‘Coalition of confederates’ reveal plans on how they are going replace “establishment Republicans”

As commentary is coming in on an article I posted yesterday, “Special interest groups seeking to push Republicans their way. But it’s a recipe for disaster” I came across an interesting article on-line today about how one leader of the very same “Coalition of Counties” group explains what the very purpose of their effort is.

Kind of like a cartoon or a movie villain, where they have to provide an overly long monologue explaining their nefarious plan on how they are going to take over the world, he goes on at length about what they’re intentions are.

Except there are no sharks with laser beams in this version, as so far as we know. Just some people involved with county GOP groups that seem to have gotten a little big for their britches.

In an article by Stu Cvrk of the Bon Homme County Republican Party, after you get through three pages of overly long monologuing, he finally gets to the point of what their ultimate intention is. To throw Republicans out of office:

The goals of the precinct strategy are to: (1) influence the policies and direction of the Republican Party, (2) decide who represents the party when running for office, and (3) elect representatives to the party who will “truly represent the people.” In short, to replace “establishment Republicans” with grassroots conservatives who reflect the concerns of the Republican base.

You can read the overly long article here.

Ugh.  Haven’t we heard this same schtick before?  Convention of States throws money around and wants to replace Republicans. The Free-dumb caucus spends their time attacking Republicans.  The Ripple Effect group was set up to recruit people to throw out incumbents. Same thing with the idiots organizing the Primary John Thune and Primary Dusty Johnson groups.

Those external groups are focused on attacking Republicans and throwing out incumbents.  And that’s certainly their right. But there’s a problem with this newest group doing so. A big one. Because the Coalition of Counties, or as I would call them, the Coalition of Confederates, is not people acting independently, they are a cancer from within and have expressly identified themselves in past correspondence as:

  • Executive Board, Aurora County Republican Party
  • Executive Board, Bennett County Republican Party
  • Executive Board, Bon Homme County Republican Party
  • Prospective Executive Board, Buffalo County Republican Party
  • Executive Board, Butte County Republican Party
  • Executive Board, Charles Mix County Republican Party
  • Sarah Taggart, Vice Chair, Clay County Republican Party
  • Gary Sokolow, Secretary, Clay County Republican Party
  • Linda Alvey, State Committeewoman, Clay County Republican Party
  • Glenn Pulse, State Committeeman, Clay County Republican Party
  • Executive Board, Davison County Republican Party
  • Executive Board, Fall River County Republican Party
  • Prospective Executive Board, Hand County Republican Party
  • Executive Board, Harding County Republican Party
  • Executive Board, Jackson County Republican Party
  • Executive Board, McPherson County Republican Party
  • Executive Board, Minnehaha County Republican Party
  • Executive Board, Pennington County Republican Party
  • Executive Board, Todd County Republican Party
  • Executive Board, Yankton County Republican Party
  • Executive Board, Ziebach County Republican Party

Several Republican “Executive Boards” are identifying themselves as belonging to this group which Stu Cvrk pointed out includes among their goals “deciding who represents the party when running for office,” and telling everyone they intend to “replace establishment Republicans” they decide they don’t like.

It begs the question.. the “prospective executive board for the Hand County GOP” wants to throw out House Majority Leader Will Mortenson before they even become formalized? Same with the prospective Buffalo County group – once they become a real county organization, is it their intent to throw out Rep. Rebecca Reimer because she has been in leadership?

What about the Minnehaha or Pennington County GOP Groups? Which legislators do they consider “establishment” and they are going to work to replace them?

I think the elected officials at least deserve that much courtesy from these groups who have identified their mission as such.  Nevermind the fact, I can’t find that in their job duties?

And I can’t help but continue harping on the whole job duty thing.

I don’t see where “decide who represents the party when running for office” or “replace establishment Republicans” is in the chair or vice-chair’s job description. And somehow, I don’t think the Republican Party Chairman’s goals – which county groups are directed to carry out – include throwing Republican elected officials out of office!

So, what do these people think they are doing when their expressly declared intent is to “replace establishment Republicans?

Republican elected officials in these counties, as well as statewide, need to have a serious come-to-Jesus chat with these County GOP organizations, and find out if they are on their hit-list to be taken out because they feel they are ‘establishment.’

Because they at least deserve the courtesy to know if these same county groups who come to them with hat-in-hand every year asking them to buy a table or buy an ad in their Lincoln Day Dinner program are going to turn around and use the funds they raise against them when they’re running for election next year.

