In an RCJ article on Bill Napoli's West River Wingnut insurgency, the esteemed Professor Jon Schaff gets us wondering just what RINOs the hard right is hunting:
Schaff added that it was difficult to make the case that South Dakota's Republican Party had shifted to the left.
Analysis of party voting records by political scientists, particularly Kieth Poole of the University of Georgia and Howard Rosenthal of New York University, show that nationally the party is the most conservative it's been in a century.
South Dakota's legislature and congressional delegation — which is dominated by Republicans — is generally considered to be in line with that trend [Daniel Simmons-Ritchie, "Wingnuts Pledge to Push Republican Party Further Right," Rapid City Journal, 2014.05.11].
Schaff reminds us that we shouldn't be fooled by rhetoric from folks like Napoli, Gordon Howie, and Stace Nelson who call Mike Rounds, Dennis Daugaard, and other leading Republicans "moderates" and "Democrats." Such statements create the false impression that South Dakota is controlled by liberal politicians, which we liberals know to be hogwash.
Schaff says the GOP's rightward shift was brought to us by Reagan-Jesus people:
Schaff compared it to the transformation of the Republican Party nationwide during the 1980s. In that period, fundamentalist Christians organized to overthrow the so-called "country club" Republicans that dominated the party [Simmons-Ritchie, 2014.05.11].
That's funny: if the country club Republicans were overthrown, it seems like the overthrowers must have all signed up for their own memberships in the country club. I'd like to believe conservatives like Napoli could be allies in the fight against the crony capitalism that brought us the EB-5 scandal, but maybe a Wingnut win just brings us a new crop of Bendas, Bollens, and Roundses.
gotta love the hate.
"Schaff reminds us that we shouldn't be fooled by rhetoric from folks like Napoli, Gordon Howie, and Stace Nelson who call Mike Rounds, Dennis Daugaard, and other leading Republicans "moderates" and "Democrats." Such statements create the false impression that South Dakota is controlled by liberal politicians, which we liberals know to be hogwash."
Well said. I try to tell people that Rounds and Daugaard are not liberals and Democrats. They're Republicans-period.
So, when Rounds, Rhoden, and Daugaard expanded government, which is the opposite of Republicanism, what ideology were they following? When they push crony-capitalism which is the opposite of free-market Republicanism, what ideology were they following? When they increase taxes and fees taking more money from the people, which is the opposite of what Republicanism calls for, they were not being Republicans. The list goes on, but you get the idea.
Guys,you are trying too hard. You get results like this when you play checkers using chess moves. Rethugs aren't moving to the left per se,they are just taking a step back from the edge of the flat earth where the T-Baggers have driven the party in recent years. As T-Baggers are wont to prove,that last step is into irrelevancy. That is where Palin and Cruz,Louie Gohmert and my own wingnut deluxe Steve "cantaloupe calves" King reside.
Stace, Rounds' budgets were at a steady 16% of SD's GDP throughout his administration. You can find the table here: http://ballotpedia.org/South_Dakota_state_budget_(2008-2009)
How does this represent "expansion?" To me it looks more like "keeping up."
@John A detailed look at the last 15 years of budget bills http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/218756920?access_key=key-1yp4rr0bokal9tw8nfg4&allow_share=true&escape=false&view_mode=scroll with details taken straight from the bills passed, shows an explosion of spending and government expansion. Rounds dishonestly claims that he only increased state employees during his time as governor by 600. The truth is it was over 1,500 and that he simply changed the law to exclude previously counted employees from the total number compilation.
Considering his ideological duty as a Republican was to reduce government, the massive expansion was 180 degree departure.
Oh for the day both parties stop being parties and fix the problems that confront. If being Democrat is different than what we have going on in Pierre, you folks have no one in SD. Except possibly, Kathy Taylor.
Rep Nelson I registered as a Republican last week I believe for the 1st time in my life to vote for you in the primary to help give me a little more say in what happens in our state and nationally.
I'm fed up with the corruption, mismanagement and lack of lack of transparency in state government. A number of these elected officials have lost my trust and this is a result of an unhealthy culture has been going on for decades for various reasons.
I don't care if they are Democrat or Republican if they corrupt and have demonstrated the same track record we have seen here in South Dakota with EB-5 and all the other well publicized garbage boot em!
Regarding the primary you have my vote but I'll be straight with you in that my vote will go with Rick Weiland in the general election. My support of Rick Weiland comes down to my beliefs in the fundamental role of government.
