Argus Leader has article on Democrat Gubernatorial speculation. Not that we can take most of them seriously.

The Argus Leader has an article on-line today where they’re speculating on who the Democrats could pick for Governor, and Argus political reporter Joe Sneve presents us with a list of six names, with several leaving us head scratching.  Now, Joe is arguably one of the best political reporters they’ve had since Dave Kranz… but I’m not sure where he came up with some of these picks speculating on who the Democrats might run:

South Dakota Democratic Party vice chair Nikki Gronli told the Argus Leader last week the party is working with a handful of potential candidates considering a 2022 run for the governor’s mansion in Pierre. But formal decisions likely won’t come until late summer or early fall.

“No one is ready to come out just yet,” she said, adding several party members from across the state are in the exploratory phase of a campaign, conducting behind-the-scenes polling to assess where they stand and waiting to see who else emerges.

Read that here.

From here, he comes up with a list of six names .. and as noted, some of them seem to be coming out of left field, as Joe tells us to look at Billie Sutton, Dan Ahlers, Bob Sutton, Troy Heinert, Brendan Johnson, Mike Huether, and Steve Hildebrand.

Er…..Maybe we can take a couple of those names seriously.  But there’s a number on the list that I just can’t.

Of the serious ones, all Democrats would kill to have Billie Sutton run again.. even though Kristi stripped him of his “he might be conservative aura” in the last election to show that he flip-flops on abortion, has mentioned exploring a state income tax, and the whole Bernie Sanders thing. So he’d be starting from that far behind.

Dan Ahlers would be one of the not serious ones, as evidenced from the abysmally bad campaign he ran for US Senate last election.

Avera CEO Bob Sutton switching parties and running? Where did Joe come up with this off-the-wall one? Bob has been Republican for years, and I don’t think that him dropping his position to get into politics is even conceivable.  Nobody says I’m in high position in one of the state’s top organizations, and I want to drop it all to get beat up for the next year running for office, and then if I win, I have to live in Pierre, and still get beat up.

Troy Heinert is noted as telling “the Argus Leader he’s eyeing a statewide run.”  I see that as one of the few serious possibilities, as I could see Heinert taking one for the team and running so Democrats have an opponent.

Brendan Johnson? I was just reading even today that he’s more interested in being an attorney and has no interest in running for office. He’d be on their wish list, but if he ran, I don’t think he’d want to be Governor.

Mike Huether running as a Democrat? Well, remember that time when he was their highest ranking elected Democrat, and the headline in the paper read “Huether Dumps Dems?” And he took inspiration from Donald Trump.   I’m sure that would play well with the Democrat Faithful.

I’ve heard rumors that Huether would only re-write a 1 year contract with KELO for his show because he might run for office within the next two years.. but Democrats seriously running him as a candidate?  I think that bridge was not just burned, but was blown up.

And rounding out the list is perpetual I-might-run Steve Hildebrand. Which is another one that can’t be taken seriously, since he’s been said to maybe-run for every race for the last decade.  That’s another dog that isn’t going to hunt.

So, on the list might be Heinert as the most serious candidate, followed closely by Sutton.. and it drops off quickly?

Democrat’s hopes for Governor are looking as bleak as their congressional chances.

Democrats attempting to tee up unsuccessful PUC Candidate Remi Bald Eagle against Dusty Johnson for Congress

I caught a bit of interesting chatter last evening. The word is that after South Dakota Democrats highlighted their dysfunction this past election by failing to field a candidate for Congress, a few have banded together to promote a candidate to run in 2022.

A Facebook group has recently been set up to promote Democrat Remi Bald Eagle for Congress. The same Remi Bald Eagle who unsuccessfully ran for the Public Utilities Commission in 2020.

Scratching your head yet?  You have to wonder what the thought process is in the Democrat Party as they search for someone to place on the bench for the next Congressional race. Do they look for a fresh face? Oh heck no – they look for those who were completely knocked off the bench.

