorado. The Senator, a prolific author in his own right, penned a heartfelt and personal message for me about Hunter in the book, and then rolled off an in depth recap of what had to be a surreal and magnificent tribute to his friend and one-time chronicler.

For a good laugh and a glimpse of the energy generated by Senator McGovern and Hunter in 72, watch this clip from C-Span.

Warning - the clip not surprisingly contains strong language and bourbon consumption by Thompson.

Happy Birthday Senator McGovern

The 'Footloose' Resolution

2006-07-12T16:04:00.000-05:00

From the SDWC - SDGOP endorses that Creationism should be taught next to evolution in schools.

This begs the question, when will public rocking/dancing be outlawed?

In addition, PP is backing away from the idea that a platform worked on by delegates to a state convention matters.

Ans also, where they will be completely and utterly forgotten until the next convention.

Really, I'll be the first to admit that these are not much more than a loose statement of belief. I don't think I've ever seen nor heard of a candidate invoking them for all the fuss they bring to the table.

This after he spent a considerable amount of time attacking Democrats for the 'Unity Resolution'.

Standing for something and making clear policy distinctions are important.

It's understandable why some would want to back away from the radical positions taken by the SDGOP at their convention. The SDDP, however, is proud of the work done at our convention. Our delegates took personal time and traveled in many cases great distance to work on the platform. We crafted a platform that represents the majority of South Dakotans and are proud to post it on our web site for all to see.

What South Dakota Democrats Stand For

2006-07-11T12:49:00.000-05:00

The South Dakota Democratic Party has produced a lot of ink/bytes in regards to the core values celebrated within our party. Since the far-right faction of the Republican party has narrowed their focus to social and personal issues, the November election will be a watershed moment for South Dakotans concerned with the direction of our state.

We call the issues critical to the progress of South Dakota 'meat and potatoes' because they are basic, sustaining, and a return to what state government should be about. The current legilsative focus on issues such as 'Intellectual Diversity' serves only as a diversion from the hard work that needs to be done in this state.

While standing for fringe issues, the radical right of the Republican Party likes to accuse Democrats that we don't stand for anything. Below, you'll find concrete evidence of exactly what we stand for, spelled out in the South Dakota Democratic Party 2006 platform and released to the public for all to see.

Education - The majority of school districts must opt-out to survive. 59 school districts believe so strongly that the government is failing in its responsibility to adequately fund education, that they are suing the state. In an effort to illuminate the crisis, an independent and non-partisan Adequacy study recommended $820 more per student. The SDDP platform response:

The SDDP supports the acceptance of the findings of the Education Alliance Adequacy report for K-12 funding.

and also supports:

Legislation, which guarantees that each student has equal access to all educational opportunities, including alternatives within the public educational framework.

Health Care - 90,00 South Dakotans are without health insurance. That number is growing. The SDDP platform responses:

We recognize that universal access to healthcare is a fundamental human right.

We support the formation of a state health plan that offers affordable, accessible, quality healthcare to every individual in South Dakota.

and this health care resolution -

WHEREAS, sole proprietor and small businesses of South Dakota are the backbone of our economy but frequently cannot afford health insurance coverage for their families and/or employees;

WHEREAS, we recognize access to health care is a fundamental right;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the South Dakota Democratic Party supports continuing efforts toward establishment of small business health plans that are in compliance with state regulation.

Open and Accountable Government - While the governor continues to defend the shadowy 'Governor's Club,' his imposing gag orders on state employees, and his non-public use of state owned aircraft, the SDDP platform response is much different:

WHEREAS, the South Dakota Democratic Party supports legislation that would reform campaign finance laws on legislative races, making them report at the same time and with the same parameters as statewide races.

WHEREAS, the South Dakota Democratic Party supports legislation that would require open records on political slush funds like the shadowy ‘Governor’s Club.’

WHEREAS, the South Dakota Democratic Party supports the ballot initiative to prohibit the private use of state owned aircraft.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOVLED the South Dakota Democratic Party supports any and all efforts to make government open, transparent, and accountable.

Agriculture - It's no secret that our farmers and rural communities face mounting challenges. Here's where we stand:

WHEREAS, central South Dakota is suffering under the current drought spell; and,

WHEREAS, President Bush and the Republican controlled House of Representatives recently slashed $4 billion in farm disaster aide.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the South Dakota Democratic Party urges the Governor, the state legislature, and the South Dakota Federal Delegation to deliver emergency assistance to drought stricken South Dakota farmers and producers.

and this resolution:

WHEREAS, Senator Tom Daschle was instrumental in writing and passing the current farm bill;

WHERAS, farm income and commodity prices have improved considerably from the previous farm bill know as “Freedom to Farm;”

WHEREAS, agriculture is the largest sector of the South Dakota economy;

WHEREAS, a profitable agricultural sector provides the foundation for a healthy economy in South Dakota;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the South Dakota Democratic Party strongly urges our congressional delegation to support and Congress to pass an extension to the current farm bill.

