Uh oh.. we haven’t heard from grandpa in quite a while… do we need to send a neighbor over, and make sure he isn’t dead? Unfortunately, it seems like that’s the situation we’re in with the South Dakota Republican Party nowadays.
I know the new people in charge of the South Dakota Republican Party who took over on February 3rd, including new Republican Party chairman Jim Eschenbaum expressed that they were going to improve party communications ..and the website ..and everything! But, as the people who brought home the new puppy quickly find out, it’s cute in the beginning, but the dog takes a lot more work than just saying “I got a puppy.”
As I was doing a scan of what’s new and what’s going on in politics, I couldn’t help but notice that it seems nothing is actually being communicated out of the state’s flagship political party. Really, nothing at all. Which has me checking on grandpa to make sure we don’t have to call the coroner.
Last Facebook post:
Dated March 11. 21 days ago.
Last tweet:
Dated Feb 20. 40 days ago
40 days since a blurb on twitter? Over 20 days since a facebook update? State Democrats had 18 posts to Facebook in last 2 weeks, and just as many tweets, if not more. What is the Republican Party actually doing at this point? Anything?
If you look on the State GOP’s website, the new establishment has managed to replace the chairman’s picture. And if you really dig, you can find five or six Republican Dinners posted. Which isn’t anywhere as extensive or complete as the calendar of events from the SD Federation of Republican Women auxiliary to the SDGOP.
If you’re an organization that claims to be active and communicating, having a nearly un-navigable website and going radio silent for 20 and 40 days or more at a time, you are not a group that actually is active or communicating. It’s the opposite.
And even worse – has anyone seen a financial appeal from the Republican Party in the 60 days since this new group has taken over? I heard reports that after the Teenage Republicans and College Republicans have separated their finances from the party at large, leaving the State GOP which was holding those funds with around $13k to conduct their activities.
I know legislative candidates who have more than that in the bank right now, today.
If you are supposed to be a functioning statewide organization and you have no money, are raising no money, you have no staff, and there are no communications, are you really a functioning statewide organization at this point?
Or are you just a fossilized remnant left over from an organization which once dominated South Dakota politics?
The SDGOP latest messages.
“Out to Lunch.”
“Due to Patriotic Tariffs Temporarily Out Of Tinfoil.”
Please stand by for rebranding launch. The South Dakota Can of Mixed Nuts Party.
I mean it’s definitely not a good look, but didn’t the SDGOP bank account get wiped out from buying all those Kristi Noem books to hand out at the State Convention? That’s where all the firework fundraiser money went if I’m not mistaken. They should have raised close to 100K at that event. Where else could the money have gone?
$100,000 from the Trump event kept them going through most of that year, as they had an employee. It’s why I keep harping on their fundraising. They’re headed for a major crash.
I don’t believe that’s the case on the books.
Not one farthing will I give to the state GOP. (A farthing is worth 1/4 cent) I find that even a farthing is too much.
Who was the employee?
Shouldn’t it be extremely easy to find out exactly where the fireworks money went? The old SDGOP treasurer said it would be impossible to find out exactly what the firework money was used for because there are too many checks coming in and going out. Sounds preposterous to me.
Um.. The Executive Director? Madison Sheahan, and then Reggie Rhoden? I believe they were around 60k plus for salary, plus expenses.
Do you have any idea how much it costs to run a political party? This is not a small operation, and you’re staging 2-5 events/conferences a year, depending on whether it’s election season (some with higher A/V costs), running a constant fundraising operation, maintaining a very public presence in digital media, participating in and traveling to mandatory national party functions, creating and distributing materials across a statewide network of participating organizations.. the list goes on and on, and I’m sure I’m missing massive parts of it, such as a state fair booth which needs upkeep, repair, and insuring on an annual basis.
I do not have any idea how much it costs to run a political party. Sincerely. I have no clue.
I do know, that tracking expenses is not very difficult, especially in this day and age. I also know that there were tons of Kristi Noem’s books being “given” away at the state convention. I thought it was actually a very nice gesture from Kristi to donate the books. I stated as much when speaking to legislators whom subsequently informed me that the party paid for them.
Tracking expenses is pretty important don’t you think? I think DOGE would agree.
Not sure what DOGE has to do with a private organization. Otherwise, those expenses are listed on-line via campaign finance reports on the SDSOS and FEC websites.
Isn’t the executive director in charge of promoting things on Facebook? If not, why not. Sounds like a reasonable job duty.
So you are saying “reasonable = shooting down planes?”
Sure, go with that.