This is not your dad’s Republican Party. Hardly your grandfather’s Republican Party. Because it looks like the new South Dakota Republican Party is looking more and more like Chairman Jim Eschenbaum’s old Democrat Party.
Because for the first time in nearly 50 years, the sitting Chairman of the party joined with Democrats to take a shot at our State’s All-Republican delegation in Washington, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune:
“The South Dakota Democratic Party announced on Monday that it will conduct public town halls in four South Dakota cities “in the absence of South Dakota’s Republican senators and congressman.”
Afterward, state Republican Party Chairman Jim Eschenbaum told South Dakota Searchlight by phone that he’s also heard complaints about the congressional delegation’s accessibility.
“Even some Republicans have been saying that,” Eschenbaum said.
When was the last time a sitting chair of the SDGOP took a shot at a sitting SDGOP member of our delegation in Washington? The last I’m aware of was way back in 1979:
That was in September of 1979, in relation to Sen. Larry Pressler making a bid for the Presidency. It was more of a political campaign as opposed to being in connection with the service he was giving South Dakotans at the time. About 46 years ago.
Yet 50 years later, we have State GOP Chairman Jim Eschenbaum, a 32 year Democrat now in charge of the Republican Party, taking his swings at Senators Thune and Rounds and Congressman Dusty Johnson right alongside the state Democrat party.
Somebody needs to throw this guy out.
Eschen-bama is an embarrassment.
There is a literal democrat incursion in the GOP
He’s not wrong though…
Can’t imagine why they don’t want to face up to crashing the economy at the whim of a weird orange man.
As you so aptly put it – this is not our father’s or grandfather’s party anymore. It’s time the silent group of people who stand for what our forefathers believed, take action. No more shaking heads in disgust – we need to be vocal, stubborn and active. Perhaps the whack-a-doodles should reread part of the Federalist papers – if they can read. They should also study Abraham Lincoln and others who built the foundation of our party.
Agreed. Everyone should read the Federalist Papers. It’s a great place to find out which ideas worked and which didn’t. As you recall, the Articles of Confederation didn’t.
As you so aptly put it – this is not our father’s or grandfather’s party anymore. It’s time the silent group of people who stand for what our forefathers believed, take action. No more shaking heads in disgust – we need to be vocal, stubborn and active. Perhaps the whack-a-doodles should reread part of the Federalist papers – if they can read. They should also study Abraham Lincoln and others who built the foundation of our party.
It is good to have an “Inside Man” in place. Looking forward to having guest SDDP congressional candidates speak at formerly known as SDGOP events with the new whatever party it is now formerly known as the SDGOP.
I thought the Dems big announcement this morning is that they’re merging with SDGOP under Eschenbama’s “leadership”.
How does attacking our federal delegation help Republicans get elected? That is Eschen-bama’s job, after all…. To get Republicans elected.
It would be interesting to see what he would answer if a reporter asked him what his job is as SDGOP Chair. I bet he doesn’t say “get Republicans elected.”
We used to make fun of the SDDP for idiotic statements; Hold my beer!
He is not wrong. Republicans get called out on here all the time. Why is it horrible when he does it?
Let’s be fair here.
Pretty simple answer. Because Pat isn’t the chair of SDGOP
We finally have found a true RINO in the party. Unfortunately, he’s leading it.
Guy tells the truth and gets attacked for attacking the other team. Politics is weird.
I can see “Independent” numbers going up.
The chair’s scorecard reads a solid D- this far
Eschenbaum could’ve said these events are filled with paid protesters by billionaire Soros.
And he’d still be wrong.
I think we need more details as to what all these disgruntled people think our congressional delegation has been absent from.
Committee hearings? Votes? Is there an attendance problem we should be aware of?
https://apnews.com/article/town-halls-musk-doge-trump-gop-749d91ea516284057e4c7bcb1615527e
We didn’t elect them to go run all over the state talking to us. We elected them to go to work in Washington DC. If they are here, they aren’t working there.
If they are here, talking to people who keep asking the same questions hoping to get different answers, they are wasting their time and not doing the job they were elected to do.
If you have a particular problem you want addressed, you will have better luck visiting their offices of constituent services.
The town halls are mostly attended by blowhards who like to hear themselves talk.
Oh that’s rich. Remember when the big complaint (about Daschle specifically, probably others) was that politicians get elected in SD and then run off to Washington and we never hear from them? What happened to that? How can they know what we’re struggling with if they never listen to us?
Zoom exists.
I remember a cracker barrel in Brookings when Noem was in Congress. A fellow stood up and went on a rant about how every time he called her office her staff was rude to him. This went on quite a bit. He never once said what he was contacting her office about. Whatever he wanted, the rest of us never learned. But he went on and on and on about her staff not giving him the time of day & she kept telling him she had told them to be polite. About what?? One could only guess he was calling her office because he didn’t have anyone else to talk to.
If he wanted a direct response from her about whatever his problem was, the cracker barrel was the place to get it addressed.
Instead he used the time to complain that her staff wasn’t paying enough attention to him.
Cracker barrels can make for fine entertainment. Otherwise they are a waste of everybody’s time.
May 17th Lawrence County Lincoln Day Dinner which will also be a Measles, Rubella, Whooping Cough, Small Pox and Polio party so bring everyone to help boost their natural immunity. No masks or CDC bio-hazard suits allowed.
Venders will be offering services such as ear candling, healing with lights and magnets.
Our Health and Wellness venders will be selling immunity boosting and other ailment curing shakes, crystals, beads, Cod liver oil, vitamins and essential oils.
This is so embarrassing for the real Republicans of Lawrence County. Such a shame.
Well Butte County had to sit through the self-aggrandizing Radke. Don’t forget if you donate money to the local gop, you are likely helping to fund attacks against your favorite primary candidate.
We would add that if you have Influenza A, COVID, Norovirus or any other contagious ailment the better for you to attend to help all of us build our natural immunity. No social distancing! Who knows? We may have a special surprise visit by RFK Jr!
Doesn’t anybody remember that Trump was a long-term Democrat?
many people were, but they didn’t vote for Obama. Or those who did are too embarrassed to admit it.
Not surprised. Eschenbama ran a campaign funded by Jane Fonda and a New York liberal group called The New Foundation. The same people who teamed up with the Sierra Club and the Nebraska group to at killed the KXL pipeline are now the executive board of the SDGOP. Think about that for a minute. The Chair of the SDGOP also ran a ballot measure campaign that worked with the same people who killed Keystone XL pipeline and the environmental group who is trying to kill production agriculture.