Alternative Energy/Agri-fuels - While this ties into agriculture, the significance of the renewable energy industry on South Dakota cannot be overstated. The governor won't requrire ethanol or bio-diesel in state vehicles, and instead of spending funds on infastrucutre to upgrade motor pools to handle bio-fuels he buys 251 flex-fuel vehicles that don't have ready access to the fuel they were designed for. What does the SDDP stand for?

WHEREAS, the South Dakota Democratic Party supports the continued expansion of the bio-fuel industry. We recognize that our farmers and rural communities face considerable challenges. Furthermore, the South Dakota Democratic Party understands that the bio-fuel industry is critical to our agriculture industry.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the South Dakota Democratic Party supports the expenditure of state funds to upgrade state motor pool facilities to provide ethanol and bio-diesel for use in state vehicles. Furthermore, we support any and all efforts to require ethanol and bio-diesel use in state owned vehicles, and the continued purchase by the state of South Dakota of vehicles designed to use bio-fuels.

and this resloution:

WHEREAS, the current and future risks to U.S. energy security are mounting; and,

WHEREAS, domestic and global energy demands are growing exponentially; environmental and health concerns and risks associated with fossil based fuel sources are escalating; and,

WHEREAS, solar, wind and biomass can be captured and/or produced on the land mass managed by U.S. agriculture, forestry and horticultural industries; and,

WHEREAS, technology and production capabilities allow America’s producers and processors to play a major role in insuring a fully sustainable U.S. energy system; and,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the South Dakota Democratic Party strongly encourages all efforts to create an energy-independent United States

THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the South Dakota Democratic Party endorses the goal of 25% of the total energy use in the U.S. be of renewable fuels by the year 2025 and commits to work collaboratively with renewable energy champions to further explore and define the overarching contribution which the agriculture and forestry sectors can make as producer of energy, and develop an action plan to bring this vision to life.

Now this post has gotten massive, mostly because the list of concrete, meat and potato issues the South Dakota Democratic Party stands for is so long. There are a host of other topics and stands, such as Native American issues, Senior issues, Jobs and Wages, etc. that I'll touch on later. For now, however, it is apparent that South Dakota Democrats stand for moving this state forward and solving the challenges it faces.

SDDP Releases 2006 Party Platform

2006-07-07T11:04:00.000-05:00

From an SDDP release:

Pierre, SD

Today, the South Dakota Democratic Party released its 2006 platform built at the state convention in Huron.

“I’m proud of this platform, it speaks to the essence of the South Dakota Democratic Party,” said SDDP Chairwoman Judy Olson Duhamel. “The hard work that went into our platform takes real issues into account like education, agriculture and agri-fuels, health care, the needs of our tribes, better jobs and wages, and open and accountable government.”

“I can say with confidence that our 2006 platform welcomes diversity of opinion, and embraces the freedoms that make South Dakota and America great,” the Chairwoman added.

An electronic copy of the 2006 SDDP platform can be found by clicking here.

I'm looking forward to seeing the 2006 SDGOP platform when they deem it ready for viewing.

Even More Education Lawsuit News from the Watertown Public Opinion

2006-07-05T11:34:00.000-05:00

Read the whole story here

Just some tidbits:

“When we're in an election year, everybody says how important funding for education is, and they all know and understand that, but it changes when the Legislature goes into session,” said Johnson, with the School Administrators of South Dakota

and

Despite their unified approach, the alliance was not successful in 2006, when educators worked to gain support for SB 120, which would have increased funding to public education by $120 million over five years.

“We presented it to both parties. We were looking for sponsorship. We were running to the last minute to get the appropriate signatures to move forward, but it ended up being a Democratic bill,” said Dr. Wayne Lueders, executive director of the Associated School Boards of South Dakota.

and finnaly

Johnson believes that there is one factor which should weigh more heavily than any other in making decisions about funding to public education - and that factor has nothing to do with available resources, nothing to do with studies, nothing to do with task force discussions, and little to do with statistics about individual schools.

That factor can best be determined by asking one question.

“The question is: where are our priorities? If our children are not our top priority, where is this state headed? I can't imagine anything more important than our children,” Johnson said.

More Education Lawsuit News

2006-07-05T10:43:00.000-05:00

From the AP/Aberdeen American News

Florence, other districts face funding challenges

The article talks about the motivations behind Florence joining the education lawsuit.

The Big Tent Party

2006-06-29T14:17:00.000-05:00

From an SDDP Release:

The Big Tent Party

Pierre, SD

Both the South Dakota Democratic Party and the South Dakota Republican Party held their state conventions last weekend. While the Democratic Party passed a ‘Unity Resolution’ (see below) the Republican Party adopted a resolution supporting the controversial anti-abortion bill, HB 1215. The aftermath of such a move has been considerable.

On Wednesday, former state Senator Clarence Kooistra changed his party affiliation to Democrat. Two Democratic candidates for the legislature, Scott Heidepriem and Rebekah Cradduck were also former Republican legislators who found room in the Democratic Party for their views.

Republican convention delegate and resolution committee member Sam Kephart yesterday announced his displeasure with the Republican Party’s increasing radical direction in an opinion column. Mr. Kephart had tried to introduce a resolution that ‘gave breathing room to moderates’. The resolution was overwhelmingly defeated.

