Author: @SoDakCampaigns

Here’s an item that a reader brought to my attention a little while back. Here’s the information from the South Dakota Democrat Party as to who is eligible to participate in their National Convention Delegation:

Check out the line about 5 SDDP Leaders:

5 SDDP leaders (SDDP Chair, Vice Chair, Committeeman, Committeewoman & Sen. Tom Daschle)

That’s all well and good…but there’s just one item that they aren’t mentioning. Because while Tom Daschle is one of the SDDP leaders for the purposes of their State Delegation, it would not appear that former Senator Daschle is registered to vote in South Dakota anymore.

From a check of voter rolls, I don’t see he nor his wife registered to vote in the state. Recent Democrat party donor records certainly don’t show his address to be in SD:

So if Tom Daschle doesn’t live in South Dakota, and isn’t registered to vote in South Dakota, how does their statement noting “Who is eligible to be a delegate? Any South Dakota registered Democrat” apply?

According to Democrat Party bylaws as filed with the Secretary of State…

Article X: National Convention Delegate

The state central committee shall adopt a specific plan of affirmative action and delegate selection for national convention delegates in compliance with South Dakota law and the rules of the Democratic National Committee.

Read that here.

And according to Dem Party rules, it appears they might be giving Daschle a bye on the whole residency thing by expressly NOT addressing it:

The following categories (if applicable) shall constitute the Automatic Party Leaders and Elected Official delegate positions:

i. Members of the Democratic National Committee who legally reside in the state. This includes the South Dakota Democratic Party Chair, Vice Chair, 18 Committeewoman and Committeeman. (Rule 9.A.1, Call I.F, Call I.J, & Reg. 4.15).

…

v. “Distinguished Party Leader” delegates (if applicable); [Persons who qualify as “Distinguished Party Leader” delegates are: all former Democratic Presidents or Vice Presidents, all former Democratic Leaders of the U.S. Senate, all former Democratic Speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives and Democratic Minority Leaders, as applicable, and all former Chairs of the Democratic National Committee.] In South Dakota, this includes Sen. Tom Daschle (Rule 9.A.5, Call I.G & Reg. 4.14)

Read that here.

Despite the fact Tom Daschle appears to not be registered to vote in South Dakota anymore, Democrats are writing their rules to make him the sole exception of needing to actually be a South Dakota voter to take part in leading their convention delegation.

But, claiming to be a South Dakotan while living elsewhere isn’t fresh territory for Tom Daschle. Is it?

Former District 30 State House Candidate Florence Thompson, fresh off of her defeat in the District 30 Republican House Primary, is back “flossie-splaining” based on her extensive knowledge in epidemiology:

Florence Thompson, president of South Dakota Parents Involved in Education and a retired school psychologist, said the media is hyping up the coronavirus and that the pandemic is extremely politicized.

Thompson also said “children are at very low risk for COVID-19” and “adults are more vulnerable.”

“There is no risk to children. They have more risk driving to and from school, walking to and from school, than they do from COVID-19,” Thompson said. “If the teachers are in such poor health that their immune systems are so bad that they can’t take the risk to be there, then they should be put on some kind of disability and find another job.”

Read it all here.

So, if a teacher might be more susceptible to coronavirus, say, because they are diabetic, recovering from cancer, etc., “they should be put on some kind of disability and find another job.”

Florence Thompson was also the same expert who in 2018 called for giving each student identified as gay or transgender attending Western Dakota Technical Institute “a complete medical and psychological workup, and see what is the appropriate program for that child and support them in getting their true gender straightened out.” (At taxpayer expense, no less).

Can someone explain to me why every crazy statement thrown out by Florence Thompson involves illegal discrimination, massive taxpayer expenditures, or both?

Ugh.

Looks like the circus is coming back to town.

According to facebook, former Annette Bosworth hanger-on and former employee of Russian Government news service Sputnik Radio is apparently moving back to Sioux Falls.

What does he intend to do here? At least according to a statement on Twitter, running his “citizen journalist school,” which he’s apparently been operating since at least 2018.

And according to his other statements.. quite possibly begging for money via social media.

South Dakota Public Broadcasting must be doing one of those hidden wildlife nature shows, because it appears they’ve found a unicorn in our midst:

Weck says he’s aware of many Republicans who don’t like the direction the GOP party is going.

“We felt it was necessary to have a presence and to make a statement and say, ‘Look, Joe Biden seems to be a reasonable guy. He’s got decades of experience in government. He’s stable. He’s forthright and he’s clear.”

