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From Austin Goss @ Dakota News Now, Congressional Candidate Democrat Ryan Ryder is no longer a Congressional Candidate:

Ryan Ryder is dropping out of the race for South Dakota’s lone congressional seat. Here’s a statement: pic.twitter.com/0q68lhd0RY

— Austin Goss (@AustinGossSD) March 3, 2022

I suspect someone asked him how many tweets there were, and he had to admit a lot.

Probably for the best.

I do notice he is apologizing to Democrats “and to anyone else for whom these tweets reflected badly.” As opposed to apologizing for intimating that people he didn’t like should die from covid, or the other creepy stuff he said.

With a non-apology apology like this, he should not be running for anything.

I had an update on Senate Bill 175 late last night, that after 90 minutes of testimony into the evening, House Appropriators decided to push off a decision on Senate Bill 175 until today.

What is being speculated? There is thought that like many worthwhile and supported projects this session, the House Appropriators are going to fight it, and may even try to kill it.  Even though the bill is supported by the Shooting Sports Association, National Rifle Association, etc.

It would be nice if it was supported. But I’m not holding my breath at this point.

Stay tuned as we continue to monitor this legislation.

In case you might be trying to reach me through my typical e-mail, my mail server host seems to be down hard at the moment.

Drop me a call or feel free to use my alternate e-mail address.

Democrat Congressional candidate Ryan Ryder was all set to make a big announcement splash today.. and instead ended up being outed as just another creep on twitter throwing trash, who also happened to be having the worst candidate rollout in recent South Dakota History.

As posted on his website, he started out claiming that he was going to be a different type of candidate. And in fact actually says “Why am I running for Congress? Let me be clear up front that I’m not interested in personal attacks or mudslinging.”

But.. literally at the same time as his announcement, it came out that this 47 year old Rapid City attorney is also a creepy twitter troll:

But just hours after his announcement, concerns were raised about several questionable tweets from Ryder’s personal Twitter account.

and..

While many are relatively minute, others are far more controversial.

In one, Ryder suggests that he should make an animated video of Johnson’s family getting killed.

Or in another, Ryder makes jokes about performing sexual acts to a picture of Governor Kristi Noem.

Read it all here.

And as of tonight on Dakota News Now, Ryder’s exploits being a not-as-anonymous-as-he-thought douche bag on twitter ended up not just overshadowing his campaign announcement, but completely eclipsing and destroying the narrative he was trying to sell, that he’s “not interested in personal attacks or mudslinging.”  Because that seems to be all he’s done on twitter for the last few years.

Ryder’s biggest problem is not an uncommon one among candidates, as I’ve talked about it several times, where candidates failed to police their social media.

Shortly before the press release went out from South Dakota Democrats this morning, Ryder took down this twitter account..

But considering he filed his FEC forms 5 days ago, I can tell you that this was 5 days too long.

Here’s how his twitter page looked before he nuked it this morning. And let me tell you – he was a very, very active tweeter.

Here Democrat Congressional Candidate Ryan Ryder implies that Kristi Noem voters dying of COVID might be good.

Here Democrat Congressional Candidate Ryan Ryder says Rush Limbaugh dying of cancer is funny.

Here Ryan Ryder thinks Joseph Boever dead on the side of the road is a good subject for what he termed his “shock jock” humor to Dakota News Now.

And it goes on, and on, and on.

I’m not sure what’s more amazing – that a 47 year old attorney acts like a 15 year old on twitter, or that the state Democrat Party is actually continuing to endorse him as their candidate.

Especially when he makes statements like this:

Democrat Congressional Ryan Ryder on Dusty Johnson: “It’s too bad that the Trump rioters you continue to support didn’t get you that day.”

The Democrat Candidate for Congress’ first reaction to January 6th was to wish harm on Congressman Dusty Johnson that day. As endorsed by the South Dakota Democrat Party. 

Stay tuned for more.

Much, Much more.

Does someone need their heads examined?

Yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee heard companion measures SB 54 and SB 130, two bills taken together which would appropriate funds for the Dakota State University Cyber Program Expansion to double the number of graduates in their cyber security program, and to authorize the Board of Regents to acquire property, contract for the design and construction of the Dakota State University Applied Research Lab.

The 10,000 foot view is that they want to create an Applied Research Lab in Cyber Security in Sioux Falls through a public/private partnership, which would create 4-500 jobs averaging at $100,000 salaries.

That’s $100,000 salaries IN South Dakota. And they want to double the number of South Dakota graduates DSU can feed into the program, so they can hire them, and keep them in state. They have more demand than they can fill now, much less to feed a major program such as this. So it’s vitally important for them to grow.

High tech jobs – the kind of jobs that graduates are looking for in the field of cybersecurity. They would help counteract the kind of warfare being waged in part in the Ukraine today, should those efforts be pointed against America now or at a future date.

Literally, this is the kind of development communities dream about.

So what did the brain trust in House Appropriations choose to do?

Senate Bill 54 to appropriate funds for the Dakota State University Cyber Program Expansion. House Appropriations cut the funding to $1 on a motion by Tina Mulally.  After that, they begrudgingly passed it 8-1, with Taffy Howard the lone vote no.

Senate Bill 130 to authorize the Board of Regents to acquire property, contract for the design and construction of the Dakota State University Applied Research Lab to make an appropriation therefor, and to declare an emergency.  That passed 6-3.

Who voted against creating 4-500 jobs paying an average of $100,000 in the Sioux Falls area?  Liz May was a NO. Sioux Falls Gubernatorial wannabe Steve Haugaard voted NO to 500 jobs.

And once again proving herself to be literally the most doltish legislator in Pierre, Taffy Howard STILL voted no. Taffy Howard continued a trend of voting anything that benefits South Dakota and voted against 500 high paying South Dakota jobs.

For crying out loud, even Tina Mulally – who barely generates enough electricity to ambulate – and called to cut the funding to $1 – voted to pass it, but Taffy still doesn’t get it.

It’s like there’s some mental block for accomplishing anything. Create a bioprocessing facility for the School of Mines and SDSU? Taffy votes no. Infrastructure needs for the new B21 mission at Ellsworth? Taffy votes no. Freedom Scholarships. Big no vote there as well.

Good gosh. This is one of those projects where there was no opposition, people lining up to donate money and land to make it happen, and all they’re asking is for State Government to be a part of the solution at a time when the money is there for a massive expansion of jobs, the tax base, and keeping South Dakota kids in South Dakota.

You can lead a horse to water. But you can’t make them think. As Representative Howard demonstrated once again.

Headline this morning:

As Kristi Noem touts South Dakota values across the US, out-of-staters run her political team

Noem’s spokesman, Ian Fury , arrived in Pierre in 2020 after working for Ohio congressman Jim Jordan in Washington, D.C. Communications director Jordan Overturf arrived from Texas in 2021. Campaign director Joe Desilets has run campaigns in Virginia. And Noem’s interim chief of staff, Mark Miller , is a New Jersey native who worked at a California libertarian think-tank before landing in the Rushmore State.

And..

“These people wanted to come here and be a part of South Dakota,” said Noem. “I’m thrilled. I have more people who work for me who grew up here. But I don’t think in South Dakota we’ve ever prioritized people over another based on where they were born.”

Read that here.

But also make sure you read the bio of the writer at the Capitol doing yet another hit piece on Governor Noem:

A native of Wells and Kiester, Minn., Vondracek went west for college in 2003, attending the University of South Dakota on a scholarship named for Al Neuharth, the founder of USA Today. After picking up a B.A. in Journalism in Vermillion and writing for the student newspaper, The Volante, Vondracek stayed for his M.A. in English literature. He taught college English in Rochester and Winona, Minn., between 2009 and 2015, and eventually received his MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Hamline University in St. Paul.

So.. it’s bad for Republicans from other states who want to come to South Dakota to live and work.. but ok for Reporters who write hit pieces?

And I say that being born in New Jersey and brought to SD as a 6 year old by my native New Yorker father and my Iowa mother.

