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National and Local Media Call South Dakota Races Before All Polls Close

I am outraged that Associated Press, that Sioux Falls paper, KSFY, CNN, NBC, and CBS have declared winners in South Dakota's mid-term election while citizens are still voting. So is Secretary of State Jason Gant:

SOS Jason Gant tweet, 2014.11.04.
SOS Jason Gant tweet, 2014.11.04.

CNN declared a winner while Shannon County voters were still voting, in violation of CNN's own election night projection policy.

Update: Secretary Gant expresses further outrage at other media, including Fox News, for breaching the public trust:

Screen Shot 2014-11-04 at 20.49.03Another commenter mentions NPR is guilty, too... while KELO-AM's Greg Belfrage appalling decides to blame the election worker, not the media:

Screen Shot 2014-11-04 at 20.50.37

144 Comments

  1. Bill Fleming 2014.11.04

    RCJ called it too. WTF.

  2. Roger Cornelius 2014.11.04

    Marty Jackley has stated the late polling in Pine Ridge and Oglala are considered provisional votes and will not be counted tonight.
    Pine Ridge is the major polling place on the reservation.

  3. Gail Swenson 2014.11.04

    Ben Dunsmoor on KELO just laughed when he read Marion's lead over Weiland. So unprofessionally pathetic...

  4. Lynn 2014.11.04

    I found it interesting that Sanfordland predicted Rounds winning before the polls closed at around 7:00pm CST

  5. JeniW 2014.11.04

    The American Press (AP) declared that just a few minutes after the polls closed, and from another comment here, so did Fox News. :(

  6. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.11.04

    Shit.

  7. grudznick 2014.11.04

    It's a shit sandwich, Ms. Geelsdottir.
    Indeed.

  8. Dave D. 2014.11.04

    What an ASS kikkin these Liberals are getting tonight!! Well deserved!!! The people HAVE SPOKEN!!!

  9. grudznick 2014.11.04

    Mr. Dave D, they all knew it was coming and I, for one, give my friends here some credit for keeping the faith and the fight up. I will not rub noses in it tonight. Except for Mr. kurtz, who bet me a bottle on several races.

  10. JeniW 2014.11.04

    No Dave, the people have not spoken, some people have spoken, but not all.

    SD is now at the start of being misrepresented by Hypocrite Rounds.

  11. Dave D. 2014.11.04

    JeniW A bit of a SORE LOOSER tonight are we!!! :)

  12. Dave D. 2014.11.04

    Weiland is still spending money!! I just saw another one of his TV commercial badmouthing Pressler. What a guy!!

  13. BlackHills76 2014.11.04

    And here Cory was telling us the problem is that we weren't nominating true liberals and if we did we'd win. The only chance Dems had was Stephanie. She didn't run... You got your liberal in Weiland and we got Rounds.

  14. CK 2014.11.04

    I, for one, hope Weiland does not concede until ALL the votes are counted.

  15. JeniW 2014.11.04

    Yes, Dave, I am mad because I know full well that Hypocrite Rounds was deceitful while he was governor, deceitful during his campaign, and will continue to be deceitful.

    I have the right to be angry and disappointed, just like you have the right to be overjoyed.

  16. JeniW 2014.11.04

    Dave, Rick is not "still" spending more money, he had paid for those ads well before the election. It was a "package" deal.

  17. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.11.04

    Really, Dave D.? All I'm hearing from you is sore winning.

  18. Bill Fleming 2014.11.04

    Absolutely, Weiland should not concede until ALL the votes are counted. That's what he stands for. If he lost, fine, but count the #^%* votes.

  19. Jana 2014.11.04

    No Sioux Falls votes have been counted. Apparently the GOPer Litz is having some difficulty.

  20. Dave D. 2014.11.04

    Cory , I am over joyed with the outcome of this election!! Not sore winning at all. I have been waiting months for this to happen and it has come to be. Yes , the people HAVE SPOKEN!!!!! :) :) :)

  21. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.11.04

    1. The media spoke before all South Dakotans had spoken.

    2. Name-calling and anti-liberal screaming suggest a sore winning that ignores the fact that we liberals are your neighbors, with an equal stake in the well-being of South Dakota.

    3. JeniW is not mistaken to say that South Dakota will be represented in the Senate by a hypocrite, not to mention a corrupt politician. Far too many Republicans overlooked genuine corruption and deception to stick with the "R" label. That is a loss at which honest South Dakotans are entitled to feel genuine pain and shame. Your celebration of that victory is misplaced.

  22. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.11.04

    Well, BlackHills76, I guess we have a problem. We have a Democratic base that can't unite around either kind of Democrat. How do we resolve that split?