Read the story on SDPB here.

SDPB actually found a South Dakotan who thinks Joe Biden is “stable” and “clear?”  That’s a rarity.  And somehow I think the results at the ballot box will show that.

Rules for the Digital Road
By Sen. John Thune 

I currently serve as chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, and I’m the senior Republican on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Both panels play an integral role in developing federal technology policy and providing oversight of some of the nation’s largest technology companies, including Twitter, Facebook, and Google, just to name a few.

My goal as a federal policymaker has always been to apply a light-touch approach to internet regulation that creates a positive environment for consumers and entrepreneurs, while ensuring users are protected and online platforms follow all of the appropriate rules and regulations. It’s that type of balanced approach that has allowed the internet to flourish as much as it has in its relatively short history.

An overly regulated internet hinders innovation and growth, but an under-regulated internet would create its own set of problems. For example, think of the internet as a new interstate highway system that’s been built from the East Coast of the United States to the West Coast. In a completely regulation-free environment, a driver could access the highway without a driver’s license and travel as fast as he or she wanted through big cities, small towns, and the open road.

If you multiplied that unregulated driver by hundreds of thousands of people, that would obviously be unsafe for the people on the highway and in the towns through which it travels. That’s why governments and regulators apply speed limits, stops signs, traffic lights, and licensing requirements to ensure drivers, and those people around them, have the freedom to travel as safely and efficiently as possible.

As traffic patterns, volume, and other needs on our nation’s roadways evolve, so too does the internet. That’s why it’s so important for Congress to stay ahead of the curve and always work toward striking the right balance on internet regulation. If we don’t, we risk creating a system where the rules that apply in the offline world for certain conduct do not apply in the online world, a situation that will tilt against consumers.

I recently joined Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), my Democrat counterpart on the subcommittee I chair, in introducing the Platform Accountability and Consumer Transparency Act – or PACT Act – which would update a decades-old federal law that provides the rules of the road for certain technology companies that host user-generated content. For example, most social media platforms would fall into this category.

Under current law, if a user posts illegal content, the platform that hosts it isn’t held liable for it, in most circumstances. The law also protects companies that choose to moderate content on their platforms (in other words, decide whether user-generated content stays or is removed). The law was effective while many of these online companies were in their infancy, but there’s a growing bipartisan concern that social media platforms are often not transparent and accountable enough to consumers with respect to the platform’s moderation of user-generated content. That’s why our PACT Act is so relevant.

At its core, the PACT Act is about transparency, accountability, consistency, and consumer protection. It would require companies that moderate content to provide a clear and easily accessible user policy that explains how, when, and why user-generated content might be removed. It would also require these online platforms to create a defined complaint system that processes reports and notifies users of moderation decisions within 14 days. Our legislation would require large technology companies to have a toll-free customer service phone line with live customer support to take customer complaints. This requirement is geared toward consumers who are less familiar with technology and who want to talk to a real person about a complaint about their service. And, among other things, the PACT Act would allow users to file an appeal if a platform removes a post and the user disagrees with the decision.

Again, regulating the internet is all about striking the right balance, and I believe our bill is a step in the right direction. Anyone on either end of the political spectrum who is worried about potential bias or too much top-down control on online platforms should be able to support the basic principles of the PACT Act and its modernization of the rules for the digital road throughout the United States.

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Half-Time Pep Talk
By U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)

The year 2020 is only half written, but already it’s one for the history books. Everyone, whether 8 or 78, will remember this year as one unlike any other.  While it is very common to set resolutions and goals on New Year’s Day, this year is unique enough to deserve a half-time review, and possibly even a little pep talk.

Farmers probably always subconsciously perform a half-time transition in July. You put away the planter and fertilizer while you tune up the combines. The old, outdated saying, “knee-high by the 4th of July” means farmers are starting to anticipate harvest. While farming always has an element of uncertainty that is beyond our control, 2020 has delivered previously unexperienced obstacles due to COVID-19. These include processing and ethanol plant shutdowns and shortages in supply chains. Despite these uncertainties, our farmers and ranchers continue to be innovative and adapt to a tough year.

Our kids, mid-summer, are usually beginning to consider the transition back to school after a summer packed with sports and recreation. This year has been different, however, as our kids haven’t had the same rigorous summer recreation activities. They also have been away from their classrooms for an extended period of time, instead of the normal short summer.