Nevermind that last election, Bald Eagle had received 26.8% of the statewide vote to Gary Hanson’s massive 68% landslide, marking him as having the worst showing of any Democrat on the Statewide ballot (after Joe Biden’s 35.6% and Dan Ahlers 34.3%).

And from the sounds of it, they’re setting their sights on placing Bald Eagle up against a Republican who has polled more popular than Donald Trump among South Dakotans.

Johnson’s last race had him running in the lopsided Congressional contest where there was no Democrat opponent, giving Dusty a 81-19% win against a Libertarian. And that came after a GOP Primary which saw him crushing GOP competitor Liz May 76.7% – 23.3%.

That’s a lot of voters across the spectrum who made the incumbent Johnson their choice in the last election. Making it all that much harder for Democrats to convince voters to choose someone else.

Ultimately, for Democrats the game is about actually fielding a candidate at all, so as to avoid the embarrassment of failing to get sufficient signatures for not just one but two candidates on the Congressional ballot this last election.  So if they can manage to get behind one candidate, albeit someone one candidate who got their butt kicked in a down-ticket race last election, more power to them.

I’m sure Republicans will be happy to face those odds.

Is it an endorsement postcard when most of it is spent talking about yourself?

Had a correspondent send me this postcard from out west, because they know that I love to point out the bad ones. And it really raises the question whether an endorsement is really an endorsement when most of the text is spent expounding on one’s own virtues?

I think we could probably call this an oversized ego-card versus an endorsement card.

Stan (or should I say, one of Stan’s many PAC’s) actually has his name larger on the card than the candidate he’s endorsing.  It literally only mentions the candidate’s full name once, but in smaller type than his own name on the front.  Where he rambles on at length about himself.

Definitely doesn’t pass the 15 second test – what can you read in the amount of time between the mailbox and the rubbish bin. Seeing the huge picture of an old man, most likely mistook it for a medicare supplement advertisement.

Stan’s endorsement has been the kiss of death in the past. So maybe the School Board candidate is ok with the fact that she hardly appears on it.

Although it could have been worse. At least there wasn’t a pentagram on this one.

Rep. Bordeaux removed as chair of State-Tribal Relations Committee. It was well past time.

There’s some chatter at ArgusLeader.com in a subscribers only article over the leadership of the State House and Senate removing State Rep. Shaun Bordeaux from the Chairmanship of the State-Tribal Relations Committee:

“To be frank, it’s his racist behavior that caused numerous conflicts, and because of his racist conduct, there needed to be different leadership without a doubt,” Schoenbeck Saturday said of Bordeaux, now the former chairman of the State-Tribal Relations Committee.

Schoenbeck said the beef with Bordeaux goes back to a 2019 committee meeting the Rosebud Sioux tribal member was chairing in which an apple was used to insult a Native American member of Gov. Kristi Noem’s administration. The term “apple,” Schoenbeck said, is used to insult Native Americans perceived to be “red on the outside and white on the inside.”

and..

Bordeaux countered, though, saying Schoenbeck and Gosch are “playing the race card” when their decision to pull the plug is actually retribution for him pointing out shortcomings between the state of South Dakota and the state’s tribes and to deny him the ability highlight them through the committee.

Read the entire article here.

Bordeaux has a documented record of saying some fairly horrible things, as we noted here in 2019 when he was speaking to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in his position as State Representative…

“I’ll be up there in Pierre, and there will be some old wasichu guy, and I hate to paint this picture, but I see a little indian girl, and I’m thinking gee that poor girl might come from a dysfunctional home, was taken out of it, and she’s probably cleaning in their home, and keeping the place tidy, and he gets $300 a month for his little indentured servant or whatever.”    – State Representative Shawn Bordeaux (26A – D)

Read that, and watch the video of him saying that here.

And let’s also not forget when he referred to Italian-americans as “guidos” and inferred they’re in the mafia.

Bordeaux also drew a parallel with casinos on Indian lands. When they first came, people feared the worst.

“When gaming first came out, they said there’s going to be mafia, and all the Indians are going to have all this crime. It’s going to be all over the reservations,” he said. “I ain’t seen one Guido yet … those folks who are supposed to be the mafia folks haven’t showed up.”

