Bonus boobery from Secretary of State Jason Gant:
Last winter, Secretary Gant and our Republican Legislature struck another blow in the GOP war on voting rights by passing HB 1247, which takes away the right to vote from convicted felons serving probation.
That democracy-weakening law, which has disproportionate impact on Native American (read: Democrat-leaning) voters, took effect on July 1. Secretary Gant updated his website to inform convicted felons of the change. However, if you go to the main Secretary of State's website to obtain a voter registration form, you get this document (my archived version, downloaded this morning, two and a half months after HB 1247 took effect), which does not reflect the change wrought by HB 1247. The declarations to which one swears follow the language required by previous law, including this key delcaration:
I am not currently serving a sentence for a felony conviction which included imprisonment, served or suspended, in an adult penitentiary system.
The declarations the applicant makes under penalty of perjury (2 years imprisonment and $4000 fine) do not mention the new prohibition on registering to vote if you are on probation.
One might think Secretary Gant is actually trying to lure unsuspecting probationers into falsely swearing their eligibility to vote in order to manufacture cases of voter fraud to support his party's continuing effort to disenfranchise anyone who doesn't vote for white conservatives. But as seems too commonly the case with our Secretary of State, we should not jump to ascribe to conspiracy that which we can ascribe more simply to incompetence.
And don't forget: Secretary Gant says it's Voter Registration Month.
GANT NEEDS TO GO!
You're doing Gant's work for him Cory. He ought to pay you as a consultant. Gant need only read your blog to figure out how to do his job.
Thanks, R, but I'm afraid that other blogger he hired and then had to get rid of probably ruined the SOS office employment opportunities for the rest of us. Maybe I'll just apply for his job directly.
Heidelberger for Secretary of State! Go for it!
So what if some judge decides Mr. Gant was wrong. Gant is the State Secretary and can just shrug it off. Who's gonna make him do it?
Grudz, public support for impeachment is possibly on the table. I would never trust his ALEC buddy, Jackley, to prosecute him. It may take the people to create enough noise to see him drummed out of office early.
I don't think there is public support for impeachment. There are maybe a couple dozen people in the whole public that even know about that office and they can't make drumming noises that loud. Gant is cozy and safe and laughing at us.
Impeachment starts with the legislature, not the public. If Gosch is kicked off the ballot on October 3rd, there will be a large amount of support for impeachment of Gant. He isn't popular right now within the GOP. Gosch is a good guy, dems and repubs like him. Well not all repubs, just ask Stace Nelson and Gordon Howie, but the majority like Gosch.
Ellen, If Gosch were kicked off of the ballot (which won't happen - case will be thrown out for untimeliness) it would be his own fault - not Gant's. What would be Gant's fault is that he got on the ballot in the first place.
If Mr. Gant is impeach and Governor Daugaard gets to name a replacement he might pick Mr. Howie or one of his minions just to satisfy the insane people. I wonder if people like Mr. H that lean heavy liberal would like Howie or Gant better. Indeed I bet they would roo the day they chased Mr. Gant off. They would roo it bad.
Governor Daugaard would never pick Howie or a Howie minion for anything other than a suicide mission when we invade the Bakken oil field. First, the Howie camp is less competent than Gant. Governor Daugaard at least wants the trains and elections to run on time. Second, Grudz, your suggestion assumes that Team Daugaard would view Team Howie as a threat that they must mollify. I'm rankly speculating, but I would guess that if Team Daugaard feels it got its nose bloodied in the 2012 primary, its next interaction with Howie's backside will involve pointier boots, not noses.
Where JACKLEY ON THIS.
David Montgomery has been busy today covering our little back-scratching group in Pierrre.
First, Gant is being represented by an Assistant AG and has asked the suit to be moved to Pierre. So if there is any wrongdoing it will technically be Jackley vs a colleague being represented by another colleague.
But more fascinating is that Daugaard has called for an investigation into the Robocalls. Swiftboater Joel Arends is involved in fighting for the case of fair politicking, in a "you can't write this stuff" twist.
Wasting no time, Stace Nelson has filed complaints against Governor Daugaard's campaign to Marty Jackley. http://politicalsmokeout.tumblr.com/post/31891546736/stace-nelson-investigation-right-back-atcha#disqus_thread
Now is the time where it would actually have been in Jackley's interest to have supported good government policies in the past.
Getcha popcorn ready! (sorry for the Terrell Owens reference)
reading our minds, J-bar: drama queens all. Anyone know where we could send contributions to the robobots?
Is or is not the young Mr. Gant a RINO?
I don't think anybody knows what a RINO is anymore. The GOP doesn't really have a strong identity other than what the Koch Brothers, Shelden Adelstein and ALEC want. Is that what a true Republican is? Is it a Randian? Is it a Goldwaterian? Is it a Reagonian?
The only thing I know is it is apparently not a Romneyian.
And I can tell you Zell Miller is a DINO.
What constitutes a RINO, I guess I don't really know or care. It doesn't seem like an insult to me, anyway. The argument seems to be who is "bad". I look at the whole lot and say "them".
I think Howites are RINOs. And they are bad. Bad.
The desperation of the GOP is palpable: every earth hater in Cory's sidebar from Randazzo to Powers to Blanchard are frothing: makes me want to weep with joy....
ear refutable.