So Stan Adelstein resigns from the South Dakota Senate, and the opposite-of-classy Pat Powers can only gripe that Adelstein played political hardball with Pat's pals, the same kind of war-college hardball that those pals play with everyone else in their party. Whatever.
Stan Adelstein doesn't have to buy an ad on this blog to get me to point out two less grudgeful views of Adelstein's politics.
Republican John Tsitrian calls his friend Stan a Republican's Republican, and a guy the rest of us can stand to be around:
Adelstein is also a Republican's Republican in the sense that he's true to the essential element of Republican philosophy, which is that individual rights and choices must be preserved at all costs. On that score he--and I'm proud to say, I--have been publicly excoriated by members of the South Dakota GOP who believe that personal choices involving sexual orientation and a woman's decisions about her reproductive apparatus should be the government's business. How a party that is built on a foundation of championing and preserving individual rights can come to believe that rights and benefits should be determined according to the way people run their private lives is an abomination. I've always stood with Stan against the forces in our party who are determined to use the government as a cudgel for imposing their personal, moral views on society as a whole [John Tsitrian, "Best of Luck to You, Stan Adelstein -- A Republican's Republican," The Constant Commoner, 2014.01.04].
Bob Mercer deems Adelstein a feminist, a not-so-great legislator, and a smart politician:
You likely heard or read how then-Gov. Bill Janklow called Adelstein in the spring of 2002 and suggested some financial oomph might make the difference for Mike Rounds in the Republican primary for governor.
Rounds won the nomination. He was elected governor, twice.
And you likely remember two years ago when Adelstein demanded state Attorney General Marty Jackley investigate activities of Secretary of State Jason Gant and deputy Pat Powers.
Adelstein introduced legislation in 2013 to make candidates for constitutional offices such as secretary of state subject to primary elections, rather than continue to be nominated at political-party conventions. This was a direct shot at the process that led to Gant’s election.
The bill failed, but the dissent was planted. On Sept. 3, Sen. Shantel Krebs, R-Renner, filed paperwork to run for secretary of state. Gant soon announced he wouldn’t seek re-election in 2014 [Bob Mercer, "Retiring Legislator Showed Smarts, Courage," Aberdeen American News, 2014.01.03].
Political observer Tom Lawrence suggests we haven't heard the last of Adelstein's politicking. If that's the case, then we won't have heard the last of Pat Powers's rants against Adelstein. Powers uses his GOP spin machine to malign Stan Adelstein, because Adelstein is too rich and too independent to heel to the privilege and patronage through which Powers's friends maintain their rule.
Pat is like the toady in a middle school clique who's so insecure in their own acceptance that he has to demonize anyone who questions the 'mean girls.'
It makes me almost pity Pat...
But then, he is just like so many who have joined the clique, abandoned any independent thinking and took the vow to follow blindly and let others do their thinking for them.
The part that does not make sense, is that he is so critical of Mr Adelstein for his use of money to get Mr Rounds elected to the governor's office, but then turns around and runs a blog which he is using to get Mr Rounds elected to the US Senate. Or maybe I should say he uses to negatively impact any serious challengers that Mr Rounds may have. I haven't seen him post one thing that says why Mr Rounds should be elected other than that he is a Republican.
Over the years I've heard the whining about Stan from his fellow Republicans, long before I met him. Virtually all of his haters are Christian fundamentalists. The haters don't like that he inherited wealth. They don't like the women he supported for office. They don't like the people he hangs around with. They don't like that he owns so much property downtown. They don't like that he has so much influence in City Hall. They hate, hate, hate Stan's support of Planned Parenthood and pro-choice causes.
Whatever their whine, the complaining usually includes a comment that Stan is a Jew.
If Stan was not one of the most faithful Republicans I've ever met, he would have left the Party many years ago. His haters are shallow, weak, insecure and jealous people who ignore that if it were not for Stan's commitment and his money for GOP officeholders, this state would be much more competitive for Democrats. If you took the contributions to the GOP and influence of all of Stan's haters and added them all up, they would not equal the contributions and influence to the GOP attributed to Stan Adelstein.
I believe your diagnosis of Pat is correct ,Jana. In face Pat Powers is probably more insecure than ever before b/c the clique canned his BFF - Jason Gant. Gant and Powers had nice cushy jobs for a fleeting moment until Stan the man spoke.
But wait, Rick: Pat's other patron, Dan Lederman, is also Jewish. How is Lederman able to win love among the Christian fundies while Adelstein isn't?
Lanny: irony duly noted!
Dan's just plain shallow, and Bill Clay's demonstrated there is nothing he won't do for the money.
I, for one, think that Mr. Stan is a good guy and deserves another term.
Schoenbeck is the kingpin, people: he and Adelstein came to blows over clergy abuse of children.
Larry, you have never told me over breakfast about Schoenbeck being the kingpin. If this Mr. Schoenbeck fellow is the kingpin and he is going back to the legislatures and Mr. Stan is not there will bad things happen?
Bad things are going to happen regardless of whether another Catholic joins the legislature, grud. Think: manure storm.
It appears to me that Stan is the true Republican in all this, and that the Pat Powers, et al are the RINO's.
Stan is a true fiscal conservative and advocates the rights and protections of minorities and women, which used to be a core of Republican values, while the Pat Powers Republicans want to restrict voter and human rights.
So, who are the real RINO's?
Lederman's a right wing ALEC toady as well.
He is far more involved in Sioux City and Iowa politics, but since he lives in the Dunes...he has to play his games in Pierre instead of Des Moines.
I suspect that Stan can only chuckle when Powers makes his feckless attempts to attack him. Let's quickly review a couple of the more significant things Stan accomplished, either directly or indirectly, before leaving office: 1) He forced Pat Powers to resign and 2) He forced Jason Gant to not seek re-election. South Dakotans owe Adelstein a ton of thanks.
Mr. Stan may not be done yet. I'm just sayin...
grudznick, one thing you can count on from Schoenbeck, he will try to defeat any bill to outlaw texting while driving. He may even try to pass a law to repeal the city ordinances that have been passed in the State's larger cities.
I have a different view of Stan. I respect and admire many of his stances on women's and social issues, but he has been pretty retrograde regarding environmental policy. He's a true Republican in that regard. He has supported, with votes and investment money, many of the damaging projects and scams foisted on South Dakota for thirty years. Those same scams are the thing that unite Powers and Adelstein.
I wish Stan were my senator or legislator in lieu of thego-alongs-to-get-alongs my district was subjected to for the past decade. One can agree with most of Mr. Mercer's column on Stan, yet the line that Stan was a less-than-effective legislator was an oversight. Often an outstanding legislator champions bills that may not pass in this session or the next yet are in the long-term interest of the voters; or attempts to terminate others bad bills. Stan excelled at both.
Stand with Stan for Governor.
Don Pay is right: Adelstein is no friend of the earth.
Many in the GOP both tolerate and resent Sen. Stan because of his money. They don't like him, but they don't want to speak out against him and watch him support their opponent. If he didn't have money they would probably have thrown him out of the GOP caucus, but then if he didn't have money he wouldn't have still been in the legislature. Some culture warrior like Ellie Schwiesow would be there in his place.
Some serious funny from PP. Wingnuts usually whine that the wealthy aren't wealthy enough and need more,not less,welfare from Uncle Sam. Koch Bros are perfect examples of not being rich enough,while the poor,disabled,elderly and veterans can all afford to sacrifice foodstamps in the land of plenty.