(From the Rapid City Weekly News 6-28-06 ‘Little Hope For Moderation in the GOP’- Sam Kephart)

“…I left the convention seriously questioning whether I wanted to remain in the party and continue to contribute my time, money, and ideas.”

“What kind of mixed message does that send? We love you now, but when the party groupthink takes over, there’s only our way or the highway.”

“In my opinion, the Republican tent, in reality, isn’t very open at all.”

“Despite my personal Waterloo on the convention floor, the biggest loser of all was the voice of moderation.”

In response to Mr. Kephart’s op-ed and the contrast between the two party conventions, South Dakota Democratic Party Chairwoman Judy Olson Duhamel made this statement:

“The South Dakota Democratic Party truly is the big tent party, a fact reaffirmed at our successful state convention. I encourage all South Dakotans uneasy with the status quo that puts a narrow focus on personal social issues and ignores the meat and potato concerns of education, health care, and good paying jobs, to give us a chance to lead by voting for Democrats in November.”

South Dakota Democratic Party Unity Resolution

WHEREAS, The South Dakota Democratic Party is united in the purposes of creating a better South Dakota for all of its people and electing Democratic candidates to government at all levels.

WHERAS, the South Dakota Democratic Party is united in our recognition that Constitutional Amendment C, pertaining to the definition of marriage, as well as Referred Law HB 1215, pertaining to the prohibition of the abortion procedure, are matters of personal conscience and personal faith.

THEREFORE LET IT BE KNOWN, We encourage Democrats to study thoroughly and reflect carefully on each, and we further encourage Democrats to vote as their conscience may dictate.

Another Republican Switches to Democrat

2006-06-28T14:01:00.000-05:00

Kooistra switches:

From the Argus Leader

Democratic Convention 2006 - An Outside Reflection

2006-06-26T15:50:00.000-05:00

While I've always been an active democrat even at a young age, this was my first SD state convention. Maybe it's because of the fact that I live in a state with a strong Republican presence that my hopes in politics usually lie in our national-electoral races (i.e. Herseth, Johnson, etc.) and not our local races. This convention changed my mind completely. There is hope, lots of hope.

My experience started on the night of the 22nd with me checking into my hotel room (which was very nice) and working the night away with a state party worker, preparing for the next days events. The morning was filled with eager delegates and you could sense a genuine joviality at the convention. As I checked in delegate after delegate, it was interesting to merely observe the people signing in to be a delegate. It didn't take long to for me to realize the fallacy that partisan republicans having been pushing for quite a while; that we're (somehow) elite. Nothing could be farther from the truth! This party of the people consisted of more than partisan lies. So in came the delegates from all walks of life (labor officials, businessmen, farmers, etc.), ready to work hard and make a difference.

The same night of our convention was no less enlightening. There, at the convention dinner, we heard speeches from Representative Herseth, Senator Johnson, candidate Billion, and Governor Brian Schweitzer from Montana. There, I met and ate dinner with Senator George McGovern, sitting next to me all the while. He and I chatted throughout the evening and I was surprised to see how kind, intelligent, and down to earth he was. Governor Schweitzer's keynote address was also really exciting as he talked about how midwestern democrats can move their state's forward in economics and development. Probably most entertaining though was his auctioning off of his own bolo tie for our party's benefit (using Representative Herseth as model!). In the end, each speaker was excited about the future of our party. More importantly, they were excited about the future of our state and nation and signaled a belief in one South Dakota and one America, for all of us. Such a message was
thrilling and raised the morale of the delegates to a near feverish excitement by the end of the night.

The day of the convention started quietly enough as delegates, still in a spirit of unity, from around the state gathered in the morning and had breakfast together at the local restaurant inside the hotel (Rep. Haley from east river ate with me that morning). Once fed,
the delegates began their committee work and later met for the ratifying convention. Almost seamlessly, the convention delegates worked together and approved the platform. The best work done by the delegates was probably the "Unity Resolution." While delegates spared over the wording with H.B. 1215 in the back of their mind, they eventually came to the mature and common sense conclusion. They agreed to disagree and left the wording of the resolution so not to alienate, but to invite. Such a resolution was a not only a move towards being the big-tent party of South Dakota, but a mark of real democratic philosophy. Content with their work and happy to be united, the convention closed and the delegates, party workers, and volunteers (me) departed back towards home to their families. Such an ending made one point very clear; we were ready to be the party of the future where we must move forward, together.

-Abraham Ira Payton is from Rapid City, South Dakota and currently attends Saint Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.

State convention post...late

2006-06-23T20:03:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the late post, it's been a busy day. The nomination for statewide candidates went well, with Steve Kolbeck securing the nomination for PUC and Ron Volesky accepting the nomination for AG. Bryce Healy and Eric Abrahamson gave rousing acceptance speeches for their nominations.

I just picked Governor Schweitzer up at the Huron airport, and the man is a high energy individual. Also, Sentor MCgovern made a suprise appearance adding to the Dem star power tonight. I'll report more on the dinner events later.

