Category: Uncategorized

It must be tough to be a fragile Democrat.

According to the (possibly outgoing) leadership of the State Democrat Party, they’re bringing on extra security to guard their closed door event because there are going to be Republicans on the premises, who are hosting an event on the opposite side of the Sioux Falls Ramkota:

The coinciding speaking events were no accident, Republican Party Chair Dan Lederman said. When he heard that Ellison would make an appearance at Democrats’ McGovern Day dinner he wanted to balance the scale with a conservative guest.

“When I saw that Ellison was coming I wanted Horowitz to come because I know that in the marketplace of ideas conservative ideas can win out over progressive ideas,” he said.

and.

“It’s very very rude and it’s got some elements that are extremely difficult to take,” said Michael Saba, a Sioux Falls Democrat and consultant for the Avera McKennan Foundation. “Clearly it’s being done to disrupt, even at a psychological level, what Democrats are trying to do with McGovern Day.

and…

Tornberg and Lederman said they expected the events would be peaceful as the speeches will occur on separate sides of the hotel. Despite that, Tornberg said she hired additional security for the event.

Press will not be allowed in the Ellison speaking event.

Read it all here.

It’s unclear why they need to keep press out of their $100 a plate dinner with Keith Ellison.. Possibly because they don’t want reporters asking him about his views on a 63% tax rate, or how he wants to abolish the 2nd amendment.  

But if hiring extra (any) security for the event will help ease Ann Tornberg’s mind that their liberal politics won’t be challenged and they won’t experience “psychological” disruption from Republicans at a rally, I suppose that’s the price Democrats have to pay to remain in their cocoons.

In case you’re thinking of taking in an event this weekend…

The Secure and “Psychologically” protected McGovern Day Dinner can be attended for $100 a ticket to guarantee that you will be secured from free thought or the press. 

If you want to attend the GOP’s Freedom Rally, The social hour starts at 5:30, and it’s $10 at the door.  All you have to promise is an open mind, and be ready to have some fun with some likeminded, freedom loving South Dakotans.

I caught this on Facebook this AM – SDWC had a very nice mention on the Nationally recognized POWERLINE Blog yesterday:

Read the entire article here.

It’s all regarding my extensive coverage over the Democrat dinner this weekend, and accompanying Democrat party food fight that’s going to happen with their chairmanship.

As well as the GOP FREEDOM RALLY which you need to be attending. Call today for tickets!

What was I mentioning yesterday about why Cory Heidelberger’s name has come up as possibly seeking the SDDP Chairmanship:

…while Cory has been a vociferous Tornberg supporter in the past, he’s been one of the parties most responsible in loudly publicizing the grievances of the Democrat organization mutineers, and making sure that everyone knows that they want to throw Ann Tornberg out of office for “severe lack of management ability that has led to low fundraising, dropping voter registration numbers, a nearly invisible message, and at the center, zero of anything resembling a strategic action plan for the State Party.”

In other words, if Cory had not been promoting it and making sure as many Democrats saw it as possible, there might not be much of a revolt.  Sure, others had expressed dissatisfaction in the past. But no one had really undercut Tornberg until the article Heidelberger published on his blog came out…

Read that here.

Hot of the press, this morning, in the face of some Democrats expressing that they’re not interested, and that the effort at a coup seems rushed, Cory is pushing hard for Democrats to hold the vote to dump Tornberg:

The snap election that Rachelle Norberg and other Democrats are calling for at Saturday’s meeting in Sioux Falls is about as early and sensibly timed as such a move can be.

and..

Planning a snap election for new Democratic Party leadership on McGovern Day is not sudden, last-second upheaval. It does not show “bad taste.” It shows courage, inclusiveness, and good timing… all of which are good characteristics for a Democratic Party leader.

Read that here.

Sounds to me like Cory is one of the forces pushing the coup against Ann Tornberg as much as Rachelle Norberg, Paula Hawks or anyone in the SDDP. And he might just be angling to take over himself.

From a letter posted over at southdacola.com (yes, the blog that calls Sioux Falls Police officers “piggies”), it appears that 2016 losing Congressional Candidate Paula Hawks is actually planning to make a run against Ann Tornberg for chairwoman of the South Dakota Democrat Party.

