From a release posted on the SDGOP website:
Argus Leader Columnist Stu Whitney spews forth Anti-Republican biases and attacks against President Trump, Governor Noem
After the Argus Leader website posted an opinion column this week from Argus “coach and columnist” Stu Whitney attacking President Trump and Governor Noem, South Dakota Republican Party Chairman Dan Lederman offered the following statement:
“It was brought to my attention that Stu Whitney of the Argus Leader recently authored a column of what was billed as “satire,” but was actually just another attack on President Donald Trump and Governor Kristi Noem complete with sexist tropes and large doses of Donald Trump derangement,” Lederman said.
Lederman continued, “Whitney’s well of creativity ran dry a long time ago, so as the paper’s resident liberal Democrat, he’s down to resorting to cheap attacks based on his political biases. You can chalk it up as another example of Whitney trying to grab attention, such as when he declared the ‘National Anthem starts games on a bad note,’ and claimed the Pledge of Allegiance is ‘brainwashing.’
“If the state’s largest newspaper consists of editorial leadership which spews out attacks because he doesn’t agree with people politically, I would suggest they could save the cost of his salary by just posting anti-Trump memes they’ve copied off the Internet. Otherwise, they should clean up their act, and remove the ‘raw Stu-age’ from the paper so they have a product that appeals to more than the State Democrat Party’s Central Committee.”
Dan Lederman, a guy who is a bail bondsman, with zero experience on national and worldly issues, certainly does not represent the Republican party. He does, however, represent the cultists of the Trump party and does not represent we Republicans who subscribe to real Republican values, the values of Lincoln & Reagan, not the antics of an unwell sociopathic narcissist current President of the United States.
You don’t know anything about Lederman
Perhaps Dan wouldn’t front Lassle bail money at some time in his life? I’m just looking for a reason for that insertion in his post.
President Trump is doing a lot more to benefit America and the conservative agenda than GW Bush and his dad did; I think that Ronald Reagan, while perhaps not approving of the methods, would certainly applaud the results.
how have you personally benefited from anything he has done… I’d love to know.
Stu is and always has been a hack. He followed Mike Huther off the cliff. The Argus has no balance on the right. This they keep losing people me.
What South Dakota lacks is a well meaning dialogue between the left and right, and a formative media in general, which is stomped on by what I heard is called the ‘Trust’ of the far right activists of Pat Powers, Dan Lederman, et al. South Dakota needs a stronger media with at least one investigative reporter to give the people a complete picture on issues and a willingness to calmly debate those issues. At the moment they have no media other than sports and religion and denounce and pounce on all who challenge the far right ideology. Anyone who attempts to go against this cultist right gets leglocked by its bullies and democracy is harmed.
I’m part of “a trust of far right activists” Got to say that’s the first time I’ve heard that one thrown about.
That’s the word out there. Just look at how you pounce on every candidate you don’t like, Democrat or Republican. If a Republican doesn’t like Trump, you and others go as Sen. Graham coined in 2016 ‘bats*** crazy.
Jeff, I write what I want to write. You claim I’m part of some “trust of far right activists”, and yet there are others out there calling me a RINO.
The name calling doesn’t really move me one way or the other. If you don’t care for what’s written, don’t read it.
I never heard anyone call you a RINO, just a member of the Trust (and I’m not sure what that is yet but am trying to get more info on it). Because I debate you Pat doesn’t mean I’m calling you names and if so please tell me where. You are a far right activist and that is not name calling, it’s a fact. South Dakota needs honest debates, not throwdown needling of those trying to enter politics including Republicans entering the race against Rounds or Johnson. South Dakota could do a lot better than those two. Arnold Schwarzenegger was a RINO and we Republicans quickly admonished him as he did more damage than the socialist left.
My guess on the Trust means the pay to play politics in this small state where elected officials of the Republican party will only converse with large donors, etc. I find that true with the small members of congress in this state. I also find some Democrats that are more Republican than the current Republicans in office.
What are you talking about?
We have some of the most accessible politicians in the country.
If you haven’t talked with them then you’re not getting out yourself because Dusty and Ravnsborg are machines and both are very approachable.. Then I also think the Governor and both US Senators are also at a lot of events above and beyond what I’ve seen in many states.