  23. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.11.04

    This is not a good night for America. Even the hog castrator won in Iowa.

    No, I'll correct myself. The only "even" really is in SD tonight. An extremely corrupt politician who cheated the citizens of his state out of hundreds of millions of dollars, has been elected to the US Senate.

    Chicago politicians have Nothing on SD Republicans, and Rounds in particular. Chicago had the Daley Machine. SD has the Rounds Machine.

  24. Bill Fleming 2014.11.04

    If what Jana is saying is accurate, Sioux Falls, Rapid City and Shannon County have not spoken. Let's see how this plays out.

  25. Jana 2014.11.04

    Cory, please think of becoming the director of the South Dakota Democratic Party. We need you.

  26. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.11.04

    Some of the top crooks won. Scott Walker in Wisconsin. He was being investigated for corruption in Milwaukee, but they put that on hold till after the election. Maybe they'll get him yet.

  27. Jenny 2014.11.04

    Anything from Page Jensen race yet?

  28. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.11.04

    A piece of good news: MN's Muslim Arabic Congressman is winning by more than 70%! Ha!

  29. Jenny 2014.11.04

    Minimum wage is leading in SD. There's hope yet.

  30. Oldguy 2014.11.04

    I can't believe it but I agree with Grant. I congratulate all on this board for caring .

  31. Bill Fleming 2014.11.04

    Page/Jensen just starting to come in. Too few to say anything.

  32. grudznick 2014.11.04

    Good night, Bill.

  33. Jana 2014.11.04

    Just thinking maybe the Minnehaha GOP folks were surprised that an election was happening today. Bob Litz who is in charge was on the ballot...if he wins, he should resign immediately.

  34. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.11.04

    Deb, a political system that leads to those results is broken. Where do we start with the wrenches?

  35. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.11.04

    Republicans have the US Senate. I hope Obama will step up and keep the disabled, elderly and veterans from ending up on the streets when McConnell and Boner try to fulfill their plans to forget such folks. I'm worried for them.

  36. Lisa 2014.11.04

    I am a long time reader but my first time posting. I have never been so ashamed to be from SD. So many unanswered questions hanging over Rounds head. I just hope the whole EB-5 truth eventually comes out and he will be forced to resign.

  37. Bill Fleming 2014.11.04

    Sweet dreams Mr. Grudznick. Use the hammock on the deck.

  38. Roger Cornelius 2014.11.04

    Robin Page lost to the racist Jensen, says a whole lot about Rapid City.
    David D.
    Can you say "FBI Says It Has An Active Investigation Going With EB-5"
    When you repeat that a couple of times, you can repeat this, "Senate Ethics Committee to Investigate Rounds".

  39. Roger Cornelius 2014.11.04

    The only good thing that happened to tonight, and I agree with Republicans, is that Harry Reid got fired and rightfully so.

  40. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.11.04

    I wish that Reid had been defeated by a Democrat. In a few years people may be clamoring for Reid, or anybody but McConnell!

  41. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.11.04

    G'night Grudzy.

  42. Margaret Bad Warrior 2014.11.04

    My 18-year old daughter didn't vote (Ziebach County) because her toddler nephew barfed in her Minnetonka boots in the car and she was too embarrassed to go into the polling site. Our son (20 years old) didn't vote because he's not registered and he didn't want to go in without his sister. His thoughts were, and I quote: "What's one vote anyhow?"

  43. Pam B. 2014.11.04

    Roger, The site I'm looking at only has 14% of Robin Page's district reporting. Is it for sure that she lost?

  44. Jana 2014.11.04

    Cory, to your point of what do we do to fix this. We keep the pressure on. We demand more out of a shrinking media. We hold the elected accountable when they put party over people. We show up at cracker barrels. We write letters. We retool the party to not just go through the motions. We start building local candidates now, and then give them the tools they need to win. We should already be recruiting and building candidates for state offices.

    We support the Dems who won and we make sure that they know we have their back.

    We recruit Cory to head up the South Dakota Democratic Party.

  45. Bill Fleming 2014.11.04

    Roger, I don't see that Page has lost yet.

  46. Roger Cornelius 2014.11.04

    Pam B.
    Pretty sure Robin lost, the last tally I saw was Jensen 65% and Robin with 35%.

  47. BlackHills76 2014.11.04

    I didn't mean to be a smart (you know what) Cory, but honestly it does take the right kind of Democrat and the right kind of year to get elected in our State. Moderates generally do well in our State and there will be another good one that comes along. I mean when Maryland and Massachusetts goes GOP for Governor you know it's not going to be a good night for Democrats in SD.

