After a full day of barnstorming (caféstorming? piestorming?) eastern South Dakota, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Rick Weiland took time to talk to me about his campaign. Knowing we have a good year-plus campaign to talk about issues, I used this opportunity to ask Weiland about himself as a candidate and how he'll use our blogging lifeblood, the Internet, to campaign.
Weiland opened our conversation with an admission of a dropped logistical ball: after nine hours of shaking hands, he was running out of campaign cards to hand out. What?! A Democrat running out of handouts? What intern do we hang for this one? Ha, said Weiland: the card shortage just meant he was getting to talk to more voters than he expected. He's on the good side of the curve.
One big question I asked Weiland was how the last eleven years have made him a better candidate. Remember, Weiland has run for statewide office twice. He lost the U.S. House race to John Thune in 1996, then lost the Democratic primary for U.S. House to Stephanie Herseth in her coming-out year of 2002. That latter year, the big bullets on his résumé were a decade and a half on Tom Daschle's staff and five years as Region 8 director for FEMA.
Weiland says the last eleven years have made him a more mature leader, businessman, and father. He worked for a year as AARP's South Dakota exec, working on senior issues. Then he spent ten years running the International Code Council. His proudest work there was moving the ICC toward integrating sustainability into its building codes. Weiland says that buildings consume 40% of our fossil fuel energy. Moving toward building practices that use less energy is good for businesses and government (we all like lower energy bills, right?) and it's good for the planet.
Working at ICC also gave Weiland some satisfaction in continuing his FEMA work from a diferent angle. Responding to disasters like the Spencer tornado and Black Hills wildfires, Weiland tackled the economic and human damage done by the more intense storms and droughts of climate change. The sustainability work that happened under his leadership at ICC is helping reduce the fossil-fuel use that Weiland sees contributing to that harmful climate change. More broadly, Weiland's ICC work was all about making buildings safer and stronger to reduce the damage disasters do to people and property. We have the best building safety in the world, says Weiland, because we have good building codes and sensible safety regulations.
Weiland's ICC work wasn't just about saving energy. As ICC exec, he was keenly aware of the enormous responsibility he had for his employees. Weiland oversaw over 300 employees (over 400 pre-recession). He was always mindful of his responsibility to those people.
On top of that non-profit experience, Weiland owns a small business. He and his wife Stacy opened Parker's Bistro in downtown Sioux Falls in 2009. Weiland says he's learned a lot just from making payroll for twenty-plus employees each month. The restaurant business is tough, but he and Stacy have made it work well enough that they've taken on a second downtown business venture, the Icon Lounge and Event Hall. (I like that both of his businesses are downtown, not out in urban-sprawl strip-mallia. Maybe that will influence Weiland's public policy toward more walkable downtown cores.)
Please note that being a small-business owner hasn't turned Weiland into a Republican. Monolithic partisanship does not serve small business well, says Weiland, especially when that partisanship, as sometimes expressed in big-business lobbying organizations like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the NFIB, is tilted so much toward large corporations. Small businesses, says Weiland, need to look beyond partisan assumptions to protect their own interest.
Meanwhile, Rick and Stacy have raised five kids. All but one of the children is out of the house (their youngest starts her junior year at Lincoln HS this fall). If one can survive that much fatherhood, one can probably tackle any challenge. Having the kids all pretty much grown up puts Rick in a position where he can relax more and enjoy the campaign more than a dad with five kids waiting at home for him can.
With his leadership experience and his business and family status, Weiland feels like he's in a good place to run for office in 2014. The importance of holding the seat Tim Johnson is leaving open made it easy for Weiland to choose the Senate race. He's also motivated to get back in the ring by the harm he's seen done by the Citizens United ruling. In the talk he gave yesterday to the crowd at his first Madison campaign appearance and in his chat with me, Weiland repeatedly lasered in on the need to stop big corporations and big money from driving health and energy and social policy and drowning out the people's voice. We've had one election cycle bombed with corporate super-PAC money; Weiland says this cycle is the time to fight back.
Big money has changed campaigns; so has the Internet. Weiland says he put up one of the first federal candidate campaign websites during his first run in 1996. Back then, when our 28K modems kerrang-kerranged onto a blogless, Google-less Web, Weiland asked his team if he could take campaign donations online. They said no way: credit-card verification and security would be far too complicated. Now Weiland can set up an ActBlue widget himself and be taking donations online in under five minutes.
