Anyone else noting that the Senate Republican Caucus seems a little ..leaky lately?
This past week, we had Stace Nelson tweeting pictures from the elections taking place in the GOP Senate caucus..
As well as anonymous person(s) dumping caucus campaign data & documents to democrats, possibly trying to intentionally to make someone look bad in the run up to the caucus elections.
Until they can come out with a political version of this stuff..
The GOP Senate Caucus might have to directly deal with their rule-breakers.
It also appears that Nelson got his lapdog, Angela Kennecke, to do another story about Mat Wollmann.
Getting Wollmann out of Pierre, is now Nelson’s greatest accomplishment, or he thinks it is, as he can’t seem to stop bragging about it.
And Angela’s such a yellow-rag hack she goes along with him.
Incoming legislators should give her the Acosta treatment. Don’t talk to her.
So Anne, what matters most is what side your are on? Right and wrong don’t much matter? I good Republican is one who ignores the wrong doing of other Republicans? How does that fit with the premise that GOP legislators need to do their dirty deeds in secret? Media watch dogs are just real pain in the rear?
Kennecke attempted to impugn the reputations of some Brookings real estate moguls who got snagged in a nasty scam along with some other investors. Her stuff is trash.
Angela is the National Enquirer of Sioux Falls. No real story? Make something up! KELO investigates? Ha. We quit watching KELO years ago because of her.
The media is part of what makes our country great. As a conservative legislator they never provide balanced reporting on my side of the issue. I put up with them because respect their role in our Democracy.
Stace, on the other hand, is another story. He is a cancer. A political pariah. The South Dakota legislature would be a much better place without him.
Kennecke was the one making up all the wild conspiracy theories about the Westerhuis tragedy, too. A white truck (transporting game birds) a surveillance camera (3 miles away) a missing safe (the size of a shoebox) and she made it sound way more interesting than it was. Kennecke isn’t doing anything to make this country great.
I was wondering who has been sending Cory all that stuff. But it appears he may have outed his source by posting both the check and the list of candidates that were to receive money. There are 3 Senate candidates that got $1,500 according to the email in Cory’s post. So either A) one of those candidates sent him a picture of the check and possibly all the other stuff he’s been posting or B) one of those three candidates sent a picture of their check to another Senate candidate and that individual has been giving all this stuff to Cory.
Looking at the candidates who received that amount, I can’t really see any of them being a leaker. So that probably means option B is what most likely has happened.
What rules are South Dakota Republicans operating under in which they are excluding Republican voters from Republican voters’ Republican caucuses?
RNC established open government rules that prohibit executive sessions except in very rare circumstances:
“PREAMBLE
BE IT RESOLVED, That the Republican Party is the party of the open door. Ours is the party of liberty, the party of equality, of opportunity for all, and favoritism for none.
It is the intent and purpose of these rules to encourage and allow the broadest possible participation of all voters in Republican Party activities at all levels and to assure that the Republican Party is open and accessible to all Americans.”
https://prod-cdn-static.gop.com/media/documents/2016-Republican-Rules-Reformatted2018_1533138132.pdf
then get elected and you will be included…total BS argument you are making without clearly understanding the rules…stop being a democrat whiner…our caucus is open…yeah and no one cares
I have no idea what the issue is but the interpretation that this preamble means executive session is to only appropriate in “very rare circumstances” is at best a misreading and at worst intentional dishonesty.
Further, since we are talking about leaks (ala Jim Comey), it appears to be an attempt to justify being dishonest. If you receive information under a promise of confidentiality, honor your promise. If you can’t honor it because of something you think of a higher obligation, have the courage to break your promise in the light of day in the openness.
Especially if you are going to make a statement extolling transparency. This is duplicity at its worst.
How else would Cory get Stace’s abortion bill unless Stace sent it to him?
Leaker = Stace.
Man to not trust = Stace
RINO = Stace
Wolf in sheep’s clothing = Stace
Matthew 7:15 is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This verse begins the section warning against false prophets. … Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s. clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Perhaps there is a leak in the Council of Legislative Researchers. They work for Mr. Nelson.
Probably one of the more laughable comments I’ve read! Technically they work for the body as a whole. But are definitely not privy to anything that takes place in closed caucus. A lot of fine individuals that work for the legislative research council!
The Senate floor will be excruciatingly fun this winter watching Cowboy & The Giant Ego tackle protocol standards. Could be the best show in years!
livestream and we could help balance the budget 🙂
If Stacey is leaking, shouldn’t he do it in his bathroom stall?
Sorry, but there are very good reasons why caucus needs to be private and confidential. I don’t care who does what or why, but there should be no tweets, texts, photos, video, audio, or whatever coming out of a closed caucus. It rarely happened when I was there and it shouldn’t now .
Totally agree Tim B. It is called respect for the “Process” which has been lost on a bloviating block head. Disfunction occurs in every family and is dealt with in a private matter but on the big stage of The Legislature when a scorched earth policy is fused in and lit up by one Legislator the entire group look like children. The General Public sees it as “Everyone” being involved.
Charlie, why should I respect a “Process” that cuts deals, behind closed doors, on an empty vehicle Bill that passes the Senate chamber and then a House amendment is approved so that the special interests in both parties can publicly agree on the pieces of meat they are taking out of the citizens of this state? Today we call the result “Build South Dakota”. What was built was an add on to certain peoples’ empires, at the expense of the rest of us. And it is those empire builders who have heart burn over Senator Nelson.
And whatever deal is negotiated is posted on the internet for 2 days and a public hearing scheduled where anyone can come and listen and testify before any meaningful vote is cast.
Yes you could have a dog and pony show like the Democrat caucus but any secret strategies and legislation take place in private communication. Closed caucuses encourage the free flow of ideas and criticisms that simply would not happen in an open system. Anything that comes of it is made public in bill form for all the world to see.
“And whatever deal is negotiated is posted on the internet for 2 days and a public hearing scheduled where anyone can come and listen and testify before any meaningful vote is cast.”
Exactly where are the deals posted for amendments that have yet to be moved by a legislative committee?
What is often forgotten is the Constitution took almost three years to draft and was primarily drafted and amended in secret by the primary authors Madison, Hamilton, someone who slips my mind and Jefferson (who wasn’t even a member of the Convention).
Normal procedure was sectional drafts were distributed to certain members for comment, they were considered, and when they thought they had a section in near final form they’d bring it to the entire Convention who could only comment (no votes) which the drafters would again consider in secret.
It was only in the end where debate and votes were taken.
The process of drafting the Constitution is wholly analogous to the private caucus discussions and then legislative action.