The No Party Party is hosting a different kind of candidate forum tonight in Sioux Falls, bringing young voters and legislative candidates together for quick introductions and conversation over beverages at the Icon Event Hall on North Main in Sioux Falls:
Sioux Falls, SD (October 1, 2012) -- With Lady Liberty's polished headpiece in place, the patriotic playlist compiled and an airhorn ready to cut down stump speeches, tonight about 20 Sioux Falls area legislative candidates will meet for the No Party Party. With more than 120 voters expected to attend, the No Party Party brings together candidates in a non-partisan format to meet young adults.
- Monday, Oct. 1 5-7 p.m.
- Icon Event Hall
- 402 N. Main Ave., Sioux Falls, SD
Candidates and voters will meet in a casual setting from 5-6pm with each candidate receiving 60-seconds to introduce themselves to the crowd (but go over the time, or mention your party and we'll use our right to use an airhorn!) starting at 6pm.
Sponsored by Click Rain, 605 Magazine, Mud Mile Communications and YPN/Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, this free non-partisan shindig gives young adults a chance to meet with legislative candidates from the Sioux Falls area while enjoying free food, music, and the signature drink, the Girdonkephant. Focused on education, awareness and energizing young adults to learn about the issues that matter to them, party politics will be out with awesomeness winning the vote [Jolene Loetscher, press release, October 1, 2012].
It sounds like a fun event, and I would love seeing which candidates can keep their cool when that air horn cuts them off.
But permit me one quibble: why air-horn censor only mentions of party affiliation? I understand Ms. Loetscher and the gang's antipathy toward partisan political sniping. But political parties are like labor unions: they have their negatives, but they exist because people recognize that it's easier to get things done by organizing and working together.
Political party affiliation is more relevant to candidates' civic values and policy positions than a number of other details they are bound to talk about tonight. Maybe Jolene and friends should blow the air horn every time candidates mention their spouses, children, sports, or church affiliation. Or maybe they should just avoid censorship and restrict the air horn to marking time.
As a sub-quibble, are candidates allowed to mention other candidates' party? For instance, can Democrats Mike Knudson and Susan Randall take the mic and remind us that their District 12 opponents, Manny Steele and Hal Wick, belong to a Republican Party whose domination in Pierre leads to corrupt one-party politics that are hurting South Dakota? In the context of two significant and harmful referred laws and an incompetent Secretary of State that the current party in power will not hold accountable, a discussion of the candidates' party affiliation seems all the more important.
Will they toot their tooter if someone mentions RINOs?
I'll admit, it would have been better to see which candidates play the Meow game better in 60 short seconds, but, Hell; with politicians, booze and an airhorn, what could possibly go wrong?
I took the rare cruise on Scott DaCola's site tonight and saw your comment, Cory.
I'm fairly certain, based on everything I've ever read there, that the people who "don't get it" in the Democratic Party are the ones that don't support Gordon Howie's running mate Kermit Staggers over Mayor Huether.
Kermit is, after all, the primary focus of Mr. Dacola's every waking thought. The in-between thoughts are devoted to the evil of Mayor Huether. The blog coverage is roughly split between the two. Maybe I've got it backwards, though (the waking thoughts are anti-Huether, the nocturnal thoughts are Staggers).
For what it's worth, however, Kermie's Muppet Baby is doing a great thing pushing for snowgates. He has my full support there.