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Mitchell Paper Endorses Pressler, Dismisses Rounds on EB-5

Larry Pressler is beating Mike Rounds 3–1 on newspaper endorsements. The Mitchell Daily Republic waits until the last minute (like how many of their readers?) to throw in with Lovable Larry. They like his commitment, moderation, and one-term promise.

What don't they like about they other three? The editors shrug off Rick Weiland and Gordon Howie with a vague wave at their "ideologies." But like the Rapid City Journal, they nuke Mike Rounds very specifically on the issue that Republicans have insisted doesn't really matter—EB-5:

But we've not been impressed with Rounds' responses -- or lack thereof, at times -- to requests for more information on things like EB-5, or even for his presence at debates [editorial board, "Pressler Best Candidate in Senate Race," Mitchell Daily Republic, 2014.11.04].

It seems Republicans have been working really hard to say EB-5 doesn't matter because they know it can matter. We've seen it matter explicitly in four newspaper indictments of Rounds's fitness for office (see also Mobridge Tribune and Yankton County Observer). Even Rounds's hometown paper, in endorsing him, had to acknowledge that "significant questions remain."

EB-5 matters. And no matter who wins tonight, EB-5 will continue to matter as we continue to investigate what Mike Rounds, Dennis Daugaard, Marty Jackley, and other state officials knew, when they knew it, and why they didn't act to stop the corruption that was happening under their noses.

20 Comments

  1. 96Tears 2014.11.04

    Which ideologies are they referring to? Health care? Keeping government out of reproductive choice? Keeping our troops out of civil wars in the Middle East? Making sure South Dakota doesn't lose federal aid to schools, the elderly, social security, highways, education and agriculture? Increasing minimum wage?

    The polls show South Dakotans support these issues, but maybe not the candidates. Perhaps the Mitchell editorial board has the wrong ideologies.

  2. Jana 2014.11.04

    In a way, I understand where the newspapers are coming from.

    Think about it...56% of South Dakotans are Republican.

    When your readership and revenues are tanking...why would you throw the gas of pissing off over half of your potential customers? Pressler was the safe choice.

    The bigger thing is that Mike Rounds has been almost universally dismissed because of the crony behavior, lack of oversight and possible complicity in the whole EB-5 scandal.

    Even bigger in this series of rejection of the establishment Republican titular king is that this marks the election where people no longer trust the GOP.

    While the party chairman is thundering at us to not look behind the curtain...Toto has ripped the curtain back.

    Look at the endorsements of Kristi Noem...faint praise indeed. Can you say ineffectual?

    It's about time.

    Mike Rounds has given us the gift of exposing the South Dakota GOP for who and what they are.

  3. Jana 2014.11.04

    lost in there somewhere was throwing gas on the fire...not that pissing is gas. Gas and pissing, two totally different bodily functions, but both designed to eliminate waste...much like the GOP/

  4. Jana 2014.11.04

    Picture smiling Mike's defeat or victory party tonight. I can hear the party chair thundering from the podium that 6 out of 10 South Dakotan do not trust or believe in their candidate!

    It could and should be a very proud moment for him.

  5. Bill Fleming 2014.11.04

    Jana, yes, it will either be a pyrrhic victory
    or a peerick victory for Mr. Rounds. :-)

  6. 96Tears 2014.11.04

    Great points, Jana. Indeed, the SDGOP has been exposed and documented for their criminal management of state government. If it were not for the courage and conviction of Cory, Bob Mercer, Denise Ross, Joe O'Sullivan and other reporters, all of it would have been brushed off as typical cronyism.

    The gutless editorial boards of South Dakota's daily newspapers have also been exposed in the light of our state's ugliest and biggest political scandal. The worst is the Argus. Not far behind is the ham-fisted reporting on Rick Weiland's candidacy to go to Washington and fight the big money interests. For that, I blame most of all David Montgomery's and Johnny Ellis' negative influence. At every opportunity over the last 18 month, they and the editing staff at the Argus have taken shots at Weiland, used the worst photos, used biased (and incorrect) headline writing and delivered lopsided coverage to marginalize Rick Weiland and to promote their Mike Rounds coronation narrative.

    While we know more today about how criminals are still hijacking our state government, don't count on the state's largest daily on the side of full disclosure, open records and honest governance. The Argus is the tool of the power clique that has and will continue to pull strings, fill their pockets and keep the people under foot and ignorant.

  7. Wayne Pauli 2014.11.04

    All the Kings horses and all the Kings men could not put EB5 Mike back together again. he loses even if he wins.

  8. Jana 2014.11.04

    Heard a rumor that the thunderous chair of the South Dakota GOP is stepping down.

    Please, please, please join me in supporting Pat Powers for GOP chairman!

    Let the race to irrelevance begin.

  9. Roger Cornelius 2014.11.04

    96Tears,
    The comments you made about Montgomery and the Argus can be equally applied to Rapid City Journal on their coverage of the Weiland campaign
    The Journal's coverage of the EB-5 scandal is as scandalous as EB-5. Notice that we haven't had any further hard reporting by Seth Tupper? He was doing some good coverage of EB-5, his reporting pretty much a month ago.

  10. Tim 2014.11.04

    RC, Tupper must have been informed by the heads at RCJ how things are done around here.

  11. Greg 2014.11.04

    Hey Wayne I like your quote , He loses even if he wins. I think all South Dakotans lose either if Rounds wins or loses. Rounds would never win the primary today if it was now. Rounds will get a lot of votes from people who know better but are just loyal to him or their party. We will know by morning.

  12. WayneF 2014.11.04

    Sad prediction: Rounds will win the election. He will eventually be indicted and have to stand down. Dudley Daugaard will appoint a replacement. South Dakota loses. Again.

  13. Charlie Hoffman 2014.11.04

    Jana & Roger; THE tens of millions and hundreds of millions of government loans given to GREEN ENERGY companies which went belly up right after getting the Federal Dollars are NOT TO BE DISCUSSED?
    WTF?

  14. Jana 2014.11.04

    Not discussed?!?!

    Go ahead and use the Google for Solyndra and then get back to us on not being talked about. Then we can compare each loss to the national budget and the state budget.

    You will get back to us...right?

    For bonus points, use the Google and type in Bush with Solyndra.

    Oh, and you might want to add this to your high perch...

    https://madvilletimes.com/?s=anderson+seed&x=22&y=7

    Can you give us a good reason why this crap happens and no one in the legislature gives a crap about oversight?

  15. Jana 2014.11.04

    Get me going Charlie...how much did we spend on Hyperion? You know, time and money?

    I still don't have an answer to who in the legislature had oversight of the GOED when the irregularities occured.

    Say, Charlie, does the legislature just rubber stamp everything that comes out of GOED and the Governor's office?

  16. Jana 2014.11.04

    Oh, and Charlie. Your caps key might be stuck.

  17. Roger Cornelius 2014.11.04

    Charlie Hoffman,
    Do I understand you correctly?
    Is it your position that since Solyndra went belly up and lost millions of dollars that it is excusable for Republican corruption king Mike Rounds to get a free pass on EB-5?

  18. Dave 2014.11.04

    Charlie: Next time you leave a comment on Madville, first try putting your brain in gear.

Comments are closed.