The question is, can she get more than 36%?

It’s interesting to note what Hawks is promising to do for Democrats as part of her long, long campaign letter for the office of SDDP Chair. (I’ve abbreviated much of it, because good lord, Hawks just rambles on.)

1. Capitalize on the opportunities being handed to us by the massive numbers of people taking action through the many resistance groups forming across the state:  LEAD, Progress SD, South Dakota Forward, Pantsuit Nation…
2. I will work to reinforce the existing relationships I have with media outlets in South Dakota….
3. The wait-and-see strategy that is occurring now isn’t working – we can’t wait for the reporters to come to us – we have to go to them and keep the lines of communication open
4. I will vigorously pursue the formulation and dissemination of a strategic plan of action….
5. I will expand fundraising efforts and make them a much larger priority….

Read that and a lot more unnecessary filler text here.

If we look at what embattled SDDP Chairwoman Ann Tornberg promised to do in 2014, there are some similarities…

1. Rebuild Financial base from the grassroots.
2. Hire more staff for offices
3. Build County-level organizations
4. Recruit a full slate of candidates
5. Register new voters among diverse constituencies
6. Win Elections.

…Except Paula Hawks is promising to be all “strategic,” as she used strategic and strategy in her long rambling manifesto 11 times.  But otherwise the Hawks plan is pretty thin on details, and doesn’t provide any real justification for people to elect her, other than to focus their anger at Tornberg.

In fact, if you look at it and compare the two, actually, Tornberg had a far more thought out plan than Hawks’ plan of get all the bomb throwers together, talk to the media, and raise money.   You need to elect Hawks to do that?    Comparing it, when she sought the office, Tornberg offered a plan. Hawks is offering little more than to write one. Which I’m sure will be a very, very long document with lots of words.

Paula Hawks’ plan to lead the South Dakota Democrat Party is about as thin and disorganized as her campaign for Congress was. She cites her “existing relationships …with media outlets in South Dakota,” but if I recall, they absolutely roasted her over her campaign, calling it “amateur hour.”

If those are the relationships she’s talking about bringing to the SDDP….  then I say as far as the SDGOP is concerned, keep on keeping on.

Sounds like the news about the Democrat coup against Ann Tornberg continues to spread, as it was rolling by all morning in the Today show news feed.

Who is the most popular Governor in the nation? You know it’s Dennis Daugaard.

From the Inside Gov Website:

Before those elections take place, though, InsideGov, a political research site powered by Graphiq, decided to identify the most popular U.S. governors. To do this, the analysts used polling data from MorningConsult, a nonpartisan digital media research company.

MorningConsult surveyed more than 71,900 voters in all 50 states between May and September 2016. Governors are ranked in ascending order by their net approval rating.* In the case of ties, governors are sorted by their approval rating. Approval ratings are only one metric to evaluate a governor, but they can be a useful indicator of a governor’s success.

and…

Read it all here.

With all the rumors swirling around the implosion of the South Dakota Democrat Party this weekend and the coup being staged against Ann Tornberg’s chairmanship, one of the things that keeps getting brought up is that no one really seems to be angling for the job.

That’s the problem with a revolt.  If you put the queen to the guillotine, no one wants to be the next ruler in case the peasants decide to revolt again.  And trust me. As much as they lose in South Dakota, Democrats can be pretty revolting.

So, if they are able to change the party bylaws from a 4 year term to a 2 year term accompanied by an immediate election, who do we see as possibility for taking on the chairmanship of the South Dakota Democrat Party?

Possible New Chairs of the SDDP:

Paula Hawks (Odds 3-1) If the party bylaws are changed, we give a 3-1 chance that Paula Hawks, who has been one of the Democrats most critical of Ann Tornberg’s less than benevolent rule, might emerge as the new party ruler.

The Hawks for Congress campaign arguably suffered the most from the party’s lack of fundraising, disorganization, etcetera.  Hawks has been the most vocal critic of the Party and has been calling for change.   Being the agent of change may put Hawks in a position to run for office again someday, and believe me, the Democrat party has nowhere to go but up.