SDDP State Convention

2006-06-22T13:23:00.000-05:00

I'll be posting on events as they unfold. In case you've missed it, the South Dakota Democatic Party state convention starts tonight and goes through Saturday. It's in Huron at the Crossroads Hotel and Convention Center. See you there.

Thick as a Brick

2006-06-20T15:56:00.000-05:00

This picture and blurb appeared in yesterday's Capitol Journal. If as it says the 2,300 people donated $25 each towards the gov mansion, that comes to $57,000. That leaves $2,943,000 paid for by special intersts. Also, how much does it cost per brick to custom engrave each brick with each person's name, and the time of the three pictured state workers to install the brick display? How much of that $25 gets eaten up?

Rounds Approval Drops

2006-06-19T19:17:00.000-05:00

From Survey USA

Rounds approval drops 4 points and his disaproval goes up 5 points.

Click here to see the poll

An interesting note is that his disaproval among female voters rose to 39%.

Playing Catch-up with Campaign Finance

2006-06-19T10:31:00.001-05:00

The Sunday Rapid City Journal has an editorial about the need for campaign finance reform pertaining to legislative races. The article makes reference to a bill put forth in the past session.

A proposed law that would have required legislative and county candidates to file a pre-primary and pre-election campaign finance report never made it out of the Senate State Affairs Committee this year. Candidates for state office (i.e., governor, secretary of state, etc.), political parties and political action committees have to report campaign receipts and expenses 10 days prior to a primary and general election.

Secretary of State Chris Nelson said state law on filing finance reports by legislative candidates is outdated. "It goes back to the days when candidates for legislative races didn't spend a lot of money," he said.

What the article does not mention, is that the bill SB 164, was written and sponsored by Democratic Senator Ben Nesselhuf. Democratic Senators Garry Moore and Dan Sutton voted for the legislation. Six Republicans voted against it.

Playing Catch-up with Campaign Finance

2006-06-19T10:31:00.000-05:00

Garretson Failed Opt-out Fallout

2006-06-15T09:07:00.000-05:00

The Argus Leader has story today about the failed Garretson opt-out. Here's some quotes from Garretson School Board President Tom Tyrrell:

"I think (the defeat is) telling us people don't think they're against education. They don't want to pay any more in taxes. A great deal of people feel the state is not doing their responsibility as far as funding education. It's obvious with some districts suing the state."

Tyrrell also criticized state education funding, saying the state doesn't see fit to fund schools at the rate of inflation. He considered the education task force study a waste of time because it wasn't researching new forms of education funding.

"I think the funding of schools is ridiculous. They wonder why schools opt out," he said. "They'll put (the study) on a shelf like all the studies we've done in the state and gather dust."

Read it all here

Here's what District 25 Representative Mike Kroger had to say about the failed opt-out.

“On funding education, South Dakota is tardy. We don’t need a task force report and proposals to tell us what we already know – we’ve got to put our money where our mouth is and support education in South Dakota. Governor Rounds says we've got to do more, but has hardly lifted a finger to solve the problem. The kids in Garretson need action, not more task force reports.”

“In addition, I’m curious about the Republican Senate candidate’s stance on education. Would he have voted for SB120, or does he support the current system where schools are forced to cut programs and opt-out just to survive?”

That brings up a good point. South Dakota far right-wing Republicans are trying to paint themselves as 'conservatives.' They do this in the face of a state government that has grown significantly under governor Rounds and the Republican controlled legislature.

In contrast, during the 2006 Legislative Session, South Dakota Democrats introduced and supported SB 120, which would have adequately funded education without raising taxes, eliminated opt-outs, and would have reined in the growth of state government. It was supported by every Democrat in the State House and State Senate, but killed by Republicans. Eliminating opt-outs would lower the tax burden of South Dakotans. Who are the real conservatives here?

Roger Andal

2006-06-14T14:40:00.000-05:00

From an SDDP Release:

“Roger was not only a tireless advocate for veteran’s issues, but a warrior dedicated to their cause,” said South Dakota Democratic Party Chairwoman Judy Olson Duhamel. “His life is a testament to selfless service for the greater good. South Dakota is a better place because of Roger Andal. On behalf of the South Dakota Democratic Party, we wish the best for his wife and children.”

Rounds tells 'True Lies' to Schwarzenegger, and other Western Governors

2006-06-13T17:04:00.000-05:00

From South Dakota State Government News

Governor Rounds was elected Chairman of the Western Governor's Association and in his acceptance speech noted several items that he thought the WGA should concentrate on. Among those were accelerating energy independence for the West. He also stressed that education and workforce must be viewed as the same continuous process, transforming today’s students into tomorrow’s valuable employees and leaders who will create a world-leading Western economy. I have two quick questions:

How do you achieve energy independance without requiring state vehicles to use ethanol and bio-diesl?

How do you transform today's students into tommorrow's valuble employees and leaders by paying their teachers 51st in the nation?

Vote to honor the McGoverns

2006-06-12T15:42:00.000-05:00

There is a poll on the Mitchell Daily Republic web site asking:

Should the city give the OK to change the name of West University Avenue to McGovern Avenue, in honor of former U.S. Sen. George and Eleanor McGovern?

