Noem Statement on Passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Kristi Noem today issued the following statement after the sudden passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia:
“Today, we lost a great defender of our Constitution – a man whose admirable faith and unyielding candor left a lasting impact on our nation. There are never quite the right words to express during times like this. Bryon and I extend our deepest sympathies to Justice Scalia’s wife and children. While our nation has lost a great legal mind and an unwavering defender of our Constitution, they have lost a father and a husband. Our prayers are with them.”
Thune Statement on the Passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement regarding the passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia who was scheduled to speak in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, next month:
“Today we learned the sad news of Justice Scalia’s passing. With his sudden death, our nation lost a stalwart for conservatives and a brilliant constitutional scholar. He was a legal giant who devoted his career to serving our country and his life to serving the Lord. It’s hard to imagine the Supreme Court without his sound legal judgment and remarkable wit. Kimberley and I offer our deepest condolences to his family. You’re in our thoughts and prayers.”
At a Cracker Barrel this morning, Republican State Representative Fred Deutsch announced that he is not going to be running for State House of Representatives.
He is however, going to throw his hat in the ring for the office of State Senate for his district, with that office being vacated by Democrat State Senator Jim Peterson.
The Democrat-insider ran “Drinking Liberally Sioux Falls” blog makes note of what we’ve been hearing for a while. That Dems are down to “the no one else guy” and that Ann Tornberg may very well be the worst chairman ever.
In Political News: Word on the street has it that Jay Williams, the Yankton County Democratic Chair, will announce that he will challenge John Thune for John’s US Senate seat this year. His announcement could come as early as next week. The South Dakota Democratic Party has been struggling to find someone to run against Thune and his $11 million dollar bankroll. Jay indicated some time ago he would do it if no one else would. It looks like the Democratic Party is down to “no one else”.
And, Democratic registration in South Dakota fell again in January to a new low of 167,064. Democratic registration has declined in 13 of the last 14 months, the only exception being a 14 voter gain last July. In total, Democratic registration has dropped by 8,900 voters since Ann Tornberg’s election as State Democratic Chair in December 2014. Despite promises, we still have not heard of any plan from Ann about a voter registration drive to reverse this trend. She is probably too busy being a pretend legislator in Pierre.
Heidi Cruz: “We are at a cultural crossroads in our country, and if we can be in this race to show this country the face of the God that we serve — this Christian God that we serve is the foundation of our country, our country was built on Judeo-Christian values, we are a nation of freedom of religion, but the God of Christianity is the God of freedom, of individual liberty, of choice and of consequence.”
I want to make it clear that I believe Heidi Cruz’ quote about “the face of God” has been misinterpreted and actually accurately reflects the universal call of all Christians to image or mirror God the Father and God the Son to the world. I do think it is a bit awkward though.
Secondly, a spouse who doesn’t see in the other the face of God likely has married the wrong person or isn’t looking at the other with the eyes one is called to do.
Third, a couple should see their marriage/family as an outward expression of the Trinity, united in Love.
Personally, as we close in on St. Valentine’s Day, I found her statement read in context is quite beautiful.
That said and to just add some levity (not intended to be at Mrs. Cruz’ expense but at the expense of the misinterpretation), when I first saw the headline and way it was presented in the first article I saw which put her husband, his campaign and the face of God in the same sentence, my reaction was:
“Hmmmm. Didn’t God show up to Moses as a (B)ush? Aren’t we to aspire to have His face “Trump” our face?”
Have a great weekend.
PS: The Clinton Campaign has to be in “puke mode” as the recently released Nevada poll shows a dead heat (She was up 23% in the last poll). AT&T might crash with all the calls to the Vice President.
GOP Announces New Executive Director
The Republican Party of South Dakota announced today that Ryan Budmayr has been selected as its new Executive Director. He currently serves as Director of Business Development for Lemonly, a visual design agency in Sioux Falls. Budmayr will assume his new duties on March 1.
“Ryan brings a wealth of campaign and legislative experience to the job and we are proud to welcome him to our team,” said SD GOP Chair Pam Roberts. “This is a critical time for our nation, our state, and our party, and I know Ryan is ready to hit the ground running and help our grassroots volunteers build upon our strong majorities in this year’s elections.”
“I’m excited for this opportunity” Budmayr added. “South Dakota has some of the best conservative leadership in the country and it’s truly a privilege to join this team. I look forward to building our membership and continuing the party’s tradition of electing Republican candidates in every corner of the state.”
In 2010, Budmayr served as West River Director on the Daugaard for Governor Campaign. He served in the Office of Governor Daugaard and as a Business Development Representative and Director of International Trade in the Governor’s Office of Economic Development until 2014.