46 thoughts on “‘Coalition of confederates’ reveal plans on how they are going replace “establishment Republicans””

  1. If these dimwits want to elect a different kind of Republican, they should run themselves. Not for party office, for an actual elected office.

    Here’s a prediction: they’ll lose.

    The reason they are in these party offices is that no one pays attention to them or cares about them. There are way too many and they don’t have any power so people don’t run for them. It means someone who can’t get elected to anything else can sign up for one of the party offices, often unopposed.

    That’s why we need to think about picking all our candidates in primaries, or dramatically changing how the party offices are chosen. The current system produces party officials that don’t accurately represent the party at all. It’s why Kristi Noem can win Minnehaha County 70-30 against Haugaard, but then the Minnehaha delegation votes 70-30 for Haugaard against Larry Rhoden.

    As Pat has said so well, the purpose of party offices isn’t to boss around the actual elected Republicans. It’s to help them win elections. If these people don’t want to do that, they should resign.

    1. Yep. This.

      If the people in his county organizations think that they have “establishment Republicans” that need to go, they should quit whining and run themselves.

      Maybe then they’ll have to get out of their echo chambers, talk to real Republicans, and find out the world doesn’t spin on what their crazy aunt wrote on Facebook.

      1. I always thought people were in county leadership because they cared about getting Republicans elected. That means all Republicans from David Wheeler to Phil Jensen. Anyone coming out of a primary should be good to have support.

          1. I’d throw in with this crowd if they weren’t prone to being stupid so often.

            It’s one thing to support Monae Johnson who worked hard and had a legitimate campaign and reason to run. I also think they have a legit reason for supporting Taffy in her congressional run.

            But the next day they are trying to take out Thune with Whalen, then Noem with Haugaard, then Jackely with the incompetent Natvig, then they want Youngberg to take on Greenfield (fyi youngberg is looking to challenge pischke so it looks like they just chase cars and don’t even know anything about their candidates actual positions – just anti), they took out Rhonda Milstead (give me a break), Jim Stalzer… it’s insane how small the coalition gets when we get into these factions of purity. Stace Nelson got out just in time before he became a rino.

            1. I don’t know if I agree with you completely. Taffy is so staggeringly awful, I’m not sure how anyone has a legit reason for supporting her after skipping 15% of floor votes last year.

              But absolutely, and when you replace Rhonda Milstead with Tornow and have him claiming he beat the moderate/establishment choice.. you have to wonder.

              1. I didn’t vote for Taffy. I agree with her on some things but yes she can’t get out of her own way. She attacks everyone who isnt in her cult. I don’t agree with Dusty on several key issues like Ukraine funding, the Wall vote, Luz Cheney but I’m not going to vote for Taffy.

                I’m just saying some of his votes are why he was challenged. Even if Taffy was extremely flawed.

    2. 15 counties. Let’s assume another 5 are with them but not signing. Wiik needs to organize counties before he loses control.

  2. yay. a smell-tester loyalty-oath-swearing manifesto from severely under-experienced activist yahoos. save us.

  3. Maybe I’m old fashioned but back in my day the county gop (maybe even several (its called a coalition) brought issues to the state central committee to see if we could get support from all 66. We then sent out a press release from a statewide organization that a large number of registered voters identified with. It’s called the SD GOP.

    This CVRK is a moron.

    1. ..or a bunch of incapable tantrum-throwers are gutting the party because they’re incapable of being part of it. depends on your viewpoint.

  4. So it is wrong for grassroots Republicans to try to primary incumbents? What about Schoenbeck and Noem, contributing from their own warchests to try to primary incumbents like Fred Deutsch who are Whack-a-doodles and too conservative for the Establishment??? This is the pot calling the kettle black.
    Stop the condescending perjoratives toward conservatives. All interested parties, registered as Republicans, have some right to a place at the table. I am done with letting you talk down to me, putting me down for my beliefs. BTW, there are a lot of us, and we vote!

    1. Nothing prevents you from doing it outside of the context of the party as a private individual. If you want to run in a primary, knock yourself out.

      However, party organizations don’t get involved in picking favorites in a primary, or attacking incumbent Republican officeholders.

  5. Cvrk is the leader of an executive committee appointed by himself and very few actual precinct people in Bon Homme County. His voice is loud but not really very powerful.

