Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Under God, the People Gather and Give Thanks
By Governor Kristi Noem 
November 19, 2021

Thanksgiving is a time of unity. It is a time of gathering friends, family, and sometimes newcomers into your home. Somewhere along the way, America began to forget what the true meaning of Thanksgiving is. 

Last year, we were told that families should not get together because of the pandemic. This year, we are being told that some may not be able to afford Thanksgiving as a result of rising prices at the grocery store. 

And then there is the crowd that wants to cancel Thanksgiving altogether because of what they call an oversimplification of the history behind the holiday.  

The part that most of these cancel culture warriors miss is that Thanksgiving wasn’t just about the Colonists who landed at Plymouth. The focus was on more than the three-day feast they shared with the local Indian tribe.  

The meal in 1621 may have been the inspiration for how we celebrate today; however, Thanksgiving celebrations pre-date the Colonies. These celebrations didn’t originate with a large meal featuring a turkey and all the trimmings. They started as a way to give thanks to God for his blessings on the community.

Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln knew that when they each proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving during their respective terms. Both Presidents cited that the holiday was meant to “acknowledge the providence of Almighty God.” President Washington took it a step further and asked Americans to ask for forgiveness for their sins against their fellow man.  

President Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863. He did so to bring the country which was fractured by the Civil War back together. In the proclamation, Lincoln called upon Americans to include in their prayers a request for “the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it.” 

Thanksgiving is a time for us to heal. It is a time for families and friends to gather. It is a time to open your homes to new friends. It is a time to build community. It is a time to give thanks for the small things in our lives. 

Famed author Laura Ingalls Wilder made that point in a 1916 newspaper column. Wilder was reflecting on one Thanksgiving while growing up on the South Dakota prairie. In those days, the only way to get a turkey on the table was to go hunting for one in the wild. One year, her father had rushed into the house to get his shotgun in hopes of bagging a late-season goose. The excitement sparked an argument between Wilder and her sister. 

The two had begun arguing about which spices to include in the stuffing. When their father returned without a goose, Wilder had realized that it did not matter which spices would have gone in stuffing; she would have been thankful just to have the goose. 

It has been more than 100 years since Wilder wrote that column and families are still fighting over how to cook Thanksgiving meals. The point, which is just as relevant today as it was in 1916, is to be thankful for the small things. Do not let petty arguments keep you from enjoying the blessings right in front of you. 

What small blessing am I thankful for this year? That is easy. I am thankful to be spending my first Thanksgiving as a grandmother.  

I hope you all enjoy a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving with family and friends. And may God continue to pour his blessings on South Dakota. 

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Title I of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, requires Members, officers, certain employees of the U.S. House of Representatives and related offices, and candidates for the House of Representatives to file Financial Disclosure Statements with the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

And South Dakota Congressional Candidate Taffy Howard has one due. But not just yet, as she’s requested an extension for filing this document:

So, we have a few more weeks to go to get a glimpse into her finances.

In the meantime, you can read Congressman Johnson’s most recent report here.

I had someone ask me if the Associated School Boards of South Dakota had ever made a statement disavowing or at least disagreeing with the National School Boards Association’s letter to President Biden that got the national group in a bit of hot water.

And they have, which you can see here for yourself:

ASBSD statement on NSBA

With regard to the recent National School Board Association (NSBA) actions, ASBSD does not agree with the request for federal intervention in NSBA’s letter to President Biden, nor were we consulted about the letter.

ASBSD respects and trusts school board members to govern their schools in a manner that best suits their district locally. We have confidence in them to allow their community members to voice their opinions and concerns at board meetings and believe board members will make decisions in the best interest of the children they serve.

We all want the best for South Dakota children.

ASBSD also respects the rights of parents and community stakeholders to attend board meetings and share their concerns and expects the public will dialogue with school boards respectfully and peacefully. It’s expected schools will take measures to keep their meetings safe and orderly, if needed.

Along with several other state school board associations, ASBSD has chosen to work with NSBA’s Board of Directors to affect change in the organization. State Association Executive Directors have requested NSBA make changes in leadership and procedures to ensure this does not happen again. Rather than completely sever ties with NSBA at this time, ASBSD will seek to work with them so an improved national organization can thrive.

What are your thoughts?

On Monday, November 22nd, South Dakota Republican Women Cyberspace Chapter invites everyone to join them for a Zoom Call with the renowned Republican activist Charlie Kirk!!  To ramp up the fun, they’ll open the call with a mini-concert by Camille and Haley (the incredible artists behind the viral song “Keep America Great”) along with a special guest appearance by superstar Governor Kristi Noem!  Other surprises in store for you, along with “door prize” giveaways!  Join the SD Republican Women in Cyberspace as they end this year with a bang!!

All Republicans — men and women of all ages across the country — are welcome to join in the fun, so please share the invite with your friends!   It’s free to attend, and it takes mere seconds to reserve your spot; just click the link below!  Space is limited, so reserve your spot now!

Register here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIkfu2spzsvHdYiGTuiE1kSyUtfkEw1FvFD

Just had this sent to me:

Ex-speaker Steve Haugaard announces he is primarying @govkristinoem for governor of South Dakota. pic.twitter.com/bQjKcaiRMv

— Lee Stranahan ⏳ (@stranahan) November 17, 2021

Why was former pornographer, and Annette Bosworth sycophant Lee Stranahan tweeting a pic from the Haugaard for Governor announcement?

