The Argus Leader has a story today about the people forming the conservative caucus – Liz May and Stace Nelson – complaining that while they want to sit on their own throne, they want to have dual caucus citizenship with the caucus they’re trying to claim they’re better than.
Basically they want to throw rocks at the GOP caucus at the same time they pick it’s leaders:
And when Republican leaders learned that May and Nelson, who’d referred to them publicly as “RINOs” — Republicans in name only — were planning to break off, they hatched a plan to make them choose.
Republican House and Senate majority leaders penned letters to dozens of lawmakers and legislative candidates inviting them to caucus with the Republican Majority if elected.
“We consider the House and Senate Republican Majority Caucuses to be a family of Republicans working together to ensure that conservative Republican principles are protected and preserved in South Dakota,” Qualm said at the time. “We also believe that members of caucuses, whether a majority or a minority caucus, should be committed and dedicated to their caucus.”
and..
May said she’d refused to sign the letter because she had concerns about the agreement inhibiting her ability to work with her constituents.
She maintained that assuming she won and the Republicans maintained their majority in November, she would be part of the Majority Party caucus meetings.
“It is my caucus and I will attend,” May said. “I’m going to caucus.
So, about this “rival caucus.” If we look back to the announcement when May and Nelson intentionally tried to separate themselves from the GOP Caucus, they did so based on how people ranked on a cherry picked scorecard, claiming they’re more Republican than all the other Republicans:
The release notes that “co-chair Senator Stace Nelson has long pushed for conservative Republican Legislators to separate themselves.” So, after Stace gets his wish, he’s whining to the press that they want to throw rocks at the Republicans who aren’t in their “exclusive club,” and pick their leaders too?
I’m not sure how many more of these “true Republicans” the party can stand.
Liz and Stace may want to sit on a throne. But maybe they ought to show actual leadership by working together for Republicans, instead of criticizing them.
For a change.
It would really be best if May, Nelson and others of their ilk registered with the Constitution Party, or created a new party. Then they could run against R’s and D’s (they seem to spend more time attacking R’s) and, if they are elected, they could have their own legislative caucus. They’d probably be happier, and I’m sure the Republican caucus members would be.
That is what they tried to do break away…but they wanted the help of the GOP to do it…poor thinking once again
Greenfield and Haugaard need to Express their opinions on this topic publicly.
This is crazy.
On one hand she says the group isn’t composed of “true Republicans” and then she says they can’t exclude her from their group because they and her are all Republicans.
Is she really so stupid so as not to understand the disconnect, so intellectually dishonest to shamelessly play both sides, or so crazy she is disconnected from reality.
Instead of me putting forth any judgment, Im willing to let May let us know if she is stupid, dishonest or nuts.
I’m told not everyone on list supports the pledge. If they really don’t they should say so publicly.
Memorandum
Date: July 11, 2018
To: Current and Future Senate and House Republican Majority Caucus Members
Fr: Senate and House Republican Majority Leadership
Senator R. Blake Curd, Senate Majority Leader
Senator Ryan Maher, Senate Assistant Majority Leader
Senator Brock Greenfield, Senate President Pro Tempore
Senator Al Novstrup, Senator Kris Langer, Senator Bob Ewing
Representative Lee Qualm, House Majority Leader
Representative Kent Peterson, House Assistant Majority Leader
She is just plain dumb.
It is widely known that young Ms. May is one of the dimmest bulbs in the legislatures.
Everytime I hear about these clique requirements I get a mental image of a little rascals clubhouse with a misspelled sign that says “No Free Thinkers Allowed”. Nothing like watching GOP leadership acting so childish. Their demands of legislators to all walk the line are a threat to all citizens. They want lemmings that can be controlled.
March, Lemming.
This loyalty pledge is a terrible idea in the first place. The Democrats are going to use it against us. If you want members to know what’s expected of them, leadership could simply tell them.
Also what’s with Maher putting his name on this thing when he donated $750 to Sutton’s Cowboy Caucus PAC which has only donated to Sutton for Governor? Does he think we wouldn’t find out?
Big former Democrat, Mr. Maher is.
The interesting thing about this letter is that it actually a thinly veiled move to exclude several of the more conservative members from the caucus election. Knowing who would refuse to sign it, the letter was sent out. This will change leadership in each chamber.
This is the same Liz May who complains about her peers being RINOs, but then publically states she is supporting Billie Sutton for Governor. Try to wrap your head around that one.