    With that said, I predict the minimum wage vote will win by a fairly significant margin. Look at the candidates that won and then look at the minimum wage vote it doesn't make much sense.

  48. Roger Cornelius 2014.11.04

    Bill my numbers came from the KELO scroll, hope I'm wrong.

  49. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.11.04

    Rachel Maddow is getting awfully feisty on MSNBC. Fun to watch.

  50. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.11.04

    Lisa, thanks for taking time to drop us all a line on this busy and tough night! We're glad to have you. South Dakota does itself no honor in sending Mike Rounds to Washington.

    Margaret, I hope the little one if feeling better. I hope we all can avoid barfing on our boots after tonight. And I hope we can bring your son around to realize the power his vote, and his friends' votes, and all the other votes that didn't get cast this time that we can cast next time to make a difference.

    Jana, that last line makes me nervous. Otherwise, I like that roadmap. I'm going to get some sleep and tackle all this with a clear, optimistic head in the morning.

  51. Bill Fleming 2014.11.04

    Lots of precincts still out there, Roger, but yes she's behind.

    On a different front, looks like Lee S. wont have to give Elliot the axe. The voters did. But just barely.

  52. Roger Cornelius 2014.11.04

    Jana,

    I totally agree, Cory is precisely the person we need to head the SDDP, our party has been dormant for too long and lacks the aggression it needs to climb over the humps, Cory is that guy.
    There is no reason why South Dakota Democrats have to play nice with Republicans, particularly when we are on the right side of history.
    Tonight, Republicans have set South Dakota back another few generations.

  53. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.11.04

    Im glad I moved to MN. But, from my heart, I applaud every single one of you who can stay there in SD and fight on. You should be very proud. You have courage. Don't give up hope.

  54. Bill Fleming 2014.11.04

    Cory et al, am I seeing a 30,000 undervote in the AG race right now?

  55. Bill Fleming 2014.11.04

    Compare total votes cast in Corrina/Noem to total votes Haber plus Jackley.

  56. Bill Fleming 2014.11.04

    Ok it's not that big, and there's even bigger ones elsewhere. Lots of folks leaving blanks.

  57. Anne 2014.11.04

    Some people have indeed spoken, and they have defined the kind of place South Dakota is. The election is over, but the corruption, secret dealings, and oppressions are not. And the gloating and taunting sound more like the raging and blustering between the Shiites and Sunnis in Iraq than an election aftermath in a civilized democracy. My work in South Dakota ended this year, and my greatest joy is that I now live elsewhere. What a place!

  58. Paula 2014.11.04

    "Gant said that officials were forced to go to the home of one of the poll workers to fetch the missing ballots, KDLT reported. "

    didn't post properly above.

  59. Jana 2014.11.04

    I'll call it a night by saying how proud I was of Rick Weiland. He ran a good campaign and he put his heart and soul into the effort. Thanks Rick!

  60. Bill Fleming 2014.11.05

    The precincts fully reporting look like they're averaging close to 60% turnout, but statewide, only 37% turnout so far. Over 20% of the vote still hasn't been reported. Even so, still not looking good for brother Rick.

  61. Bill Fleming 2014.11.05

    Me too, Jana. He gave it his best shot. I'm checking out too. Night all.

  62. John 2014.11.05

    Oh grow up and get over it. Democracy is over-rated. 41% of the state legislators were uncontested. The judges retention elections, like electing judges - are a joke. Democracy is the worst form of government - except for all the others. I'd take a benevolent dictator any day - except that one is so hard to find, keep, or replace. So we muddle through. It's going to be a long 2 years.

  63. mike from iowa 2014.11.05

    Did any of the under investigation wingnuts lose anywhere today? I don't know why,but it boggles the mind to figure out why people? of the wingnut persuasion are hell-bent to vote against their best wishes.Are they just vindictive of Dems turning the economy around and bringing the deficit down? Sodak,iowa and Wisconsin are all losers today,tomorrow and for the foreseeable future.

  64. mike from iowa 2014.11.05

    Let's give McC Turtle and all wingnuts the same honeymoon of good feelings wingnuts graced Obama with. What's the point of waiting?

  65. Scott Marquardt 2014.11.05

    Deb Geelsdottir: "Scott Walker...was being investigated for corruption in Milwaukee..."

    I don't think you understand at all what's going on there. The Milwaukee DA's wife -- a shop steward for the teacher's union -- spent most of her days crying in rage about her hate for Walker. Chisholm went on a witch hunt, alienating even close friends who've basically become whistle blowers. Far from being a sane investigator of Walker -- who has now won three elections in four years -- Chisholm himself is likely to face a criminal probe for abuse of his prosecutorial powers.