Bob Sahr should avoid South Sioux Falls for a while

2006-06-09T10:32:00.000-05:00

From KELO News

Outrage Over The Outages

Maybe Bob Sahr should concentrate on perfecting his magic cell phone tower creation machine.

Who can South Dakota farmers count on?

2006-06-09T08:52:00.000-05:00

From the AP

Agriculture disaster aid stripped from spending bill

Bush and House Republicans would rather cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans than give much needed relief to our farmers and rural communities (Remember to tighten your belt). Talk about misplaced priorities. That is why the bio-fuel industry is so vital to South Dakota. Farmers finally have a mechanism for future economic development. It's too bad that our producers can't count on the Republican dominated state legislature for help (oooh, look at all that shiny money in the railroad trust fund), and definitely can't count on a governor that won't even require bio-fuel use in state vehicles.

Tim Johnson and Stephanie Herseth have been tireless advocates not only for the bio-fuel industry, but for South Dakota farmers in general. Now Dr. Jack Billion is our candidate for governor. I sense that in his first days in office he will make common sense choices in regards to bio-fuels in state vehicles. In November, a vote for Democrats will be a vote in support of our farmers and rural communities, and a vote against a Republican Party obsessed with fringe issues who neglect the meat and potato concerns of regular South Dakotans.

Primary Day

2006-06-06T12:23:00.000-05:00

The SDDP encourages all South Dakota Democrats to get out and vote today. The only way we're going to change the abusive one-party rule in Pierre is at the ballot box.

What if Tuesday had been a Snow Day?

2006-06-01T18:12:00.000-05:00

From an SDDP Release:

How Prepared is South Dakota for a Disaster?

On Tuesday, the state of South Dakota’s computer system crashed. The crash halted email communications in several locations, including state universities and the state capitol building. This is contrary to what a Rounds’ spokesperson called ‘an isolated Internet infrastructure issue that affected some online applications for the state, mainly vehicle registration.’ Recently, Governor Rounds has been touting the state’s plan for pandemic flu preparation in South Dakota.

“What would have happened had the flu pandemic hit while the state’s communications were down?” asked Judy Olson Duhamel, Chairwoman of the South Dakota Democratic Party. “Schools are suing the state to provide essential services, newspapers are suing the state for information, and now it seems we are woefully unprepared in the event of a disaster.”

“Then, in what is becoming all too common, the Rounds’ administration refuses to release the proper information regarding the system failure,” Olson Duhamel continued. “When a Democrat is governor, the citizens of South Dakota can count on clear and effective leadership.”

I wonder if they were invited to the Governor's Hunt?

2006-05-31T10:07:00.000-05:00

An Australian firm is building a $160 million ethanol plant 90 miles North of Des Moines.

Read about it here

Looks like our plan of luring business to SD on the backs of low wage workers is really paying off. It seems that Iowa keeps moving forward with a Democratic governor, while in South Dakota....

Al Franken on Dakota Blues Podcast

2006-05-30T18:10:00.000-05:00

The newest episode of Dakota Blues features an in-depth interview with talk show host, comedian, and author Al Franken. Al discusses both national and South Dakota politics, and the possibility of his candidacy for the US Senate from Minnesota.

In addition, both Democratic gubernatorial candidates, Dennis Wiese and Dr. Jack Billion, answer the question of why they should receive the Democratic nomination. A podcast is a talk radio style program produced to be listened to on a computer or portable digital audio device. Dakota Blues can be downloaded at www.sddp.org.

Iowa Loves Meat and Potatoes Part 2

2006-05-30T16:03:00.000-05:00

Iowa governor Tom Vilsack has not only decided to raise teacher salaries in his state, but today he announced a five part plan to make Iowa a national leader in renewable energy.

The plan calls for $13 million to be spent on helping retailers install E-85 tanks and declares that by 2020 25% of fuel consumed in Iowa be from a renewable source.

Read about it here

So while our Republican governor won't even require ethanol and bio-diesel use in state vehicles, and he and the Republican controlled legislature don't lift a finger to raise teacher salaries above last in the nation, a Democratic governor is doing what it takes to make a better future for Iowa.

The need for higher teacher salaries explained

2006-05-26T13:55:00.000-05:00

Seth at CCK artfully articulates the need for higher teacher salaries, and other facets of the chronic underfunding of education in South Dakota.

If the SDGOP Chairman is really concerned about energy independence...

2006-05-26T13:12:00.000-05:00

- Then he should ask Governor Rounds why ethanol and bio-diesel are not required in all state vehicles.
- He should also ask every single Republican legislator why they raided the railroad trust fund and crippled rural communities ability to transport corn and grain to bio-fuel plants.

Where were you guys when we 'needed' a new plane?

2006-05-23T18:06:00.000-05:00

From Monday's Argus Leader

This dovetails nicely into Senator Tom Dempster's comments on Saturday on 'KSFY This Week' when he said "I don't think we waste a dime."

