Last updated on 2013.07.16
My offer to endorse State Senator Larry Rhoden in the GOP Senate primary if he grows back his butt-kicking mustache stands. Senator Rhoden tells reporter Woster nothing of his whisker plans, but says he will decide on challenging M. Michael Rounds next month:
"Now that Kristi has announced and we're getting closer to July, I'll have to make a decision, probably sometime next month," he said. "There are issues we're working on right now, as far as trying to put a team together" [Kevin Woster, "Rhoden Considering Run for Republican Senate Primary," Rapid City Journal, 2013.06.14].
Rhoden says he can out-conservative M. Michael Rounds. (News flash: I can out-conservative Mike Rounds.) He may be right:
- Rhoden will get plenty of local conservative cred with his pro-gun votes on our school gunslinger bill and easing concealed weapon laws.
- His willingness to pass bad education policy without evidence should endear him to the conservative enemies of science and public education.
- His pressure for infringement of property rights via limits on conservation easements should rankle conservatives, but they'll take that measure as healthy green-bashing.
- He's received much less in farm subsidies than Kristi Noem, so he won't have to worry about some consistent conservative hanging the "corporate welfare queen" label on his neck.
- Maybe best of all for the misbegotten Howie-Otten activists to whom any Rounds challenger must appeal, Senator Rhoden can blurt that we are a Republic, not a Democracy, to justify his policy positions. The line is elitist and meaningless, but hard-right GOP primary voters love it.
Note also that Rhoden has not yet invoked God's will, ordered an intern to post fake news reports online, or left pictures of his Che Guevara t-shirt on his Facebook profile. (Actually, Larry's Facebook page is pretty boring... but isn't that true for all of us?) He's just doing what real candidates do: floating the trial balloon and talking nuts and bolts about what it will take to beat the frontrunner.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ozbX-yM8ao
It feels as if this election has been deflated by Stephanie, Brendan and Kristi's announcements. Are we really down to Larry Rhoeden? I mean seriously? The race will be so lopsided that Larry running is the equivalent of Larry not running.
Can we get Brendan Johnson to run for Congress? Nothing exciting?
Next thing we know the dems are going to tell us they can't get anyone to run for SOS.
So says Jonathan Ellis this a.m., Mike. But wait: it's summer 2013. As Dennis Daugaard once said, everyone's at the lake. There's plenty of time for surprises and excitement. And remember: in 2004, Thune didn't formally declare until January. In 2010, Noem didn't announce until February.
Actually, I am more that happy to have the quiet on the political front. It will get plenty loud in the next year, so let's just enjoy the peace!
I believe that there will be plenty of Rounds fatigue by next summer as well as many more opportunities to poke a few holes in that bag o' crud he sells (fair point - these same circumstances can apply to Weiland's campaign as well). If any "GOPer' than thou" want to challenge him, why not let the stories, whispers, rumors wear away at MMR's wax figure pol and then jump in at a later date to appeal to the true believers, whip up a frenzy, and ride that momentum into the primary. A good indicator of this strategy may be to watch the 2014 Legislative Session and see who makes some noise. Could be fun times ahead, but for now, let's just let everybody stay "at the lake".
Ellis always writes like a cantankerous old man. Why are his columns always the same dim look at everything?