    Don't make the mistake of defending Chisholm. Seriously, if you're not familiar with the matter, just . . . don't.

  66. Scott Marquardt 2014.11.05

    Anne: "And the gloating and taunting sound more like the raging and blustering between the Shiites and Sunnis in Iraq than an election aftermath in a civilized democracy."

    Sounds like a description by someone familiar with the thousands of progressive Huffington Post and Daily Kos commenters who spout contemptuous vitriol on a daily basis. ;-)

  67. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.11.05

    Scott, I live in St. Paul. I spent 4 months in Oconomowoc while Democratic legislators were out of state when Walker was trying to destroy labor's right to organize and negotiate for fair treatment. I went to Madison during the massive demonstrations against him. I keep in very frequent contact with my Wisconsin friends. I see regular ads for WI candidates on local tv.

    Scott, I know what is going on next door. I know better than to believe that your skewed characterization of the situation is accurate.

    You would have been wiser to Ask Me about my information sources, rather than patronizingly admonish me as you presumed ignorance on my part.

  68. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.11.05

    Scott, it's 1:00am, my time. I'm not feeling particularly patient at this moment, which was reflected in the previous post. I perceived an attitude of superiority on your part. That always ticks me off. If it was a misperception, I apologize.

    I think I'll go to bed. I'll contribute tomorrow, after a good night's sleep.

  69. Scott Marquardt 2014.11.05

    Deb: Do you think Chisholm will survive an investigation by a special prosecutor? As you know, his two witch hunts of Walker have only netted some small fry at the fringes, on charges entirely unrelated to his bevy of John Doe subpoenas and raids.

    Do you really think the outrageous behavior by Wisconsin progressives can be justified? Walker won, so he's implementing his policies -- just as Obama won, so he implemented his.

    Progressives in Wisconsin seem unable to reconcile themselves to a democratic process where, as it turns out, they've been on the losing side of elections in recent history. Chisholm, specifically, has abused his authority to suppress political speech by groups whose political affiliations are contrary to his own, and to those of his unfortunately hysterical wife.

    It's a very sad state of affairs in a state where I spend a lot of time (I live in Chicago, and find Wisconsin a refuge from the madness of Madiganistan).

    I didn't mean to be patronizing, I was just inferring ignorance from your vague remarks about Walker "being investigated for corruption in Milwaukee." That description of Chisholm's John Doe investigations is like saying the bombing of Dresden was a tidy demolition of a few bunkers.

    Three successful elections in four years. Walker has the distinction of being the only governor vindicated so often, in the eyes of the electorate, against obsessive and corrupt progressive zeal.

    The Wisconsin progressive playbook begins with the words: "Call me Ishmael..."

  70. Tom w 2014.11.05

    Rounds by landslide. No wonder the media called it so early. The 200 indian voters couldnt even bring the count close. Ol cory hope u dont drown in your tears tonite.

  71. Jana 2014.11.05

    Hi Tom,

    Welcome to the Madville Times. I hope you will become a regular visitor who engages in worthwhile discussion.

  72. JeniW 2014.11.05

    HypoMike won the election, Tom and you can celebrate all you want to, but that does not mean that everyone has to think like you that he will be a wonderful senator.

    Maybe he will accomplish some great things for the people who are living on reservations that are overwhelmed by poverty, for those living in the ghettos, and barrios, for those with disabilities, those with pre-existing medical conditions, those who are by force are homeless, and help reduce the frequency of crime. If he does, then maybe I will forgive him for being a hypocrite, and will give him his due credit.

  73. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.11.05

    (Scott M, for the record, I find Daily Kos mostly useless and rarely if ever cite it here.)

  74. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.11.05

    Now you see, Tom, there you go again, just reveling in bully talk. That's not constructive.

    But on the issue: landslide or not, you don't call the election while people are still voting. You let everyone vote behind the same curtain, undisturbed. You never act in a way that tells any voter, "Your vote doesn't matter."

  75. Tom w 2014.11.05

    I learned bully talk from kathy tyler, shes real good at it.

    Did u sleep at all cory or r u just stunned that the rounds won by so much. Ppl dont care bout the eb5 stuff that u have been wasting ur time writing bout for the past 6 momths

  76. Tim 2014.11.05

    Well, republicans have it all now, this country will be a different place in two years. They get what they vote for, when it all goes in the toilet, they will still blame "those damn liberals", and until we learn to play hardball it will stick. Now that SD voters have given their blessing to business as usual, don't expect anything from Pierre. It down right scares me to see what they will come up with on the national level.

