Congressman Dusty Johnson ‘s fundraising events are getting bigger and bigger in the run up to the fall election. And last night was no different with one of the largest host lists seen in recent years for a political fundraiser:
I’m counting 94 host couples at $2000 each, and 60 co-hosts at $1000 each. Plus key donors and attendees who aren’t on the list. That makes for a very packed room, and a massive haul for the Congressman who many believe may be running to be Governor in coming months.
Dusty’s actual Congressional opponent, Sheryl Johnson, is virtually invisible in the fall contest, and she’s not likely to be more than a speedbump at this point. Only a minor obstacle for a congressional campaign that will roar into the fall election, and begin the climb for a gubernatorial contest 2 years from now, much like his predecessor Governor Kristi Noem.
Stay tuned. Because Team Dusty has the wind at their back.
Minnehaha County Commission candidate Cole Heisey is convinced that it must be supporters of his former or current opponents who bent a couple of his yard signs, and *gasp* took one off the stand, and laid it on the ground next to it. And as he declares to the Gods of wire and coroplast – Cole will be pursuing camera footage and pressing charges!
I’m sure local police and the Minnehaha County State’s Attorney will put maximum effort and resources into those sign-bending vandals. And they shall rue the day!
I wasn’t sure how much more of a dumpster-fire the Doeden PAC event with alleged “black nazi” Mark Robinson could get. But they found a way. By god, they found a way.
Toby turned it into a $250 a head zoom call:
“He’s probably not going to be there because he needs to be in North Carolina, which is where he’s at, helping the folks that are affected by this hurricane, but he is going to be giving a prerecorded or a live message during the gala,” Doeden said Monday.
CNN reported on Sept. 19 that Robinson made offensive comments between 2008 and 2012 on a message board for a pornography website, with Robinson allegedly calling himself a “black NAZI” in addition to writing “Slavery is not bad.” Robinson has denied the allegations.
and..
“Who am I to judge from afar what somebody did or didn’t say 16 years ago in a chatroom,” Doeden said. “It’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard.”
..what somebody did or didn’t say 16 years ago in a PORN chatroom… (there corrected it for him.)
$20,000 for the main sponsorship? Over $1000 to sponsor a table centerpiece? $250-$500 a head for tickets? For a zoom call with a candidate who utterly imploded, and has been nationally disavowed by EVERYONE.
Everyone that is, except Toby Doeden.
Well, I would be lying if I wished them good luck with that.
The South Dakota Polling Project (a.k.a the SDSU poll) is in the field right now through October 6 taking the measure on a number of election related questions.
The focus of the poll is mainly on the issue of abortion with 6 specific questions, and a few on vaccination, but also hits on Constitutional Amendments and Initiated Measures. Interestingly, it does not ask about RL21. They’re also asking about Dusty Johnson’s race, as well as asking favorability ratings on a number of topics.
We’ll hear about how it turned out later in the election.
Republicans for Freedom Amendment G: Self-Described ‘Black Nazi’ Mark Robinson in South Dakota to Raise Money to Defeat Abortion Rights, Visit Called ‘An Insult to Republicans’
Sioux Falls, SD… former GOP State Representative Casey Murschel, chair of Republicans for Freedom Amendment G, today called the upcoming South Dakota visit of North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson “an insult to every Republican in our state.”
“It is embarrassing and offensive to have a Republican group, Dakota First Action, celebrating Republican primary election victories by inviting an anti-woman misogynist to South Dakota,” Murschel said.
“It is doubly embarrassing and offensive to have a ‘2024 Victory Gala’ for Republicans that is obviously designed to raise money to oppose Freedom Amendment G featuring a man who openly calls himself a ‘Black Nazi’,” she added.
“This Mark Robinson gala is asking for donations of up to $20,000 per person. There are virtually no seriously contested legislative races in South Dakota this year. Every top Republican in the state has publicly opposed Freedom Amendment G. So where do you think these Robinson-raised dollars will go, to the tooth fairy?” Murschel asked. “No,” she said, “Robinson is in South Dakota to raise money for his favorite cause, banning abortion, and everybody knows it. He wants to help save the total abortion ban from Amendment G, which would repeal it.”
“South Dakota Republicans, from Noem and Thune on down, should repudiate this visit. On behalf of the tens of thousands of South Dakota Republicans who believe in personal freedom for women, we repudiate his visit and vehemently object to his raising money to prevent even women who have been raped from having the right to terminate their pregnancy,” Murschel said.
