The South Dakota Democratic Party got together at the Sioux Falls Public Library for one of their largest crowds yet on November 27, 2016. If they would have had more citizen turnouts there could have been more election victories.

Good grief Charlie Brown, Lucy tries to control everything and not listen was the message the party should have heard but did they? We’ll see, there must be big changes because what we are seeing so far is completely wrong. The results shown in November prove it.

Quit making excuses and get to work was the message given by these messengers.

27 Thoughts on “South Dakota Democratic Party Rebuild, part 1

  1. Fresh Start on November 29, 2016 at 7:24 am said:

    Who is the Union spokesman that is just to the lower right of Mr. Saba wearing an Aberdeen Pheasants hat? He made some very good points.

  2. Fresh Start on November 29, 2016 at 7:39 am said:

    It is extremely frustrating to have excellent candidates like Mr. Saba and Barth for example that got beat by far lesser qualified candidates.

    South Dakota desperately needs an opposition party and I am not talking about Libertarian or a fringe party like Constitutional Party. There were voters who would of easily voted and financially supported SDDP candidates and a few may of run themselves as SDDP candidates but what has happened with the SDDP and the direction they gone has totally turned them off.

    There needs to be another alternative and competitive option for voters here in South Dakota.

  3. I decided not to identify any of the speakers in the video because it is a group of concerned citizens who desperately want a dialogue started.

    The union spokesman is Mark Anderson. A great guy who wants action. He is like the rest of us, tired of fighting dead brains of those who are “in charge”.

  4. FS, Mark Anderson.

    I was reading Cory’s comments about the Aberdeen meeting and there seems to be this attitude that ‘we got beat by Trump’. Sounds kind of defeatist to me. Dems get beat because of message. When you are constantly beating the drum of raising taxes to pay teachers, everything else gets drowned out. Tax payers want to know what you are going to do for them.

  5. Reliable Voter on November 29, 2016 at 10:42 am said:

    Leadership, including legislative leadership is a big problem for Democrats.

    Current D Leader and insurance salesman Spencer Hawley of Brookings worked to pull the governors slush fund off the ballot after Democrats had gotten the signatures to put it to a public vote. Voters passed it that November. He’s no friend to workers. I’ve been told Hawley now wants to amend IM 22.

    And Senate Leader Sutton tells the SF Downtown Rotary he doesn’t vote a Democratic ticket. Perhaps he thought the audience would find that admission charming in a small-town boyish way.

    I’d prefer Troy Heinert of Mission speaking on behalf of Democrats over any other legislator.

  6. RV – As I have often said, What do you call a Minnesota Republican? A South Dakota Democrat.

  7. When I tell people I left the Dem party to become an Indy, they are surprised of my answer. I tell them, “The SD Democratic party isn’t liberal enough for me.”

  8. Messaging, not being truly liberal, experience, qualifications, etc. etc. – none of it matters. Only having an R by your name on the ballot matters. SD voters, including those relatively informed, are extremely low information. That one alphabetic letter is all they need or want to know about.

  9. I just posted this on Dakota Free Press blog: http://dakotafreepress.com/2016/11/29/notes-from-sddp-aberdeen-meeting/

    Scott and I attended the Sioux Falls meeting and posted the video of one of this year’s largest Democratic Party meetings in the state. Outside of Bernie coming to Sioux Falls for the primary the party functions were depressing events of defeatist attitudes.

    The Bernie event was huge by South Dakota standards with over 4500 people showing up. These were energized people who were lost after the primary because our state party was lazy and uncreative in how to keep the throng engaged.

    The thought we should support Hillary because she would be the first woman President was so wrong on so many levels. History will judge it harshly as a stupid reason to vote for anyone.

    No one was genuinely happy at either Clinton events we attended and recorded. Go check them out on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBkcje2tWnPUn2psMjzm5QW5Qr1zuk-RD . Even our supposed Democratic mayor didn’t attend the events because they were just thrown together. These events had more gray haired dreamers who never thought to bring anyone younger to fill the room.

    South Dakota does not have a Democratic Party. South Dakota has a placeholder party designed to give an appearance of party label to place a protest vote.

    There have been offers to assist on many levels for several years but a comment made by one of the campaigns in 2010 still resonates when the offers were made “Why do you want to do it?” and “What do you want out of it?” When an older political geek like me says “Good Government” the door hits you on the way out as the “experts” laugh.

    When will we be the party of good government? Not until we clean our own house, not for purity but for acceptance of ideas long know to work. Where do we get these ideas? From people who have experience winning elections. In South Dakota these winners are now retiring and also dying without sharing their ideas because the newbies playing Facebook games are slamming the doors on them.

    https://www.youtube.com/user/TheSouthDacola/featured

  10. The D@ily Spin on November 29, 2016 at 12:01 pm said:

    Republicans are splintered. There is/was the Tea Party. Trump isn’t getting favorable acceptance. EB-5 hurt them. Lately, Trump’s son in law. South Dakota is RED. No doubt about it. Yes, Democrats are disorganized. This state could be a good third party opportunity. It’ll take more members with new blue and red party ex-patriots.