Online fundraising is one big change Weiland sees in how he can use the Web more than he did in 1996 or 2002 to win the election. He noted that in 2002, Stephanie Herseth got a boost from Emily's List, which aggregated lots of small donations. Now any candidate can do that with an effective online campaign. With the Republican favorite, M. Michael Rounds, bragging about planning to raise $9 million and spending 80% of his time fundraising, Weiland says he could compete by getting a million people to each give him $9. That may sound wishful, but with today's Web technology, it's doable. Don't forget: lots of small online donations are a big part of why you call Barack Obama Mr. President. They'll also be why you call Rick Weiland Senator.
Weiland also sees the importance of using the Web to reach young voters. With issues like student loans crying out for young voters' attention, Weiland knows he needs to reach those young voters where they are... and most of them, dare I say, are staring at their phones. Weiland sees this on his own team: like me, he believes e-mail has staying power, but he has to remind his daughter Taylor, who's working on the campaign this summer, to check her e-mail, because she's used to texting. (You know, I'll bet there's an app to keep Taylor in the loop....)
In our one-on-one conversation and in his interaction with all the voters who attended yesterday's event in Madison, Weiland displayed the energized eyes, voice, and smile of a man who's enjoying his work. He also showed a thoughtful understanding of important campaign issues, not just of the policies that we will debate here in the blogosphere and in other public fora, but also of the process, the practical things he has to do to run an effective campaign. He knows he has a good résumé, good ideas, and a good critique of Washington; he also knows he needs to use the Web tools that didn't exist during his previous campaigns to sell that résumé, those ideas, and that critique to donors and voters.
Fellow Dems, feel good: you have a candidate running for Senate who can make the sale. Go see him in Canton, Beresford, and Yankton tomorrow. Have some pie.
OK that was dang funny: "What?! A Democrat running out of handouts?"
I am no fan of Weiland (even after reading your post), but I think R's might want to watch out. If Weiland can come close to replicating Obama's online fundraising success that will give a lot of money for his campaign to get his message out. The online campaign was also helpful to Obama in the Democrats GOTV efforts. The Republicans better take notice.
I don't know much about Weiland, but I like what you've written here. Especially important is his concern for others than wealthy and corporate Americans.
Few things can be more important than stopping big money ownership of government on all levels, but especially federal and state. Government truly of, by and for the people needs to return. No pledges to Norquist or any other person or entity. The Oath of Office is sufficient. That is the public servant's pledge to her constituency and country.
Wow! A candidate who is smart enough to discuss issues at a deep level. Understands the issues facing South Dakota senior citizens and isn't afraid to think far enough ahead and understand what sustainability means.
I didn't read one force-fed-party-platitude in your post Cory.
I like him.
"Wow! A candidate who is smart enough to discuss issues at a deep level. Understands the issues facing South Dakota senior citizens and isn't afraid to think far enough ahead and understand what sustainability means.
I didn't read one force-fed-party-platitude in your post Cory."
Jana you hit the nail on the head. Listen to Rick and then compare him to what you heard with Bosworth.
A couple small points:
"Weiland repeatedly lasered in on the need to stop big corporations and big money from driving health and energy and social policy and drowning out the people's voice."
Agreed. However this happens on both sides of the aisle. It has been seen since both the McCain-Feignhold Campaign Finance Reform and Citizens United decision that federal laws don't stop special interests from spending money how they see fit; rather it changes how that money will flow. Instead of trying to prohibit groups of people from collectively using their constitutionally protected rights, it would be much more beneficial to fight culture in DC that makes elected officials puppets of special interests (admittedly that is a fight that seems impossible).
It is unlikely you will hear statements on this from Rounds, Rounds Jr, or Bosworth. So far I haven't seen anything from any of the three confirmed R's in the Senate race beyond simple party lines. But, to be fair, a primary battle is much different than being the only candidate for your party on the ticket.
Now as to his guitar.. If he would break out into a verse of Alice's Restaurant that would bring him to a whole new level!
"It is unlikely you will hear statements on this from Rounds, Rounds Jr, or Bosworth. So far I haven't seen anything from any of the three confirmed R's in the Senate race beyond simple party lines. But, to be fair, a primary battle is much different than being the only candidate for your party on the ticket. "
I agree Ken but will these questions to be asked by the press in this state? That is the real question and sadly I don't think they wiil
On campaign finance, Ken, during his remarks to the crowd, Weiland noted with disdain that when President Clinton proposed campaign finance reform at the beginning of his first term, the Democratic majority leaders in Congress killed it. Weiland appears to be aware that both parties have a problem with big money.
His daughter did fine work on the guitar yesterday. And as much as I like the idea of Rick leading some Woody Guthrie sing-alongs, the campaign makes better use of its resources having someone else provide background music while Rick works the crowd face to face and talks issues. But we can pass along the Alice request. Rick! Rick?! Got that in your repertoire? :-)
Arlo Guthrie, not Woody Guthrie, re "Alice's Restaurant".