  6. Since this site is establishment and the owner violates his own terms of service, I am sure there are many people who would take the time to debunk the “noble screed” he posted if they didn’t think their comments would be taken down. I have had three germane comments taken down on different topics over the last two days. And when I asked, I was told by Pat Powers that my IP address was out of state and that he didn’t want comments from out of state cluttering up the (almost non-existent) dialogue. I happen to be a citizen and Republican in SD, but out of state at the moment, so my IP location is an irrelevant point PP uses to justify taking down comments he didn’t like.
    The take away is that only comments this schlub agrees with will stay posted to create a FALSE impression that most Republicans in the state agree with him. And then he gets his handful of group think allies to post the comments he likes. He couldn’t be more wrong about the party. People are frustrated that the party in this state is run top down and does not hold to principles when it is important.
    While we’re at it, why is the Central Committee slow-rolling the organization of over a dozen counties that want to organize Republicans in their counties? Goes against the rant by PP, no???

    1. my experience, as an occasional commenter and even a person who has been blocked in the past himself, is that you’re wrong about pp and the real ‘screed’ found at the start of your overlarge complaint is intended to dare pp to display a childish form of censorship which isn’t his m.o. if he is blocking you, there are a few other offenses you’re committing to earn that, which you aren’t sharing with us.

      1. Ok, this part isnt true. There are certain topics he will lock down from time to time. Ive earned some deletions, but some are definitely Powers attempting to frame the debate.

        1. i was sharing my experience, which is that a large range of opinions can exist here, but when you veer into abuse of people and processes in your post, or otherwise drive the thread way off topic, you earn a deletion or block. i am amazed that you can go beyond disagreeing with my experience to the extent of declaring it untrue. can you know that? wow.

          1. And you told another person what their experience must be based on your own. Seems a tad hypocritical, no?

              1. Ok. Enquirer’s experience: generalizable to others. Others experience: not generalizable.

                Cool story.

    2. The Republicans who have worked for years to get Republicans elected do agree with Mr Powers, but the SDGOP has brought this on themselves. It is a cancer, and like a doctor warning a patient about a precancerous condition, some of us saw the problems years ago and urged the central committee to change some of the bylaws which were allowing it to grow.
      We did get the “Hubble Rule” through but talks about doing anything else never got done. There had been discussion of requiring “Republicans in Good Standing” to refrain from publicly attacking other Republicans, AKA the Reagan’s 11th Commandment. Reagan stated it back in 1966, indicating that he saw the cancer that long ago.
      By the time Lance Russell was running for AG, it was apparent some candidates would recruit people from counties with no central committees to become Precinct Committeemen and women; Russell’s Insane Clown Posse had no interest in forming county organizations, raising money, or working to get Republicans elected, they just wanted to disrupt the state convention.

      Yes, the SDGOP let this happen. The party is now dominated by people who want to bankrupt the party (tried to vote themselves money out of the treasury, next time they will probably have the votes,) attack incumbent republicans, engage in destructive primaries and clear a path for the Democrats.

      1. What some of these people need to realize is that there are some county parties that are great and are assets to candidates. Key word, candidates.

        And there are others that are useless and vestigial; Like an appendix, they’re just there because they always have been.

        County groups make themselves important by doing their job and getting Republicans elected. When county orgs are not working, and spend their time ginning up drama and making it about themselves, candidates have and will just go around them.

  7. This is a mess. While the current rancor & division isn’t the exclusive fault of any one person or faction, I have sympathy for those saying the previous SDGOP leadership bears a measure of responsibility. There’s truth there. Nevertheless, we can’t waste time pointing fingers. We’re fighting to save our country. Instead of dwelling on past sins, let’s give our newly elected SDGOP an opportunity to make amends, heal old wounds, recruit great candidates, and chart a better course forward. Our new executive director and new party chair = talented people w/ the potential to accomplish great things. The legislature did solid work this year, too, passing beneficial laws and blocking some bad ones. We’ve elected strong constitutional officers, and we need to replace Joe Biden. Bottom line: we have a lot to lose if we let petty, internecine feuds drain passion and resources away from the political battles that matter most.

    1. Wiik needs to show some leadership. This is a major problem. He needs to resolve it.

  8. If these mutts get their way, party organizations will become as completely irrelevant as in Minnesota, where candidates quit bothering to get party endorsements long ago.

  9. Keep it on topic.. comments about comment moderation on other posts is NOT on topic. And boring.

  10. Try posting dissention over at DFP and you will find Pat is pretty lenient as far as posting goes.

    I would have banished some of the lefties here months ago.

  11. Remember Siouxland Republican women? Same type of thing. They became an alternative to the Minnehaha Republican women. They disagreed over something and went rogue. Looks like this will become standard all over SD if The GOP doesn’t do something.

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