Read that here.

So House and Senate leadership removed Bordeaux as chair of the State-Tribal Relations Committee?

Too bad it took them this long. It was well past time.

US Senator John Thune’s Weekly Column: A Tale of Two Pipelines

A Tale of Two Pipelines
By Sen. John Thune

The recent Colonial Pipeline hack was a stark reminder of the importance of American energy independence and security. Americans should never have to question whether they will have reliable and affordable access to energy and fuel, but lines at gas pumps across the northeast hearkened back to the 1970s, when conflict in the Middle East resulted in serious shortages in the United States.

Over the last several decades, Republicans have prioritized efforts to ensure that our country can rely almost entirely on North American energy sources instead of imports from overseas – and we’ve made great strides. But for America to maintain its competitive energy posture, we cannot hamstring industries that have helped reduce our dependency on foreign energy. Unfortunately, President Biden has already begun to do just that, starting when he halted construction of the job-creating Keystone XL pipeline on the first day of his presidency.

The pipeline, which was already under construction, would have run through nine counties in South Dakota and brought economic growth to small towns like Philip and Murdo. Its cancellation will rob 11,000 Americans of good-paying jobs – all because of exaggerated concerns over the environmental impact and an unrealistic and costly agenda to end the use of fossil fuels.

Pipelines are the most environmentally responsible way of transporting oil, and even the Obama administration agreed that Keystone XL was the most environmentally sensitive approach compared to using rail or trucks. The project’s emissions would also be entirely offset with a $1.7 billion investment in renewable energy. President Biden’s decision to cancel this infrastructure project was shortsighted and entirely counterproductive. The oil in question needs to be transported whether Keystone XL is built or not, especially as consumer demand for fuel rebounds.

Given President Biden’s firm position on the Keystone XL pipeline, I find it particularly troubling that he took a notably different position on a pipeline being built from Russia to Germany – the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. His administration recently decided not to sanction the builders of the Russian pipeline because, as the president said, “It’s almost completely finished.” Allowing the successful construction of Nord Stream 2 will make our European allies more dependent on Russia’s energy monopoly for their energy supplies and serve an economic blow to Ukraine as it fends off Russian aggression. The president has talked aggressively about countering Russian President Vladimir Putin and his destabilizing agenda, but now, with a chance to do something about halting construction of the pipeline, President Biden is taking the pressure off.

It’s a tale of two pipelines: our president has decided to allow the construction of Nord Stream 2, a Russian pipeline that will leave our European allies more vulnerable to Russia, and halted construction of Keystone XL, a pipeline that would create 11,000 American jobs and transport Canadian and American crude oil in the most environmentally safe way. Unfortunately, it feels like the president is picking Russia’s energy monopoly, to the detriment of America and South Dakota’s energy independence, and putting politics over practicality.

It’s not just President Biden who is pushing these kinds of left-wing energy policies. I’ve spoken out against the Democrats’ $259 billion “Clean Energy for America Act” because of its expansive wish list of new government spending. I’ve argued that if we want to make meaningful, fiscally responsible investments in American energy, it will require a real “all-the-above” approach.

Since being elected to Congress, I have promoted the use of home-grown biofuels to help reduce carbon emissions from transportation, and many people may be surprised to learn that due to robust hydroelectric and wind energy, approximately 70 percent of South Dakota’s energy production is renewable. Still, President Biden and Democrats are wrong to increasingly minimize the critical role oil and natural gas play in ensuring affordable and reliable energy for all Americans.

While I’m a longtime advocate of clean energy and clean fuels, the fact of the matter is that our economy is still going to need traditional sources of energy – namely oil and natural gas – for a long time to come. I hope Democrats change course and work with Republicans on delivering affordable and reliable energy to consumers, creating and expanding good-paying jobs for American workers, and securing American energy independence – all while lowering our emissions.

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Congressman Dusty Johnson’s Weekly Column: Lactose Tolerant

Lactose Tolerant
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
June 4, 2021

June is National Dairy Month, and in South Dakota we have a lot to celebrate.

