While Republican M. Michael Rounds rides shotgun and kinda-Republican Annette Bosworth sprinkles confused policy notions atop her narcissistic references to herself as a Gen X David against Goliath (or is she the next Stace Nelson, or the next Che?), Democrat Rick Weiland lays out a real policy agenda worthy of a U.S Senate campaign:
Weiland said one of his first acts in the Senate would be to support a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision....
“I think Big Money and all that it represents is the reason the rich are getting richer, the middle class is falling behind and the poor are barely getting by,” Weiland said, citing the well-funded corporate agriculture, insurance, oil and pharmaceutical lobbies as part of the Big Money problem. “We have 100,000 people in South Dakota who go hungry every day. One out of nine people you meet in this state are hungry.”
Meanwhile, many of the nation’s most profitable corporations are sheltering money overseas to avoid America’s taxes, he added [Nathan Johnson, "Weiland Vows to Take 'Big Money' out of Politics," Yankton Press & Dakotan, 2013.06.23].
Weiland sees the big picture of how this favoritism toward wealthy corporations means demanding sacrifices of our most vulnerable neighbors:
“We’re talking hundreds of billions of dollars. If we could close those tax loopholes, we wouldn’t be kicking kids off of Head Start,” Weiland said. “When CEOs can make 300 times more than the average worker in their factory and we’re asking our seniors to give up some Medicare or Social Security benefits, I just don’t think it’s right. When we’re asking our kids to pay more for the loans they’re taking out to go to college to try to get a decent job, I just don’t think it’s right” [Johnson, 2013.06.23].
And to top it off, Weiland punctuates his stump speech by playing Woody Guthrie on guitar and harmonica. If that doesn't establish Weiland's "Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party" cred, nothing can.
By the way, Rick, have you seen this photo of Woody Guthrie?
The Bill Moyers essay on Guthrie and Weiland's musical selection is pretty good, too.
And Cory that's what I've been talking about when it comes to the Difference between Rick Weiland and the Democrats vs the Republicans and the Tea Party.
Rick will put out policy to the public for discussion-something that actually will do something while the Tea Party talks about the expanding deficit and big government and yet offers NOTHING and I mean nothing in solutions. If the Tea Party is serious then show us what you want to do.
Rick's argument is only strengthened with this report from the Sunlight Foundation: http://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2013/06/24/1pct_of_the_1pct/
Key quote: Through the growing congressional dependence on their contributions, they increasingly set the boundaries and limits of American political discourse – who can run for office, what their priorities should be and even what can be said in public. And in an era of unlimited campaign contributions, the power of the 1% of the 1% only stands to grow with each passing year.
Wonder how that translates here in South Dakota? Just guessing there would be no surprises.
Interestingly enough, the "true conservatives" are realizing the same thing.
The establishment is going to buy this election...and with $9 million to spend, there are probably some media outlets wondering how much of that they want to risk with how they cover the election.
Not sure if it's interesting or sad, but the establishment faithful at SDWC are ignoring the Citizens United part and referring to the hungry in SD and focusing on demonizing the poor, the elderly, the vulnerable and the working poor by saying no one should be hungry...they're too fat.
Angst over there is reserved for smacking down Bree S and her 1st Amendment rights and denigrating an honorable veteran who is rumored to run.
Let's not forget that this same group has turned on a man of God on the death penalty and thinks public hangings would be good. (maybe if they sell the TV rights and have like a Lincoln Day Bar-B-Q they can use it to raise money.)
Heck, money talks so loudly that the former Governor even tries to silence debate by calling those looking for a choice as "professional dissenters."
What was that about the 1st Amendment? Hey, isn't a paid ad on the SDWC...now he's a pro.
What $9 million dollars? lol.
From your keyboard to God's monitor Bree!
He'll get it and use it to silence you and everyone else. The seed money is already in the bank and everyone will work to protect their investment.
You see Bree, what you are dealing with is Statists.
Let me explain. Statism is defined as: In political science, statism (French: étatisme) is the belief that a government should control either economic or social policy, or both, to some degree.
Other than being French...this should repulse conservatives. Until you look at what the GOP in South Dakota has mastered. (Troy, feel free to jump in on statism and economic development and reproductive issues.)
Bree, the statists are not going to give this power up...the force is strong with these people.
I don't see any real difference between Communist, Socialist and Fascist Statism. In the end it looks the same.
The Founders were shrewd men who understood human nature and the dangers of power. It's time for the American public to snap out of their naive dream. And they are finally - which is probably why Rand Paul polls so well against Obama.
Yes, give the Statists power and they are sure to force women to have abortions in order to control the population just like the Chinese.
Silence me? Don't be silly Jana. I cannot be silenced.
No matter who we elect, they will spend most of their time fundraising.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/12/us-usa-congress-fundraising-insight-idUSBRE95B05520130612
For lawmakers in Washington, the daily chase for money can begin with a breakfast fundraiser in the side room of a Washington restaurant.
At noon, there might be a $500-per-plate lunch with lobbyists in a Capitol Hill town house. The day might wrap up in an arena sky box in downtown Washington, watching a basketball game with donors.
In between, there is "call time" - up to four or five hours a day for lawmakers in tough re-election campaigns - in telemarketing-style cubicles a few hundred yards from the Capitol. The call centers, set up by the Democratic and Republican parties, allow lawmakers to chase the checks that fuel campaigns without violating rules that ban fundraising from their offices.
For many lawmakers, the daily routine in Washington involves fundraising as much as legislating. The culture of nonstop political campaigning shapes the rhythms of daily life in Congress, as well as the landscape around the Capitol.
It also means that lawmakers often spend more time listening to the concerns of the wealthy than anyone else.
And just in case the money thing doesn't work...gut the Voting Rights Act.
Little eye-rolling-middle-schooler-wanna-be Samuel Alito and his BFFs voted to give Jason Gant the right to mess around with Native American votes however he decides would be most inconvenient.
Wanna be Texas and have 6,000 white elites vote in one precinct and at the same time have 60,000 minorities vote in an adjacent precinct...no problem. This is America!
Rick is right on target!
Of course for all of the TruthiNews unfit for print, the SDWC posts a press release from the NRSC that points out that Rick has been busy and is the man behind President Obama's new climate plan.
Now that's the kind of influence I'm looking for and he didn't even have to ride a horse and have his hair done.
It's started already.
Two Hours After The Supreme Court Gutted The Voting Rights Act, Texas AG Suppresses Minority Voters
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/06/25/2212281/two-hours-after-the-supreme-court-gutted-the-voting-rights-act-texas-ag-suppresses-minority-voters/
Pay attention to the last paragraph.
"It is only a matter of time before other states with voter ID laws and other election law changes blocked by the DOJ last year follow Texas’ example. Besides Texas, the attorney generals of Alabama, Arizona, South Dakota, and South Carolina argued that the Voting Rights Act was getting in the way of their ability to enact discriminatory laws."
Oh yeah...here's what "truthinews" is:
“First, we ask you what you think the news is. Then report that news you told us back to you. Then take an insta-Twitter poll to see if you feel informed by yourself. Which we will read on the air until we reach that golden day when we are so responsive to our viewers that cable news is nothing but a mirror, a logo, and a news crawl.”
Thank you Stephen Colbert for first giving us "truthiness" and now "truthinews."
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/427430/june-24-2013/the-word---truthinews