Uh huh. Sure it isn’t name calling.
Sorry you feel that way. You should learn that debate and challenging another on political discourse is not name calling. If you lived in a more populace state, civility in discourse is required or you are labeled as a fanatic.
You’re labeling me as a far right activist in a perjorative manner. That’s not debate.
Well, you aren’t a Republican, therefore you are welcome to come up with your own name if far right doesn’t suit you. I’ll refer to whatever you decide.
Ditto for you Pat.
Pat, I guess Lassle views this as a news site rather than a great blog. He’ll get more truth here than at CNN, etc.
What?
Any conservative who (voluntarily) pays the Argus Leader a dime should rethink his/her spending. For Pete’s sake, twitter mobs boycott restaurants for donating money to the Salvation Army. Meanwhile, conservative go right on buying newspapers from so-called progressives who spit on traditional values. To paraphrase Milan Kundera, why fund our own gravediggers?
East SD needs a center-right paper that covers state politics + non-political community stuff (local sports, arts, weather, real estate, births, marriages, deaths, arrests, road construction). Maybe throw in a good crossword, Sudoku, & Dilbert?
You might want to look up the definition of conservative Republican traditional values, something that is not being practiced by the new Trump party.
The sheer hatred for President Trump on the Left is astonishing. You folks just can’t figure out why he is so rabidly supported by Conservatives and your lack of even attempting to try to understand is why his popularity continues to grow. Not only will he be reelected but, it will be a landslide and the crossover votes are really going to piss the Left off. 42% of invites from a recent Rally were Democrat voters. If he even pulls half of that vote that is a wake-up call to folks like you to really try to understand WHY.
Sorry to inform you, I’m a Republican and Republicans are leaving the party in droves. I was just in Vegas at the largest US trade show (largest US industry at that) and Republicans there were disenchanted at Trump due to his poor policies that are drastically affecting US manufacturing. What has Trump done? Very little as his GDP is almost exactly as Obama’s, his job creation is almost the same as Obama’s; what is different is that theTrump economy is run entirely on consumer confidence and consumer credit and total credit for consumers is at an all time high prompting credit bureaus to change their credit scoring policies. It’s a bubble ready to burst. Trump has almost doubled Obama’s deficit spending and likewise record additions to the national debt, turned the Republican party into protectionists where free trade had always been their idealism, and has befriended the unions giving them special privileges unlike any Republican ever. If Trump is not removed from office or resigns in disgrace, he will easily be defeated by the left or another Republican that primaries him in 2020. Trump is a great marketeer in promoting lies to low information voters, that’s what he does, and he does that by the use of Twitter, although that too will come to a screeching halt soon, and I’m not even mentioning his sociopathic behavior, just his over misrepresentation of the economy. Once the consumer confidence slides and notes become payable we are looking at another deep recession. So, in essence if you follow Trump, you are not a Republican. Period.
Keep dreaming.. I love trump.. give em hell
It’s also why South Dakota needs a better media industry. One that can investigate and disseminate factual news rather than Fox, CNN, MSNBC style opinion operations. Other than the SDPBS, I couldn’t find any radio station devoted to news; just sports, religion, and music. Its tv stations are similarly as bad and has no real print media to educate and give various views on issues so people can get informed in the state. That’s my recommendation for what it’s worth.
Jeff – Rush Limbaugh disagrees with you. DJT has been the most Conservative President since Reagan. I Guess your form of Conservatism is the kind that has got us the likes of Omnibus Paul Ryan, Cocaine Mitch, and the Spend Spend Spend Republicans. You need to remember that while Presidents sign the bills, the Legislature delivers them and the Ds and Rs are putting us in the poor house. Obama had one thing right when he said, “Congress, do your job, pass a bill” Broken clock is right 2x a day. On another note, our 2 Senators have a Liberty score of “F” from Conservative review so tell me what Republicans do you support that do a good job. I sure hope you don’t trot out Rounds or Thune because they are NOT Conservatives.
https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2019/12/20/trumps-shocking-the-establishment-with-the-conservatism-since-reagan/
Whose Rush Limbaugh? Rush has been obsolete for over a decade and will take any side of any Republican regardless even Arnold Schwarzemegger. Paul Ryan gave you the tax cuts, not Trump; Trump has given us the highest deficit and addition to our national debt than any POTUS in history. Trump has stomped on the farmers and the manufacturing sectors and taken away free trade. Trump is 180 degrees the opposite of Reagan in trade and protectionism, so my suggestion is to find better sources of information and leave the cult you are in.
