I was skimming through some of the campaign finance reports early this morning, when I came across a pair of reports that contained identical, yet equally interesting items in light of the year end reports that illustrate in part why South Dakota Democrats are in a fiscal crisis of unheard of proportions:
Dems Blowing Cash on Ballot Measures
If you look at the reports for the ballot measures, each of which were referrals of laws passed in the 2015 legislative session, each of them include in-kind contributions from the state Democrat Party for circulators, printing and postage. (When they say circulators, they’re referring to salaries paid to people for circulating petitions.)
One in-kind donation was for $6,110.87, and the other for $6,228.59 – for a total of $12,339.46.
For a political party that reported $340 cash on hand at the end of the year, you have to wonder what thought process would lead them to think it’s a good thing to spend over $12,000 to hire people to loan out, as well as provide printing and postage for ballot measures out of their donor’s pockets?
It’s more of the same from the state Democrat party, as they abdicate their role as the opposition party in the state and spend their time contemplating their navels. Originally, I’m sure the theory was that they would gather names of like-minded and sympathetic supporters, and somehow expand their fundraising, if not their party base. But as the results of the last 3 or more elections have proven, no matter how much time and effort they put into ballot measures, it has yet to translate into electoral success.
Based on the latest state report showing them with $340 in the bank for legislative candidates and other activities, it also hasn’t done anything for them in expanding their fundraising base, either.
Until State Democrats actually worry about winning elections where they actually run candidates, the State Democrat Party is going to continue their perpetual state of decay.
And much like the zombies ambling through the forests in one of my favorite shows, The Walking Dead, until they actually pretend to be a political party, the State Democrat organization will only continue to be a pale imitation of something living.
Feeling pressure from the initiative process, huh? It’s our way of gathering momentum. South Dakota is turning purple like a big ‘ol heirloom tomato and the citizens have a hankerin’ and a hunger for ideas other than Republicans standing on the necks of women’s rights.
Porterhouse, where did anything about women come up? You sound like a broken record.
Porter are you high? Seriously are you high? What will be your excuse when the SD Dems get crushed even worse in 2016? The Feb SoS office report just came out and the SDDP continues it’s losses of registered voters in the countdown to zero.
Good ole Porter can always be counted on for his pearls of wisdom. Women have come a long ways, baby, since the days of cooking, cleaning, and waiting on you menfolks. We now care about a good economy so that we and our daughters and sons can look forward to a better life and more opportunities than we have, we care about the good jobs that a good economy will bring, we care about security so that we and our kids and grandkids can grow up in a world safe from terrorism etc, we care about the over-reach of govt and ever expanding govt regulations (instead of legally passed laws through Congress), and we also care about the rights of the lives of unborn girls (who will someday be women) and boys. But go ahead and float the Dems’ favorite talking point and see how far it gets you. I think the current economic state of the SD Dem party and their inability to get good candidates to run is a good indicator of how NOT purple the state is becoming.
The Democrats as Porter has said is this is how the Democrats believe they can be relevant. They might as well do something since they have obviously decided to give up on electing legislators, Constitutional Officers, Governors, US Representatives and US Senators.
So what you’re telling me is my PAC has more cash on hand to spend in the state than the Democrats! 😉
Yes. I’ll bet it does!
The Democrat’s have utilized a very effective method of advancing their policy agenda. Stymied in the legislature they have elected to go directly to the ballot and have found success. What is the lesson here?
That when you do that, you lose all your ability to influence legislation and win elections?
Not sure that’s it, the broader view would argue that we are entering a new era of disintermediation of political power not unlike that is occurring in other institutions. The question is how does the Republican party respond to it. So far we as a party have failed miserably to develop a strategy to do so. Time is running out.
Even that paragon of Republican ideology, Jason Glodt, has bypassed the legislature and taken an issue directly to the voters, what gives?
He’s an individual who is paid to consult. Not a political party supposedly running candidates.
And he’ll still get more to run than the dems!
Troy this may be rocket science, but their are more republicans in South Dakota than democrats,