Thanks, Bob! Every time I think Guthrie, I have to pause to keep père and fils. When I was writing that comment, I was thinking of Rick's rendition of "This Land Is Your Land" at his June Yankton appearance.
Take it back! Doesn't fit when the seat he wants is held by a fellow Democrat.
Thad, I agree, that slogan is giving my minor heartburn. It makes sense after you've heard Weiland's stump speech, but "it" needs an antecedent. Without an antecedent, "Take it back!" leaves the door open for co-opting and monkey business. For instance, I can imagine Mike Rounds opening the first debate by listening to Weiland's first response, then saying, "Rick, take it back, that's not true."
Then again, jokesters could jam Obama's "Yes We Can!" slogan in various ways ("Yes we can..." what? Yes we can bust the budget? Yes we can hide our Kenyan citizenship?), and he still did just fine in the election. Weiland just has to control the slogan by using it frequently, sincerely, and passionately.
It harks back to McGovern's "Take back America".
You'd think these old hippies would remember Arlo bringin in a couple of ki's Bob.
Les from the best of Arlo. I loved doing it in the bars always a crowd pleaser, when I did that sort of thing, and listening to both Arlo and his dad.
I was an entertaining SOB at one time.
http://grooveshark.com/s/Coming+Into+Los+Angeles/jrBDE?src=5
The Blindman
You still are Bill. Great clip.
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I just spent a couple of days with a 67 year old Vietnam refuge who was born in the North and moved to the South when communism took over. He fought against many of his own family and the war continued for over 2 years after we left. Mike fought to the very end, using his skills as a doctor paying a penance of sorts for all those he loved who were lost. His bullets were then replaced when he turned in the casings and his final battle was 1200 against 2 divisions of the North or 20,000. They held them off for 11 day and were over run. Three hundred survived and he escaped to the US after 2 1/2 years in a hard labor camp. Another of the true heroes of the Vietnam War and as unsung as most of the rest.
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Enough for now, Arlo brought back those many memories and my new friend Mike Nuygen gave me a perspective on our country. It will not change while we live in so much comfort no one feels the pain that drives a person back to the core values that shouldn't have to be legislated.
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Thanks for the memories Bill.
I would think something like "make it ours" would be a better Democrat slogan. Still has the ambiguous "it", but makes it seem more inclusive with the "ours".
send stace to space.
stop singing rounds
for your birthday be like the 3 stooges: eat, drink, and beat larry.
Ken, you are taking plenty of shots at caring Dems, which is not all of them. But what I want to know is, how are you going to care for the young woman whose mother drank steadily while pregnant? The 23 year old has an IQ in the mid 70s. She knows how to eat if food is available. She can dress herself if she has clothing to put on. She doesn't understand about dressing appropriately for the weather. She's able to count to 15, even 20 on her best days. Right now the state is covering her basic expenses of food, clothing and shelter - just barely. Any reductions in available funds and she's on the street. The churches are already doing all they can. What about her? She's a real person, I didn't make her up. There are hundreds of thousands just like her in this country, and many thousands in SD. As the price of those basic needs continues to rise, even the subsistence life she has now will erode into nothing if government assistance doesn't keep up.
So, talking points, sarcasm and clever quips aside, what do we do for Carol? Seriously. Very seriously.
Deb,
That was an non-sarcastic statement when I said "Make it ours" would be a better Democrat slogan. As stated before "take it back" is a weird one for this Senate election since a Democrat currently holds the seat and the Senate is currently Democrat controlled. Focusing on an inclusive term like "ours" just seems a better route to go.
As to Carol I would say that any solution to her situation would be best handled as locally as possible. Instead of trying to get a one-size-fits-all program from DC I would say local community members and leaders should work together to find solutions. It has been through a bureaucratic centrally-organized system that people such as Carol have become victims of DC politics. Instead of allowing our citizens most in need of help to become political tools I think it would be much better to work locally. Part of this can be done through non-profits and volunteers. But as you note many of those resources are stretched thing. Part of it may have to be done through the local government. If programs for people in need were handled locally instead of from afar in DC I believe the Carols of the world would be in much better shape.
Yeah, Deb: An Alpena meat factory should be allowed to overwhelm a water treatment facility without having to answer to federal oversight because the state agency has been bought off by the private sector.
Ken, I have no quibble with local help, but that's not enough. There aren't enough local resources. It sounds good, and it's insufficient.
I don't understand how Carol is victim of DC politics. She's a victim of fetal alcohol syndrome. It's DC money that is meeting her basic needs.
