As we approach this next weeks special legislative session South Dakota News Watch has conducted a survey of South Dakotan’s to determine their attitude on the possible impeachment of Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg. If you look at the results, it would not appear that South Dakota is mincing many words in their support for legislative action.
The late October poll of 500 registered voters in South Dakota showed that 66.8% of respondents strongly or somewhat support the impeachment of Ravnsborg by the Legislature, with 13.8% opposed and 19.4% undecided. Of all 500 respondents, 44.6% were strongly in favor of impeachment.
When the undecided respondents are removed, support for impeachment is even stronger, with 82.8% of those who have formed an opinion supporting impeachment.
Political party affiliation was not a major factor in difference in responses, with 72.3% of Democrats supporting impeachment; 65.6% of Independents supporting impeachment; and 64.3% of Republicans in support of impeachment.
I may find myself in the minority on having doubts that traffic misdemeanors should rise to the level of an impeachable offense for a statewide officeholder. But it certainly appears that this may be the direction things are headed.
These poll results are to be expected given what is publicly known about this sad affair. The citizens of our state recognize that the gravity of this situation goes beyond the matters charged, but to the core of the integrity of the AG’s office. Notwithstanding the various posts and responses of the AG’s acolytes on this forum, the momentum is now in the hands of the legislature and the path to accountability is at hand.
As predicted earlier there would be polling like this….one sided and if you read the story it quotes Nick Nemec heavily…who has criticized all Republicans for years.
These are not impeachable offenses, but the public does not understand that.
It has nothing to do with his duties and low level misdemeanors like the judge even said.
You remove the undecideds and count them in the polling how you want ….what kind of BS is that?
Not a lot of the analytics revealed but a lot of comments from known Republican hater Nick Nemec.
This poll is laughable, 500 people in total? Now we are getting into democrat territory with polling. I put ZERO stock into this poll. How about we let the actual voters decide next year and yes that means the entire state, not 500 people that could be biased.
Let’s talk basic statistics here.
IF the following things are true (and I’m not saying that they are):
The poll is of a truly random sample of South Dakota Registered Votes
The questions asked are actually fair, unbiased, and asked in a neutral fashion
a 500 person poll would give a margin of error of +/- 4% with 95% confidence. What that means – if they did this same poll 100 times, 95 times the poll would be between 62% and 70%
The problem with polls like this isn’t the sample size.
Its “Did they get a truly random sample” and “Were their questions and the way they were asked good?”
Somebody show me why misdemeanors aren’t impeachable? Same people push that here every post. Hypothetically only, what if constitutional officer masturbated in public but pleaded guilty to indecent exposure because the states attorney decided he would take that deal. Non impeachable if he won’t leave? What about a Cuomo, better example. Misdemeanor only. Show me why a misdemeanor isn’t enough if the legislature under our constitution says it is.
because in this case the misdemeanors are all there is.
The only thing the AG did wrong was swerve out of his lane due to distracted driving.
The cell phone use occurred prior to the accident and was not a factor.
But if you follow the issue on social media, many people remain convinced the AG was impaired by drugs or alcohol, that he left the scene of the accident, or that he drove around with Boever’s head stuck in the windshield and lied about not knowing what he hit. If any of those rumors were true, impeachment would be appropriate. But none of them are true.
I wouldn’t even call it distracted driving when he wasn’t on his phone at the time. The prosecutors said so. Plus the court did not make any findings so the legislature needs to do that.
I don’t think a lane violation is impeachable, if it is even proven.
“The only thing the AG did wrong was swerve out of his lane due to distracted driving.”
You left off the important part, “and killed a man as a result.”
A man of character would’ve resigned months ago.
Hey, it is you again with you same statement and no facts to support it. We have been through this and you have been thoroughly schooled. He didn’t kill anyone, it was ruled an accident. Please try to have something to support yourself.
A man of character would stop trying to push the same pile of … that you keep doing.
He literally ended a man’s life. What do you call that?
an accident…non intentional
but I don’t call it impeachable
As it was ruled an accident, no one killed anyone. I guess you must not be able to comprehend and that is why you keep making the same tired old post on every news article about the AG. I guess you just don’t like him but have nothing of value to add.
Accident: “An unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, without fault or blame of an individual”
Here’s a fact: Had AG not driven outside his lane that night Joe Boever would be alive. Because of that alone, he should resign or be impeached. And it appears that the majority of SD agrees with me.
The Legislature is going to fight impeachment. They don’t want Noem to be able to appoint. At convention is looks better if person could say current AG in their run against Marty.
If the Legislature was looking to fight impeachment, WHY are they having a session to hold an impeachment trial?!?!?!?!?
Seriously.
Explain this to me.
A 2/3s of them voted to have a special session to have an impeachment trial.
If they wanted to simply prevent Governor Noem to not appoint a replacement, they could have simply not had a session.
Governor Noem didn’t call this session.
Governor Noem has no power to Impeach.
She can’t appoint a new Attorney General Unless Ravensburg Resigns or if they Impeach him.
Fighting her ability to appoint someone would be as easy as voting no to a special session…that would require 12 senators or 24 members of the house to say “No, a trial is a waste of time.”
They didn’t get that.
This is a bad sign for Ravensburg’s future.
He’s not done, it isn’t a sure bet, but at least 23 members of the Senate and 56 members of the house thought this was serious enough that they should spend the time and money to have a formal trial.
The House committee consisting of leadership, lawyers, and retired law enforcement will examine the evidence to see if a trial is necessary. If so, the Senate, not the House will conduct the trial.
then Noem would have insisted through her freshman legislator to hold it during regular session…best to get it done and over with–WAKE UP
You figured it all out! We can all go home.
I wonder how many of these comments are JR’s right hand guys who are trying to cling to their jobs.
And I am wondering how many of these comments are Noem cronies trying to earn brownie points with her??
Perhaps some who voiced an opinion, along with a significant number of legislators believe that the charging decision by the prosecutor was something less than what was supported by the investigation. This is a political exercise that will mimic the criminal trial, and will be the trial that the AG avoided by pleading guilty to misdemeanors that some feel are less than he deserved.
Distracted driving? Reckless driving? Vehicular manslaughter? Hit and run? All of these and more will be on the table yet he won’t be found criminally culpable of any of it. The only option is to kick him out of office, or not.
That would be ridiculous considering multiple accidents have happened with no charges since and the non lawyers know more than the full time prosecutors.
Some of the things you mentioned as charges are ridiculous…well all of them actually.
D your imagination is running amok here. Distracted driving applies but the investigators couldn’t figure out what the distraction was. It wasn’t the phone. Reckless driving? That requires intentional or conscious disregard for others’ safety, like running red lights, speeding, failure to yield, etc. None of those apply. Vehicular manslaughter usually requires illegal driving like speeding, drunk driving, running stop signs. None of those apply. Hit and Run? you have to be kidding. How on earth does calling 911, reporting an accident and waiting for law enforcement to arrive constitute a hit and run?
Not at all.
JR is obviously standing in the way of some power play by elite, maybe related to cannabis or some other deep state hustle.
This impeachment debacle is a waste of time and money in my opinion.
Maybe it has something to do with weaponized medical devices.
South Dakota has a really acute medical industry problem.
Mr. Dale, next week is going to be just peachy. I hope you are going to testify at the legislatures.
We’re missing an important point here: This is finally something people of all political parties in SD agree with – Jason Ravnsborg sucks and should resign or be impeached.