Maybe in some type of utopian world far less government would be great but for example from my perspective protections need to be in place with an efficient working government. Let me stress efficient working government. Yes! I've personally seen waste and where things can be improved. Cont...
Since when should government spend to the limits of the financial growth of the state, JT? How much of that GDP is gross foreign product (GFP) with Walmarts etc, which hardly gives enough margin to match the government growth you point to.
Interesting, Stace. Did the change in FTE definition to exclude students working at public post-secondary schools carry back to the early years in the table, or were they simply lopped off in 2010 and excluded thereafter? If it was done arbitrarily from 2010 forward then Rounds' claim is indeed questionable. As to Rounds' ideological duty, I'd say that's a matter of opinion, although if real reduction in state government was one of his campaign promises, then he has every reason to be called on the carpet for having failed to do so.
Les, to your first question I'd answer "never." However, I don't think you can say that government spending "expanded" when all it did was keep pace with the growth of the state itself. As to your second question, I don't know what GFP means, but if it's a factor in your consideration, I'd expect you to tell me how much that figure represents and why it shouldn't be included in determining SD's GDP. Just throwing a concept into the conversation without putting a concrete number on it makes for interesting speculation--but doesn't address the issue at hand. Give me some data and I'll give you an answer.
@Lynn Thank you! Please consider getting your friends, family, and neighbors to do the same thing. I have told Mr Wieland that I will debate him on the issues in every town in SD, that is what South Dakotans deserve. Happy to have the discussions with you and all South Dakotans on what direction our country needs to go in.
@John They were arbitrarily lopped off and excluded from that point forward. Reduction of government is an implicit promise by anyone who runs on the GOP ticket via the SDGOP platform: http://southdakotagop.com/about-the-party/our-platform/ 5.3 and 5.18
Government spending that is growing at the rate of private capital expansion is not expansion of Gov, JT?
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I do not have time to find numbers on foreign product that affects our state GDP, but believe the margins for available dollars to be taxed on are just not there for that component.
Rep Nelson,
If you win the primary in which I hope. The general election between you and Rick Weiland will come down to a fairly clear difference for voters to decide.
A Rick Weiland victory in the General is my obvious goal but if you were to win although I disagree with you on numerous issues I feel I could trust you in being that what you see is what you get. I get the impression you would work hard in Washington and offer far better constituent service than someone like Noem.
Go to Williston ND and look at the increase in government spending compared to the increased GDP for example. How far can we push that apple cart?
Sorry Lynn, but Stace is not running against Noem.
Thanks, Les. I have no idea where you get your figures on "private capital expansion," what it means, or how it's relevant to the discussion. Define, please. Your belief regarding "numbers on foreign product" is of no value without supporting data. When you do have time, please let me know what you're talking about. Otherwise, I stand by my conclusion that government spending that grows in tandem with GDP growth is not "expansion" of government.
Thanks, Stace. You should now have a field day attacking Rounds' spurious claim that he expanded FTEs by a bit over 600, not 1500.
Also, Stace, Rounds' broken "implicit promise" probably has some political value. His "implicit promise" to reduce government is one thing. However, his failure to keep that promise is a separate issue from the one claiming that he "expanded" government when all he did was keep spending apace with economic growth. I think the first issue is a winner for you, the second, at best, a tedious and time-consuming draw.
@John If you liked his claims that he only increased state employees by 600? You will really love his claims he has opposed Obamacare:
He applied for and received millions of Obamacare grants to enact Obamacare;
He lobbied legislators to kill the first bill brought to oppose Obamacare in the SD Legislature: http://legis.sd.gov/Legislative_Session/Bills/Bill.aspx?Bill=137&Session=2010 ;
He prefiled SB's 38 & 43 that were passed in early 2011 that enacted Obamacare into our SD insurance laws; AND,
Lets not forget he teamed up with Tom Daschle to help enact Obamacare across the nation: http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_7fa901fe-3650-11e0-bdbb-001cc4c03286.html?mode=story
But! Lets not forget that Rounds did show up at Marty Jackley's press conference where SD's AG sued the federal government!
The new society of uneducated wingnuts-the "Illiterati"are pushing their party over the edge just because.
dollars of grants..
Les I know. We have 2 senators and one representative that supposedly represent all of us here in SD. That is not much compared to other states. I contacted Noem's office in DC during the shutdown numerous times since it directly affected me and although I was very tactful the response was arrogant and very non helpful.