  11. What I find incredulous is the amount of noise in the media about how the South Dakota legislature is going to gut some of the ballot initiatives/referendums that were just passed by SD voters!!!

  12. That’s how they keep one-party rule in check. They are F**king Asshole Nazis IMO.

  13. voter,

    That’s because the Republicans in Pierre have a “House of Lords” mentality when it comes to governing. They think it is their divine right, and thus duty, to delay and or prevent the legislation of the commoners.

    This presumptive attitude by the GOP in Pierre is further bolstered by their need to protect their ownership class which many of therm are about of, or apparently lobbied for, given the realities which IM 22 has know exposed to the dislike of many self centered Republican legislators.

    Do you remember back in November of 2012, when a good part of Daugaards initial governing proposals when down to defeat as referendums and the governor blamed his defeats on the voters in a post election KELO interview? He more or less complained that the voters were two lazy to thoroughly read page two of the ballot and that is why his proposals lost. It is that type of disrespect for the voters which is rampant in Pierre right now under GOP rule. And I might add that the key would there is “rule.” It is not governing, its “rule.”

    Or how about their attempt to create a lower minimum wage for minors after the people had just voted in a new minimum wage for all. And now as you mention, they are now planning to gut IM 22 with the same arrogant, paternalistic, and divine right attitude which has no place in a state that claims it has a part time “citizens legislature.”

    And when you consider that about a 1/4 of our current legislators in Pierre established their initial political footings in the two chambers as gubernatorial appointments and not through elections, then there is much to be said for the claim that our legislature is merely a peerage reality, a “House of Lords,” and not the result of the mechanics of representative democracy.

  14. Fresh Start on November 29, 2016 at 4:37 pm said:

    What is incredulous is that we have a large number of somehow elected legislators that have no qualifications to be making laws that affect other South Dakotans.

    One posts the pledge of allegiance on his facebook page and ran and won as a Republican. Opposing candidates love their country just as much and served it in various ways including the military.

    Another candidate who is just a kid said he was for education and that was it. He said he was for Ag yet no details at all. A letter to the editor in support of him praised him for being patriotic.

    Here we had good opposition candidates that had years of varied real life experiences with impressive resumes and could talk policy with substance and be real public servants in the truest sense yet they got beat by fluff candidates that ran with the R.

    Some of those excellent candidates will not run again and that will be our loss.

  15. The D@ily Spin on November 29, 2016 at 8:05 pm said:

    A recent example, government and the media are trying to reverse Marcys Law. It was voted in. Politicians will use it to hire more brother in laws. The media doesn’t like it when they must have reporters instead of just call police or check online. It will get repealed buried inside other legislation. In the end, there’s no impact. We’ll get more government, higher taxes, and worse local news.

  16. Take a look at the people in that room and you can identify the problem. A bunch if crabby old finger pointers.

    Todays party politics is just a game of who can shout the loudest. Your fix was to drop the labels but keep the same way of thinking and that was debunked in the ballot box a few weeks ago.

    Stop looking into the crystal ball called the future and exam the past to fix your ways. “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what can you can do for your country” would be a good starting point.

    Right now SD Dems are the politic muslims and ISIS (Pelosi/Reid) keeps setting your narrative.

  17. “Your fix was to drop the labels but keep the same way of thinking and that was debunked in the ballot box a few weeks ago.”

    Really? Voters said they are tired of corruption and lack of ethics (22), they said they want everyone to get the same minimum wage and they said predatory lending is not a good idea. These are all things the Dems fought against, not the Republicans. The Dems need to get out in front of these issues and TELL people they are the ones fighting for the issues. What has been the Republicans reaction to corruption and ethics reform? They plan to repeal it. That says volumes about their corruption. I hope the repeal explodes in their faces.

  18. What you keep leaving out of your foolish political posts is the republican majority voters voted for those bills. Those same voters said no to closeted liberals.

    22 is very poorly written bill, even you know that. The tittle of 22 did not reflect what’s within. I’m for the limits on donations (even though it’s unconstitutional) but the $50 credit per voter is moronic.

    You best resign yourself to being erelvant if the all you can do is claim you invented these legislative actions and call others Nazi’s.

    Keep pointing and blaming. It’s worked so well for the past 20 years. Your only a 20 minute move from living in a land of lefties that fit your values and can’t balance a budget. I’ll help you move

    PS. If you really want to rebrand yourselves you would denounce the reelection of your dictator Pelosi and tell the state she doesn’t fit your values.

  19. I have taken every opportunity to vote since I turned 18 forty-six years ago. I work at being well-informed.

    Several years ago I became a registered Independent after having spent almost four decades as a registered Democrat.

    I am going to be ONE ANGRY VOTER if the South Legislature succeeds in watering down issues that have just been decided by the voters.

  20. LJL,

    How does that old adage go? Oh yeah,….”Now is the time for all good men (and women, too) to come to the aid of the party”…. and that is what this recent meeting was all about.