“You are known by the company you keep,” she added. “Robinson’s donors, staff, and even Donald Trump have stepped away from him. Not a good look for South Dakotans to embrace him.”“This whole sorry episode is the best reason I can imagine for Republicans to vote yes on G and show everyone that the personal freedom that Abraham Lincoln founded our party to preserve remains our core value today,” Murschel concluded.
###
Ugh. Why do they call Doeden’s Dumpster PAC a Republican group? They don’t claim us, and we Republicans certainly don’t claim them.
I’ve just heard that PUC Commissioner Kristie Fiegen’s husband suffered a serious medical event this past weekend while out at the Buffalo Roundup, so please keep the Fiegen family in your prayers for his speedy recovery.
…
There was an update sent out late this morning by Commissioner Fiegen, which noted in part:
Praises and prayers for Tim, who had a sudden cardiac arrest, and his heart stopped pumping & he stopped breathing on Saturday, Sept. 27th at 4 pm at my brother Keith’s cabin in the Black Hills west of Hermosa, SD, which is 25 miles from Rapid City.
Lord Jesus, joyful praises and prayer requests.
Jesus, we PRAISE you:
1) TIMING AND LOCATION: (4 PM MT) Tim felt ill while he was dressing for our 2nd campaign event of the day, so he laid down on the bed at Keith’s cabin. Praise Jesus, I called 911 (AND the phone service worked) as I watched him lay down gently while he was still conscious, and he did not hit his head (no brain bleed).
2) Praise God that I started CPR on the bed when he became unconscious while I was still on the phone with 911. 911 dispatcher instructed us to move him to the floor for correct positioning for CPR. Praise God, brother Keith was present and lifted him off the bed and safety got him to the floor so I could continue CPR. Praise God Keith took over CPR and properly did it with deeper compressions and faster to keep his heart working mechanically as we listened to 911’s instructions.
3) (4:04) Praise God the fire station were a half-mile away, and firemen showed up in 4 minutes and used a difubulator. Firemen took over CPR.
4) PRAISE God I was able to call our sons (at 4:11 pm) Alex (23 seconds) and Jackson (13 seconds). Praise God at 4:12 pm, I started sending out text message prayer requests to our families and prayer warriors. We had nearly 100 people praying immediately. (And praises for family and friends supporting us at the hospital when we arrived)
5) (4:20) Praise God for EMTs Matt & Lane from Keystone’s ambulance who arrived in 20 minutes. EMTs shocked Tim’s heart 5 times and got his heart working again, and got him breathing. Helicopter arrived (4:35). Praise God, they stabilized Tim for 90 minutes and placed a breathing trach in before the helicopter took him to Rapid City hospital (5:36).
6) Praise God for Dr. Syed, an interventional cardiologist, who took over his care. Praise God that Tim’s vitals were good. They kept him sadated as they waited for results from blood work, ultrasound, chest x-ray, EKG, and other tests. He was in good enough health, so the doctor was able to wait until Sunday morning for procedure since they wanted more time to get his blood thinner meds out of his system, so less chance of bleeding .
7) Praise God sons and daughters in ❤️s, Alex (McKenna) and Jackson (Mara) arrived safely on Saturday evening within 5 to 6 hours of being called and a 350+ mile drive.
8) Praise God for RNs Shane and Jake, who worked with Dr. Syed on Sunday (9:10 am to 10:30 MT), to do the cath lab procedure and take images of the heart to look for blockage. Praise God there was no new blockage. Tim’s previous 2017 stent in the right artery was blocked and had scare tissue. The heart found a new pathway for blood supply, so they left the stent in because they could not unblock it with the build-up and scare tissue.
9) Praise God they took the breathing trach out early at 3 pm Sunday, and he woke up immediately after sedatives wore off. He could speak immediately, and his brain activity appeared normal (after being without oxygen for 20 minutes when the cardiac arrest happened on Saturday). His humor is back!
Prayer REQUESTS:
1) Lift the pain from Tim’s chest, which was from the lifesaving CPR. Pray for rest.
2) Pray for the cardiologist team (I believe Dr. Levine is assigned, but we have not met him.) today as they evaluate all tests and review, putting in an implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). There are pros and cons, so pray for our decision. If we go forward, pray for successful results that are FREE from infections.
3) Pray for the neurology team coming in today, Monday, and that Tim’s brain health is normal.