Growing up my family has worked with US Senators and US Reps from South Dakota regardless of their party affiliation in helping with challenges our local community faced. Constituent services is important to me for that rare time I might need it.
Noem's response was an epic fail though her staff's office performance might have been better had I made a substantial donation. I feel an office run by Stace Nelson would be far more helpful if elected.
Looking forward to your next encounter with Rounds, Stace.
Les Sorry! I'm simply using my bad experience with Noem's office as an example knowing full well she is not running for Senate against Nelson. It's just part of the equation when I consider voting for a candidate. There are more important priorities I have when considering a candidate but feel constituent services is still very important.
John,
Growing government at the same rate as the economy is not a traditional American policy. Growing government at the same rate as the economy has been accomplished with public/private partnerships that by definition violate free-market/limited government/conservative Republican principles. I say such economic development thru governments policies should be more correctly understood as Mussolini-styled Neo-Fascism.
The RCJ editors fell down on Simmons-Ritchie's story:
http://news.uga.edu/releases/article/keith-t.-poole-named-the-philip-h.-alston-jr.-distinguished-chair/
@Lynn Constituent services under Nelson U.S. Senate office'sould be conducted the same as the services the tax payers received from me as a Marine and NCIS agent for 23 1/2 years, without regard for party affiliation and with the diligence and loyalty that true public servitude requires.
GDP is the marketable value of all goods and services. Not the margin or profitability that allows for a comfortable taxability. Higher GDP in agriculture most often equates to private capital expansion as it always has in my private enterprise. Forcing dollars out of capital expansion into state government so those growths can match does nothing for economic development other than opening more doors for dictating winners and losers and calling it economic development.
Thanks for the response, Les. I wasn't aware that agriculture had a GDP that is separate from the rest of the economy. Appreciate the information.
Don't be taken in by the puff piece in the RCJ. Napoli appears to take his orders from the governor's office in Pierre, always talking about what a wonderful conservative St. Dennis is. What ever Napoli is, he is not an actual conservative
It would also appear that you are all quite safe from rampant Wingnuttery-this organization doesn't actually DO anything except provide a forum for Napoli.
Capital assets is my reference and possibly confusing when I speak of capital expansion. I'm not speaking of capital as cash expansion though it could be a mix.
Thanks again, Les, but I find your analysis to be over-jargonized and under-supported with data that can give it some meaning and context. I stand by my opinion that state spending that stays in line with GDP growth is nominal but not real expansion. Take the last word.
Stace Rounds and Daugaard are against a womans right to choose, they are against the ACA, they back right to work (for less) laws, they were for the gunslinger bill last years letting schools have guns, they are against expanding Medicaid that would save lives (so much for being pro-life) and so on......
No Stace these 2 are Republicans-maybe not as far to the right as you are-but Republicans. You don't agree with them, fine, but don't say they're Democrats, because they're not
Clearly GDP is not a reliable component to computing tax revenue that you and others are portraying it to be, Jt. In the final two years of the Rounds admin budget, GDP was at record highs while tax revenue was tumbling and spending was at a record high. That would be overspending in my mind.
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The resulting 125mil deficit Rounds left has been argued, but there was a deficit as education will surely attest to.
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I do not mind having to bring more than jargon to the table, however lies, damned lies and statistics have won many an election.
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How about a high five for Barrack Obama's ARA plus our Federal match funding into SD for a little more jargon on our flat budget.
You are really into integrating the neighborhood Owen. Cory Hubbel and Stace Rounds. Thems fighting words from both sides I'd guess.
@ Owen I have lost count of how many times you and I have had this very same conversation in person and online. Again, please show me where I claim they are Democrats. I don't.
Please show me how Rounds is against Obamacare. As pointed out above, Rounds has done everything possible to enact it and every action to oppose efforts that actually opposed Obamacare. Talk is cheap. He is "opposed" to Obamacare in rhetoric only for the sake of fooling voters. If Republican governors with super-majority Republican legislatures were truly opposed to Obamacare? SD would have actually opposed it and not participated in enacting Obamacare and SD would have asserted its 10th Amendment rights.
Voters on both sides of the aisle need to stop thinking in such basic terms of what is the letter behind the candidates name and pay more attention to what the candidate/elected official stands and votes on the major issues of importance. To Republicans? Limiting government, actually opposing Obamacare, actually opposing Common Core, actually opposing tax/fee & government spending increases, etc. In that aspect, Rounds fails on major GOP platform issues.
Stace,
Given the opportunity, will you call out Rounds on his recent tv ad claiming that the Obama administration is robbing Medicare to pay for ACA?
