Bernie Hunhoff allows me to sully the online pages of South Dakota Magazine this week with a proposal for a dirty trick: how about we Democrats help Gordon Howie get on the ballot? Howie says he's running as a Plan B in case Stace Nelson doesn't win the primary; could we turn that Plan B in Rick Weiland's favor?
The only reason I like Howie's Plan B is that it helps Rick Weiland. It boxes Rounds in: he can't attack Nelson too hard in the primary, because that would alienate Nelson's hard-right supporters, who could (as Kevin Woster notes) happily hand their votes to Howie in November. That increases the chances that Nelson can stage an upset in the primary, and Weiland can beat the cash-poor Nelson more easily than he can beat the Nine Million Dollar Man [Cory Allen Heidelberger, "Openly Dirty Tricks," South Dakota Magazine, 2014.04.16].
Check out my full argument, Democrats, then tell us: would we sell our souls signing Howie's Independent nominating petition? Or would we just be maximizing our advantage by further dividing the GOP electorate?
p.s.: One more reason to put Gordon Howie on the ballot: since they are both musicians, they could wrap up the State Fair debate by performing Dueling Banjos.
Since I already signed Weiland's petition I think I'm precluded from signing Howie's. If I hadn't I would readily sign Howie's simply for the reason you note, it increases the chance my gut will win.
Rick Weiland has a lot of guts. :-) (Some typos must be allowed to stand.)
Oh man. Y and T are so close on the ketboard, buy so far apart.
I signed Howie's petition on Thursday at the pennington county courthouse.
anything we can do to get Weiland elected is a good thing
Nick, I don't know why you would worry about petition rules. Apparently, they aren't enforceable.
But, Nick has a serious problem for lax attitudes toward election laws. He is a Democrat.
Howie claimed he was "approached by a group of people" who asked him to run... I offer (from evidence gathered in his own neighborhood) that any group that approaches Howie would be carrying at least one rope.
Hahahaha! Cranky, that was pretty funny!
Cranky, I'd like to meet those people.
Owen, you are a true Machiavellian, aren't you? ;-)
Anybody, libbie or not, who votes for Mr. Howie has absolutely no integrity at all.
And protecting children from molestation is so passé, right Grudz? Laundering Communist money is all the rage these days and we mustn't become outmoded.
I'm too late, you beat me to it Bob Klein. and grudz, they said sign petitions not vote for Howie.
The rino club (DWC) are going nuts over Howie. Screaming Republicans are disloyal and ruining the party if they vote for a conservative Republican who registered Independent! The irony would be hilarious if the truth wasn't so sad. They advocate for Republicans like Bosworth, and Rhoden who chameleon conservative positions, and Rounds who has sold the GOP out and lead on corrupting the GOP with crony-capitalism, favoritism, and embracing Democrat programs like Obamacare, and Common Core State Standards which are the opposite of what any good Republican believes in.
Howie getting into the race? After Rounds is rumored to have helped recruit candidates like Bosworth, Rhoden, and Ravnsborg to dilute the anti-Rounds conservative vote and stymy national conservative groups like Senate Conservatives Fund's efforts to oppose him? Poetic justice.
All ya have to do is show up for coffee some morning at the Caputa Store and I'm sure you can collect all the non-positive regard for Gordon one would desire...I don't know the guy, except by reputation and that has convinced me that I don't want to.