Author: @SoDakCampaigns

You’ve been invited! The Minnehaha County Republican Party is hosting a debate watching party tonight in Sioux Falls.

What? – Republican Presidential Debate Watching Party
When? – Tonight at 8 PM
Where? – The District – 4521 W Empire Pl, Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57106

The Minnehaha Republicans will hold a debate watch party at The District, main dining area. Big screen TV, closed captioning and cash bar.

Update – word is from CNN that things will start around 7:30. Be at the District!

So, supposedly the Democrats met yesterday in Oacoma at Cedar Shores, according to the Sioux Falls chapter of Drinking Liberally:

In Political News: The South Dakota Democratic Party (SDDP) meets in Oacoma (Cedar Shores) on Saturday to amend their Constitution, review their candidate recruitment efforts (Will they introduce a US Senate candidate?), and plan for the 2016 election. Lest they get overconfident, I reprint a paragraph from last week’s Drinking Liberally post describing the abyss into which their Party’s voter registration numbers have fallen in South Dakota:

“Democratic voter registration in South Dakota fell to 169,059 this week, the lowest level of Democratic registration since 1972 when it stood at 158,086. Democratic voter registration has declined by 37,000 from its historic high of 206,000 in July of 2009. Over the same period Republican registration has remained around 240,000. Republicans now top Democratic registration by 69,000 voters, vs a workable 36,000 advantage in 2009. (For comparison purposes, in 1972 Republicans outnumbered Republicans by 37,000 registered voters, but the Democrats held the Governorship (Richard Kneip), the two US Senate seats (George McGovern and Jim Abourezk) and one of the two US House seats (Frank Denholm). In 2014, the Democratic Party was unable to deliver its own 35% share of registered voters for any of its statewide candidates, the highest vote total being the 33% received by the Democratic House candidate, Corrina Robinson.)”

Suffice it to say, the SDDP has its work cut out for it. I wish them luck and I plan to join them in Chamberlain to cheer them on. As they say, hope springs eternal.

Read that here.

They seriously need an RSS Feed, as they’re the only ones on the other side of the aisle who actually talk about what’s going on in Democrat Circles. The other sites tend to be ignorant of it, willfully or by that being their natural state.

The important point to take away from Sheldon Osborne’s 12/11 post was that this meeting was an opportunity for Democrats to introduce who their standard bearer was going to be in the US Senate race, and possibly to give some face time to Paula Hawks for a mid December media bump. But if you look at Social Media for the State Dem Party and Hawks…. I hear a quiet, lilting sound:  *chirp* *chirp* *chirp* 

Yes, the only things you hear are crickets chirping. If you look, you’d hardly know they had a meeting.  And there’s no indication whatsoever that they’ve been able to come up with a candidate yet.

Make no mistake, no matter what script the Democrat party is handing out to be parroted, petition circulation begins in 19 days.  Fundraising should have begun between 6 months to a year ago. There are very few, if any, scenarios where a candidate on the other side of the aisle can begin to approach legitimacy, much less be able to raise the funds to go on TV.

Even their high mark candidate last election, Corinna Robinson, whom I hear is job hunting and passing around her resume in Washington, DC nowadays, began her efforts in October of 2013, when she moved to South Dakota. Robinson gave it a good try, but was unable to raise awareness and money in that amount of time.  Slick Rick Weiland, who suffered under the disadvantage of people knowing him started back in May.

Dems are months PAST those points in this cycle, and there’s still no hint of names bubbling up to the top of the swamp.

It was unheard of when they took a pass on running a US Senate candidate 6 years ago. When they do it again this election, you’ll hear the word “historic.”

If you notice some oddness on the site today, I’m doing some administrative work on the back-end. I’ve got to boost storage, so I can update whm and cpanel for site administration. Apparently, I’m out of room.

And as I’d mentioned earlier, the latest WordPress update seems to have wreaked havoc. Now I’m discovering that it has messed with how media is inserted into posts as they’re authored. I can still put them there by declaring the full URL, but it’s supposed to do that automatically. And the latest update has messed up a few things, such as the icons for twitter and facebook, which have disappeared from the top of the page, about the same time it mucked up the rss aggregator, so I’m going to see what I can do to solve the issues.