If you start digging into the “Haugaard for Governor campaign website” for his gubernatorial effort launched today, you quickly come to a couple of conclusions.

#1.. They could have proofed the website more closely..

People are my priority? People are the priority?

“…outside special interest groups the interests of South Dakotans.”   I think someone slopped through this.

#2.. and the bigger point, the campaign theme of “South Dakota First” is focused against business and education.

And I’m not being glib here. Someone thought that campaigning against business and education was the way to go, and based an entire political campaign around it. If you look at his South Dakota First Page, in part, it’s literally a manifesto against business and education:

As South Dakotans, we cherish our communities, family farms, ranches, and small businesses.

But our rights, liberties, and freedoms are currently under assault by the extreme progressive left. 

The axis of Big Tech, Big Business, Big Education, and Hollywood have changed our culture dramatically just in the past decade.

Today, large multinational corporations are dictating how we should live, how our children are raised, and what values our children should be taught.

Parental rights are being swept aside in favor of what Big Business, Big Tech, left-wing academics and university administrators, and Hollywood want. And our leaders just go along with it.

Read that here.

And it’s not just there. It’s in the metatag for the web page:

<meta name=”description” content=”The axis of Big Tech, Big Business, Big ED, and Hollywood have changed our culture dramatically just in the past decade. South Dakota FIRST!” />

How big does a business have to be to earn his ire?  What is he going to do about “big business?” Regulate them more?

And what does he mean by “Big ED,” or “Big Education?” Are Division I schools bad, but Mount Marty is ok? And what about Northern? They’re not D1, but they just built a new stadium – are they somewhere in the middle? Are his family members prohibited from seeking higher education at this point?

The focus of the Haugaard campaign being against business and education might be one of the looniest things I’ve heard in a long time, especially so for a campaign theme.

If Haugaard is against business and education, what exactly is he for? Because that doesn’t leave a lot of options.

With the opposite of business being socialism and the opposite of education being ignorance, I can guarantee you that’s nothing any Republican I know would want to support.

Dakota News Now livestreamed the Haugaard Press conference where the former Speaker of the House made his announcement for Governor.

And I hate to say it, but if you were looking for a speech that provided inspiration or aspiration, this wasn’t it.

I’m sure there are a few of the hardcore right who will cheer Haugaard on, but that’s only a small portion of the Republican electorate at large.  When the speech to launch his campaign goes on about “Big Education” and “Hollywood,” “not answer to the boardroom,” etcetera, we’ve heard it all before. The original parts were mainly about him being upset there was no special session on COVID and wants government to stand against vaccinations.. and well, that was nothing new either.

When someone is coming out of the gate and wants to replace the person there, we’re looking for “how are they different?”  and “here’s how I’m new.”

We didn’t get it.  Instead we got “I don’t think Kristi is being Kristi enough, so I’m going to promise to be more Kristi.”  That’s not really much of a message when you’re not Kristi.

I think what we have in Haugaard’s case is a failure to launch.

As opposed to the “ok, I’m going to show up at Republican events and say I’m running” that we got.

My post yesterday when I pointed out how Texan Dan Kreamer was upset that Congressman Dusty Johnson opposed the infrastructure bill (as he admitted he wanted) has upset this big donor for Taffy Howard even further.

Because now Dan has the “Primary Dusty Johnson” facebook group on high alert as he screams “infiltrator!”

Well, we now know he does reads the website.

Although, I think Kreamer skipped over the story where Dusty Johnson is the most popular political figure in the state.

Governor Kristi Noem’s daughter Kassidy Peters announced today that she was stepping back from her job as a real estate appraiser after months of hounding by the media as they tried to create a narrative of impropriety when Governor Noem made inquiry into her concerns over the Real Estate Appraiser program:

“I know as the Governor’s daughter, I am always going to be in the public eye. I can’t stop these attacks, but I can choose whether to keep being hurt by the fallout.”

Some might ask why resign? Isn’t that saying something was wrong?

No. Not at all.

Speaking from experience, I can tell you that you can do everything correctly and within the law, and it really doesn’t matter when people are determined to make you a chess piece to use in their agenda of attacking someone else.

Sometimes the best peace of mind you can give yourself is to remove yourself from the chess board, and refuse to play their game.

Spencer Wrightsman Announces Candidacy for South Dakota State Senate District 2

Spencer Wrightsman formally announced his candidacy for the vacant District 2 Senate Seat on Tuesday, November 16^th.

The people of District 2 will be electing new leadership to the State Legislature now that the redistricting process has finished.

“I’m excited to announce my candidacy for District 2 State Senate. As your Senator, I will represent you with integrity and uphold the values of fiscal conservativism and limited government.” Wrightsman said.

The new District 2 encompasses Eastern Sioux Falls, Brandon, Valley Springs and surrounding rural areas.

“I have lived in this District for most of my life and would be proud to represent you in the State Senate. I look forward to meeting with the voters of District 2 throughout the campaign and hope that I can earn your trust and your vote come election time.”

Spencer Wrightsman is a native of Brandon, SD. He currently serves as the Treasurer of the Minnehaha County Republicans and the National Committeeman for the South Dakota Young Republicans.