Check this out. You’re not hearing it from the mainstream media, but in the middle of a pandemic, yesterday South Dakota Democrats block voted against the Senate Resolution laying out the spending of federal funds for COVID relief in yesterday’s special session.
Take a look at the vote!
All of the Senate’s Democrats voted against disbursing millions in federal grants for long term care facilities, small business, funds for non-profits, etcetera and so on.
But it wasn’t just Senate Democrats. After they got done rejecting the expenditures for affected people and organizations, then House Democrats turned right around and voted against it as well.
So, when faced with the question of providing $10,000,000 in for housing assistance (rent, utilities, mortgage), Democrat State Rep Erin Healy said NO. $2,000,000 of CARES act relief for adult education and private non-accredited education? Senator Reynold Nesiba was a big fat NO. $15,000,000 of coronavirus relief funds for acute care in hospitals? Mark down anti-vaxxer Democrat legislator Michael Saba as NO to acute care funds for hospitals.
And of course, you have Senator “wasted seat” Wismer voting NO to $400,000,000 in coronavirus relief funds for small business.
Was this some sort of moral stand? Not really.
After all the amendments were proposed and voted on by the body as a whole, Democrats simply voted against anyone receiving COVID relief.
Which kind of tells you that they’re more interested in blocking than actually helping.
Interrupting the daily “democrats eat babies” piece to ask: Do you know what their stated reasons for blocking the measures are?
From Bob Mercer on keloland.com:
The Senate adopted the resolution at about 1:25 p.m. CT by a 25-7 margin. “It’s a well-crafted piece of legislation, or resolution I should say,” Senate Republican leader Kris Langer of Dell Rapids said. Senator Reynold Nesiba, a Sioux Falls Democrat, disagreed because he wanted the money spent in some additional ways: “We’re the Legislature. Shouldn’t we be able to pass our own appropriation?”
https://www.keloland.com/news/capitol-news-bureau/lawmakers-put-stamp-of-approval-on-final-spending-of-south-dakota-covid-19-aid/
As much as I want a healthy two party system and have given sincere advice (not advocating they change positions), I read this and realize the only way there will be more dems in office is if we’d just not run people.
Earlier I said the over-under was 10 Dems in the legislature after the election. Today, I will take the under.
If you wanted to make it a bet with risks (Troy’s poke above aside), 14 would be a good number for the over/under.
I will take the under all day long. South Dakotans see what the Democrat party of today is. This is not the party of Dashale or JFK, its a bunch of nuts and communist. I think the Dems have a total of 11 in office now and I expect that to shrink. This party does not represent real people anymore. I wish it did but, it does not. I am expecting it to be cut in half and they wil be lucky to field 8 as people, will just vote R straigght down the ballot. Maybe the Libertarians can be our 2nd party in this state, at least they are reasonable.
I’d agree. 4 in the Senate, with 5 meaning the max. 10 in the House, with 12 being the max.
I don’t say that as a partisan, just purely looking at the races. No honest observer can look through the list and find more opportunities than that for the Dems.
Nesiba should go back to quoting poetry….spink, spank, spink. chee, chee, chee
There were amendments offered, which the body rejected. Certainly not an excuse to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Dem legislators saw it as an abrogation of the legislature’s constitutionally charged duty of managing the purse and rubber stamping that power to the governor. Look, we all know you are a shill for the republican party, but could you at least make a little effort to try to report facts that might be damaging to your narrative?
Were the SD Dems taking a page for Nancy’s “my way or the highway” approach? They have to realize that they are severely outnumbered in the house and senate.
Was Gov. Noem even still in the state when these votes took place?
So whatcha gonna say about Trump’s decision to halt relief plans until after the election? Cool?
Also, this whole thing is absurd. Noem spent how much before legislators even convened? The Legislature shouldn’t be a rubber stamp for the 2nd floor. What a waste of a branch of govt if that’s what we’ve come to.
The legislature’s listening sessions, the public testimonies, legislative recommendations, the legislative work groups, the Joint Committee on Appropriations, the public testimonies…how much more was needed?? . Why did Nesiba not bring his testifiers if he or anyone else wanted something else before committee? Now blame Noem? Makes some sound plain whacko.
You can tell Ms. Wismer is very mean just by her looks and her manner of speaking. She hates people and would not want to help them. But Mr. Nesiba seems like a nicer sort of fellow. I am surprised by his malice towards South Dakotans.
I have been consistently surprised with the lack of independence shown by the SD Legislature. Yes, we have a “strong executive” system built into our state constitution, but that shouldn’t cause the legislature, and especially its leaders, from asserting what privileges and responsibilities they *do* have to act as a check and balance on the executive.
And nobody bothers to note or mention that, as is typical, Senators Jensen and Russell voted in straight alignment with the Dems. Jensen and Russell have an allied voting record with the Dems every session. They do this for personal political reasons… so they can turn around during campaigns and claim they voted consistently “against the establishment and the Rinos.” They’re both just cowardly, self-serving community leeches who vote far more frequently with the Dems than they ever do with Republicans. Hopefully, their day of public and political reckoning is getting near.
Right on anonymoose – I was thinking the same thing. Why isn’t anyone calling out the two biggest alt-righters in the Senate – Russell and Jensen – for their outright dismissal of the need for this funding? Also, why aren’t we yelling from our rooftops regarding their callous, self-serving voting record that has done nothing positive for South Dakota or their respective districts? Yet, I guess you get what you deserve if these are the yahoos that the electorate chooses. Unfortunately, District 30 swapped crazy (Russell) for mental-hospital lunatic/conspiracy theorist (JFM) and District 33 gets wacko Jensen again – now in the house. I agree anonymoose – time to clean house – literally.
Michael,
I’m very much for independence in the Legislature. I think they make the Governor and government better. However, the sheer idiocy of every attempt of the Legislature to assert independence is indefensible.
Independence asserted in pursuit of better policies is good.
Independence asserted following simpleton one page dog whistles is nothing more than a child sent to their room and writing in crayon all over their own wall.
The House rebels (of the Governor) always seem to pick weak leaders who they can control and do.
Here is a question I have? Where was Sen Novstrup? Too busy to show up? I mean he wouldn’t have mattered anyway but still…I feel in D3 we just have an empty seat in the senate chamber anyway. He only talks to constituents when he needs a vote.
Seriously? Novstrup has covered for you plenty and you should thank him and be on your way.