If WordPress has anymore updates, I might have to go back to Blogger!
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Update – MUCH better on the admin side. Images work again, and so do the twitter and facebook icons.  And, maybe we’re getting closer on the RSS Feed Aggregator.

Although my old one I was forced to abandon a while ago is doing what it always did.  It’s back to working like a champ, so I’m less inclined to solve that problem at all.

From the Rapid City Journal continues the odd tale of the Sasso lawsuit. It was dropped, but new information reflecting poorly on alderman comes to light.

Sasso’s lawyers threatened to file a federal lawsuit and a complaint under the Rapid City Code of Conduct for Elected Officials unless the city paid Sasso $855,000 by Dec. 24.

“Wright’s response to Sasso’s column appearing in the Rapid City Journal was so outrageous in character, and so extreme in degree, as to go beyond all possible bound of decency,” the letter said. “His behavior is atrocious and intolerable in a civilized community such as Rapid City.”

Then, this past Wednesday, Sasso said in a written statement provided to the Journal that he had dropped the lawsuit threat. The decision came less than two weeks after his letter to the city.

and…

City Attorney Joel Landeen subsequently told the Journal that evidence had arisen of termination documents that were prepared against Sasso before his column was published.

“It destroyed their case,” Landeen said.

and…

In the letter, Nooney apparently recounted what he described as a “rather bizarre” lunch conversation he had with Wright. According to Nooney’s letter, Wright told Black Hills Works that it should not employ people like Sasso.

“For what it is worth,” the Nooney letter said, “Wright shared with me that very few people were aware of his ‘ability to get Sasso fired…'”

Kooiker, who was ousted from office in June, shared the information from Nooney’s letter with Sasso, who has claimed that Black Hills Works gave him no other reason for his firing. The letter’s contents made Sasso suspect that Wright was the cause of the firing, and Sasso’s attorneys quoted from the Nooney letter in their letter to the city.

and…

Whether or not Wright caused Sasso’s firing, Sasso continues to believe that Wright clearly sought to cause it.

“Whether his actions were the basis for my termination is not the point any longer,” Sasso wrote in his statement to the Journal, “but the issue remains as to the appropriateness of a City Council member attempting to get a person fired for exercising his right to freedom of speech.”

Read it here.

When a politician is so thin-skinned that they can’t take public criticism without seeking retaliatory action, they don’t have a political problem. They have an ego problem.

Never a dull moment in Rapid City local politics.

Delivering On Our Promise to the American People  
By Sen. John Thune

Last year at this time, Republicans were preparing to take control of the Senate – the first time Republicans would control the upper chamber since 2007 – and follow through on the promises we made to the American people. Republicans were serious when we pledged to get Washington working again. It wasn’t a half-heartened slogan we used to campaign for the majority, it was a commitment by which we intended to govern in the majority.

Republicans pledged to tackle the big issues, which is why in just the first few weeks of the new Republican majority, we sent a bill to President Obama that would have approved the long-stalled, job-creating Keystone XL pipeline. We also passed important legislation that gave the American people a voice on the president’s misguided nuclear agreement with Iran, a ten-year balanced budget that didn’t raise a single dime in taxes, a bill that funds America’s men and women in uniform, numerous resolutions that would block burdensome EPA regulations, legislation that defunds Planned Parenthood, and a bill that repeals Obamacare.

I was glad we were able to help secure the Powder River Training Complex (PRTC) expansion, which was an effort nearly nine years in the making. As I said in March when the expansion was first announced, while this was a long process, I’m proud we’re able to provide our servicemen and women with the resources they need to be successful in a combat environment. In early December, PRTC commanders and airmen completed their first of what I hope will be many successful large force exercises.

It was a humbling experience to play an integral role in getting the first long-term highway bill in more than a decade signed into law. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, of which I am chairman, can be credited with nearly half of the legislative text included in the final version of the bill, including reforms that will enhance safety, provide regulatory relief, streamline grant programs, and improve the accountability and efficiency of oversight efforts. Having served on the conference committee that negotiated the final version, I was in a unique position to ensure South Dakota’s interests were given key consideration.

States like South Dakota that depend on freight rail to ship products to and from their communities will benefit from the important Surface Transportation Board (STB) reforms that I helped usher through the Commerce Committee and full House and Senate. These reforms – the first of their kind for the STB – will end the uncertainty faced by businesses and agriculture producers and help protect the consumers who are ultimately impacted by disruptions in freight transportation.

