State Representative Isaac Latterell is taking hits from both the right and the left over his actions at the Republican National Convention which brought embarrassment to the Republican delegates attending the National Convention.
From Greg Belfrage:
I’ve had both criticism and praise for Donald Trump through-out the campaign, but he was definitely not my choice for nominee.
However, I would never have embarrassed the South Dakota GOP delegation and disrespected the state’s voters by clasping a hand over my face in a childish protest.
and…
“We did not think (Latterell’s face palm) was respectful to Pam (Roberts) as she was giving the announcement of our vote or respectful to the state,” he says. “It was a time for South Dakota to shine and to show the world what we represent, and that was a mark on it.”
and…
Latterell was dead wrong to slap a majority of South Dakota GOP voters in the face with a childish, petulant display during the state’s shining moment at the party’s national convention.
I expect better from our state GOP delegates.
I certainly expect better from our elected state representatives.
And at the Argus Leader, Stu Whitney went after Latterell over his attention seeking antics:
As state GOP chairperson Pam Roberts announced that South Dakota’s 29 delegate votes would go to Trump, Latterell made sure he was visible on camera and dramatically covered his face with his hand, sparking a surge of social media attention for his “face palm” of protest.
and..
But it’s also accurate to say that Latterell, who voted for Ted Cruz in the state primary, doesn’t think Trump goes far enough when it comes to fire-and-brimstone stances on social issues such as abortion and LGBT rights.
The District 6 House member, first elected in 2012, has been an aggressive advocate of curtailing the reproductive rights of women in South Dakota and once saw fit to compare Planned Parenthood to ISIS.
and.
Latterell also failed to pass a provocatively titled Preborn Infant Beheading Ban in 2015, continuing a train of thought in which he compared a women’s reproductive rights to the killing of puppies, reinforced by a cute puppy picture on his blog.
This is probably best summed up by a facebook comment I read this morning on the controversy from a Minnehaha County Republican who noted that the state only gets so many delegates who can attend convention. Isaac wanted to go and take part, taking a slot from others who wanted to go, all of whom participated in full knowledge of the rules.
Basically they said if he didn’t want to take part, he should have let someone else fill the spot, instead of denying them the opportunity to attend. I’m hearing from Republicans across the state – especially around Sioux Falls – who are unhappy over his antics.
While it might have given him a few minutes of Internet fame (or infamy, if you will), Latterell might find that politically, the blowback over his attention seeking move was not worth it.
He’s a terrible legislator who only likes to grandstand and give constituents half truths. He’s one of the many false prophets of the religious.
Are you anti-religion? Is that part of what you are putting forth in your post? Just checking.
Forgot to include the word right. He’s a false prophet of the religious right.
I’m not anti-religion.
Perhaps fellow lawmakers on the first day of session could welcome him back with a collective face-palm gesture.
I wish the convention would of dumped Trump and somehow Paul Ryan would of been the nominee but I would not of thrown our delegation and state under the bus. He needs to be replaced in his district.
Anon, while I don’t know that changing candidates mid-stream would be the best course, I have to say that I find Paul Ryan very appealing and presidential as well. I had the opportunity to meet him in Sioux Falls at a Noem fundraiser on the cusp of him becoming speaker, and he was tremendously down to earth, and a genuine person.
Rep. Latterell’s antic’s were childish, but not any more childish than Stu Whitney’s temper tantrum on display in today’s Argus. Any time you can get a far left-wing liberal columnist like Stu to write a hit piece against you, you’ve probably in some way done a good job.