Last updated on 2014.05.01
Bob Ellis gets away from his usual talk-radio karaoke and breaks some honest-to-Gaia news on Republicans getting ready to play hardball with Independent U.S. Senate candidate Gordon Howie. Unfortunately, Ellis first gets it wrong. He launches a report saying that sources (plural!) tell him that the South Dakota Republican party has bought a copy of Gordon Howie's nominating petition. The most likely reason to acquire a nominating petition is to mount a challenge.
Ellis harangues the state party and chairman Craig Lawrence for attacking a candidate who, he contends, will better defend Republican values than any Republican on the ballot. But then... oopsies!
I just received a call from Gordon Howie who told me Mr. Lawrence had returned his call. Apparently my source was wrong or passed along incomplete information, as Mr. Lawrence said it was not the South Dakota GOP but rather the Minnehaha County GOP that had purchased a copy of Howie’s petitions.
While it is still disturbing that someone in the Minnehaha GOP who calls themselves a Republican would have such animus for a conservative, it’s good to know that it wasn’t the state party after all [Bob Ellis, "SD GOP Going After Gordon Howie Petitions?" American Clarion, 2014.04.30].
The Minnehaha GOP is still no machine at which to sneeze. Their acquisition of the Howie petition signals that they view another Republican-turned-Independent on the November ballot as a significant threat to their chances of beating Rick Weiland in the fall.
But if the Minnehaha GOP is prepping a petition challenge, they'll probably fail. Gordon's signature cushion is a good 58%... and as far as I know, Gordon was not in the Philippines while circulating his petition.
Update 15:58 CDT: I've taken the question mark out of the headline, thanks to David Montgomery's confirmation that a petition challenge is afoot! He also gets Minnehaha GOP chairman Dave Roetman to go on record saying that the Minnehaha GOP wants to have some words with any Republicans who signed for Howie:
Even if the challenge comes up short, Roetman said the party has another reason to want the list of people who backed Howie's candidacy.
"These are folks we need to contact," Roetman said. "We're trying to make sure we heal the wounds within the party. If people are disaffected, we like to bring them back around" [David Montgomery, "Minnehaha GOP Backing 'Volunteer' Challenge to Howie," Political Smokeout, 2014.04.30].
Party officials knocking on your door to bring you back around—are you sure that's what you wanted to say, Chairman Roetman?
Why bother? Are they trying to lend him a legitimacy he doesn't otherwise have? This whole "campaign" is nothing more than a flashbang-a distraction device. Now you have to figure out what they're distracting us from...
How much time is there for a challenge to independent candidate?
Same as for the partisan candidates, Roger: five business days, per SDCL 12-1-13. If the Minnehaha GOP would like some help, they could post that petition online....
"These are folks we need to contact," Roetman said. "We're trying to make sure we heal the wounds within the party. If people are disaffected, we like to bring them back around"
How far back to you intend to go, Mr Roetman, to find disaffected party members or some who are just plain pissed off? I know quite a few, over the years who started questioning the party over being a one issue party. And it is really amazing how once they were able to take total control of the State because of that one issue, the corruption and behind the scenes double dealing was so easy to get passed the not paying attention voters.
They should knock soundly on these doors, and bang a few heads together if they have to. When it comes to Mr. Howie, it simply can't get any insaner than that.
This of course, is entirely expected. I wait with amusement to see what they will come up with and how bad this will make the SDGOP look.
Grud, why is it you Republicans love your people until they become unpopular and may do harm to the dear Gopers? I remember when Gordon was in the Senate and fellow Goper legislators would sing his praise. The same is true of Phil Jensen and more recently the wacko rancher in Nevada.
I'm pretty sure if some whack job from the GOP knocked on my door, I might have to defend myself. What are the gun laws here? I seen a guy in Sams Club one day with a pistol on his side and his fishing tackle in his face, manager didn't seem to have a problem with it.