This week, I met virtually with superintendents from schools all across the state. Their message was consistent: we need to safely and efficiently get our kids back in school this fall. What August and September will look like still remains to be seen. One thing that is certain is that those decisions will be made by those who know their students and teachers best: local school board members and administrators. What works best in Sioux Falls might not be what’s best in Rapid City, and what works in Spearfish might not work in Sisseton. The people who know their communities best will make the best decision for their communities.

This time of year, our main street businesses are usually holding their summer crazy days, clearing out inventory to make room for a new season. Prior to the March outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, our economy was soaring. Jobs were being created, unemployment was at record lows and wages were rising. But when businesses needed to isolate for health safety due to the virus, our economy took an immediate and sharp downturn.

So this July, instead of our hospitality industry being at the height of its activity, we’re just moving toward reopening our economy and getting people back to work. South Dakotans have done a good job of distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and we must continue to take precautions to open our economy safely and effectively.

We will need to be prepared to continue to deal with this public health crisis until our scientists and doctors successfully develop, test and deploy vaccines and therapeutic treatments to combat COVID-19.

It’s halftime, South Dakota. We’ve had a tough first half, but the year is not over. This year has been a game unlike one we’ve ever played. We need to dig deeper than we have before, and figure out how to put in our strongest effort during this challenging time. We come from tough stock, and I know we can do it.

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School Re-Entry is Crucial
By Rep. Dusty Johnson

August is just around the corner – can you believe it? It is almost hard to process. For more than five months, most of the country has had their K-12 aged kids at home, full-time. Five months.

That’s five months without face-to-face interaction with teachers and fellow students. Five months without in-classroom learning. Five months without access to many of the special learning programs our students desperately need. Our country still has a ways to go – we are still getting COVID-19 under control. Our actions need to continue to be data driven, but if there is a way for America to safely get kids and teachers back in the classroom in August, we absolutely should. It needs to be one of our nation’s top priorities.

With three young children of my own, I have seen the effects school closures place on our youth firsthand. It’s an unfortunate reality, but it is the reality – working parents cannot dedicate the time necessary to ensure our children are given a learning experience the classroom normally would provide. It’s too soon to fully quantify the setbacks this generation of youth will face for being out of the classroom, but we do know that on top of an education, our system provides a safe environment many children do not have at home, reliable nutrition, and fundamental social and emotional skills that will be utilized forever. State and local governments should do everything in their power to avoid prolonging irreversible impacts on an entire generation of students.

School closures also place a disproportionate impact on children in low-income homes. The American Academy of Pediatrics, an organization dedicated to the health of all children, raised a strong point in their recent guidance for school re-entry: “Policy makers should acknowledge that COVID-19 policies are intended to mitigate, not eliminate, risk.” We are facing a tough reality – we must balance the health and safety risks COVID-19 presents to teachers and communities, while also acknowledging the potential long-term damage children face by being kept out of the classroom.

It’s not lost on me – I know this is a tough situation and every state is unique. South Dakota’s school reopenings will look differently than New York’s. That is why it is so important local governments and individual schools remain in control of reopening decisions, but I urge localities to consider the long-term impact our students will face if we keep schools closed into the fall. This can’t be a one-size-fits-all approach, but our goals should be the same: reopen our schools safely and expediently for the benefit of children across the nation.

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A Historic Day at Mount Rushmore
By Governor Kristi Noem

On July 3^rd, South Dakota got to showcase our state to not only the rest of the nation but also the world. For the first time in more than a decade, we celebrated America’s birthday with fireworks at Mount Rushmore. The excitement leading up to the event could be felt by everyone in attendance. Over just three days, more than 125 thousand people tried to get tickets to the event, and the lucky 7,500 who witnessed it in person saw quite a show.

South Dakotans know just how beautiful and magnificent the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore are, but it was wonderful to share them withmillions of viewers from around the globe. Early estimates suggest more than 5.5 million people tuned in to watch our celebration on just one cable news network.

Our team at the Department of Tourism spent countless hours pulling together this great event. The Department of the Interior’s SecretaryDavid Bernhardt was instrumental in helping us overcome countless obstacles to make it a reality. And of course, none of this would have been possible without President Trump’s dedication to making this event happen. Before I was even sworn in as Governor, I asked for his help to bring fireworks back to Mount Rushmore, and he went to work on it immediately.

In addition to the wonderful fireworks display, we were also thrilled to be the audience for President Trump’s best ever speech. It was unifying and focused on his dedication to the things that make America the greatest country in the world. But he also warned of a sinister threat to that greatness: the radical movement to re-write American history.