  77. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.11.05

    Wow, Tom, dish but can't take. Tyler is no more tough or negative than any of the Republicans about whom you are gloating. She comes out and uses her voice to challenge bad decisions and bad policy. You come here hoping to find personal anguish to rub into people's faces. You understand the difference, don't you, Tom?

    To deal with such attitudes, I'm with Tim: we have no alternative but to push through the allegations of negativity and bullying and go on the offensive for the next two years. We must shatter South Dakota's complacency in the face of corruption and incompetence.

  78. Tim 2014.11.05

    I guess the one part of all of this that worries me the most, I have two kids in the military, we all know how republicans fix the economy. War

  79. Tim 2014.11.05

    On a much more local level, I see they re-elected the bigot Jensen by a two to one margin. West River, never surprises me what they come up with out here anymore. Could be time to put the house on the market and move on.

  80. Bill Fleming 2014.11.05

    Cory, we were right. A vote for Pressler was a vote for Rounds. Minnehaha and Shannon counties are still not in and I don't think we can do much analysis beyond that until they are, but it feels to me like we Dems shot ourselves in the foot in the Senate race. And it was the only shot we had.

    So sad to see Phil Jensen's number so high. Robin worked hard there. It says something about the R's in District.

    Let's leave it at that for now.

  81. Lanny V Stricherz 2014.11.05

    The two most outrageous races, other than the probable win by Rounds, are Bob Litz, County auditor in Minnehaha and the defeat of Kathy Tyler in Big Stone.

  82. Greg 2014.11.05

    Democrats have to be asking themselves what the hell happened in this election when Rick Weiland couldn't even carry his own party. What a missed opportunity for them that got away.

  83. Tim 2014.11.05

    I think one thing can be said. The majority in this state seem to be quite happy with corruption, crony favoritism and business as usual. It's a sad day in South Dakota.

  84. Lynn 2014.11.05

    I would like to thank all of the Democratic candidates who ran and put themselves out there for this election here in South Dakota! That thanks goes to all those who volunteered and supported those candidates.

    The majority of South Dakota voters have spoken with their vote and have chosen the candidates and what they represent for our state. Unfortunately I expect to see South Dakota represented negatively in the national news in the future with comments or legislation proposed by Betty Olson, Phil Jensen, Steve Hickey and others that were recently elected or re-elected but for those who voted for these candidates that's ok.

  85. mike from iowa 2014.11.05

    Don't you whitey wingnut trolls have some koch bros ass to be kissing to save your sub-minimum wage jobs or something? Pucker up,Buttercup.

  86. mike from iowa 2014.11.05

    It wasn't just South Dakota,Tim. Wingnuts under investigation for various crimes got re-elected in Florida,Wisconsin,South Carolina,iowa,Texas and Alaska,among others I'm sure. I haven't looked,but did Fat and Furious Christie get re-elected in Joisey?

  87. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.11.05

    By the way, Tom, to the extent it matters, I slept quite soundly, all warm and snuggly. Got up once to pee, enjoyed the quiet, went right back to sleep.

    But I am going to have a really grouchy day if Bob Litz keeps griping about voters "screwing the ballots up" and doesn't just plow through and report the numbers so we can do some real analysis.

  88. Lynn 2014.11.05

    I have never been a fan of Harry Reid to put it mildly. His lack of leadership and poor strategy helped contribute to the Democratic losses across the nation. Hopefully he will voted out of any type of leadership position and the Senate will have a new Democratic Minority leader.

    The state Democratic Party can take the positives and negatives with what happened during this election cycle and learn from their mistakes and move forward. If your a Democrat, Independent or 3rd party candidate the focused effort has to be at least 10 times as hard as compared to a Republican candidate even of that Republican candidate is mediocre. That non majority party campaign has to be well planned and start well ahead of the competition and that includes fundraising to increase the odds of success.

  89. mike from iowa 2014.11.05

    http://www.juanitajean.com/2014/11/04/remember-david-hamilton/

    Here is a gawd fearing whitey wingnut fake christian and his wife openly violating federal election law in Texas by campaigning(for him) within 100 feet of a voting center. And they both laughed when being notified they are in violation of federal law. Elections matter,federal law apparently does not,at least for the lawless.

  90. Jenny 2014.11.05

    The minimum wage passed by a wide margin, which is surprising. This is probably the only bit of good news for SD Dems, but that is an important victory right there.
    Keep up the good fight, Dems! Don't give up.

  91. Tom W 2014.11.05

    Lanny
    What was so outrageous bout the kathy tyler defeat?

    Cory - i can take all that you dish at me, and i can dish it right back. Face it in the great USA, business controls all, weather you like it or not.