I think Minnesotan Christopher Vondracek might want to quit pretending to be a South Dakota nativist, and recognize the state for being the Great American Melting pot that it is.

Otherwise, it’s not really South Dakota nice.

Thune Reacts to President Biden’s State of the Union Address

“The fragile conditions of our economy and world affairs demand that Democrats abandon their far-left crusade.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement after President Biden delivered his State of the Union address:

“Over the past year, President Biden and Democrats in Congress have pursued a reckless, partisan agenda while crisis after crisis has mounted at home and abroad.

“The smallest congressional majorities in generations have imposed some of the largest costs and regulations on families and workers. Democrats’ rampant spending has fueled historic inflation, which is hitting families’ pocketbooks in South Dakota and across the country. A president who promised to unite the nation has endorsed unprecedented attempts to undermine institutions of our government and ignored the humanitarian and national security crisis at the southern border. And of course, the entire world was shocked by the administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“If the past year has proven anything, it’s that Democrats cannot confront the challenges facing America in a real or meaningful way. The fragile conditions of our economy and world affairs demand that Democrats abandon their far-left crusade.

“Russia is waging war in Europe, and the stakes could not be higher. An anxious world is looking to the United States for strong leadership. Our adversaries are rooting for bitter partisanship.

“Republicans stand ready to work together to unleash American energy production, restore our energy independence, and bolster our military capabilities in order to provide for the safety and security of our nation. We can support our allies and hold the criminal thug Vladimir Putin accountable for his unprovoked war. We can do big things, but the president and his allies in Congress must abandon the partisan streak that has come to define their first year in power.

“In these perilous times, I pray that God watches over the United States and our fellow citizens, especially the men and women who defend our country in uniform. We are blessed to live in the greatest nation ever created, with freedoms made possible by the countless patriots who have fought and died to protect them.”

Reps. Johnson & Garamendi’s Statement on President’s Call to Pass Their Ocean Shipping Reform Act

WASHINGTON, DC—Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and John Garamendi (D-CA) issued the following statement after President Biden referenced their bipartisan Ocean Shipping Reform Act (H.R4996) in his State of the Union Address:

“We are pleased that our bipartisan Ocean Shipping Reform Act to resolve the ongoing supply chain crisis was referenced by President Biden during his State of the Union Address. Our legislation provides the first major reform of national shipping standards in over 20 years to address the issues plaguing our supply chains, protect American jobs, and correct our nation’s trade imbalances with China and other nations.

“Inflation is forcing everyone to pay more for essential goods as middle-class families across the nation work to make ends meet. That’s why our bipartisan bill puts an end to unjust fines and unfair trade practices that are contributing to rising costs.

“The Ocean Shipping Reform Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives twice with over 364 votes—a majority of Democrats and Republicans. We call on the United States Senate to pass our legislation so the President can sign it into law,” said Representatives Garamendi (D-CA) and Johnson (R-S.D.).

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This was a nice honor for a family that many South Dakota Republicans know well:

Jeff Kippley, his wife Rachel, and his dad John are cow/calf and crop farmers near Aberdeen, S.D. Jeff and Rachel have been a part of the Farmers Union for 20 years.

On Feb. 28, the South Dakota Farmers Union announced that Kippley was elected to be Vice President at the National Farmers Union Convention held in Denver, Colorado.“I am honored family farmers and ranchers put their trust in me to help lead this organization in its mission,” said Kippley.

Read it all here

Jeff’s wife Rachel was a Brown County commissioner for a number of years, and now serves the county as the manager of the Brown County fair.

Mike Lauritsen, the former deputy at the Office of School & Public Lands used to help to manage our states public lands. Now he is helping to fuel expansion in the city of Chamberlain with that towns lottery for 11 free building lots for prospective residents:

An eligible entrant can win a lot but they must build a house on it within a year, according to rules set by the Lake Francis Case Economic Development Corporation.

“In Chamberlain, the same thing that’s happening all over the state and nation, there is a housing shortage and a labor need,” city administrator Mike Lauritsen said.

Read the entire story here.