Wait, Liz is supporting Sutton?…that can’t be right.
Do away with closed caucuses. Bring daylight to all discussions.
Other levels of government are not allowed this type of meeting.
political parties are subject to their own laws. they’re not a sanctioned governmental body per se, so they’re not subject to sunshine laws.
Why would anyone want to even be a legislator when the pay is $6,000 and a ton of criticism and stress?
Anon,
By there reactions they are liberal enablers and the least conservative. Measure people by the results and the fruit. Stace and Litzy are as conservative as Bernie Sanders. Except he is smart and honest. They are liars and stupid. Grossly so. If they aren’t stupid and liars they are evil and tools of Satan, and they know who their sponsor is, the Evil one himself.
Mr. Nelson is just the mouthpiece for Mr. Russell, who whispers in Stacey’s ear and then snickers when the bigger bull elephant pins on a pair and stands up to bellow.
as previously noted, it’s like having the black sheep of the family move into mom’s basement, repeatedly set her business on fire, and issue commands to the rest of the family.
I’d like to know what Greenfield, Maher and Haugaard think.
If the “RINO caucus” is so awful, why do the “True Conservatives” want anything to do with them?
Maybe they aren’t as conservative as they claim to be?
you can’t ‘save’ poor misguided sinners unless you deign to have contact with them and demand your natural right to dictate.
Who cares what Maher thinks? He is supporting Sutton.
Freedom Caucus members of the US House also get elected as Republicans and caucus as Republicans. How is this any different? Should Freedom Caucus members be excluded from the Republican caucus in the US House?
Ironically neither May nor Nelson rank in the highest conservative bracket by the unbiased, uninfluenced, nothing-to-gain National conservative group.
Here is our South Dakota legislative scorecard: http://acuratings.conservative.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2017/07/SouthDakota_2017_web.pdf
Sage,
You mean the Pro-Obamacare liberal enabling nincompoops killing Freedom Caucus? They and Elizabeth Warren do the same amount of harm to the conservative cause.
Stace reminds me of one of my cats, Itty Bitty. He’s an enormous neutered bully who terrorizes all the other cats and sprays the furniture and walls. He is frequently banished to the laundry room to join the canine caucus, or put outside to join the fowl caucus.
Liz reminds me of another one of my cats, Miss Walker. She gets along with most of the other cats, picking an occasional fight with one small one who won’t fight back. She likes to walk across tables and countertops batting items to the floor to see if they’ll bounce or break. She isn’t even our cat; she just moved in with us when the neighbors went on vacation 9 years ago and she’s still here, refusing to go home.
Here are my predictions of legislators who did not sign the pledge–they say there are 11:
Stace Nelson
Elizabeth May
Lance Russell
Julie Frye Mueller
Tim Goodwin
Sam Marty
Phil Jensen
Drew Dennert
Isaac Latteral
Steve Livermont
Tom Pischke
Of all the things involving my six years in the Legislature I can easily admit that for me our GOP Caucus was the most liked.
It was where we were able to speak openly about anything and everything including family joys and sorrows which led to the caucus becoming very familial in nature. Of course moments became heated in debate but always with respect and never anger. To start up an outside independent caucus somehow trying to pervert the will of the GOP caucus is in itself a form of disfuntion and mutiny really by those doing so certainly because they lack nessesary skills of persuasion. Every family has some disfunction within and that disfunction usually leads to change for better or worse but dividing the unit never makes it stronger. It is asinine to think that one or more of a minority could openly pervert the majority of a group or family or caucus in this case by making up their own rules and asking everyone to play by them knowingly weakening the entire process.
Either sign on as a Majority team player and fight for your beliefs following the rules or start up your own minority party. No one can have it both ways.
Unfortunately, too many legislators have no longer come to Pierre to make the best laws they can for South Dakotans. It’s now ‘ALL ABOUT ME’. Each one, especially newer legislators who think it’s all about playing games, is trying to impress the other, and I’m talking about the crazies. Some are in awe of the process and are true statesmen. The lesser intelligent ones just don’t value the position. Those going to leadership training, want to be ‘somebody’ and are wanting to climb to the top for themselves, not for the state. One by one the best legislators are leaving. I’d like to see people of integrity and those who actually want to get things done run for our state legislature. These ‘fake’ conservatives are truly tarnishing this great institution.