I wonder if his three Republican colleagues quoted in the article agree with that statement.

Senator Tim Johnson is #1

2006-05-23T17:48:00.000-05:00

From Survey USA

God help his opponent in 2008...

Rounds Finds Education Funds

2006-05-18T14:10:00.000-05:00

Winning Power Ball Ticket Sold in Pierre AP

South Dakota schools forced to sue, while in Iowa...

2006-05-17T16:22:00.000-05:00

Today, the board of the South Dakota Coalition of Schools voted unanimously to proceed with a lawsuit against the state of South Dakota. 56 schools have announced their intention to participate in the lawsuit, with more schools expected to join next month. The lawsuit is aimed to correct years of chronic under funding of K-12 education by the state of South Dakota.

This is in direct contrast to the situation with education funding in Iowa. Click here to read about how dedicated the Iowa Governor and legislature are to providing a good education for their kids.

Another Paper Calls Out Rounds For His Secrecy

2006-05-10T09:42:00.000-05:00

From today's Yankton Press and Dakotan:

These incidents paint a picture of a closed administration that cannot or will not be open with South Dakotans in key circumstances. We can't say its too far out of the norm for this state, which seems to have a legacy of closed government.

But times are changing. The spirit of open government is actually gaining traction in this state, in no small part due to the efforts of the attorney general, who is a component of this administration.

What's more, this political season is emerging nationally as one of distrust and dissatisfaction with the status quo. Thus, closed government is quite out of step with the testy climate among the electorate.

But above all else, playing hard-to-get with public information during a health crisis -- and this mumps outbreak could be placed in that category -- simply isn't right. Why shouldn't the public be given the facts in a timely and honest manner?

Frankly, we expect better from the governor -- any governor -- in such situations.

And its not just the Governor who should pay the price for closed and secretive government. SB 163 and SB 164, two bills introduced into this past legislative session by Senator Nesselhuf, were killed in committee by party line votes. These two bills would have opened up reporting on the Governor's Club and legislative races. Here are the Republicans that voted against open government:

Abdallah
McCracken
Olson (Ed)
Bogue
McNenny
Schoenbeck
Koskan (Excused on 164)

I'm sure we'll hear a 180 on the campaign trail about open government from Republicans, and just like the issue of local control, they'll say one thing at home and another in Pierre.

Bad Business

2006-05-08T14:33:00.000-05:00

I'm watching Secretary of Education Rick Melmer's appearance on Sunday's Inside KELOLAND, and something struck me as funny. Melmer described the evolution of Governor Rounds' 2010E education initiative as what Rounds called a 'business plan.'

If I were to look at education as a business and I wanted that business to be successful, wouldn't I start by paying my employees a decent wage? How successful would my business be if I paid my employees worse than every single business out there? Using that logic, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsak should be Bill Gates.

Will Governor Rounds Keep a Pandemic Outbreak Secret?

2006-05-08T09:18:00.000-05:00

From Sunday's Argus Leader:

What the governor seems to care little about is that he's punishing the public more than this newspaper.

Since that's the case, it is fair to ask what kind of foot-dragging and obstruction we can expect from the state this summer about the West Nile virus?

How long will residents have to wait to be notified in the case of an Amber Alert?

What about a natural disaster? Will citizens in harm's way have to suffer because the governor is still mad at the Argus Leader? Or what about the bird flu pandemic we've been warned about? Will Rounds decide that maybe we don't know need to know everything about how we can protect ourselves? Who gave him that power?

The Argus Leader is not only the largest daily newspaper in the state, but serves a population of 100 K plus. Is it really in the best interests of South Dakotans to keep them in the dark? When a significant portion of citizens are shut out from emergency information, information that very well might save their life, what type of signal is the governor sending about his priorities? Politics should never trump public health and safety.

Bob Sahr Almost Costs Vikings Superbowl

2006-05-03T14:43:00.000-05:00

The RCJ’s Mt. Blogmore had this post yesterday:

'Sahr will be tougher to beat than Rounds, what with his work on the Do Not Call List and efforts to boost cell coverage...'

How good are Sahr’s efforts to boost cell phone coverage? Here’s an example from Sunday’s Minneaplois Star Tribune:

Cell phone service can be spotty in Mount Vernon, and Greenway said the Vikings' first call didn't go through.

"I tried to answer it, but we don't have any cell towers out here,'' Greenway said. "I saw that it was a Minnesota area code, though, so I knew it had a chance of being the call.''

Rapid City Journal on Rounds' Gag-Order

2006-05-03T04:08:00.000-05:00

Democratic gubernatorial candidates rip into Rounds

“I would think that’s a public-health issue,” Billion said. “If you’ve got an outbreak of mumps, you’d think he’d be doing anything he can to tell people about it.”

“He seems to run what I guess I’d call a stealth government,” Wiese said. “And that’s not what the public wants. And when you’re dealing with a stealth public-health government, you’ve got a real problem here.”

Serving the Needs of South Dakotans?