Budmayr is a Belle Fourche native. He attended the University of South Dakota, majoring in Political Science and serving as Student Body President and Chair of the South Dakota College Republicans.
Can you identify this Democrat? I’m guessing 99% of people in South Dakota would not be able to. And that represents an unclimbable hill for the Democrat Party in 2016. If you see this gentleman, you probably should avoid him, as it looks as if he might just be the sacrificial lamb for Democrats in the 2016 US Senate Race.
(From Jay Williams facebook, dated 2-11-2010)
The word on the street is that Democrats in Pierre are telling people that Jay Williams of Yankton is likely to make an announcement in coming days for U.S. Senate as the party’s candidate for the Senate Seat currently held by Senator John Thune.
I’ve been hearing for months now that Williams, Chairman of the Yankton County Democrat Party, had allegedly been telling Democrat muckety-mucks something to the effect that if they were desperate and couldn’t find a candidate, they could put his name on the ballot.
And the word this week is that it’s more than likely that it’s going to happen. From continued reports at the state and national level about their lack of someone to run, Democrat Chairwoman Ann Tornberg may have gone ahead and decided to push the panic button, and call in the “if no one else will do it” candidate.
According to records and news reports, Williams apparently served a term or so as a member of the Yankton School Board in between losing races for the South Dakota House of Representatives in both 2010 and 2014. In those races, Williams came in 4th out of 4 candidates in 2010, and 4th out of 4 again in 2014.
If Williams enters the race, this would mark him as the second statewide candidate in 2016 to have previously underwhelmed voters in his last run for office. Paula Hawks owns that “underwhelming” distinction as well, only winning by 8 votes in the 2014 general election for District 9 State Representative.
Running candidates who have either lost legislative office, or barely squeaked by is symptomatic of Democrat’s dismal performances at the ballot box in recent years, as well as their lack of party building activities. With no bench to speak of, they’re forced to comb through old lists, and put marginal candidates up for office who would normally not be considered to lead the ticket.
Noem Presses HHS Secretary on Tribal Health Care Crisis
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Kristi Noem pressed U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell this week during a House Ways and Means Committee hearing for information on how the agency is working to address the tribal health care crisis [VIDEO]. In recent months, Indian Health Service (IHS) units in Rosebud and Pine Ridge have been notified that they are at risk of losing accreditation from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, while the Emergency Room in Rosebud has been shut down indefinitely due to significant safety concerns.
“The mismanagement and misconduct in the Great Plains Area has persisted for well over a decade, outlasting administrator after administrator,” said Noem. “This suggests an ingrained culture that cultivates these behaviors. I truly believe the only way you can restore accountability and pride in the Great Plains workforce is to change its culture.”
HHS oversees the activities of IHS, the federal agency designated to provide health care to tribal members. Noem specifically requested for Burwell to provide information on the agency’s plan to improve the quality of health care in both the short and long term as well as strategies the agency seeks to employ to fundamentally change the management culture in the Great Plains Area – the region responsible for health care on reservations in South Dakota.
Burwell expressed a willingness to work with Noem to address the crisis and will be submitting a formal, written response in the coming weeks.
Thune Discusses STB Reform Implementation With Chairman Dan Elliott
“Chairman Elliott demonstrated a commitment to executing the provisions in my STB Reauthorization Act and assured me that the first major reforms to the STB in 20 years will be implemented in a timely fashion.”
STB Chairman Dan Elliott (left) and Sen. Thune (right)
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, recently met with Surface Transportation Board (STB) Chairman Dan Elliott about the implementation of S. 808, the STB Reauthorization Act, of which Thune was the lead Senate sponsor.
“I appreciated Chairman Elliott taking the time to discuss the next steps as it relates to the implementation of these important reforms to the STB,” said Thune. “Chairman Elliott demonstrated a commitment to executing the provisions in my STB Reauthorization Act and assured me that the first major reforms to the STB in 20 years will be implemented in a timely fashion. I look forward to continuing to work with him and the entire board throughout this process as we work toward improving the responsiveness and efficiency of the STB for South Dakota farmers, ranchers, and other businesses who deal with this federal agency.”
Highlights of S. 808:
Improves the STB’s current dispute resolution process by setting timelines for rate reviews and expanding voluntary arbitration procedures to address both rate and service disputes;
Ensures the STB has the authority to proactively resolve problems before they escalate into larger disputes by providing the STB with the ability to initiate investigations on matters other than rate cases; and
Improves the STB’s structure and decision making processes by expanding the board membership from three to five, and with proper disclosure, allows board members to talk with one another.
The Senate Commerce Committee approved S. 808 by voice vote on March 25, 2015, and it cleared the Senate by unanimous consent on June 18, 2015. President Obama signed the bill into law on December 18, 2015.
Noem Presses HHS Secretary on Tribal Health Care Crisis