Where are you getting your national debt figures? Obummer doubled it from $10 trillion to $20 trillion in his 8 years, and President Trump has added an additional $3 trillion, not what we want to see, certainly, but why do you have to put out false information?
Also, where do you get your jobs number? Have you been to Colorado recently or something?
I agree, Rounds and Thune do not have the acumen or experience to be senators. I agree they are also not conservatives as Trump is not a conservative. They are a new party.
The tech industry is heavy on the lib side, so I don’t take the complaints at the CES as an indication that Republicans are “leaving the party in droves”.
Where do you get your job creation information along with you national debt information-CNN?
If you think that Bernie or Liz, or Mayor Pete or any of the socialists on the other side would be better, go ahead and vote for them-it will salve your spite for President Trump.
” You folks just can’t figure out why he is so rabidly supported by Conservatives”
You’re correct on that point because conservatives usually don’t cheat on all their wives, brag about sexual assault or exhibit an extreme lack of compassion for other people. Trump looks out for himself first, his mob buddies second (incl Putin), family third and everyone else can suck an egg.
TDS, it’s a terrible thing.
For Decades RINOs have promised and talked and never delivered. Yes they are smooth talking politicians, who can sell Ice to Eskimos but, it’s all talk. Obama was a perfect example on the other side. Yes lets celebrate the decorum and polite words they use while they have systematically F’d over their constituents for years. I have news for you, I don’t care about how many times he has been married, or how he speaks. Do I wish he were a better person, sure. GWB SEEMED like a good dude but, put us into a war that has killed or maimed thousands of people. I am looking at actions vs words because thats all that matters. Here is a list (yes I stole it because I don’t have all day to type it but, these SEEM pretty Conservative and some are just common sense and are non Partisan like showing strength with NK or getting out of trade deals that are killing us. Free Trade is a Republican idea but, its NOT working in practice as our jobs have been sucked out of this country over 30 years. So, I guess I am not on the Conservative Bandwagon with that. He just went to the Pro – Life march, the first US president to do this and that is a HUGE shocker and sad. I would expect every Republican to be there but, where are they?? So unless we start resurecting Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan we dont have many Conservatives and one sthat will actually grow some Balls and fight. THey are too busy worrying about being reelected to take stand. The sad thing is if they did they would get reelected easily because Conservative Agendas are winners, always have been and always will be.
On a side note, I get living in SD we are very sensitive about Farmers and their plight but, Republicans subsidizing them to not grow crops to keep prices up or having our Farmers grow Soybeans (horrible crop) to sell to China is a bad long term strategy for us. Why are we not letting the FREE MARKET dictate what sells and for what prices, thats Republican right!!!!! Ethanol subsidies are another issue. Ted Cruz is right, we should dump them but, we don’t. So Farmers are getting pummeled but, someone is going to get hurt by the trade war with China and its necessary to do, we cannot be beholden to a Communist country bent on our destruction. Let’s grow stuff we can consume or export to everyone, we have gotten to depend on the “one belt road”.
-The beginning of the Denuclearization of North Korea.
-Annihilating ISIS.
-Pulling out of TPP. Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, an agreement on trade that caused American sovereignty to be brought into question due to Global Courts and this agreement hurt American workers.
-Repealing Obamacare Individual Mandate. No longer being forced to buy something by the government.
-The release of American Hostages in North Korea.
-The Implementation of Regulatory Tax cuts, which are great for Small Businesses.
-The ending of Catch and Release.
-Five Year lobbying ban placed on members of Congress after they leave Congress- this is draining the SWAMP!
-Sanctions on Venezuela- BECAUSE dictators are crazy!
-Negotiating NAFTA- North American Fair Trade Agreement. Time changes deals, if a deal is no longer good because times have changed, time to renegotiate. Is the deal steal “Fair?”