  92. Lynn 2014.11.05

    I would be very curious what percentage of RV/Out of state voters voted for Phil Jenson. Robin Page worked her tail off in that campaign. Can the results be legally challenged with these RV/Out of state residents that seem to take advantage of loopholes our state is known for?

  93. Lynn 2014.11.05

    Tom W

    Just out of curiosity what is the purpose of your posting here? What do you hope to gain with the comments you have made so far?

  94. Jenny 2014.11.05

    I know Lynn, what is Tom W trying to say. With his poor grammar it's hard to read.

  95. leslie 2014.11.05

    tom w.-what do u make of mitch mcconnell's plea for unity, cooperation and bipartanism from the dems, now? do u know what the national repubs did the night obama was elected in jan. '09? am wondering if u are just a local woman and indian hater, or have the big picture in mind in your seeming impulsive "out of nowhere" comments here.

  96. Steve Sibson 2014.11.05

    "A piece of good news: MN's Muslim Arabic Congressman is winning by more than 70%! Ha!"

    I knew Deb wasn't a real Christian.

  97. Steve Sibson 2014.11.05

    "The minimum wage passed by a wide margin, which is surprising."

    So the poverty problem is solved?

  98. Jenny 2014.11.05

    Sib, did you vote for the minimum wage increase? Just curious.

  99. Jenny 2014.11.05

    No, it won't solve the poverty problem, but every little bit helps. Instead of pennies we're on nickels now, I'd say.

  100. Steve Sibson 2014.11.05

    No Jenny, $8.50 was too low to solve the poverty problem. If it was $35 per hour, I would have supported it.

  101. JeniW 2014.11.05

    Steve, there you go again, judging who is "real" or in other words "true" Christians, you told me yesterday that you do not judge people as being "true" Christians or not when I asked you if you thought Steve Hickey is a "true Christian" or not.

    Aw, well, does not matter, I appreciate the early morning chuckle that you provided for me.

  102. Lanny V Stricherz 2014.11.05

    Tom W, the outrage at Kathy Tyler's defeat is that she was targeted because she was the one Democrat who called for the EB-5 investigation a year ago, and even her own party did not support that. They did however come to the realization of the fact that there was a lot more than smoke, when Cory, Bob Mercer and others pointed out the findings of their investigation.

    The fat lady has sung, and it appears that the Tom W's of the world can gloat all they want and I guess Troy Jones was right, there is no corruption in that EB-5 program in SD, so we can move on and ignore anything that happens regarding it down the road.

    With the hinder kicking that the Repubs gave the Dems, it will also be okay to keep underfunding education. Oh well life in SD goes on and keeps getting better for some and worse for others.

  103. Steve Sibson 2014.11.05

    "you told me yesterday that you do not judge people as being "true" Christians or not"

    Deb convicted herself by violating the exclusivity of Jesus Christ.

  104. Bill Fleming 2014.11.05

    Excellent. Sibby wants a $35 per hr. minimum wage law in SD. Now that's a serious throw down! Because wtf, why should burger flippin' high school teens get paid less than their math and science teachers, right Dood?

  105. Tom W 2014.11.05

    Lanny

    Heres a thought on education. sure its under funded, and has been forever. But students keep going to school knowing they graduate and make shitty wages. My thought is, if i didnt want McDs wages i woudnt go into that profession, just like teaching, if you dont want shitty pay then go to school for another profession that pays more.

  106. mike from iowa 2014.11.05

    Burger flippers are highly skilled and trained manufacturing jobbers,according to wingnuts.

  107. mike from iowa 2014.11.05

    Tom W-did you slip through the doctors hands and land on your head when you were born or do you work rilly hard to be so misinformed?

  108. Lynn 2014.11.05

    Tom W

    Based on your comments, grammar and misspelled words it looks like you are an excellent example of a product of our state's ill prioritized education system. I'm sure the SDGOP and the owners of businesses that contribute to them with taxpayer subsidized profits will appreciate drones such as yourself.

  109. joeseph 2014.11.05

    mike from iowa

    I think he works REALLY hard

  110. Tom W 2014.11.05

    sorry for brevity my fingers are too big for this device

  111. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.11.05

    Sure, Tom, let's just pay unsustainably low wages to teachers and dare them to keep suffering or abandon our kids. Nice blame shift.

  112. Roger Cornelius 2014.11.05

    Sibson's call for a $35 minimum wage is a GOP cop out, he likely didn't vote for the $8.50 minimum wage using his unrealistic amount to justify his no vote.

  113. Roger Cornelius 2014.11.05

    Sibson is the ant-Christ, he has continuously represented that by his extreme logic and actually defying what a Christian truly is.