You're right Stace, we have had this discussion before. No you haven't called Rounds a Demcoraat. But the implication is there and I'm going to keep bringing it up.
As I've said before Rounds didn't have choice but to implement the ACA. It's the law. Thankfully it is the law. It's helped a lot of people in South Dakota including myself.
there are cases where federal laws are needed in this country for the good of the people. I don't feel the 10th Amendment applies here.
I'll also ask you agin what you want to replace the ACA with, if anything? You want to balance the budget, ok. What, specifically, do you want to cut? Farm programs? welfare? veterans programs? I'll agree with you on aid to other countries but is that going to balance the budget? Should we close overseas bases?
You're also right to say that people shouldn't go by the letter behind their name, but then you same your way is the only way-as in the GOP Platform.
Hopefully I got this right so the grammar police leave me alone. lol
Which newspapers in South Dakota have expressed disappointment that Rounds has ducked (all but one) debates, thereby denying voters the opportunity to hear his explanations for his Benda scandals and the ripoff of millions from the EB-5 program?
At the one debate where Rounds appeared, Stace made a critically important statement: If someone won't explain his scandals and blunders before an election, what makes you think he'll bother after the election?
Rounds' behavior and negligence of duty are inexcusable. The news media's behavior and negilgence of expressing concerns that a pig in a poke is about to buy a U.S. Senate seat without a series of real public debates is beyond comprehension.
From Stace:
So, when Rounds, Rhoden, and Daugaard expanded government, which is the opposite of Republicanism, what ideology were they following? When they push crony-capitalism which is the opposite of free-market Republicanism, what ideology were they following? When they increase taxes and fees taking more money from the people, which is the opposite of what Republicanism calls for, they were not being Republicans. The list goes on, but you get the idea."
Where is the book on what Republicanism calls for? There is always a huge gap between Republican claims and reality. Current GOP mythology is the flag Stace is wrapped in. It is mostly acute nonsense that has little if anything to do with reality if efficient, effective government is desired.
"
@Roger His dishonesty on Obamacare is even more base than that, as pointed out. Yes.
@Owen You know I am as straight speaking as they come. What you see/hear is what you get. Rounds is a political opportunist of the worst class. That category is not reserved for those claiming the D or the R. He chameleon conservatives his stance on issue now, even after reputing any association with such ideological discipline last year with his condemnation of conservatives as "professional dissenters" and embracing the aura of being a pragmatician.
@Douglas The US engaged in a conservative form of government from the early onset, limiting the growth of government and keeping it on a leash to provide only for the Constitutional limits of what our government was designed to accomplish. A simple answer to your question are the RNC and SD GOP platform: http://southdakotagop.com/about-the-party/our-platform/ I wrap myself in nothing. I state clearly what I believe in and my support of the limited government idea of our Founding Fathers. I also vote in as strict of an adherence to those principles as I can.
Curious, if you don't know what Republicanism is, how then can you claim that "There is always a huge gap between Republican claims and reality."
Owen,
I'm more concerned about all of us getting thru the Republican Primary 1st and making sure Rounds is not the Republican nominee. Rick makes excellent points about Rounds avoiding debates for fear of being challenged in questions about what happened and didn't happen under his administration.
The buck stopped with Rounds and he has not taken responsibility nor apologized for what happened. Rounds supposedly has a reputation for being a micro-manager yet there was plenty of time to catch and stop what was happening with EB-5 in SD yet nothing happened under his watch and look what happened! SD Taxpayers get stiffed, Foreign Investors get stiffed ending up with no green card, contractors and employees get stiffed, communities such as Aberdeen take a hit and a select few make a lot of money with Richard Benda ending up dead. Does this guy seriously think I'll reward him with my vote for a Senate seat?
It almost seems like Rounds and the political machine that supports him feel he is entitled to be our next US Senator. If this guy is running from debates, keeps changing his story and saying anything to get elected do you think he will be there when you or I need his help as our South Dakota United State Senator? It will be pay to play and he will be bought and paid for by out of state interests with far more resources than we have.
I'd say lets make sure Rounds is defeated 1st in the primary and worry about the policy debates that tend to run along party line for the general election.
"""The news media's behavior and negilgence of expressing concerns that a pig in a poke is about to buy a U.S. Senate seat without a series of real public debates is beyond comprehension.""""
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Our poverty strapped news media in SD lives and dies by the excess's of election PAC dollars. Who would want to blow 10Mil and six years of guaranteed crumbs?