What is your solution?
Deb, from your statement is this "As the price of those basic needs continues to rise, even the subsistence life she has now will erode into nothing if government assistance doesn't keep up."
The key here is that government assistance is determined by pols in DC. What may be sufficient for Carol may leave other citizens with special needs lacking basic needs. As political whims change the Carols of the world are nothing but pawns to be used in legislative bills. And these bills are nothing more than a placeholder for special interest pork.
But even further is the belief that there are not enough local resources. An average of 18% of GDP goes to DC each year. If the bulk of this money could be kept locally, that could be better used to actually help those that really need it. Locally can mean a mixture of both community and state. The current method of outsourcing charity to DC bureaucrats make people believe they are doing enough and volunteer less than they would otherwise. Instead of being a society of "how can I help my neighbor" we have become a society of "I'll let the government worry about my neighbor." I would prefer to change our culture into one that cares about their neighbors and does what the right thing. And I mean do the right thing because it makes them feel good, and not because it has been government mandated. Yes, our current system will allow the Carols of the world to survive, but I have hope we can attain much more than that as a society.
"Warfare was uncommon among hunter-gatherers, and killings among nomadic groups were often due to competition for women or interpersonal disputes, researchers in Finland said Thursday.
Their study in the US journal Science suggests that the origins of war were not — as some have argued — rooted in roving hunter-gather groups but rather in cultures that held land and livestock and knew how to farm for food."
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/07/18/scientists-warfare-was-uncommon-among-hunter-gatherers/
Agriculture is the Tree of Knowledge: Cain slew Abel.
Since you keep posting Mr Kurtz. Can we hear your solution to the Carols of the world? Do you really feel the current path of Democrats in DC will help Carol?
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J72hq9kLyUQ&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DJ72hq9kLyUQ
I like Rick but??? Campain songs?
I think what he needs is something that shows that he would be tough in a race, proactive thinking, making some believe and others want to believe. Maybe some "swamp music" after all South Dakota is a tough place to sell progressive policies.
Tony Joe White at his best "Hard To Handle"
http://grooveshark.com/s/Hard+To+Handle/3XLwqx?src=5
He'd have my vote, right now maybe not.
The Blindman
Or maybe simple is the way to go here. Get above the lowlifes in the race and just tell it like it is. Ask the right questions, know the answers before you ask. Call a skunk a skunk and a pretender just that.
"Weiland repeatedly lasered in on the need to stop big corporations and big money from driving health and energy and social policy and drowning out the people's voice. We've had one election cycle bombed with corporate super-PAC money; Weiland says this cycle is the time to fight back."
Steve Miller said it best. Just be a "Space Cowboy."
http://grooveshark.com/s/Space+Cowboy/2wnrs3?src=5
For what it is not worth, Pat Powers claims he does not like the photo of Weiland at head of this post. Not sure if that means it is actually a really good photo, or Pat actually doesn't like that type of photo. To read annonymous comments at DWC, one would think the photo had a halo over Weiland's head.
Bigger issues right now are NSA, GMO's, Monsanto, and what he wants to see cut from the budget. I have yet to find any definitive answers as to where ,Weiland stands on any of these issues. Transparency is not one of his qualities on these issues.
Robin, I'll be happy to ride the candidates' keesters on those issues and more. Our sitting Congressional delegation have failed to take strong positions to prevent the abuses in NSAs and GMOs that concern you. The other candidates haven't gone hard on those issues yet, either. Would Stace Nelson have anything more to say on these issues?
"Bigger issues right now are NSA, GMO's, Monsanto, and what he wants to see cut from the budget. I have yet to find any definitive answers as to where ,Weiland stands on any of these issues. Transparency is not one of his qualities on these issues."
Go to one of his town hall meetings Robin and ask him. I'll do the same for the Republican candidates-oh wait they aren't having any.
Transparency is one of his strengths. Just listen
I'm sure he'll be in Mitchell soon, Owen. Hit him with NSA, GMOs, etc. If he's not ready to answer, let us know!
will do Cory. lol
Thank you very much ! can't find a date when he will be in Spearfish , so any help is appreciated.
Robin, I see Team Weiland just posted a Google calendar with their upcoming stops:
http://www.rickweiland.com/news/article/take-it-back-tour
They haven't penciled events in past next week yet, and it's so far all East River. But I'm pretty sure he's planning to spend time in the Hills; his brother Dr. Kevin lives in Rapid, so he has an easy base camp from which to visit everyone around the Hills, including Spearfish.
Thank you , you are a Rockstar. It's hard living blue in a red county !
Hard? Maybe... but I find serving as the loyal opposition invigorating. :-)