4) Pray for Jackson as he is back teaching today in his 6th grade classroom, and Mara is back at USD PA school. Pray for Alex and McKenna as they work remotely at the hospital on their work computers. And pray God takes care of everything at my work and our campaign during my absence.
5) Thank you for PT, who just made him walk, and he is now sitting in a chair and resting (10 am, Monday). Praise God for all the IUC staff at Rapid City Monument Hospital.
6) Pray we see every small, medium, and large blessing God has given us.
In Jesus’s name, we praise and pray. Amen
Again, please keep the Fiegen family in your thoughts during Tim’s recovery.
Flags at Half-Staff at State Capitol in Honor of Former State Legislator Dr. Donald Van Etten
PIERRE, S.D.– Today, Governor Kristi Noem ordered that flags be flown at half-staff at the State Capitol from sunrise until sunset on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, in honor of former state legislator Dr. Donald Van Etten. He represented Pennington County in the South Dakota State House of Representatives from 2001-2008.
Broadband Blunders Leave Americans Disconnected BySen. John Thune
President Biden promised that his infrastructure law would make high-speed internet “available everywhere in America,” and he put Vice President Harris in charge of broadband initiatives to accomplish that goal. Three years later, this administration’s signature broadband program – the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program – has not connected a single household to the internet. In fact, not a single BEAD project has started construction and none are expected to begin until sometime next year or later.
So what’s taking so long? The BEAD program is a sad story of government inefficiency and progressivism run amok. Rather than focusing on delivering broadband service to unserved areas, the Biden-Harris administration chose to load up the BEAD program with a wish list of requirements that Congress never envisioned. There are climate change mandates, biased technology mandates, it prioritizes government-owned networks, union labor, and DEI hiring practices; and it even attempts to impose price controls in direct violation of the law. As a result, what should have been a straightforward application and approval process has become a mess.
Then there’s the Biden-Harris administration’s poor implementation of the program. During debate on the bill that authorized the program, I expressed reservations about the agency tasked with running it. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has previously fumbled administering broadband expansion programs with much smaller budgets than the $42 billion now under its charge. Not to mention another agency, the Federal Communications Commission, has the expertise and capacity to better administer broadband deployment programs like BEAD.
Unfortunately, my fears have been realized. One state official testifying before Congress said this of the program’s implementation: “NTIA’s functional requests are akin to building a plane while flying it without having the necessary instructions to be successful. NTIA has provided either no guidance, guidance given too late, or guidance changing midstream, all with a lack of appreciation for state operations and costs and the needs of our telecommunication providers.” Another state official called BEAD “the most burdensome federal program” she has ever managed.
While the president touts his administration’s efforts on expanding internet access, the reality is hardly worthy of boasting. And the vice president seems to have been about as effective as the “broadband czar” as she has as the “border czar,” which is to say she has failed at both. Three years into a $42 billion program, not a single dollar has been allocated, not a single project has begun, and not a single household is better off.
Rural and unserved communities were promised an internet connection, but this administration’s mandates and poor management have prevented that connection from being delivered. My Republican colleagues and I will continue our oversight efforts into the failure of this program – unfortunately, it’s one of many failures we’ve seen of the Biden-Harris administration.
Welcome back to another edition of the Weekly Round[s] Up! It’s been a while since I’ve been able to give an update of my work in Washington. I was back in South Dakota for all of August, where I was able to make visits across the state. I attended the Brown County Fair in Aberdeen, went 4,850 feet underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility outside of Lead, spoke with two of the South Dakota Legislature’s summer study groups: the artificial intelligence (AI) working group in Pierre and the Ellsworth working group in Rapid City, visited with teachers in Brandon and met with many other South Dakotans.
Toward the end of August, I had an unexpected eye surgery which prevented me from traveling back to DC at the beginning of September. This past week, I was cleared by my doctor to travel back to DC. It was good to return to usual business in DC – hearings, meetings, votes and briefings. Read more about it in my Weekly Round[s] Up
South Dakotans I met with: South Dakota representatives from the Basin Electric Power Cooperative; South Dakota members of Associated General Contractors; leaders from South Dakota’s Impact Aid schools; South Dakota members of the National Federation for Independent Business; Vicki Lowry with Rapid City Head Start; Jenny Briest with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation; and Madhu Gottumukkala, Secretary of South Dakota’s Bureau of Information and Telecommunications.