Why aren't the Minnehaha Republicans challenging "their" boy Mikey on his false ad that we have to see four to six times a day, and that is just ones who occasionally watch TV?
http://www.keloland.com/newsdetail.cfm/rounds-medicare-ad-fact-check/?id=163810
Larry, it is terribly simple.
Mr. Howie overgodded on everybody and went insaner than most.
Quick, someone schedule a fundraiser for Gant.
Grudz, why don't you go find a nice American Muslim couple to glare at.
Mrs. S, how would I know who is a Muslim couple and who is not?
That's why I glare at everybody. Just in case.
Lanny,
Apparently, KELO took the ad down after numerous complaints proving it was a lie.
What's going on with SDGOP and Minnehaha County Republicans denial and non-denials about the challenge to Howie?
This story has been changing all day, with one correction after the other.
Touche, Grudznick.
I wonder if they're "volunteers" from Rounds "volunteer" center.
The Rounds people must be getting more nervous as more people become aware of his corruptive governor ship. There is a reason our state govorment is the second most corrupt in the nation. I bet part of the answer is Mike Rounds the rest is his republican cronies
Bree, what, a failed petition challenge makes someone look bad? Uh oh....
I think they're gonna say 2,000 people forgot to dot their i's. Now if you don't trust the Secretary of State how do you challenge his findings?
sd law says petition sigs have to be interperated liberally, i think they have something entirely different in mind
Yeah, but I'm sure Howie was smart enough to keep copies of all those petitions. So if they throw him off which is what I think they're going to do can he sue or something to stay on the ballot, if he can prove the SOS was wrong? After all the voting isn't for months.
Republicans threatening their own party members now? Watch out for that sharp rap on your door one night. You may never be seen again.
I wonder where the Republican Gulags are? Guantanamo? Black ops sites?
I don't even consider them Republicans. They're just the corrupt political class.
at this point the only thing that throws him off is the court system. that would cost howie some money which he doesnt have a whole lot of. since the courts are packed with cronies im not so sure they wont just make simething up to kick him off the ballot
Dale, I doubt they can manufacture a petition invalidation on this one, especially not when they have let Bosworth's petition stand without addressing the very real errors therein. Team Rounds and its enablers in Pierre boxed themselves in on this one.
That said, it is interesting to note that Sec. Gant managed to approve Howie's petition the day Howie submitted it. Clayton Walker's petition has far fewer signatures, but still has not been approved. What gives there?
cory, they just had another round of polling done, then this challenge comes up. my guess is howie steals enough votes from rounds to put the race to lean wieland. the gop is counting on rounds being in dc they stand to lose a lot of money if wieland or even howie wins. i dont think howie wins but weirder things can happen.
Therein lies we Dems glee, Dale. Rounds wants the Nelson-RINO-conservative fight done by June 3. Howie on the ballot complicates that traditional pivot and forces Rounds to make a choice. Does Rounds write off the Howie hardcore as folks who wouldn't come to the polls for him anyway and spend the summer and fall campaigning for the centrist vote? Or does he decide he has to keep fighting for the Howie-Nelson-conservative vote, sacrificing centrist votes to the safe and sane Weiland campaign?
I can't wait to see Rounds's answer.
if they do kick Howie off, and i bet they find a way to do it, then it could have blowback too. howie might be liked by around 30% of republicans but if they all mostly vote for wieland out of protest then thier plan backfires
I enjoyed PP spin that this is just to reach out to those upset with Rounds when it comes to November.
They might do both Cory. Have surrogates spend five months pointing out Howie's very real craziness in an attempt to minimize his impact while Rounds focuses his attention on Wieland.
When Howie has a event have a group of very vocal, heavily armed, camo clad guys show up in support of Howie. The media will pay more attention to these colorful Howie "supporters" than Howie himself. Howie isn't smart enough to realize he's being set up and average South Dakotans will be turned off by the extreme Milita/Tea Party/ Posse Comitatus nature of Howie's strongest "supporters".