2006-04-30T10:36:00.000-05:00

From today's Argus Leader:

Stop It Now, Governor

The editorial takes Governor Rounds to task for not allowing the state epidemiologist to answer questions about the mounting public health threat in regards to outbreaks of the mumps. Is this serving the needs of South Dakotans? Is this government by and for the people?

And then this story

Rounds and the FAA

Details the new investigation by the FAA to address Rounds' non-public use of taxpayer funded aircraft.

More Gag Order Coverage

2006-04-28T17:28:00.000-05:00

From Mt. Blogmore

Gagging on the gag order

Iowa Loves Meat and Potatoes

2006-04-28T12:31:00.000-05:00

From today’s Des Moines Register:

‘Education was also part of the budget deal. Leaders agreed to spend $105 million over three years to raise Iowa teacher salaries.

The state's teacher salary rank nationally should climb from 41st to 32nd, legislators said.’

South Dakota’s teacher’s still rank 51st in the nation.

Gov. Rounds puts $3.5 million in to improve teacher pay
Gov. Vilsack puts in 105 million.

Reaction to Rounds' Stall Tactics

2006-04-27T17:11:00.000-05:00

From today's SDDP news release:

Governor Mike Rounds has been asked repeatedly by South Dakota Democrats to concentrate on the needs of South Dakotans. Governor Rounds has arrogantly refused to address the following issues:

• On October 6th, 2005, Senator Ben Nesselhuf sent a letter requesting information from Governor Mike Rounds in regards to his private use of state-owned aircraft. Citing the need for adequate legislative review and for a public right to know, Senator Nesselhuf requested copies of financial information pertaining to the so-called "Governor's Club.” In response to the letter, Governor Rounds’ chief of staff said, “It’ll go through the normal response process.” It has been nearly six months and Senator Nesselhuf has yet to receive a response. Today, Senator Nesselhuf delivered another letter reminding the Governor of his request.
• It has been exactly one month since Rounds announced his intention to seek re-election and exactly one month since he has refused to answer the question whether or not if re-elected, would he serve out the full term.
• 164 days ago Democratic legislators asked Governor Rounds to require ethanol or bio-diesel use in all state vehicles. The Governor has yet to require ethanol or bio-diesel be used in all state vehicles.

“The arrogance and stall tactics of the Rounds’ administration is not serving the needs of South Dakotans,” said South Dakota Democratic Party Executive Director Jason Schulte. “Dodging questions and avoiding responsibility highlights Governor Rounds’ lack of leadership. When a Democrat is Governor, the citizens of South Dakota can count on them to lead, and address their requests in a timely manner.”

Democrats Offer a Clear Contrast

2006-04-24T13:56:00.000-05:00

The FAA has reopened an investigation into Governor Rounds’ use of state aircraft for personal and political trips. They are looking at Rounds’ use of the secret ‘Governor’s Club’—limitless money from secret donors—to pay for the flights.

Round responds with a gag order to keep state employees from providing the media with information that belongs to the public.

Last week, South Dakota Democrats requested Rounds stop using state employees to wage his political battles.

In his attempts to sweep this under the rug, Rounds is failing to address the core meat and potato issues affecting South Dakotans.

It is the fourth year of Governor Rounds’ administration, South Dakota still ranks last in the nation in teacher pay.

The majority of schools are forced to opt-out not for enhancement, but for survival.

60,000 South Dakotans are without health insurance.

Ethanol and bio-diesel are still not required in state vehicles.

Native American tribes suffer crippling poverty.

A platry minimum wage

South Dakota Democrats offer a clear alternative:

Government you can trust: South Dakota Democrats would restore transparency, accountability, and integrity to Pierre.

Focus on the issues that affect South Dakotans: To start, SD Democrats would help teachers educate the next generation of South Dakotans. SB 120, sponsored by Democrats and killed by Republicans during the 2006 session, would streamline government, eliminate waste and pay for meeting the needs of South Dakota schools all at once without raising taxes.

Does Bruce Whalen Support SB 120?

2006-04-20T18:47:00.000-05:00

It was reported today that the Republican challenger to Rep Stephanie Herseth, Bruce Whalen, is for smaller government. If that is true, than he should be an enthusiastic supporter of SB 120. As we've stated previously, SB 120 would not only have properly funded education, but it would not have raised taxes, and most importantly to candidate Whalen, limited the growth of state government to 3%. Every single Republican in the state legislature disagreed with this approach, however, and voted to keep South Dakota's government growth at 5%. I wonder what Bruce Whalen thinks about that?

Gag Order for State Employees

2006-04-20T12:05:00.000-05:00

From an SDDP Release:

Governor Should End Politically-Motivated Gag Order on State Employees
SDDP: State Agencies Should Serve South Dakotans, Not Political Interests

Pierre, SD

South Dakota Democratic Party Executive Director Jason Schulte today called on Governor Mike Rounds to release state agencies to respond to media requests, saying manipulating them hurts South Dakotans.

It was reported in Tuesday’s Argus Leader (see above) that “members of the state executive branch say they have been told to have all information requests from the Argus Leader approved by a lawyer, citing ongoing litigation. In most cases, that litigation does not appear relevant to the requests.” The article continued, “In an e-mail message, Rounds spokesman Mark Johnston would not clarify why officials had been instructed to refuse or delay requests for information, even in matters not relevant to the lawsuit.”