Schaff has a predisposition to be sympathetic towards the "country club republican" views because he mostly receives their own biased reporting and forms opinions off of that. His assessments like the one about a failure to promote the expansion of gun rights is extremely inaccurate. When a republican governor vetoes a constitutional carry bill that is an assault on gun rights. Wouldn't the left consider a democrat governor veto of gay marriage legalization an assault on marriage equality?
Schaff is scared spitless that Pierre will be exposed as the revolving septic tank that it is.
Coming to these large discussions, always leaves me with a lot catching up to do. I sure can't understand how folks can't see that the FTEs created under the Rounds administration aren't a huge part of the problem in the deficit spending which he was bailed out on by taking from reserves and then after turning down federal stimulus money, accepting it because that is the only way he wouldn't look like a complete moron, the same way that Governor DD does now for turning down the federal medicaid money and getting all of our citizens covered for healthcare. The way to cut government is not to starve the beast as I posted on this blog on another thread, it is to stop expanding government, and stimulate the economy so that the increased tax revenues can reduce the cost of government.
South Dakota took a page out of the Republican administration of George W Bush, who increased the federal payroll immensely, mostly through homeland security, but also by off budget items with the contractors that were hired to do the jobs that the military used to do, at a rate of pay 3 to 5 times what the military was paid to do the same job. And of course the owners of the contractors got their cut which drove the cost even higher.
Here we sit nearly 13 years after 9-11, nearly 18 trillion dollars in debt, having cut taxes twice while fighting two wars, and blaming the current government's new Affordable Care Act, which hasn't been law for a year yet, not only for that debt, but for the exorbitant cost of healthcare, which was through the roof, before that bill was even a dream in the President's mind.
Those taxes were cut by members of both parties. The wars were entered into with the permission of members of both parties. The cost of healthcare was allowed to go through the roof by members of both parties and by you and me. In my Humble Opinion, there are only three possible choices for our US Senate seat. Rick Weiland, because he wants to get big money out of government, but I am not yet convinced that he would not be a party first guy. Stace Nelson, because he has shown just the opposite, that the party does not come first, but I am not yet convinced because he is the most ideologically opposed to my way of thinking on some of the issues. And finally Larry Pressler, who has shown that he will be a South Dakotans firster, and like Stace has proven that he is a US firster, but being an Independent, he can bring a voice to the table that neither of the other two can. So far I have given campaign funds to both Stace and Rick but not to Larry, (which in itself is unusual for me). I just know that we cannot bring to Washington the crony capitalism that we have witnessed in South Dakota for the past 12 years, our country is already broke.
There is one other point that I would like to make. Who the hell would the five Republican candidates be representing, and who is John Thune representing in being for the Keystone XL pipeline???? That is a jobs joke, we know that Trans Canada already is only contributing about 10% of the property taxes that they said they would on the initial Keystone pipeline and the chances that they will pollute out lakes and streams, and our land to say nothing of our aquifers, far outweigh any financial benefit that we could get from allowing them to build it.
"No you haven't called Rounds a Demcoraat. But the implication is there and I'm going to keep bringing it up."
Owen, there are at least two types of collectivists who violate true conservative limited government principles...Neo-Marxism and Neo-Fascism. So, you don't have to be completely Democrat minded to be a RINO.
Shaff makes a mistake by being simplistic. There have always been these sorts of attacks from both the right and the left on "country club Republicans" for as long as I've been politically aware.
The first successful round of attacks on "country club" or "establishment" Republicans came in the mid-1970s, not 1980. Rick Knobe won the mayor's race in Sioux Falls. Then Larry Pressler took on the establishment Republicans and won his first Congressional race.
Rather than lay it all at national level organizing in the Christian right, how about actually giving local issues and organizers a bit of credit. Although Knobe started out as the darling of the conservatives, he proved to be willing to talk to the establishment and win them over, or maybe they won him over.
Also, without the Oahe issue, and Pressler's ability to convince the grassroots organization that led opposition to that project that he was on their side, it is likely Pressler would not have won.
Even in 1980 it is probable that McGovern would have won had he not been so vehement in his long support for the Oahe Project. So, I would counter Shaff's narative with real South Dakota history. Sure, the religious right upsurge had an impact in the late 1970s onward. But generally local issues carry far more weight.
Shaff wants to credit
How about a brief synopsis of what the Oahe Project was, Donald.
