A little history on myself that some might not be aware of.
My mom had an auction business which operated for a decade, close to two decades in Pierre. I am actually a trained auctioneer (via the World Wide College of Auctioneering in Mason City Iowa). And while I was not going to attempt to call a cattle sale, at my most practiced I could hold my own calling a personal property sale just fine.
So, the point is that in the days before eBay and all the on-line sales, we used to do a lot of retirement sales where people retiring to town would sell out their stuff, and we would help them dispose of it. And I remember one sale where a couple of the adult kids back by the cashier literally got in a fight over who was going to get the proceeds from “mom’s sale.” The problem was, mom wasn’t dead.
They got into an actual shoving match while standing over their elderly mom who was seated in her wheelchair. It was literally the height of trashiness.
I bring it up, as the Minnehaha GOP members are looking more and more like this trashy family fighting over control of mom’s money as they stand over mom herself, as the bickering continues and escalates over who controls the Minnehaha County Republican Party. Never mind that 99.95% or more of the nearly 60,000 registered Republicans in Minnehaha County could care less, and think they all look silly and trashy.
Here’s more of the train wreck that is the Republican Party organization representing our state’s largest county:
Here’s all the attachments being referenced…
So, we have someone from one faction calling out the former vice-chair Jennifer Foss as a “former Democrat,” and we have the awful former vice-chair Jennifer Foss calling out the current board members’ behavior as “communism.”
For the good of the cause – which is supposed to be about trying to get Republicans elected.. maybe they all need to actually concern themselves with that. Getting Republicans elected.
Instead of spending their time being concerned about their own egos.
Pat, this is so sad, I don’t care what party you are affiliated with. This is not what our nation and state are built on. Apparently the Biblical “Golden Rule” has been thrown out the window, and I’m not sure that any of them belong to the Republican party.
What an absolute embarrassment.
With the super far right minority, no one is safe from being black-balled. That’s exactly what they do; rip roar on their own. All in the name of what? Being able to say “I’m more conservative than you”? I think being able to say “I’m sane” is a good thing right now. Too many dictators in that minority of people. I feel bad for the 59,950 normal people in Minnehaha. Hopefully this will blow over but neither side seems to be willing to bend so they might as well start brand new. Literally all new.
Good points, all, but they aren’t saying “I’m more conservative than you.” They are saying “You are NOT a Republican. You’re a RINO.” I can see the frustration here of all the good people who have been real Republicans, supported the party and its platforms, raised money, voted right – all just to have a bunch of interlopers tell you that you – a lifelong Republican – just aren’t a Republican anymore because they moved their imaginary goal posts. Here’s hoping you can fight them off. Save the Real Republican party.
Some good news: it has lately been my honor to converse with many younger Republicans — high school / college students as well as recent grads. While I wish their numbers were greater, I see vast potential in these future leaders. Maybe because they’ve witnessed so much toxic infighting, SD’s younger Republicans seem eager to embrace Reagan’s “11th commandment.”
Completely agree that the younger generation is excited and I hope they will stay involved. However I’m worried they will experience this hostile environment. These comments on Facebook, behavior in and out of meetings, from a few that feel they are a majority or on the correct side is enough to make people run. Normal people can’t express their opinions without physical and social media intimidation. Having these bullies scream, push, and intimidate drive people away. This likely is their goal so they can be in complete control. How does one stop it when regular sane members don’t speak up due to fear?
It can be called LEFTIST CREEP.
A situation in which a small consort of extreme righties swing out so far they start using leftist tactics: smearing, half-truths, bullying, shunning.
This band of extremists go after low-intel folks who use emotion instead of logic.
Plus they depend on low voter turn out so sneak other extremists into the mix.
And we have what we have. A low-functioning legislature soon to be known as one of the worst in SD history.
Good summary, Mr. anonymous.
It’s funny cuz you’re doing the thing right now by claiming it to be a LEFTIST thing to be a childish bully. Look at the White House, bro.
Evidently you don’t know what LEFTIST TACTICS are.
There we go. Although dominated in every corner of the state by the GOP, all that ails us is the left.
Party. Of. Personal. Responsibility.
Sir, I expect you are the featured speaker tomorrow at the Conservatives with Common Sense breakfasting. Once grudznick is done with the Opening Rant, and you may expect I will set you up to launch into a doozey of a feature, I will point at you and then you take it from there and Wow us all. Wow us, like Ms. Lems has not yet.
And afterwards, you can call me a liberal. And then I’ll call you a liberal. Because everyone you dont like is a liberal. Everyone Lems and Doeden dont like is a liberal.
We hold children more accountable than this.
Mr. Anonymous, you are not tracking on grudznick very well. grudznick likes and hugs like a buddy many liberals far more than I like most of those fellows who are insaner than most.
Many liberals, outside of Mr. Wieland, are ok fellows and not insaner than most. Many liberals are just wrong, and not insaner than most.
Funny thing is: I’m not even a liberal. I’ve been registered as an independent since we somehow collectively decided the Trump was a good idea. It still bugs the hell out of me that no matter what members of the GOP do here, it’s still somehow tied to democrats. It’s a dumb, dumb spin and dishonest. Further, these local upstarts are literally imitating Trump’s antics, and none of you seem willing to point it out. It’s exhausting to witness. Nobody wants to take any blame.
Trump’s antics? You mean like isolating Iran? Squeezing China? Letting the EU know that defending Ukraine is their responsibility, not the USA’s? Closing the border, rounding up criminals? Eliminating waste and fraud in government spending?
Just what “antics” are you complaining about?
He is doing things that other politicians have promised to do for years.
1. Trying to overturn constitutional amendments via executive order.
2. Hey, nice plane from Qatar! Drain the swamp!
3. Placing tariffs om the entire world. Then removing them. Then putting them back on. Them removing some. Then back on. All the while we creep closer to recession.