While we’ve been able to accomplish a lot of important things for the American people, there is more work to be done. We plan to spend the second year of the 114th Congress the way we’ve spent the first: fighting to make our economy stronger, our government more efficient and more accountable, and our nation and our world safer and more secure.

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A Long-Term Highway Bill for South Dakota
By Senator Mike Rounds

A healthy economy is dependent on a strong and reliable transportation system. In South Dakota, we rely on the Interstate System and the National Highway System to travel across the state to do business and visit friends and family in other towns. We, and others, also use these roads to transport roughly $20 billion in goods each year. All of this wear and tear on our highway system means our roads and bridges must be regularly repaired and updated. But this routine maintenance has become increasingly difficult in recent years due to Washington gridlock that has prevented a long-term highway bill from being reauthorized. Fortunately, the era of short-term highway funding extensions is over.

The Republican-led Senate and House recently passed a much-needed, long-term transportation bill to fund America’s highway and transit program for the next five years. The bill, called the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, allocates $1.6 billion for South Dakota transportation projects over the next five years. It passed the House and Senate with strong bipartisan support and was signed into law on December 4, 2015.

This is the first time in more than a decade that any kind of long-term highway bill has been enacted. For the past 10 years, highway funding had been authorized by 36 temporary, short-term patches. This has made it much more difficult for contractors, states and local governments to plan for the future. Finally, under the FAST Act, they will now have the certainty they need to efficiently execute both major transportation projects and conduct necessary routine maintenance. This will allow them to implement a long-term, strategic plan to restore, repair and update important infrastructure like roads, tunnels and bridges, which will make travel easier and safer. It will also spur job creation and economic growth across the country, including rural states like South Dakota.

Additionally, the FAST Act increases funding for the existing Tribal Transportation Program that addresses tribal road and bridge needs. Tribes will have increased funding to fix roads in need of repair on tribal land, making them safer and spurring economic development in Indian country.

Our veterans will also benefit from a provision of the FAST Act that will expand opportunities for young vets with a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and help them transition into civilian life after their service. Under the pilot program, veterans 18 and older will now be able to make trips across state lines with their CDL. The age used to be 21, as it is for civilians. This will help these veterans to use their military skills to help them find employment after they return from being deployed.

The FAST Act gives long-term certainty that is needed by states and local governments to plan projects efficiently. For the first time in ten years, we will be able to fix the rusted-out bridges and crumbling roads that Americans drive on every day. We will make them safer and more reliable for families and businesses in South Dakota and across the country.

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Home for Christmas
By Rep. Kristi Noem

From the time that I was a little girl, Bing Crosby’s “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” has been one of my favorite Christmas songs.  I remember singing along with it while it played on the radio and I admit that I didn’t grasp the song’s true weight until I got a little older.

The lyrics were originally written in 1942 – just months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  Many of our young soldiers wouldn’t make it home for the snow or mistletoe that year.  They would be spending Christmas away – many of them for the first time.

This year, 162 soldiers from the Rapid City and Wagner-based 155^th Engineer Company of the South Dakota National Guard will be spending Christmas in sandstorms instead of snowstorms.  In August, they left for a one-year deployment to Kuwait.  These families are in my thoughts and prayers every day, but especially in this holiday season.  I can’t imagine that this time of year is easy for them.

Despite the sacrifices, thousands of South Dakotans stand up each year in service to our country.  I’m always humbled by the fact that our state has one of the highest National Guard service rates in the entire country.  It’s a tremendous testament to the courage and sense of duty that is instilled in South Dakota’s young people.  And like in so many other areas, when South Dakotans do something, we do it well.

The 114^th Fighter Wing, for instance, is one of the nation’s premier flying units.  The Sioux-Falls based “Flying Lobos,” as the 114^th is called, has been nationally recognized for its accomplishments.  It has an excellent safety record, experienced airmen, and the unwavering support of the Sioux Falls community.

Over the next year, the U.S. Air Force will be looking for the next units to assign the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.  Because the 114^th has consistently been recognized as one of the top flying squadrons in the country, it seems like the ideal location.  I – alongside Senators Thune and Rounds, Governor Daugaard and Adjutant General Reisch – reached out to Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James earlier this month about this.  We encouraged her to base the new technology within one of the nation’s most elite squadrons: the South Dakota National Guard’s 114^th Fighter Wing.