  114. Steve Sibson 2014.11.05

    "why should burger flippin' high school teens get paid less than their math and science teachers, right Dood?"

    So you saying $35 dollars is too high, or are you saying high school teens are not in poverty at $7.25 per hour?

  115. mike from iowa 2014.11.05

    Turn out the lights,Sibby,your panties are over.

  116. mike from iowa 2014.11.05

    christ is exclusive? With the little god-almighty Sibby running around usurping christ's authority? Sibby,I think you have christ and dumbass dubya mixed up cuz you sound like the latter,way more than the former.

  117. Roger Cornelius 2014.11.05

    TomW is the perfect example of what the SDGOP loves, a low information voter.

  118. mike from iowa 2014.11.05

    Scott M-

    O'Keefe's claim of misconduct by Chisholm is specious — one more attempt to put a roadblock in front of a legitimate investigation. It is based on a questionable report that Chisholm, a Democrat, had personal animus toward Walker, a Republican, because Chisholm's wife is a public school teacher and union steward who was affected by Walker's decision to push for a law to limit bargaining rights for public workers.

    That report, first published in Legal Newsline, an online news service owned by an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, quoted an unnamed source who said Chisholm "had almost like an anti-Walker cabal of people in his office." Chisholm has denied that politics plays a role in the investigation.

    The Journal Sentinel's Daniel Bice later reported that the source for that story was Michael Lutz, a criminal defense attorney and former police officer, who last year threatened Chisholm and his family in a voice mail message.

    And that thin reed is all that O'Keefe seems to have. That contrasts with the care that Chisholm and the others involved with this investigation have demonstrated. The investigation is headed by a prosecutor with ties to Republicans and has been joined by four other prosecutors representing both parties. It is overseen by a state judge

    with ties to rethuglicans.

    Maybe you should check out your stories a little more carefully.

  119. Steve Sibson 2014.11.05

    Mike, so you believe $8.50 an hour solves the poverty problem? You just don't want to admit for something that does not work, and you are taking it out the person who exposes the deception.

  120. JeniW 2014.11.05

    Maybe Tom W, HypoMike, Daugaard, along with the Republican state legislators will agree that SD should no longer accept federal funding for education.

    That way there will be no strings attached, and State be the only funding source for the schools, and/or each school district come up with its own funding. If there is not enough funding, then discontinue high school sports, and paying the transportation cost of having teams competing against each other, end all the other after school activities.

    If there is still not enough money, start charging tuition fees for parents who have more than two students in the public school system.

    And if that still does not do the trick, cut the classroom hours to no more than fours hours a day from k-12.

    If that does not work, tell the parents to home school their children, and close down the all the public schools.

  121. Bill Fleming 2014.11.05

    Sibby, assuming you are at least marginally asking your question in good faith, I'll give you my best answer.

    Look at this chart. It's the current average living wage bracket set for the State of SD. http://livingwage.mit.edu/states/46

  122. bearcreekbat 2014.11.05

    Bill, that is quite an optimistic assumption about Sibby's comments, but I appreciate the link you posted.

  123. Bill Fleming 2014.11.05

    BCB, Sibby can sometimes be a convenient vehicle for spurring rational dialogue and valid, relevant information, if for no other reason than psychological balance and/or contrast.;-)

  124. mike from iowa 2014.11.05

    Reality to Sibby,come in,Sibby. Where did I say anything about $8.50 per hour solving anything? Oh,that's right. I didn't but you just conveniently tried to put words in my mouth that match your little narrative.

  125. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.11.05

    Anne, I'm sorry I didn't respond to your comment sooner. I regret that we have driven you away. I regret that South Dakota could present such corruption, secret deals, and oppression that anyone would consider leaving our state a joy. I do not hold your leaving against you, but I will think of your words as I try to make South Dakota better. Please let me know if we do anything that makes coming back sound palatable.

  126. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.11.05

    I'm done with all my responsibilities for the day, and now have time to get online.

    Scott, thanks for your response. It's apparent to me, based on your choice of words, that we are in opposite camps regarding labor, Walker, unions, etc. I think you are wrong. I'm sure you'd say the same to me. So be it. We might have some interesting conversations.

    In the meantime, Mike from iowa has written a good, responsive comment to yours. Works for me.

  127. Scott Marquardt 2014.11.06

    mike from Iowa: So you can cut and paste from a partisan Milwaukee newspaper's editorial page?

    I don't need to "win" an argument with an instagoogler, mike. I'm perfectly content to watch hyperventilating Wisconsin progressives keep going a bridge too far. They may not be able to learn from experience that they're wrong about some important things, but their continued hysteria generates fear and loathing from observers, and that's good enough.