Rorschach this may help http://www.hcn.org/issues/152/4932
Looks like Pierre is on full-campaign-lockdown, even in the Office of Hearing Examiners, where the Attorney General got permission to continue hiding the investigative records of his very suspicious suicide ruling and coverup involving the shotgun death of Richard Benda.
http://www.keloland.com/newsdetail.cfm/office-upholds-ags-withholding-of-death-records/?id=164342
This is a load of crap.
Interesting article, Rhino Lynn. Thank you. Lived here a good share of my life but never heard that.
Thank you Rhino Lynn. Just what I requested. Now I know.
That crew, RoundsDaugardetc, are certainly Not Democrats. They are Plutocrats.
Plutocrats.
You know, Putin's kind of people.
Speaking of country-club Republicans, Pat says the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has endorsed Rounds.
http://thinkprogress.org/immigration/2014/05/12/3436934/donohue-republicans-should-not-bother-candidate-reform/
Deb, plutocrats they are and plutocrats we ain't.
Wow. That's a very interesting article Larry. The chamber of commerce versus the tea baggers! Something is going to break and it might be the Republican party. Or not. That's been expected for a time now. I guess we'll find out, probably by the end of this year.
All in a day's work, Ms. Geelsdottir: happy to serve.
Donald Pay,
Actually I think this all pretty simplistic. The tea party has been around for nearly 8 years, not just fighting President Obama, but the GOP as well. And now there is this Wingnut bunch that apparently doesn't think the tea party or the GOP is conservative enough. Why doesn't the tea party form their own party?
Is what happening to Republicans a more of a voter base problem. Lower income Republicans are finally figuring out the country club and corporate GOP have been using them for years. The money guys in the GOP continually dangle social issues like abortion, immigration, food stamps, and fear to keep their minions in line.
Don't listen to Mr. C, Mr. Pay. The wingnuts are just getting more computer prolific like me and all 20 of them have gone insaner than Sibby's step-sister at about the same time. Mr. Napoli is a nice enough guy. He once gave me a ride his his really bigger than most little fellows have truck to a meeting and I liked it. But on his bad days he can be a little wacko if you know what I mean.
You have Bos and Napoli on your list of Insaner. Have I made your list Grudz?!? I'm really very liberal. C'mon.
What happened grudz, did I touch on a sensitive spot?
Mr. C, what in the dickens are you talking about?
Ms. S, no ma'am. You seem saner than some.
Ms. S? Who is that? Grudz, I think it must be past your bedtime. I know it's past mine. (Central time, y'know.) G'night.
grudz, you said "Don't listen to Mr. C. Mr. Pay". What does that mean? Exactly why should Mr. Pay not listen to me, grudz?
Sorry, my grain gets twisted sometimes, Ms. Geelsdottir/.
We "radical right wing" Republicans ask one thing from Republican leadership and elected officials: adhere to the national and state Republican Platforms. If you are an elected official you can show your fellow Republicans that you vote with the Republican Platforms by displaying a solid voting record which conforms with the things expressed in the platform. What a radical idea! RINOS try to disguise their RINOness by name calling, accusing those of us who believe the platforms actually express the core party values as Right Wing Nuts - ah -WINGNUTS. We who want party representatives to adhere to the Party Platform are the true moderates. Those who want to fly off into Liberal Land are the ones off track. Vote for Stace Nelson to represent SD Republicans in the US Senate and Lora Hubbel to represent us in the governors mansion.
liberal land is a good thing Barb and RINOs are still Republicans
Barb,
What does the state Republican platform about crony capitalism corruption?
Just what 'murrica needs,more gubmint for wingnuts only. Wealthy and white just like Jeebus said. Feed the rich,screw the rest. Administer needs to the weal-thi-est. Cut more from SNAP and more billionaires can have car elevators. Let's play empty the treasury monte. Take all tax receipts,toss them in the air and whatever comes down goes to the koch bros. Whatever defies gravity is doled out to the 99% based on declining income,starting at the top.
It's interesting that Barb argues for a European system---strong adherence to party platforms. The one great thing about the American party system is that party platforms are essentially like wiping your ass. You spend some effort putting shit on paper, and you promptly flush it. Any politician who gives you a pledge or promises to adhere to a party platform is someone you want to vote against.
Don, I have just one thing to say:
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!"
Ms. Geelsdottir, I bet you are just a bubbly bouncing bunch of hahahahaha when you do that. I'm just sayin...
Crony capitalism—there lies our common ground!
If a 61 yo can be bubbly and bouncy, then yes indeed Mr. Grudz!