“State agencies exist to serve the people of South Dakota, not to wage Mike Rounds’ political battles,” said Schulte. “Nobody gets everything they want from the media all the time, but this is absolutely inappropriate. South Dakotans deserve better than a gag order placed on state employees over a political fight.”

Various media entities across South Dakota have chronicled unprecedented secrecy in state government under the administration of Governor Mike Rounds, including but not limited to:

The Argus Leader’s attempts to obtain the list of attendees to the Governor’s 2005 Pheasant Hunt, when the planning and preparation utilized taxpayer resources.

The Rapid City Journal’s August 2005 coverage of the State Health Department’s decision not to publicize the legionnaire’s outbreak in Rapid City that sickened nineteen people and killed one.

The March 15, 2006 Associated Press story “Law changes leave vital records indexes out of sunshine,” which detailed changes state statute affecting public access to information.

The February 7, 2006 Aberdeen American News editorial “Keep Public Records Open,” which included the following news: “When the governor and his crew put together their plan to bypass the Legislature and build the new mansion using private donations, one of the big selling points was that the new mansion would have two purposes. The first was to provide the private domicile for the governor and his family. The second was to provide a public side to be used for meetings, large dinners, etc. Now that the mansion is built and governor occupied, the story has changed. What was sold as a great public opportunity is now being recast as “public” only at the governor’s invitation. Further, efforts to find out who has used it have been rebuffed.”

The South Dakota Newspaper Association’s sponsorship of ‘Sunshine Week,’ which focuses attention on the public’s right to know critical information about their government, along with the March 2005 creation of a fund to help newspapers pursue court cases involving government access.

Even Governor Mike Rounds has stated the need for open government, in a March 28, 2006 column in the Yankton Daily Press and Dakotan: “I agree that we should do all we can to ensure that our citizens have access to information pertinent to their lives.”

“We ask that Governor Rounds release state employees from his political saga and allow them to continue serving the people of South Dakota,” Schulte added. “When our next Governor is a Democrat, South Dakotans can count on open and accountable government.”

Steve Jarding in Sioux Falls

2006-04-17T13:35:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder, Steve Jarding will be at Food and Fermentation in downtown Sioux Falls today for a South Dakota Democratic Party fundraiser from 4-7 pm.

Steve is the co-author of the new book, Foxes in the Henhouse. He is a former SDDP Executive Director and currently teaches at Harvard.

More Railroad Trust Fund Raid Repercussions

2006-04-13T16:24:00.000-05:00

From the AP/Aberdeen American News
Fate of rail line key for proposed ethanol plant

Ginkgo Biloba

2006-04-13T15:38:00.000-05:00

While today is the 2 week mark for Governor Rounds' waffling on his pledge to the citizens of South Dakota whether to finish his term or not if re-elected, I wanted to address something that had so far flown under the radar.

On Tuesday, March 28th, Governor Rounds forgot his own administration’s increased secrecy. In Yankton’s Press and Dakotan, Governor M. Michael Rounds wrote this:

"I'd like the opportunity to correct some information in the recent guest column titled "Time to open the door to government transparency." (Press & Dakotan, March 15) I agree that we should do all we can to ensure that our citizens have access to information pertinent to their lives."

Here’s some examples of how the increased secrecy in Pierre affects South Dakotans:

State Senator Ben Nesselhuf requested the Governor Rounds release tax returns showing he is in federal compliance with IRS guidelines involving personal and political use of state airplanes. (Argus Leader, October 7, 2005) The governor has ignored the request.

Governor Rounds "defended state Health Department officials for their decision not to issue a public alert about a small outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that killed a Rapid City woman" in the summer of 2005. (Rapid City Journal, August 17, 2005)

The Governor rejected requests by the Argus Leader to release the names of those invited to the 2005 Governor's Invitational Pheasant Hunt, forcing the Argus Leader to file suit, attempting to gain access to the information. An attorney for the Governor called the Argus Leader's request for the names of "an absurd misreading of statute." (Argus Leader, February 2, 2006) The lawsuit is pending.

"There is also the issue of the new governor's mansion. Now that the mansion is built and governor-occupied, the story has changed. What was sold as a great public opportunity is now being recast as "public" only at the governor's invitation. Further, efforts to find out who has used it have been rebuffed." (Aberdeen American News, February 7, 2006)

Governor Rounds has brought secrecy and abuse of power to Pierre. South Dakota Democrats hold open government as a core value - a meat and potato value, and will continue to fight for the right of citizens to experience transparent and accountable government.

Since the Governor cannot remember his own administration’s secrecy, the Blue Note would like to ask him if he needs a bottle of ginkgo biloba, the herbal supplement regarded as the most popular for improving one’s memory. When talking about open access to information, we hope the Governor can remember the numerous examples where his administration has brought too much secrecy to Pierre. In contrast, South Dakota Democrats have been active in our pursuit of open government with proposed legislation (SB163, SB164). Something voters won’t forget in November.