-Becoming Energy Independent-Keystone Pipeline and North Dakota Pipeline.
-Going after MS-13 Gang Members.
-Policies enacted in combating Opioid Crisis here in America.
-Laws signed in fighting Sex Trafficking.
-Speaking up for the Unborn. First sitting President to EVER speak at the March for Life!
-Black Unemployment at an all time low.
-3.2 Million jobs have been created since Trump was elected.
-Illegal Border crossing down 41%.
-Unemployment at 3.9%.
-Trade Negotiations that are now putting America First.
-Getting out of the Paris Climate Agreement -which did nothing and hurt businesses.
-Consumer Confidence at a 17 year high.
-Signed the Veterans Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act to allow officials in the VA to fire failing employees and establish safeguards to protect whistleblowers.
-Reviving Space Exploration.
-Signed bills into law aimed at recruiting more women for the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. “STEM.”
-Jobless Claims lowest they have been in 45 years.
-Manufacturing Optimism is at an all time high.
-Welfare participation at a 17 year low.
-Rebuilding our Military.
-Support of Law Enforcement under Trump.
-Food Stamp Enrollment at a steady decline.
-Home-building permits highest they’ve been since 2007.
Jeff – I hate to break this to you but, our economy has always relied on consumer confidence, especially the last 30 years. I would argue 90% of our Rs are not even Republicans. I don’t count Thune or Rounds as Rs but, RINOs. Trump is going to win 2020 and it’s not even close. The reason he was even elected, is simple, our Rs have failed us when we get strong Rs we win and we have not had one since Ronald Regan. Trump’s policies, for the most part, have been very conservative.
– Courts are packed with Conservative Judges, 2 on SC alone and maybe more , this is massive and will impact for years
– Lowest unemployment in 60 years
– Finally, a president who is TRYING to address the open border, Rs talk but, never do.
– Got rid of NAFTA which has killed our economy, Free Trade is a myth because all it does is export our jobs, nice in theory but, American’s cannot compete with $2 an hour labor in Mexico
– Took on China and dealt with the imbalance of trade, no one has had the balls to do it. Ask yourself, what clowns even got us into trading with a Communist enemy to begin with? A horrible idea and now we have sold our soul to them. Everyone said it would cause prices to rise, blah blah blah, it didnt happen period
– Bush, Clinton, Bush, and Obama have done nothing but, have us in perpetual wars for 30 years draining our economy
– 30 years of Presidents or canidates stating they would move the embasy to Jeruslim yet none did and Trump did it
See what you have failed to realized is simple. People and many Rs promise yet don’t even attempt to fulfull on campaign promises. If McStain and the other RINOS would have had any balls they would have repealed Obama Care yet pussed out. So if you say THOSE types of people are leaving the Republican party, I say fine, they are bunch of traitor rats who talk but, never deliver
Another Note – I think you have failed to address a Republican Senate and Congress are the @ssholes who delivered 10Trillion dollars in debt by sending those bills for Obama to sign and have helped us spend the 18+ Trillion going back to Bush, so I guess I don’t know what Fiscal Conservatives you are supporting but, I have not seen a Conservative Congress since Newt Gingrish helped balance the budget 1 time in the 90s. So please explain these awesome Rs we are talking about. We got Trump because these clowns have failed to deliver for 30 years and folks are tired of it, I know I am
What has Trump delivered? The economy? No, the people did on consumer credit. Trump had nothing to do with that but a borrowed economy is not a healthy one. Trump has spent more than any other POTUS to enlarge the US government and is not a Republican idealism. Trump enacted protectionism again, the last time the Rs did that was the Smoot Hawley Act on protectionist tariffs that drove our nation into the Great Depression. Trump caused a downturn in the manufacturing sector not seen since the Great Recession 10 years ago but you look upon it with blind eyes. Sorry you need to go back and rethink your premises on Donald Trump and how he has pulled the wool over your eyes by his marketing of falsehoods.