Slick Rick Weiland (Odds 10-1) Slick Rick Weiland, the political snake oil salesman who tried several times this past election to sell South Dakotans on initiated measures, had washed his hands of the Democrat Party previously after his crushing loss to Mike Rounds for US Senate.

But, as any good opportunist, he may view the Democrat Party’s implosion as an opening to bamboozle the Democrats who rule the party that he can lead them to prosperity through initiated measures.  (Because that’s worked so well for them).  It might also give him some face time with the press.  But the problem here would be that he’d have to produce something besides music videos – he’d have to produce results.

Cory Heidelberger (Odds 5-1) Interestingly, while Cory has been a vociferous Tornberg supporter in the past, he’s been one of the parties most responsible in loudly publicizing the grievances of the Democrat organization mutineers, and making sure that everyone knows that they want to throw Ann Tornberg out of office for “severe lack of management ability that has led to low fundraising, dropping voter registration numbers, a nearly invisible message, and at the center, zero of anything resembling a strategic action plan for the State Party.”

In other words, if Cory had not been promoting it and making sure as many Democrats saw it as possible, there might not be much of a revolt.  Sure, others had expressed dissatisfaction in the past. But no one had really undercut Tornberg until the article Heidelberger published on his blog came out. Giving voice to the dissidents made a lot of ugly family secrets open to the world. And now, interestingly, Cory is back riding the fence trying to claim the high road while dispensing advice as to what Democrats should be doing…. Which sounds a little too much like he wants the job.

The downside for Democrats is that Cory rarely follows through, and has a tendency to turn people off, much like he’s helped Aberdeen move more strongly into the GOP Column as part of his ill-fated run for State Senate.  The more he campaigned, the more ground he lost to Al Novstrup.  If we think Ann Tornberg’s current implosion is spectacular, I imagine Cory’s would put it to shame should he get the nod.

Frank Kloucek (Odds 25-1) Frank has been critical of the chair for months, and not behind closed doors. The former Senator was openly attacking her in Democrat party “listening tour” sessions where Tornberg went across the state and tried to make excuses for the Democrat party’s dismal performance.

The problem with Frank, is well… Frank. While he’d actually be the closest leader that Democrats could come up with resembling a moderate South Dakotan as opposed to the party of liberal Social Justice Warriors which Democrats have styled themselves as, Frank also has a tendency to come off as a bit of a buffoon, and they may not have a lot of confidence in his ability to lead or raise the money that Democrats need to keep the lights on.

“Effective” Ann Tornberg. (Odds 2-1)  Let’s face it. South Dakota Democrat Party chair is an awful position, and no one wants it.  Ann claims she’s been effective, despite evidence to the contrary.   If there’s a revolution and no one wants to lead in its wake, there becomes a great question of who will fill the void.

Given that Democrats aren’t entirely convinced yet that there should be a revolution in the first place, I think there’s a 50/50 chance or better that they’ll just leave “Effective Ann” in place, and revisit the whole mess in December of 2018 like they’re scheduled to do anyway, and just cancel the revolution (at least for a while).

They’ll bumble along, lose the 2018 election, and go home to lick their wounds for the next cycle.  I’m guessing that’s probably the best bet to place if you’re playing the odds for this weekend’s Democrat meeting.

Otherwise, anyone have any suggestions as to who the next chair for the SDDP should be? Sound off in the comment section. (You might want to encourage them.)

Gov. Daugaard Orders State Capitol Flags At Half-Staff For Former State Senator Richard Gregerson

PIERRE, S.D. – Flags at the State Capitol will fly at half-staff on Monday, May 1, to honor the life of former legislator Richard “Dick” Gregerson of Sioux Falls, who passed away on Tuesday, April 25.

Gregerson, 84, represented a Minnehaha County district in the state Senate from 1979 to 1982, and also served 16 years on the state Transportation Commission.

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Background and context: In 1980, I was the intern for State Senators Dick Gregerson & Dick Flynn. In roughly 1983, Dick Gregerson took a sabbatical from Woods Fuller and spent roughly three months as an “intern” for US Senator Jim Abdnor, where one of my duties was Intern Coordinator. In other words, I once worked for Dick Gregerson and he once “worked” for me. I think maybe the best tribute I can do is tell stories about Gregerson.

