Rounds: Violence and Destruction are Never the Answer

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Rounds: Violence and Destruction are Never the Answer

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) made the following statement on today’s attack on the U.S. Capitol:

“As a nation, we should stand together in opposition to the violent acts and lawlessness that occurred at the U.S. Capitol today. Violence and destruction are never the answer. We are better than this, and it’s past time for cooler heads to prevail. I continue to pray for our great country.”

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SDGOP Chair releases statement condemning violence in Washington DC

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From SDGOP.com, SDGOP Chair Dan Lederman has issued a statement condemning the violence in Washington this afternoon. In part:

Like most South Dakotans, I am shocked and saddened by the violence committed by those smashing windows and breaking into the US Capitol and Congressional buildings. This is a day which will live in all of our minds as a shameful and unacceptable moment which all of us need to condemn.”

“Our American heritage is one of protest and civil action. But when it devolves into violence, looting and property damage it is not an example of citizens taking the high road. It is shameful thuggery. It doesn’t matter whether the protests are at the US Capitol, in our city streets, at the Empire Mall, on the road to Mount Rushmore, or the route of a pipeline. This needs to stop.

Read it all here.

Unacceptable.

@SoDakCampaigns

This is unacceptable. And there are some people who need to go to jail for a very long time.

Johnson Statement on Counting of Electoral College Votes

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Johnson Statement on Counting of Electoral College Votes

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) issued a statement amid the U.S. House and Senate counting of the Electoral College votes. Johnson will vote to uphold the election results that were certified, recounted, and audited from various states across the nation.

“Like many South Dakotans, I am frustrated with how certain states handle their elections, and in the weeks following the 2020 election, I supported the president’s right to his day in court. Those legal challenges were filed in dozens of state and federal courts, but failed to overturn any votes.

“The Constitution is more important than my personal political views or my political popularity. There is no constitutional basis for Congress to substitute its judgement for that of the states and courts. There is only one sentence in the Constitution that addresses Congress’s role on Jan 6. It states:

“The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted.” 

“The only person performing an official act is the President of the Senate, who counts the votes. Other than being present, there is no constitutional role for Congress. Congress is instructed to act as witness, not judge. I cannot seize powers not legally provided to me. That is tyranny.

“Our state would raise hell if the Nancy Pelosi-controlled House overturned South Dakota’s election results for President Trump. Our founders knew well the grave risks associated with concentrating power in Washington, D.C., especially the power to select our president. They placed that power with the states, and just as I would resolutely defend the results of South Dakota’s elections from federal interference, I cannot overturn the legally-certified election results of another state and its voters.”

Johnson invites South Dakotans to hear from him directly during a Thursday night Telephone Town Hall at 7pm CT/6pm MT. Dial 833-946-1543 to join the call.

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Georgia not looking so good this morning, electoral college count likely to confirm Biden.. time for the work to start in South Dakota for 2022.

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Watching the results come in for Georgia last evening seems to be setting the stage for a tough couple of years. Warnock is projected to defeat Loeffler in Georgia Senate runoff. The Ossoff versus Perdue is race too close to call, but in Ossoff’s favor at the moment. The electoral college vote will likely have some silly drama, but will ultimately confirm November’s election of Democrat Joe Biden.

To be honest, it’s looking a little rough for the home team at a national level.

Statewide, it’s a far rosier view, with Senator Rounds, Congressman Johnson & Commissioner Gary Hanson being sworn in already, and next week we will see the most Republican legislature in my adult lifetime.

We won here. We won in a pronounced manner. For Republicans in South Dakota, the important thing to do is to take our disappointment over the national results this past election, and channel them into productive action in 2022. We need to get to work to re-elect Senator John Thune, Congressman Dusty Johnson, and Governor Kristi Noem. We need to return a strong leadership contingent to the constitutional offices & the Public Utilities Commission.

Yes, there are differences and heartache over the election. Some people are grousing a lot on facebook. And it might be tempting to find someone to blame, nevermind the fact we did the job we needed to do in 2020 in South Dakota.

I can’t help but notice that the same people grousing and calling to do things such as primary John Thune or Dusty Johnson this year are some of the same who called for it in previous years.

Er..they did see how strongly Dusty Johnson won in the 2020 primary, didn’t they?  And in the case of the primary against Dusty this last election, it showed one of the problems with listening to the chattering complainers on facebook and elsewhere. They’re not organized. They can’t raise money, they’re ineffective in running a campaign and winning votes.

If you look back to when it comes to the rubber hitting the road, when things might have been getting a little tight, and forward momentum has needed to happen for the SDGOP and its candidates, it has been people such as Senator John Thune who have stepped up and made sure boots are on the ground in South Dakota and elsewhere for GOP candidates. And Congressman Dusty Johnson has continued in that tradition.

That’s the strongest team that Republicans can put on the field.

After today, the dust will start to settle on 2020.  So, it’s time to get to work on 2022 and do our best to prepare ourselves to win elections.

Rounds Statement on the Formal Count of the Electoral College Votes by Congress

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Rounds Statement on the Formal Count of the Electoral College Votes by Congress

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) made the following statement on tomorrow’s formal count of the Electoral College votes by Congress:

“Tomorrow’s vote will be one of the most consequential votes I’ll likely take as a U.S. Senator. 

“If you’ve noticed, I have not joined the chorus of those for or against an objection. Today, those objections do not exist, they have not been shared, and there’s literally nothing to consider until we have a chance to hear the arguments for and against. The bottom line is that I’m keeping an open mind and I look forward to seeing the evidence to support the objections that are being proposed. Ultimately, the Constitution, not political expediency, will guide my decision making.

“I wholeheartedly support an independent investigation into the 2020 election. Since the current approach from several of my Republican colleagues requires the Democrat-controlled House to agree with them, it is dead on arrival. I’m interested in restoring faith, certainty and transparency for the American voter. And, unless we get to the bottom of these allegations, I fear Americans’ faith in our electoral process is in great jeopardy.”
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