“Took on China with the imbalance of trade”. This confirms your parroting of misinformation. China buys the same amount from the US as the US buys from China as a percentage of their respective GDPs. There is no deficit as Trump and his conspiracy theorists like to spew relating deficits to loss revenues and completely ignoring the vast US wealth created by trade. Trade deficits are irrelevant and anyone with a basic knowledge of trade and macroeconomics would know that. And don’t forget a lost fact by the Trump administration on the hundreds of US companies manufacturing in China and selling directly to the Chinese with annual revenues of $387 billion going on US balance sheets creating, in fact, a trade surplus with China. You’ve been duped by Trump as are many because they fail to question his marketing diatribes and do not listen to experts in the field.
Actually, Obama had better job creation numbers than Trump and most of these are service sector low paying jobs. 2) I agree with addressing the illegal alien issues as I live close to thar border and little has been done 3) the USMCA is just as bad as NAFTA and doesn’t address Mexican dumping of fruits and vegetables as well as other products into the US just like NAFTA. It will however raise costs of new cars from 10-15% harming the auto industry greatly with very little benefits for America’s ag sector. 4) taking on China by use of tariffs is a huge mistake as without China companies like Apple, Microsoft, Nike, 3M, etc. would not exist today. China is not ripping us off and Trump is no expert in macroeconomics but rather a pawn following conspiracy theorists like Bannon, Lighthizer, Navarro, Kudlow, Ross, and Mnuchin. These are not experts but DC cronies and wannabes 5) I agree GWB was one of the worst presidents in US history. He opened the door for Obama and now Trump will open the door for someone much worse, a socialist, albeit Trump is the first POTUS to implement a command economy where winners and losers are chosen by the government, a socialist state in the making. 6) moving the US embassy to Jerusalem has zero relevance for me or Americans but Trump’s interference in our elections by forcing Ukraine to tell a false story to help Trump in the 2020 election is un Amerivan and a crime. It is interesting that Trump gave White House credentials to a radical anti semantic religious group and television news organization to accompany him to Davos showing once again the dysfunction of his administration. Someday you will learn, like I did, that Trump is a conman, a mob boss, and a sociopathic narcissist that is unwell and unqualified to occupy the Office of the President.
Anti semantic is spelled wrong, should be anti-semitic. Bad spell checker on this site. Probably a few more than that also.
Your spell checker resides on your computer, not the website.
Jeff – I think you just had TDS, you can’t seem to give this guy any credit for anything. What I can tell you is when people like you tear him down vs support him THAT opens the door for another Obama or worse yet a Sanders. You never Trumpers are thwarting him at every step and all that is going to do is give the Ds an advantage. The proof is in the pudding and we will see. I can tell you my 401k and IRA have never looked better and while I take that with a grain of salt it still made my wallet happy. I guess we should just bring in old Mitt Romney, he and is never Trump group have been so good and have all the answers they are just keep winning (sarc). Good Day sir
Satire to Stu Whitney apparently means write something, anything to get it in before the deadline. It’s childish and imbecilic, not funny or even entertaining. The fact is that our secular liberal friends in the Fourth Estate are in full panic that they can’t seem to dent Trump’s armor so they love to attack Governor Noem and her family. While our President goes about Making America Great Again and our Governor goes about making South Dakota stronger for the next generation.
Dan. It’s satire. Don’t be a such a snowflake.
Discusses firing people for who attack others they disagree with politically.
While defending Trump.
Pick one.
When I read it, I didn’t think it very clever, and thus the satire was weak. In such a format, I’m ok with an attack on the GOP as we have been chosen by the electorate to control virtually ever facet of state and national government.
Despite the claims people are leaving the GOP in droves, here are the facts:
GOP State Registration in December 2016: 253,132
GOP State Registration in December 2019: 258,426
GOP up 5,294 (Dems down 15,160)
In April, the GOP voter registration advantage surpassed 100,000 for the first time ever and has grown by a couple hundred almost every month since.
GOP National Registration in December 2016: 28%
GOP National Registration in December 2019: 27%
GOP down 1% (Dems down 2%)
FYI: It is hard to get accurate aggregate party registration information for the entire country because different states have different methodologies on registration which turns the exercise into trying to combine apples and oranges. So, the national information comes from Gallup.
In both SD and nation, I’d rather be the GOP than the alternative.