Over the last three years, milk production has grown 35% in South Dakota. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, total cheese production in South Dakota increased 16% in a year when many states were not as fortunate.

During my first term in Congress, I advocated for and rallied support from many of my colleagues across the aisle to pass the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement which provided necessary improvements to increase dairy market access for South Dakota producers. Canada needs to live up to their end of the USMCA bargain, and that’s why I urged the administration to ensure Canada is allowing producers to meet the tariff quotas set in place under USMCA – I’m glad they are taking action.

Despite these successes, dairy farmers in South Dakota are still facing hardships because of the pandemic, and they need our support now more than ever.

That is why I cosponsored the DAIRY PRIDE Act, a bill that would require manufacturers of plant-based foods and beverages to stop mislabeling their products as dairy products. Many non-dairy items have the words “milk,” “yogurt,” and “cheese” on their labels, when in reality they do not meet the FDA’s definition of dairy and do not possess the specific nutritional values found in real dairy products.

The DAIRY PRIDE Act benefits both dairy producers and confused consumers across the United States by simply requiring the FDA to follow their own rules. After a year of braving extreme demand disruptions and plummeting market prices, this is the boost our dairy producers deserve.

Dairy products provide important health benefits to millions of Americans, and I am proud of our South Dakota dairy farmers who work hard every day to feed our nation and fill our cereal bowls.

The pandemic has proven just how resilient our dairy producers are, and National Dairy Month is the perfect time to recognize their efforts. Make sure to thank and support your local dairy farmers in June!

Governor Kristi Noem’s Weekly Column: Arbitrary and Unlawful

Arbitrary and Unlawful
By: Governor Kristi Noem
June 4, 2021

There is no better place than Mount Rushmore to celebrate America’s birthday. Independence Day is the celebration of our nation and our founding principles of freedom, equality, and opportunity. Thomas Jefferson wrote the beautiful document that declared the United States of America free and independent. George Washington’s leadership in the American Revolution ensured that our independence was established and protected.

Unfortunately, the Biden Administration does not share South Dakota’s desire to celebrate America’s birthday at our Shrine of Democracy. They arbitrarily and unlawfully denied our permit to hold the event this year, violating a memorandum of agreement that the State of South Dakota had with the Department of Interior.

A federal district court judge recently sided with the Biden Administration and denied our request to honor our agreement with federal authorities and hold fireworks at Mount Rushmore this year. But this fight is not over. My legal team is appealing the court’s ruling so that we can celebrate America’s independence at Mount Rushmore next year and into the future.

Unfortunately, by cancelling our fireworks celebration, the Biden Administration is caving to the radical elements of the modern Democrat party. They wish to cancel the great men on that mountain who accomplished so much to make America the most special nation in history. It’s but their latest attack on American history and our founding principles. It falls in line with recent promotion of critical race theory and revisionist history like the 1619 Project.

In the radical left’s view, America has become one of the villains of history. That’s why they promote kneeling for our national anthem. That’s why they tear down statues honoring our nation’s heroes. And that’s why last year there were calls to tear down Mount Rushmore itself.

We know the truth. We know that America is the greatest nation that the world has ever known. While America has fallen short of our founding ideals at times, our nation’s greatest triumphs are in the moments when we’ve made progress towards realizing those ideals.

Independence Day is about celebrating those ideals and the tremendous history that makes them possible. It’s about celebrating the things that make America exceptional, including the exceptional men on Mount Rushmore. They were flawed men – every single one of us has our own flaws. But they led our country through challenging times, and we are stronger for that leadership.

A fireworks celebration at Mount Rushmore is the best possible way to celebrate not only those men, but also, and more importantly, the ideals that they dedicated their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to achieve. Despite the Biden Administration’s arbitrary and unlawful decision, we will continue fighting to once again return fireworks to Mount Rushmore.