Met with South Dakotans from: Bonesteel, Box Elder, Bullhead, Chamberlain, Custer, Dupree, Eagle Butte, Fort Pierre, Geddes, Hill City, Kenel, Madison, Martin, McLaughlin, Mobridge, Mount Vernon, New Underwood, Pierre, Pine Ridge, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Timber Lake, Tulare, Wagner, Wall, Winner and Yankton.
Other meetings: Jason Ambrosi, President of the Air Line Pilots Association; General Randy George, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army; Robin Vince, CEO at BNY; Olivier Nduhungirehe, Rwanda’s new Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Tom Siebel, Chairman of C3.ai. I attended a coffee and conversation event with Charlie Cook. I also had our weekly Senate Bible Study, where our verse of the week was Philippians 4:8.
Votes taken: 7 – most of these were on nominations to a position within the Department of State as well as judicial positions in Wisconsin and the U.S. Tax Court. Most importantly, we voted on a Continuing Resolution to keep the government funded into December.
As you may recall, the House and Senate have a deadline of September 30 each year to complete our appropriations process, which delegates funding to different areas of the federal government. When this process isn’t complete by the September 30 deadline, the federal government shuts down unless both chambers pass a Continuing Resolution (CR). A CR extends funding to a set deadline (December 20 in this case) to give us more time to complete the appropriations bills, which is why it’s commonly called a “stopgap” funding bill.
I voted yes on the CR this week. While our government funding process is dysfunctional at best, it’s critical for our nation, particularly our defense and national security, that we keep government open and funded. This clean CR continues to fund the government at the same levels as last year through December 20, 2024. It also includes additional funding for the Secret Service so the agency can beef up security for presidential candidates.
Hearings: I had two closed hearings in the Select Committee on Intelligence.
Classified briefings: We had a busy week with five classified briefings: a briefing on Guam as part of my work on the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC); a briefing with SASC’s Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee; our bi-weekly cyber education seminar; a briefing on activity in the Red Sea; and an all-senators briefing on election security.
Letter to President Biden: This week, I joined a letter with Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) and Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) to President Biden urging him to issue a major disaster declaration for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe following extreme weather, particularly strong winds, that occurred July 13 and 14, 2024. Read more about it here.
Legislation introduced: I introduced a bill to leverage AI for national pandemic preparedness and response through a program called MedShield. Given the millions of deaths and trillions of dollars in economic costs resulting from COVID-19, we need to make strategic investments in pandemic prevention and preparedness. I believe AI should play a key role in those efforts. Read more about this legislation here.
My staff in South Dakota visited: Aberdeen, Sioux Falls, Vermillion, Waubay and Wakonda.
Steps taken this past week: 57,348 steps or 28.37 miles
Video of the week: I joined CNN this week to give the facts on a briefing I received on 2024 election integrity, as well as the Senate’s report this week about the assassination attempt on former President Trump in Butler:
Port workers at East and Gulf Coast ports are threatening to strike on October 1 if they can’t reach an agreement with their employers. A port strike would be devastating to the economy, costing $5 billion each day. Not only is there a financial impact, but a strike would create a weeks or months-long backlog of shipments. These ports handle nearly half of our agricultural exports to international markets, especially during harvest time. More than half of imported apparel and shoes come through these ports, and a strike could significantly delay gifts for Christmas, which is quickly approaching. I hope both sides can reach an agreement before Tuesday to prevent another supply chain crunch.
I joined Fox Business to talk about the repercussions of a port strike. You can watch my interview here or by clicking the image below.
BIG Idea
This week, I met with the Associated General Contractors to discuss Biden’s harmful Project Labor Agreement rule, which is hamstringing our contractors’ ability to bid on projects and could cause delays for the work at Ellsworth Air Force Base. I recently hosted a roundtable in Rapid City to talk to more contractors about the impact this rule will have on their business. I’ve been working to stop this burdensome rule to keep our construction projects on time and on budget.
BIG News
During my most recent Vietnam Veteran Pinning Ceremony in Sioux Falls, I recognized and pinned my 1,100th Vietnam-era veteran. When veterans returned home from the war, many weren’t received with gratitude for his or her service. I’ve partnered with the Vietnam War Commemoration project to give Vietnam-era veterans a long-awaited, proper welcome home. During each ceremony, I hear stories of the veterans’ life and service, shake their hand, and give them a pin that says, “A grateful nation thanks and honors you.”
I’ve hosted pinning ceremonies big and small across the state and was recently notified by the Department of Defense that I am a “Top Performer” for being in the top 15% of participating organizations for the number of veterans we have honored.
