Last updated on 2013.09.10
Rapid City writer and businessman John Tsitrian likes Steve Jarding. Tsitrian says the pondering Democrat would make a great Congressman. But governor? Tsitiran balks, saying Jarding is legislative but not executive material:
[Jarding would] make a great advocate for South Dakota as the state's sole representative among 500+ counterparts that crowd the chamber, given his loud, brash, articulate and brilliant persona, all of which will work in tandem with a national reputation both within and without his party.
But those qualities and background that I think would make him a good, possibly great, U.S. Rep aren't the same as the personal style that would work in an executive role like Governor of South Dakota. That job takes persuasion and political finesse, requiring a didactic, not a declaratory, approach.
...Steve Jarding should play to his strengths and give South Dakota that powerful persona of his in the place where it can do some serious good, the U.S. House of Representatives [John Tsitrian, "...the Steve Jarding drumbeat...," The Constant Commoner, 2013.09.09].
South Dakota needs strong candidates to run against all of its incumbents to wage a strong critique of the status quo and challenge everyone—Rep. Noem, Governor Dennis Daugaard, our constitutional officers, and our legislators, Republican and Democrat—to defend their work (or, in Kristi's case, lack thereof). Jarding is smart and tough enough to offer such a critique of any candidate. But maybe his rhetorical talents would lend themselves better to Congress than the second floor in the South Dakota Capitol.
I wonder: would the same critique apply to declared Senate candidate Stace Nelson? The Fulton Fulminator's skills at extemporaneous bombast suggest a similar non-executive temperament.
While we're at it, break out your Fantasy Congress cards and imagine South Dakota sending both Jarding and Nelson to Congress. We'd get ten times the press we get now!
Jarding is free to run for whichever office he wishes. But if we're playing statewide chess, might Democrats want to join Tsitrian in urging Jarding to challenge Rep. Noem? Independent Mike Myers has already declared for Governor, and he seems willing and able to challenge Daugaard with a stiff critique, hemp supplements, and Jack Palance pushups. Leaving a ballot slot unfilled in favor of an Independent is still awful move, but if Dems don't have enough pieces to fill the board, it's worth considering.