    And mike, I think there are a lot of conservatives and libertarians who are glad the Kochs exist to support their activism. Obama's minions were very pleased to have Soros along for the ride in 2008. I'd suppose that the most paranoid on both sides will always reflexively screech about the other side's billionaires. Tough. It is what it is. Progressives would do well to stop looking more and more as if they want to stifle other people's free expression -- and the funding of such free expression -- when their only real objection seems to be that they don't have anyone spending quite as much on their side. It's not that they don't want any spending -- it's that they want the bulk of it to be on their behalf. I mean, let's be honest. No need to preen and posture self-righteously.

  128. mike from iowa 2014.11.06

    Scott M-another foolish attempt to justify corruption. The six people incicted and convicted were all in Walker's administration-not some minor bit players. The people involved in the John Doe investigations are bi-partisan,more than just the one Dem you concentrate your Fake Noise talking points on.

    In typical whitey wingnut fashion you ignore the facts of the case and focus on the least important aspects. Walker has been colluding with wingnut groups in violation of federal laws,but I guess laws don't matter to a guy who got kicked out of college for cheating in a campus election.

    Don't worry your tiny little head over losing an argument with an insta-googler. Ain't gonna happen. Take off your Fake Noise bought and paid for blinders and seek truth. It will never set your side free,but you will learn fact from Fake Noise propaganda.

    BTW-how do you live with yourself when one of Walker's criminal enterprise stole thousands of dollars from Veterans?

  129. jerry 2014.11.06

    That editorial is spot on Larry. How can this country monitor elections in third world countries for corruption while we cannot have honest elections here? Of course, the republicans basically swept the elections here so why change the way things are done? Democracy comes in second when up against ideology. Much easier to criticize the purple fingers of foreign voters while the powers to be gives us the middle one.

  130. Jana 2014.11.06

    Back on topic. The AP is still wrong in announcing election results before the polls closed.

    Has anyone else seen any blowback on their ethics.

    Don't let this one slip into the memory hole.

  131. Jana 2014.11.06

    As usual, the state's media organizations heard someone yell 'Squirrel" and are off getting pictures of a kitten stuck in a tree.

    Lalley, you were livid when this happened and it was all you could do to be polite to the AP guy Walker. What happened? Come on, I know that you had to stay up late and alter your plans because Minnehaha County couldn't count votes...but re-find your rage for the AP telling South Dakota that their votes don't matter! Thinking that if it would have been New York City, they might have made a different decision.

    I can just see the East Coast AP chiefs doing their best Bill O'Reilly impression and saying "F it...we're going live"

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUFY8Zw0Bag

  132. Scott Marquardt 2014.11.06

    mike: It's really IRRITATING that they don't have anything on Walker, isn't it? After all that investigating...

    ;-)

    You're begging the question. I'm not "justifying corruption." I'm observing that the investigations have not struck Walker -- the very one Wisconsin progressives believe is the devil incarnate. There's no "there" there. I don't say that because I'm rubbing my hands with glee that this devil has done a cunning job of covering his tracks. I just observe that paranoid, obsessed Wisconsin progressives have gone off the deep end and see demons behind every conservative in their state.

    It's unseemly. Progressives in less embattled parts of the Republic would do well to take note and avoid their comrades' fate.

  133. John Hess 2014.11.06

    Scott Marquardt: You are quite verbose. Money is not language. Citizens United was a bad decision.

  134. John Hess 2014.11.06

    FYI: Gayle cut the evergreen tree down in the front yard. I told her not to, but she did it anyway.

  135. Scott Marquardt 2014.11.06

    Hi John!

    Yeah, she mentioned that was going to happen when I was back this summer. One look at the tree told the tale; it had a good life but it was time to retire. I'm not sure it posed a risk per se (one of her concerns), but that's part of evaluating risk -- you can never be sure.

  136. Scott Marquardt 2014.11.06

    As far as Citizens United is concerned, it's cheering to hear someone who agrees with me that those darned unions need to have their political actions curtailed. ;-)

  137. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.11.07

    Ha ha ha, Scott. I hope we agree that we need to stop treating corporations like people.

  138. John Hess 2014.11.07

    Scott I read your posts with interest and can see you enjoy poking at the libs. Sure, that can be fun, but why are you taking this position? Madison kid, mother a public health nurse and grower of good radishes. Those really strong white ones. What's your bur man?

    Was the house built by the Blagen family? That tree was probably planted shortly after like 1910 or so? Great house. You should write your family history for the museum. Weren't your grandparents friendly with Gen. Beadle? Do you stop at the museum?

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