We are still a few years off from a final decision and the F-35s won’t be shipped to the selected Guard units until 2022 or beyond, but I’m hopeful the 114^th will be able to play a leading role in this new demonstration of military strength.

South Dakota has a proud history of service with the National Guard.  The sacrifices made – the holidays that have had to be missed – will not be forgotten, nor will they go unappreciated.  Thank you to all who have served and to the families who have made the sacrifices alongside them.  I am incredibly and sincerely grateful for all that you do in service to our country.

This holiday season, I hope you join me in keeping all our service members, their spouses, their parents, and their children in your hearts, minds and prayers.

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Considering Our Options On Medicaid
A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

In the past, I’ve been unwilling to support expansion of Medicaid in South Dakota. Without a plan to cover the state costs, I have opposed expansion. But I have never said “never,” and there may be a way to cover our costs completely.

Since last spring the state has been in discussions with the federal government and South Dakota tribes about the way healthcare services are provided to Native Americans. The United States Government strives to meet their treaty obligation to provide health care to Native Americans through the Indian Health Service.

Many Native Americans in South Dakota are not able to be served by IHS, however. This can be because there is no IHS facility in their area, because IHS doesn’t have specialists available, because of long wait times or because IHS funding for the fiscal year is exhausted.

No matter the reason, when a Native American who is Medicaid eligible does not seek care through IHS, but instead goes to another provider, part of the cost is shifted to the state. When South Dakota must cover these costs, it is because the federal government is not meeting its treaty obligation.

If more Native American health care expenditures could be 100% federally funded – as the treaty requires – the state could save up to $67 million per year. That would be enough to cover fully the state’s costs to expand Medicaid.

In the past, the federal government has not been receptive to fixing the cost shifting problem. Gov. Janklow tried to change it and couldn’t. Gov. Rounds sued over it and lost. But now, the federal government is willing to listen. For the first time, we have the opportunity to solve this longstanding problem.

But it is only possible if we expand Medicaid at the same time. Any change to our state Medicaid program is subject to approval by HHS and requires tribal consultation. They will not approve a change in how IHS reimburses our state unless we use the proceeds to fund expansion.

This is a very complex area and making something work will be difficult. I cannot tell you today that everything will come together. But if it does, we should seize the opportunity. Making this change would benefit Native Americans and others who would gain health coverage. It would also save funds for counties, jails and prisons, hospitals, and other Medicaid providers.

I know many South Dakotans are skeptical about expanding Medicaid, and I share some of those sentiments. It bothers me that some people who can work will become more dependent on government. It bothers me that a single adult could choose to go on Medicaid rather than work a minimum wage job to qualify for insurance on the health insurance exchange.

But we also have to remember those who would benefit, such as the single mother of three who simply cannot work enough hours to exceed the poverty line for her family.

I also want to be clear: This is not a done deal. Our talks with the federal government have been promising, but there is much work to be done. There is still the potential for this effort to fall through.

I will not support expansion unless our savings cover costs anticipated next year, and every year through State Fiscal Year 2021. I will not support expansion unless HHS and IHS do what they need to do to make it work. I will not support expansion unless our tribes agree with these changes. And I will not support expansion unless the Legislature supports it also.

This is a complicated decision and we all have to weigh the positives and negatives. In my mind, the opportunity to end this longstanding IHS reimbursement issue, to gain coverage for more South Dakotans, to improve health care for Native Americans, to save money for counties and Medicaid providers, and to potentially save millions in state dollars outweighs the negatives.  If we can make the money work, we should seize this opportunity.

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In addition to the Augie CR’s going to CPAC, the USD College Republicans are heading to the “Super Bowl of Conservatism” as well:

For the last two years the University of South Dakota College Republicans have attended the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington D.C, and this year we’re asking for your help. This year’s event is March 2-5.

and..

By donating to our GoFundMe page, you will help us pay for our tickets to the event and hotel room in our nation’s capital. Any amount would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time, and support in helping us advance the conservative message.

Thank you and God Bless.

Read that, and donate to the USD College Republicans here.