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Top Ten Questions for Tomorrow’s GOP Senate Primary Debate

I'm so excited to see all five Republican Senate candidates get grilled by SDNA journalists tomorrow in Pierre! Here are the top ten questions I hope our Fourth Estate will pitch:

  1. Do you agree with Iowa Republican Senator Charles Grassley and the Department of Homeland Security that the EB-5 visa investment program should end?
  2. Name the single best and single worst specific policies of the current Farm Bill.
  3. What response to the Russia-Ukraine-Crimea conflict would best serve our national security?
  4. What role do guns play in providing daily economic security to average citizens?
  5. What's more important at Ellsworth Air Force Base: allowing the Department of Defense to reduce spending and meet its military objectives, or preserving jobs in the Rapid City?
  6. Have you paid all of your campaign staff in the past month?
  7. Do the benefits of the Keystone XL pipeline outweigh the harms of allowing a foreign company to use eminent domain against South Dakota landowners?
  8. What does it mean to be a conservative in a state that gets three dollars from Uncle Sam for every two dollars it pays?
  9. Since you began your campaign, how many judgments have been rendered against you in small claims court?
  10. What legislative response, if any, do you propose to the McCutcheon ruling?

I welcome your further submissions.

30 Comments

  1. Michael B 2014.04.11

    There's a great deal of information out there about the Republican candidates. What about the Democrats?

  2. Jessie 2014.04.11

    These three come to mind right off.

    1. Who should have control over women's reproductive health decisions?

    2. Do you support separation of church and state?

    3. Do you agree or disagree with the recent Supreme Court rulings affecting campaign financing?

  3. Jessie 2014.04.11

    I know that last one overlaps with your #10, but I wanted to include Citizens United.

  4. owen reitzel 2014.04.11

    My question is
    "All of you want Obamacare repealed. What SPECIFICALLY do you want to replace it with?"
    Deatils please.

  5. owen reitzel 2014.04.11

    second question.
    you want to government. what programs do you want to cut?

  6. Roger Cornelius 2014.04.11

    Michael B. this is a Republican debate among the 5 candidates, the SDNA did not include Democrats.

    My question would be: can a senate campaign be won on tea party slogans and daily devotions?

  7. Jana 2014.04.11

    Michael B, it's not just a Republican debate, it's a GOP event given the other speakers who have been invited.

  8. mike from iowa 2014.04.11

    Why shouldn't your salary and benefits not be the first gubmint programs cut,when you can't/won't work with the opposing party?

    Should dumb bass dubya be tried as a war criminal?

    Justice Clarence Thomas wife worked for Citizens United when Thomas voted in favor of CU. Should he have recused himself or been forced to recuse himself due to conflicts?

    Do any of you candidates owe back taxes or credit card debts that might influence your voting?

  9. Donald Pay 2014.04.11

    Do you support Governor Daugaard's attempt to site a high-level radioactive waste site in western South Dakota? If elected, will you support or oppose federal funds being spent on research into shale, and in particular, Pierre Shale, as a waste disposal medium?

  10. Michael B 2014.04.11

    I spent part of the day listening to a state house candidate that I would vote for before anyone currently running for senate.

  11. Joan Brown 2014.04.11

    I agree with so many of the additional questions, that I won't add any. But then on the other hand the questions that are asked will receive an answer, but that doesn't mean that the candidates actually mean what they say. You know they say one thing and then when they get elected they do the opposite.

  12. Roger Cornelius 2014.04.11

    That was really informative Michael B.

  13. mike from iowa 2014.04.11

    South Carolina wingnuts are trying to extend stand your ground to include protection of fetii from any harm-abortion included. Would you,waste taxpayer's time and money supporting frivolous bills such as this?

  14. mike from iowa 2014.04.11

    anon-what point are you trying to make? There have been 17 amendments added to the constitution(none by way of constitutional convention),so I am not sure what constitutional convention has to do with this.

  15. Roger Cornelius 2014.04.11

    mike from iowa

    anon thinks that if he uses the tea party's favorite word the "constitution" enough times, we'll think he's intelligent.

  16. mike from iowa 2014.04.11

    Thanks,Roger.

  17. Tim 2014.04.11

    If you make a bunch of promises to the people of SD then do the opposite, will you agree to step down and allow us to run a special election? Also giving up all of those lifetime perks you get? Shit, who am I kidding?

  18. John 2014.04.11

    Excited?! You have a lot more faith in the limp-wristed, compliant SD media than they've earned or proven they deserve.

    Jesse, personalize the question: Who should have control over your wife's or daughter's reproductive health care decisions?

    And: SD is a bonafide federal welfare state which receives far more in federal benefits than it pays in federal taxes; so as a republican your party wants to cut wasteful federal spending so programs will you cut to bring SD in line with pay-as-you go or to reduce its federal welfare status?

  19. Darrell Reifenrath 2014.04.11

    How old is the earth?

  20. Jessie 2014.04.11

    John, while I agree that personalizing a question makes it more hard-hitting, you are forgetting that one of the candidates is a woman and SD is not forward thinking enough to let women have wives, unlike some other states.

    JessIe

  21. owen reitzel 2014.04.11

    easy Darrell, 6000 years

  22. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.04.12

    Good job Madizens!

  23. hmr59 2014.04.12

    You know, you could combine the best qualities of all five GOP candidates into one person and he/she still wouldn't be worth a...ummm...turkey (keepin' it family friendly, Cory! haha). No matter the candidate, I fully expect at least 52% of the SoDak plebiscite to automatically vote for the "R" on their ballot. Even Pavlov's dog would be embarrassed...

  24. WestRiver 2014.04.12

    Maybe a question about honesty, integrity, and the specific meaning of those words to them and how they feel they have upheld those and how they have not

  25. JeniW 2014.04.12

    What are the reasons why Canada refuses to build a pipeline across Canada like the proposed Keystone Pipeline? Since Canada refuses to build a pipeline, does that not tell us something?

  26. rick 2014.04.12

    Just got the list of questions for the SDNA. Get ready. They're gonna rake him over the coals!

    1. Gee, how did you get to be so swell?
    2. Is everybody in your family as good lookin’ as you?
    3. When Mitch Krebs gets another job, can I write press releases for you?
    4. Do you think the Twins will have better than a .500 year?
    5. How did it feel to be re-elected Governor?
    6. Can you sign an autograph for my mom and dad?
    7. What other jobs can I have when you’re elected to the Senate?
    8. Now, sir, you failed to answer my question. How did you REALLY get to be so swell?
    9. Here’s the toughee: Why don’t you use your first name, Marion? It’s a pretty cool name!
    10. Is there a question I left out?

  27. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.04.12

    Good alternative take, Rick!

  28. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.04.12

    Roger, your question about whether the campaign can be won by such means is a question from the voters. The candidates' actions already make their answer clear.

  29. Jessie 2014.04.12

    I was going to attend this event but then I got to thinking this morning. Why should I spend 90 minutes of my precious life surrounded by people whose views I mostly find abhorrent? I might as well go to church on Sunday, an equally repellant idea.

  30. Les 2014.04.12

    "Precious life, repellant, abhorrent".

Comments are closed.