Story #1- Played to win: Gregerson and Flynn were polar opposites with regard to style and personality but they were close personal friends. As their intern, I can’t remember ever working “for” a bill but know I spent a lot of time helping them kill bills. One morning I get to the Capitol and they tell me to go to Lyndell Peterson’s committee and take down the names of every person who comes to the committee and what they say on what bill. If I don’t know their name, I am to ask for their name. No other direction than this. Part way into the hearing, Peterson cant’ stand it any more, looks at me and asks “What are Frick and Frack up to?” In all honesty, I tell him I’m here to take names and notes. But, I can tell Peterson is bewildered and maybe a bit rattled.

After the hearing, I type up the list of attendees and notes. When I give it to them, they don’t care about my notes but ask about it and I tell them what Peterson said and his reaction. They laugh and tell me they just want to get in his head because he has been messing with some pro-Sioux Falls legislation.

Story #2- Preacher’s Kid: That session, five of us from Augie were interns (three guys and two gals). Since I was from Pierre, I was charged with finding a place to live. I end up finding an empty house which was big enough for all of us. Well, Gregerson had a visceral reaction to gals and guys living under one roof so he told me it was MY RESPONSIBLITY to protect the gals reputation by stomping out any rumors and not giving cause for any rumors with regard to hanky-panky.

Story #3- Confident and could be made fun of: As I said above, my bosses were polar opposites and the moniker “Frick and Frack” was perfect. Flynn was boisterous and aggressive. Gregerson was always the gentleman. Flynn always teased Gregerson of being too nice. Anyway, one morning I’m instructed to go to the men’s clothing store and pick up a mannequin, get it up into an office without Gregerson seeing it, and then when Gregerson is stuck in Governor Janklow’s office at the start of session to get it into the chamber in Gregerson’s spot.

When Gregerson came into the Chamber, Flynn was crouched down at another desk and asked to speak. The Lt. Governor Lowell Hansen as President of the Senate recognized “Senator Gregerson” where Flynn mimicked Gregerson’s style which included “speaking on the bill” by saying something nice about each of the sponsors (attire, haircut, spouse, etc.) to only conclude with “Thank you for your great work on this bill but I’m sorry to tell you I’m voting against it.” The place couldn’t stop laughing.

Story #4- Trustworthy: While they didn’t know each other well at the start, when Gregerson spent his sabbatical with Senator Abdnor, as an unpaid intern, his “job” was basically to go everywhere with Senator Abdnor. He was in every meeting, sat in the lobby outside the Senate Chamber when Senate was in session, and went to every social engagement with the Senator. It wasn’t long before Senator Abdnor asked that every memo be also given to Gregerson. In short, Dick became wholly trusted by Abdnor in literally days.

Story #5- Humble: Every morning when he came to the office, he first came to my desk and asked if I (as Intern Coordinator) had anything for him. Part of it was for us to laugh of the “role reversal” since I worked for him in Pierre. Part of it was to express a willingness to do something besides be Senator Abdnor’s “boy Friday.” But, after awhile I came to appreciate it was Dick just being respectful to the office and every person who worked there.

I could tell more stories but want to end with the last time I saw Dick. It was at Kaladi’s where he was meeting friends/peers for coffee. I had stopped by myself to eat breakfast and answer some emails. I hadn’t even seen Dick when he stopped by to say hello. We quickly got updated in a cursory way and said to each other “we have to have lunch.” It never happened.

Of course, I have regret I didn’t make it happen. But, not as much as you might think. Over 30 years ago, in two 90 day tranches, I got to know Dick and developed a deep fondness and respect that never diminished. I never felt we needed regular contact to keep the bond formed so long ago. Even though he has passed, I have no sense of it diminishing either. Dick Gregerson is just that solid.

Dear Lord, the separation of our friends from us is concurrently a union with Eternal Destiny. By the merits of your Cross and by your Divine Mercy may our friend Dick Gregerson be an oblation to your Father. We praise and thank you for the blessing of Dick Gregerson for we could see glimpses of You in him. Amen.