This is the sort of bs I am talking about. You refuse to acknowledge mistakes.
Contesting a SCOTUS interpretation of an Amendment through the courts: Legitimate action
Accepting the use of a plane for the use of the Executive Branch (not a personal gift): Legitimate action
Negotiating tarioff rates between the US and other countries: Legitimate action.
You’re simply spouting BS talking points you’ve been spoonfed Democtrat party talking points.
So again: your argument is that if you don’t like the past 50 years of jurisdiction and the plain language of the amendment, just do what you want anyway?
You do realize the Pandora’s box you are opening here, right? What happens when the next Dem takes the White House and orders the FBI to start seizing people’s weapons? Perfectly legitimate in your worldview, right? Because that’s how we contest things?
I think you assume they weren’t awful before the election of the president. Nope. They were plently awful then.
How is this relevant to my point? Why is Trump behaving badly good, and local upstarts behaving this way bad? The cognitive dissonance you all try to ignore is silly.
The “local upstarts” have been behaving this way long before Trump entered politics. You never noticed them unless you were actually involved in state politics, before they used a “loophole” in the bylaws regarding Precinct elections to take control of the County & State organizations.
You are ignoring their protectionist economic policy, attempted destruction of party apparatuses, and terrible behavior to ONCE AGAIN deflect from the fact they are behaving just like Trump.
trump is not behaving badly he is doing exactly what he was elected to do
People want him to overturn constitutional amendments via executive order? People want him to accept private gifts from middle eastern countries? Why do you believe this is what people wanted?
Trump has not done anything he should not be doing
Using existing legal methods to challenge a judicial decision or a law is perfectly legitimate; in fact people do it all the time. Our system allows for us to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
accepting gifts from foreign interests on behalf of the country has been allowed like forever. Refusing gifts is considered rude, ungrateful. These items are considered the property of the federal government. Anything over $480 has to be turned over. Jill Biden received a 7.5 carat diamond from India. where was the outrage?
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/01/03/politics/jill-biden-diamond-gift
Sent from my iPhone
Replying to Iphone poster: just to make sure I understand, your argument that using Executive Orders to overturn constitutional amendments is legitimate? I’m sorry, I was under the impression that the Constitution explicitly laid out how amendments are made and ended. “Perfectly legitimate” means nothing when you use it this way.
Actually the dems in the legislature last session were better minded that the righties led by Hansen, Lems, May, and the rest of the low-functioning cabal.
You’re right. maga has been really successful using what you call ‘leftist tactics.”
so when Jennifer says she witnessed “communism” at the May meeting, who paid for everybody’s food?
So admittedly I am tired of reading about it and didn’t read all of this post. But I read enough to agree that most of us don’t give a crap about the inside baseball of party operations. We go to work, raise our kids, plant a garden, and hang with some friends. The last thing we care about right now are these self-important idiots who care more about themselves than they do the public.
This is also why we need to have primaries for AG, SOS, and maybe other offices. My friends and I aren’t going to convention – see above – we have lives outside of party politics. The last thing I want is for the current party jackwads being led by Obama devotee Eschenbaum to pick our candidates for anything.
totally agree. The conventions would be much smaller, and more successful fundraisers if the only people who attend are interested in building the party, networking, and raising money. The current practice of the candidates for constitutional offices recruiting the most disruptive people they can find to serve as precinct committee people has created a snowball effect of allowing these same loons to choose county party leadership, who in turn elect a state exec board hell-bent on total destruction of the party.
Eliminating the convention nomination process is the only way forward now.
Are you going to be circulating petitions for a Constitutional Amendment that would move the nomination process to primaries instead of convention? I actually think it would pass. But that’s the only way it would pass. The legislature won’t pass it.
Well said.
and they are still asking where the money went??? I recall Tyler Swanger saying he turned everything over when he left the Treasurer’s position and they all know where the money went. He didn’t conceal anything; why are they questioning the accounts??
They all would know if they would review all the documents. They understand if you yell ‘where’s the money’ it get more attention. After they have that attention they ignore the documents provided and spew other nonsense.
I have been around for 20 years and this is the worst shape the Minnehaha County GOP has ever been… and that’s saying A LOT. I remember seeing the Minnehaha County party at some pretty low points but the party has never been so acrimonious and filled with so many stupid people. The ship of fools make it hard for normal people to get involved in the party. Sadly, it will get worse before better.
I’ve been around so long I can remember when the Minnehaha LDD was so fancy, the women wore evening gowns, men wore suits or tuxedoes, and the money really flowed into the county party treasury. They filled the full ballrooms of whichever facility they were in, the Ramkota or the Convention Center..
Those were the days, when the Minnehaha County Party was fun to spend time and money with.
What a pathetic miserable way to live.
Cleaning out an infestation takes time and is never pretty, but that doesn’t change how essential it is though 🙂
The fight for their perceived power is strange. No one has ever felt being a county party officer was about power until the last few years. There is this strange idea going through many of these people that the county party officers have power. While important there isnt any power. They are there to support the local party and build it. That means inclusivity. That means welcoming people in.
I got to thinking about the county’s “missing” $95,000 and wondered “why doesn’t anybody go to the Secretary of State’s campaign finance system and look? Is it possible these screaming loons don’t know this information is all public and accessible? ”
So here’s a summary from the 2024 pre-general report:
Beginning balance: $4985.56
Income: $94,790.15
Operational Expenses: $51,380.20
Contributions to candidates and committees: $9,149.0
independent communications $1000
Total expenses:$61,529.70
Ending balance: $38,246.01 Somebody will have to ask the current treasurer if that money is still there.