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Another great Pierre for Capital / Teddy Roosevelt item for my collection

It must be good karma, because this past week I managed to find yet another variant of the Pierre for Capital medallions, similar to one I’d recently purchased for my South Dakota State Capitol fight collection

The newest one is at the top:

TR - Stand Pat for Pierre Medallions

The new medallion is about the same size and configuration as the one in the middle, advertising that voters should “Stand Pat” for “Pierre for Capital” except this one lacks the “1904” date my other one has. It could be from the 1904 campaign, as obviously it’s the same era with popular president at the time, Teddy Roosevelt, but it might be from the early days of that last capital fight before a date for the new election was set.

I got a pretty good deal on it, as it’s the least expensive one I’ve bought. And definitely a welcome addition to my collection.

If anyone ever comes across any State Capital fight items, give me a shout, as they’re always an item I’m after.

Guest Column: We Have to Stand-up to the Bullies!

We have to Stand-up to the bullies!
by State Rep. Trish Ladner

As a society, we have ragged war against a world-wide pandemic and have come out the victors! In South Dakota we are fortunate. We had Governor Kristi Noem in charge. She came to us as a community of South Dakotans and told us we would not be sheltering in place or shutting down our economy. She knew we’d be responsible adults and make allowances for our fellow citizens, ensuring that we would do all we could to safeguard each other and work to keep our small businesses and towns open, healthy, safe, and well.

Other states were not as fortunate as we were. They were mandated and bullied by their governors and later the White House, via executive orders to remain in lockdown and to comply with mask and vaccine mandates without question. As a result, many have experienced depression, isolation, anxiety, financial devastation, and a decline in academics just to name a few. As a society, we have witnessed the escalation of violent cancel culture groups whose goal is to create paralyzing fear amongst the people, in order to control, divide, and silence us. A tactic that has been used throughout history even in the days of the Roman Empire.

Living in South Dakota, we sometimes lose sight of what other Americans are going through and the real challenges they are facing every day. This past week when my husband and I ran into a young couple who were visiting the Black Hills in the hopes of relocating here. They told us that in their metropolitan community, they live in fear every day. If you don’t have a Black Lives Matter sticker on your car, it is assumed that you are not supportive of the movement and you will be targeted. Their employers are now tracking whether or not they have received the vaccine. If not, they will not be allowed to work! They stated that, all they want is to do is to move to a red state and feel safe again. Are they intimidated? Yes! Are they living in fear? Absolutely! This no way for an American to live.

Do you remember as a child, that one guy who was the bully on the playground? Sometimes you just had to take a stand, challenging the dreaded bully in order to stop him and feel safe again. Well, our values as a nation and a society are being bullied and challenged from every side, including the right for us to have a simple conversation with each other. Heaven forbid we agree to disagree. Social media has played a huge role in these changes to our culture because we now have access to the world with the stroke of one key. As an unfortunate consequence, we have cultivated a bunch of keyboard cowboys who can sit home in their basement, posting “opinions” as facts, passing along whatever rhetoric that they want to. We no longer know what to believe, what is fact or what is fiction.

But don’t forget when challenged, the bullies always cower and run away. Together our voice is strong! As a people united, we are resilient. Never, never, forget that we have looked a world-wide pandemic straight in the eyes and have emerged victorious! It’s time to stand up to the bullies around us and help to facilitate change from within. Run for the school board, write your state and federal legislators, or attend your chamber, city council and commissioners’ meeting and give your input. Last, but not least, turn off the noise from social media and TV outlets and pick up a good book or read your favorite column and enjoy a newfound peace.

Governor Noem Responds to Decision on Mount Rushmore Fireworks

Governor Noem Responds to Decision on Mount Rushmore Fireworks

PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem issued the following statement in response to the District Court decision on her lawsuit against the Biden Administration over their cancellation of the Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration:

“The Biden Administration cancelled South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration on completely arbitrary grounds. I am disappointed that the court gave cover to this unlawful action with today’s decision. But rest assured, this fight is not over. My legal team will appeal this incorrect decision so that we can return the Fireworks Celebration to Mount Rushmore and celebrate our nation’s birthday at America’s Shrine to Democracy for next year and in the future.”

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