Proud to Have Given SD Voters an Opportunity for Better Government
Joe Kirby, Chairman of South Dakota Open Primaries, said, “We are disappointed in the vote tonight but are proud of our effort and our team. We gave South Dakota voters an opportunity to address some fundamental problems in the state’s government.”
“Open primaries would have improved low voter turnout in the primary elections, empowered 155,000 independent South Dakota voters to fully participate in the primaries, brought competition to our elections and motivated politicians to address the concerns of all voters, not just their party bosses.”
A text invite to take a poll went out this evening, mainly with several push poll/slanted messages against Amendment H. But included in those messages was this dead giveaway of the text-invite poll’s origin.
Seriously? Aside from the fact that the poll invite comes as a text message with a link much like one would be invited to send money to a Nigerian prince, the fact that it includes Toby at all tells you who is asking.
I don’t know if he thinks he’s going give it another go on the strength of the nazi rally vote coming in for him, but in 2026 actual Republicans won’t have the time of day for that clown. There ain’t no way he could win dog catcher, much less run for statewide office.
Stay tuned. And don’t click on strange text messages.
I hosted my third Level Up Youth Conference this week. More than 250 Aberdeen area high school students joined for conversations on civility in politics, teamwork games and challenges, a keynote from Mitch Reed on sharing kindness, and more.
When I was a teenager, attending events liked these helped stoke my passion for public service. I enjoy seeing high school students being civically engaged and working to better their community. It was another successful conference, and I look forward to the next.
Johnson and students at the Level Up Youth Conference
BIG Idea
Central High School’s ATEC Academy equips students with career and technical skills. I enjoyed seeing what the students are working on and congratulating Mr. Konda for being named the 2024 National Speech and Debate Coach of the Year. He led their team to the 8th consecutive state championship and placed 8th nationally last fall. I also congratulated Mya Heintzman for being selected as one of 20 students for the Youth Collaboratory, a program that focuses on being civic-minded and helping communities.
Johnson with Central High School students in the ATEC program
BIG News
I shared an update about a potential port strike last week, and on Tuesday, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) officially went on strike. This strike effectively closed 36 ports on the east and gulf coasts from Maine to Texas. About 45,000 workers walked off the job, demanding higher pay and no use of automation. Thankfully, the strike lasted three days and the dockworkers and employers came to a tentative agreement on Thursday.
A strike of this magnitude could’ve crippled the economy and caused prices to skyrocket. Consumers and businesses large and small rely on these ports for their products and goods. Suddenly not being able to receive parts could force a business to stop production or receive those parts through more expensive means, forcing them to raise prices. Further, American farmers utilize these ports for nearly half of containerized ag exports.
These ports help ensure our food security and national security. We must ensure they remain open and operational to have a functioning supply chain.
The battle lines for the hearts and minds of the South Dakota Republican Party are being drawn for what kind of Republican people want to identify as. Either you believe that Nazi’s are bad like House Majority Leader Will Mortenson, or you throw in with Toby Doeden, the person who built a rally around someone who is said to have described himself as one.
Doeden, who had never voted in a Republican Primary until this last June is claiming that “current state Republican leaders aren’t conservatives,” in connection with last night’s rally featuring alleged “black nazi” and porn site commenter Mark Robinson. And If you read one news story today, make sure that this is it.
South Dakota House Majority Leader Will Mortenson, R-Fort Pierre, condemned the event and called those hosting it non-Republicans.
“I spoke out against Nazis when they came to the Capitol this summer,” Mortenson said in a statement, referencing a June march in Pierre by a neo-Nazi group, “and don’t like them any better when they are in Sioux Falls. When you’re throwing a rally featuring a self-described Nazi, you’re not a Republican. You belong to a different party. There’s no room for Nazi sympathy in our party or in our state.”
Doeden considered but ultimately decided against challenging U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, in the June primary election. Doeden said he organized Tuesday’s event to celebrate the “America First conservatives” who won their June legislative primary elections, and to rally support for their general election campaigns.
Current state Republican leaders “aren’t conservatives,” Doeden alleged.
“They’re liberals that register as Republicans because they can’t get elected as Democrats,” he said. “These people are hacks. They’re clowns. They’re disgusting. I started my PAC to eradicate hacks like that from serving in the Legislature – period.”
and..
About 150 people attended the Sioux Falls event, including some Republican state lawmakers and legislative candidates.
Universally condemned by Republicans and Democrats alike, the Doeden PAC event still appeared to have several people there who should know better, but seem to be held in thrall by Doeden’s checkbook and are attempting to suck up. In fact, SD Searchlight captured a bevy of them on a video posted to the story.
I’m immediately picking out State Rep. Brandei Schaefbauer, as well as D1 House Candidates Chris Reder and Logan Manhart in the foreground. It also looks as if Al Novstrup and Carl Perry may be at that table as well.
Is this what some who run under the SDGOP have come to? To cheer on and rally for the worst elements of the far right?
Keep in mind, they are not there to support the candidates and the goals of the Republican Party. They are there to benefit Toby Doeden’s PAC. A Political Action Committee led by a man – whose views might not have appeared on a porn website chatboard like Robinson’s are said to come from – but one whose views seem to mirror Mark Robinson’s:
While he was publicly considering a challenge to Johnson, reporters called attention to some of Doeden’s social media posts. He encouraged the shooting of immigrants in gangs, used a profane insult to describe President Joe Biden, and labeled statistics about hatred of Jewish Americans as “fake.”
If we can take solace in anything, it would be that there is hope that people’s better angels will ultimately reject this kind of trash rhetoric. As demonstrated by hte fact that Robinson continues to plummet in the polls, as reported yesterday.
