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GOP Picks Westra over Schoenbeck for House Assistant Majority Leader

At least he won't go hungry... (Lee Schoenbeck and friends, from Schoenbeck Twitter feed, 2014.11.14)
At least he won't go hungry... (Lee Schoenbeck and friends, from Schoenbeck Twitter feed, 2014.11.14)

Not only did the 2014 election deprive us the pleasure of testing Lee Schoenbeck's commitment to disenfranchising District 3 and RV voters, but the legislative caucus has deprived us the pleasure of Lee Schoenbeck's leadership. Despite months of machinating by Watertown's imminently Rotunda-revisiting Representative-Elect, GOP House members and members-elect picked Rep. Steve Westra of Sioux Falls as their assistant majority leader.

Rep.-Elect Schoenbeck has graced these blog pages for years with numerous intelligent, kind, and/or provocative comments. Rep. Westra has yet to contribute any thoughts to our rollicking civic discussion. One can only conclude that Schoenbeck possesses an intellect far superior to Westra's and that the SDGOP has passed up an opportunity to boost its collective IQ and Blog-Q.

We can only hope Schoenbeck will emerge smiling from this defeat and use the extra time left in his hands by his colleagues to post more blog comments... and maybe call some more Republicans S.O.B.'s who have it coming.

19 Comments

  1. 96Tears 2014.11.16

    That's the shits! Lee would keep it fun and on point. Looks like the power brokers want establishment Republicans to be babysitters and keep the caucus from thinking for themselves. Actually, this is an advantage for the Democrats if they've got some smart players in the House.

  2. grudznick 2014.11.16

    Mr. Shoenbeck's non-election may indeed pave the way for a rise to power for the Mr. Spencer led Democrats in the legislatures.

  3. Disgusted Dakotan 2014.11.16

    I am told that Mr schoenbeck lost at least 3 votes from his previous ill-informed attacks on Nelson.

    Looking back, Schoenbeck went after Nelson for publicly opposing Daugaard on an EB5 dairy they were pushing in Nelson's district, and Nelson's public highlighting of leadership tampering with confidential bills in the Legislative Research Council.

    EB5 blew up into a major corruption scandal, and the head of LRC later "resigned" due to audits that showed some of the problems Nelson complained about.

    Curious how Mr Schoenbeck now feels about being on the wrong side of those issues?

  4. larry kurtz 2014.11.16

    Are catholics really losing the earth hater base so completely?

  5. larry kurtz 2014.11.16

    As long as Cory panders to the extreme right wing there is little chance Madville will remain a player.

  6. mike from iowa 2014.11.16

    South Dakota Dems have to learn to walk before they move in for the kill.

  7. grudznick 2014.11.16

    Mr. H can be that guide, Mike from Iowa, to the South Dakota Democrats. He is being offered the crown but is tentative about accepting it. If you encouraged him it probably couldn't hurt.

  8. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.11.16

    Oh, Larry, it's not pandering. It's wondering why on earth the GOP wouldn't take advantage of Schoenbeck's experience and reward Schoenbeck for all the hard work he did for other candidates. They just elected Rounds, so the Catholics can't be on the outs. Why don't we have Assistant Majority Leader Schoenbeck?

  9. Jana 2014.11.16

    I may find very little politically to agree with Lee, but I believe he is a good and smart guy.

    There's got to be a great back story out there just waiting to be told. You don't just turn your back on Lee's experience without a good reason.

    Guessing Lee has offended someone in the Daugaard administration or is seen as threatening to an heir apparent to the Governorship.

  10. Jana 2014.11.17

    Heck, Lee was even for quotas for oppressed minorites.

    Remember his fight to make sure that conservative professors were given preferential treatment in hiring to our public universities?

    Gotta love a guy that sticks up for the underdog.

  11. Jana 2014.11.17

    Maybe it was because he took time out of public office to spend real quality time with his family...God forbid!

    I heard he took his son golfing to almost every course in South Dakota...what a slacker on good Republican family values.

  12. Jana 2014.11.17

    I gotta call it a night, can I get anyone a sandwich before I hit the hay?

  13. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.11.17

    "almost every course"? No, I hear they made every golf course.

    "threatening the heir apparent"—permit me to speculate that Jana is hitting the nail on the head. Nothing scares the GOP more than a real leader. They want a follower who will carry out bidding from the top. For better or for worse, Rep. Schoenbeck might upset the ordained order of legislation and succession.

  14. Catherine Ratliff 2014.11.17

    Schoenbeck was the obvious choice, being a superior individual in terms of intellect, reasonableness, and ability to cooperate across the aisle. I guess that was the problem: he's too good for Republicans.

  15. Steve Sibson 2014.11.17

    "Nothing scares the GOP more than a real leader."

    That's right, the SDGOP Establishment loves Kool Aid drinkers as much as the Democratic Kool Aid drinkers. People who expose the truth are not popular in either party.

  16. tara volesky 2014.11.17

    The biggest Kool Aid drinkers are the thousands of Republican voters that belong to so-called Christian organizations like Right to Life, Family Heritage Alliance etc. The FHA told their flock that they prayed about who they should endorse for US Senate. God told them to vote for Mike Rounds. Well, the rest is history. FHA did not even list Gordon Howie on their website.

  17. Les 2014.11.17

    I'd agree with that, Tara. The Christians with the judgement staff in hand for smiting out all evile. I still ask and get no answers. Who amongst us provides for the needs of those wanting abortions where alternatives would be accpetable? Either party? Damn sure not my party and don't see it across the aisle either. Can't find it in religion. Christians? Atheists? Muzzies?

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