    It was a form of “….what you can do for your country” by working to hopefully strengthen the two party system, especially in South Dakota…..

    And as far as for your rants about Pelosi, Muslims, and ISIS, well, you have prove to me that you really need to get off Breitbart.com, or what will soon be known as “West Wing Today,” sadly…. and please do it soon for the sake of our country and prove to us all that you truly do heed the comments of a great and late president…..

  21. voter,

    Trust me, the legislature will do it, too, what you fear that is. Unless they are able to hide behind the decrees of a court system which for the most part is a product of one party rule for 40 years – and I hope I am wrong about my latter accusation given my intent to always give the benefit of the doubt to our sacred court system, however.

    Because they are “owned,” the legislature that is…. And their rants about IM 22 remind me of a spoiled toddler who has just had its candy taken away….

  22. Spoken like a true party loyalist. Next election you’ll be down to 1 seat. You might want to actually read my posts rather assuming I know anything about britbart.

    Your correct, I really need not blame the demise of the dems in this state to pelosi or other federal leaders. You local wing nuts seem to be doing a great job. Keep making connections to the national party and see how many dems are left. You won’t have enough to make a quorum at you next meeting.

    If you really think making 50 election credits per voter is going to make a change, you really are in for a headache. Folks seen election reform bill on the ballot and checked yes. But When they learn their taxes are funding campaigns, the shit will hit the fan and dems will be crucified.

  23. Ljl,

    So in other words, you would rather have our legislators take money from lobbyists than the voters to fund their campaigns….Hum? But I think we have already tried that, haven’t we? And isn’t that why things like GEARUP and EB-5 are more or less swept under the rug by our current Republican leadership?

    What’s wrong with “Democracy Credits?” How are they any different from a Pell grant, farm aid, REDI funds, or TIFS? It is merely an attempt to effect an outcome, but instead of educating someone or saving or promoting a business, “DCs” promote a cause or an idea and I think a stronger two party system in South Dakota is long over due and a good idea, which “DCs” will work to promote….

    You should and we should all be far more concerned about the money lost to scandals like GEARUP and EB5 than the money which will used to invest in a brighter future for all South Dakotans with “DCs.”

    I always check the box with my 1040, don’t you? You should….

  24. John, funny you bring up TIFs, Cameraman Bruce and I attended a meeting last night (hopefully have the video up soon) about design standards DT. A ‘leading’ architect in town talked about the expansion of TIFs in our community, and I was totally tempted to get up and puke in his face.

  25. Bahaha…Your not a person who’s burdened by an original thought are you.

    Telling todays voter that they’re directly funding a politicians ambitions is like announcing your giving tax breaks to used car salesmen.

    If you cant sell your product people wont like it more when you force them to buy it. You keep talking about the world you want while forgetting the reality your in.

    My advice to the republicans is not to fight it. Force the people to eat it and they’ll eventually eat those who created it.

  26. LJL,

    Oh, I have some original ideas, frankly, I am the only Democrat who thinks or cares to advocate that “It’s the mechanics or the math, stupid!” when it comes to making the South Dakota Democratic Party relevant again and not the message per se.

    Message and media usage are important, but they are the frosting on the cake. The cake is GOVT and targeted voter registration. In the short run, the DEMs in this state need to accept the world they live in and maximize it in order to win races or at least tighten races so as to scare off the GOP’s first tier of potential candidates, and that is done with mechanics like GOVT and targeted voter registration, which for some reason have become lost arts within the South Dakota Democratic Party and with its statewide candidates in particular.

    As far as “tax breaks to used car salesmen,” well, in theory we have programs for such an idea, they are called REDI funds and TIFs, love them or not.

    Actually, your third paragraph doesn’t indict, rather it supports my position on the current state of the SDDP and how to deal with the obvious challenges.

    And to your final paragraph, well, good luck telling our Republican friends to not fight it. Trust me, IM 22 strikes at the heart of the SD GOPs entire political/corporate enterprise in this state (SD, Inc.,) and your recommendation to the SD GOP is way too idealistic my friend…

    l3wis,

    More TIFS, huh? Well, it is the season, I have to say…. I always like it when everyone gets what they want for Christmas, but with TIFs it is kind like the parents (taxpayers) going without so that the kids(economic development crowd) can play with their new Lionel set… 😉

  27. Titleist on December 1, 2016 at 12:06 am said:

    In the 2016 election Minnehaha County had 21% of the statewide raw vote total. The same % as 08 and 12. That will change.

    Secondly, SD is red and getting redder. There were roughly 370k total raw votes for President in SD in 2016. HRC received only about 117k votes (again of 370k total). DT received 227k votes. (HRC received only 32% of the vote). For comparison, Walter Mondale got 116k votes in 84 (of 316k)(or 36% of the vote). Al Gore got 118k votes (of 308k votes)(or 37% of the vote). HRC was a historically bad candidate by the numbers in 2016.

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