Add Dylan Jordan (d4 candidate) and free-dumb caucus leader Aaron Aylward to the guest list of the event, as Jordan clucks with pride attending the event supporting the attack of Republicans.
And as noted, here’s a previously mentioned group standing with Toby Doeden..
And it looks like Brad “protection order” Lindwurm was proud to be at the black nazi rally, and took a bunch of photos.. Sorry, alleged black nazi rally..
I wasn’t sure how much more of a dumpster-fire the Doeden PAC event with alleged “black nazi” Mark Robinson could get. But they found a way. By god, they found a way.
Toby turned it into a $250 a head zoom call:
“He’s probably not going to be there because he needs to be in North Carolina, which is where he’s at, helping the folks that are affected by this hurricane, but he is going to be giving a prerecorded or a live message during the gala,” Doeden said Monday.
CNN reported on Sept. 19 that Robinson made offensive comments between 2008 and 2012 on a message board for a pornography website, with Robinson allegedly calling himself a “black NAZI” in addition to writing “Slavery is not bad.” Robinson has denied the allegations.
and..
“Who am I to judge from afar what somebody did or didn’t say 16 years ago in a chatroom,” Doeden said. “It’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard.”
..what somebody did or didn’t say 16 years ago in a PORN chatroom… (there corrected it for him.)
$20,000 for the main sponsorship? Over $1000 to sponsor a table centerpiece? $250-$500 a head for tickets? For a zoom call with a candidate who utterly imploded, and has been nationally disavowed by EVERYONE.
Everyone that is, except Toby Doeden.
Well, I would be lying if I wished them good luck with that.
The NAACP sent a press release out today encouraging community leaders and law enforcement to prepare for acts of hate that may arise from the Mark Robinson event being put on in Sioux Falls by former congressional explorer Toby Doeden’s PAC on Tuesday:
“This decision, backed by Dakota First Action PAC—a group known for sponsoring hateful and racist legislation—represents a troubling escalation of intolerance in our communities.
The infiltration of hate into our public spaces is not an isolated incident but a glaring indication of a larger, systemic issue. We are witnessing a rise in hate crimes across South Dakota, and welcoming figures who espouse such harmful ideologies only serves to exacerbate this climate of fear and division.
And…
Law Enforcement: Take a proactive stance against any acts of hate that arise from this event. Security measures must be reviewed to ensure that hate is not allowed to flourish in our public spaces.
Elected Officials: Publicly condemn this visit and the ideologies it promotes.”
Boy.. “Dakota First Action PAC—a group known for sponsoring hateful and racist legislation..” I wonder what on earth caused them to have that opinion about Toby Doeden’s PAC?
This guy wants to represent South Dakota in Congress yet disrespects victims of anti-Semitism. No thank you, @TobyforCongress. Here’s a tweet from Toby Doeden’s recently deleted Twitter account: https://t.co/GFIduGbn5apic.twitter.com/z4hvap3Pdc
When I’n not working, or writing my website, in the free time I have left over, I’m a hoarder collector of a few specific things. Such as South Dakota political pins, SD State Capital fight campaign items, and certain comic books.
And among those items, I’m not ashamed to say that there are items in those categories out there that I consider “holy grail’ items for me. Items that are elusive, or so expensive, that they are not everyday purchases.
For my comic book collection, there are a few that relate back to books I owned when I was a teenager. X-men #1 (1963), and All Star Comics #7 (1941) are a couple of them that are holy grails for me, and at some point, I will put them back in my collection when I have the right book at the right price. Those are elusive mainly by cost. If I had the money and opened up my checkbook, I could probably have them tomorrow.
For my South Dakota political buttons, it is not cost as much as the rarity of certain items. We are not a large state, and they just didn’t make that many. That makes some things just a tough find. Or near impossible. And tonight, I was fortunate enough to put a pin in my collection I’ve been hunting for over 35 years.
The first South Dakota Inaugural pin from 1933. I finally got one.
I’ve been close on occasion before. There was one on eBay around 10 years back. I missed the bid as it cruised out of reach at the time for around $400. Darned kids, and braces. And car repairs, and groceries. How dare they stand in the way of my hoarding?
But aside from the cost on the pin, it is such a difficult one to find, that you might stumble across it with blind luck, as some collectors have, or if you’re like me you hunt for it for decades.
My only problem tonight was the fact that it was one pin out of a collection of 450 South Dakota pins that were all being sold as a group. I literally had to buy every inaugural pin at once, plus a lot of others, just to get one pin. And now I find myself having to commit to sell 449 other SD pins to try to recoup some of my expense.
But I did win. And after 35 years of looking for this, it’s a task I’m not going to complain anymore about taking on.
I always say the fun is less the actual possession of it, and more of the chase for the item. But, damn. It feels darned good to finally put my hands on this piece of South Dakota history.
update..
I don’t even want to tell Lee what it cost me to get this pin as part of the collection. Lol..
Did you all get the text message tonight telling you what a leading South Dakota conservative you were? Quite a few people I know did, including myself.
Of course, anyone who’s ever put on a political event in South Dakota knows the claim about selling that many tickets at that price is utter silliness. And tonight‘s text blast confirms it.
In case you’re not a influential conservative like I am, here’s the text that went out, spamming many Republicans, begging people to attend:
STOP.. STOP.. STOP.. STOP.. opting out.. STOP.. STOP.. STOP.. I wonder if that will do the trick.. (hopefully I conservatively influenced you to opt out)
One comment made to me about Robinson‘s headlining this event, is why? Why is he leaving his state at a time when he is crashing in the polls and has gone from slightly up on occasion, to where the most recent polling shows him at below 40% in an ever widening spread?
Unless he’s given up at this point. Ot it’s a really big check.
For gosh’s sake, if that interests you, give it another week and any tickets that are out there are likely to be handed out for free to try to fill seats.