There will be some interesting political theater this summer and fall. Wieland will want to debate twice a week, Rounds will refuse to debate at all unless Howie is excluded, eventually there will be one or two debates. Only enough to defuse charges that Rounds is ducking debates.
MJL, I feel muscle in that spin... i.e., muscle the party bosses may apply to any apostates in their midst.
Nick, you are so devious... or at least good at thinking like devious Republicans! If Rounds would demand Howie be excluded from debates, would he also demand Pressler be excluded? What's our precedent for candidates demanding exclusion of third-party opponents and the media/hosts complying?
Dirty tricks can be fun, just ask G. Gordon Liddy. Which reminds me, didn't Rounds once sign and latter rescind a proclamation proclaiming "G. Gordon Liddy Day" in South Dakota?
I'm sure debate ground rules would be established by the debate hosts and agreed to by the participants. If memory serves me right third party and independent candidates have been allowed or disallowed at previous debates based on their standing in various scientific polls.
The question here is what does Rounds want Gant, Jackley, and Judge Barnett to do about Howie?
If Rounds doesn't care if Howie is on the ballot, he'll stay on. If Rounds wants Howie off the ballot, he won't be on it.
Gordon Howie and Pat Miller announce their candidacies the same day. Troy Jones pushing the story on DWC that 60% of Howie's petitions could easily be invalid because signatures were being gathered outside a McGovern event. Howie tells Montgomery that his people were not there and perhaps it was another campaign meddling.
Will they dare throw Howie off the ballot after confirming Bosworth's petitions and Howie's statement that he tested his petitions himself and found them 80% good? Yes, I think they will dare. I think they're desperate to hold onto the strings of power at this point. It would take serious Establishment to get them to stop their plans.
bree where did u find the info that gordie prescreened his petitions, i was wondering bout that. im glad he did if he did. that said, the requesting of petitions is just a formality they already have their plan
He stated it in the interview he gave to Montgomery about "volunteers" going over his petitions.
that should be "serious Establishment pressure" above at 17:13.
Mrs. S, I have heard rumors that the Establishment(tm) is going to harass Mr. Howie just a bit and then let him remain on the ballot. For the entertainment value. Then they'll gut that overgodding moneygrubbing lying piece of tax-cheating trash in the general election.
Rhoden laughing.
Rhoden laughing.
Grudz, I can't get why the Establishment or any other serious pol would spend money and effort on entertainment. You spend money to get results. If GOP is spending money on Howie's petitions, they must expect results. But what does Howie have to sweat? He's done petitions before. He knows the rules. He's crazy, but he's not stupid, and he's more competent than Bosworth.
As for McGovern Day, that's a false alarm. Howie would have asked people if they'd signed already, wouldn't've he? And hey, he didn't get his whole 2,000-vote cushion in Sioux Falls that evening.
That's one of the flaws of the Establishment, Mr. H. Not enough emphasis on entertainment.
The night of McGovern Day the Shrine Circus was also in town at the Arena just down the hall from the Convention Center. There was a line of thousands of parents and kids waiting before they opened the doors at each showing of the circus for four days that weekend.
And the next DWC headline reads, "Clowns Sign Howie Petition."
"Howie campaign 3 ring circus"
"Howie Signatories All Elephants, No RINOs!"
Mr. Howie is no 3 ring circus. Mr. Howie is at best one ball short of a dozen ping-pongs tossed at a dirty plastic cup by four face-painted special ed students who had a teacher that wouldn't have qualified for that big bonus under 1.2.3.4.
That, sir, is Mr. Howie's circus. And you pay to get in and you pay to get out. He's a robber, that Mr. Howie.
What do you care what Howie's doing. Aren't you eating well? Have some egg drop soup. Surely gravy taters gets old.
Republicannabalism: priceless.
Very vivid description Grudz buddy. Colorful and cluttered. Nice touch sir.
Bosworth is making Howie look good, if that is possible.