Make no mistake, this movement is not about equality. This movement’s attempt to “cancel” the founding generation is an attempt to cancel our own freedoms. Our Founders had their flaws, certainly. But every person has flaws. Without our Founders’ words, ideals, and sacrifice, the world would not have a ringing example of true freedom. We can write, worship, work, defend ourselves, and even protest as we see fit because of these men and their ideals.

That’s what the celebration of America’s birthday is about. It’s about our core American ideal: “All men are created equal.” It’s about the day our ideal was forever enshrined in one of the most important statements of purpose ever written, the Declaration of Independence. It’s about the work of countless brave men and women, including the four presidents enshrined on Mount Rushmore, to live up to that ideal and make America the greatest country ever.

Everyone who tuned in for our celebration also learned about South Dakota’s commitment to that American ideal, to freedom, and to trusting our citizens to exercise their personal responsibility to do what’s best for themselves and their loved-ones. Let us, like our Founding Fathers, pledge our own lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to the cause of liberty and self-government, so that we may continue to have the freedom to follow our consciences, build our lives, and live in peace. And let’s continue to celebrate America’s birthday with fireworks at Mount Rushmore!

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(I just saw this, and wanted to share with the readers – $22 Million worth of advertising! – pp)

Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration Yields Major Return for South Dakotans

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration on July 3 yielded a major return for South Dakota.

Using the most conservative estimates, the Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration carried an advertising value of more than $22 million dollars thanks to the global media coverage of the event. This estimate is based on advertising value equivalency, an estimate that is likely low given that several broadcast programs covering the event experienced historically high ratings during their coverage. Coverage of the event is still being tallied and that number is expected to grow.

To date, the event has generated an estimated $2 million in direct visitor spending for the state and spurred an estimated $160,000 in immediate tax revenues to state and local governments.

“Our goal with the fireworks celebration was to put a spotlight on the grandeur of Mount Rushmore National Memorial and position South Dakota front and center in the minds of potential visitors,” said Jim Hagen, Secretary of the Department of Tourism. “We couldn’t be happier about the tens of millions of viewers who tuned in to see the majesty of this national icon and our beautiful Black Hills. We’re confident this exposure will inspire those viewers to add the Great Faces and Great Places of South Dakota to their bucket list of vacation destinations, whether that be yet this year or in the years to come.”

Web traffic to South Dakota pages skyrocketed during the celebration. Google searches for “Mount Rushmore” reached their all-time high at a rate 1,250% higher than the previous record, which was the July 4^th holiday in 2005. The South Dakota Department of Tourism’s web traffic increased by 872% compared to July 3-4 of last year – the equivalent of $95,000 worth of paid promotion.

In total, after all security, transportation, pyrotechnics, and other costs are calculated, the State of South Dakota expects to spend approximately $1.5 million on the event. The cost of the fireworks display and other items will be paid for with future funds, and the other costs will be paid by the Department of Tourism.

To learn more about South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration, visit TravelSouthDakota.com.

The South Dakota Department of Tourism is comprised of Tourism and the South Dakota Arts Council. The department is led by Secretary James D. Hagen.

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Remember the list of candidates that the Libertarian Party submitted to the Secretary of State back in May?

It took a while for the Secretary of State to update the list of candidates on their website after the primary. But once they did, there was a surprise… and a name missing.

Libertarian State Senate Cullen Mack was nowhere to be found.  I’d heard rumors about it, but when I finally sat down to check it out myself this AM, the reason why was immediately evident:

Libertarian State Senate Candidate Cullen Mack actually was not registered as a Libertarian, and instead was a registered independent.  Despite the fact you’d think a person would check those things out before they decide they’re running. (And that it isn’t the first time).

In speaking with Libertarian Party Chair Gideon Oakes this AM, he indicates that Mack swore he’d changed his designation at his last driver’s license update. And was preparing to challenge the ruling legally.. until he decided he was going to move out of the district, rendering the whole point even more moot.

So, the number of Libertarian candidates on the fall ballot is reduced by one.

But there’s also another issue.

While the Libertarian Party does not appear to have a letter of intent for the South Dakota Ballot yet according to the Secretary of State’s website, Cullen Mack was also named as one of the three presidential electors for the Libertarian Party. Despite the fact he remains “not a Libertarian.”

Oakes conceded that “they may have to figure that one out.”