Entries Tagged 'Pat Powers' ↓

A sorry movement has been growing over the last couple of years at a feverish rate.  The people have voted against FAUX News and Rove even after the vote fix was in.  Something must be done.  Consider what is happening in Pierre and other state capitals as the elected and appointeds work to figure out how to roll our nation back to the 1800’s.  Senator Stan’s Adelstein’s proposal to have direct primary nomination election of constitutional candidates in South Dakota is a throwback to the Progressive Era our current ‘leaders’ wish to destroy.

DWC – Pat Powers’ recent rants to continue his destruction of all things related to Senator Stan.  We must not forget Pat’s job loss was a result of last May’s expose’ of SOS Jason Gant and his ethically challenged / legally questionable activities.  South Dakota was in the center of the nation’s Progressive movement.  Much of what we currently have as average Americans is in no small part because of what happened in Sioux Falls and South Dakota.  Governor Lee, Peter Norbeck, Governor Tom Berry through Abourezk and McGovern were prairie progressives who believed in the average person.  Only the rich, selfish or wish to be selfishly rich have fought the ideals of expanded rights for all people.

So when I read about more idiots who wish to roll back the Progressive Era advancements, the more I want to remind everyone of our collective history.  The absurd right has it wrong on all counts, how can we go back to something that never existed in the first place?  So we have reactionaries like Pat Powers who lost his job to save a leader of South Dakota RSLC – ALEC.  Jason Gant had to be saved.  Jason has funneled funds and support to many of the right people to make sure Keystone XL pipeline destroys the ecology of South Dakota.  The John Birch Society controlled RSLC – ALEC will never let the common person have any say in the affairs of governing.  It is not in their plan.  Pat Powers is only a mouthpiece.  A person who proudly boasts either way, he makes money.  Remember this, he is a mouthpiece for the rich, selfish or wish to be selfish rich. Here is another example of what ‘conservatives’ want to do for voters;

National Review Blogger Calls for Repeal of Women’s Suffrage

By Amanda Marcotte
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 9:15 EST

Thanks for getting arrested, but since your forebears chose to use their rights to get more rights, all rights have to go.

Michael Walsh of National Review Online called for the termination of women’s right to vote last week:

Nevertheless, you’re on to something I’ve been advocating for years now. And that is the repeal of all four of the so-called “Progressive Era” amendments, including the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th, which were passed between 1911 and 1920.

One of those has already been repealed—the 18th amendment, which ushered in Prohibition—which Walsh admits. That’s not really what he’s on about anyway:

The income-tax amendment was a self-evident attack on capitalism and led to the explosive growth of the federal government we currently enjoy today. (Without it, there’d be no need for a Balanced Budget Amendment.) Direct elections of senators has given us, among other wonders, the elevation of John F. Kerry to, now, secretary of state. Prohibition was directly responsible for the rise of organized crime and its unholy alliance with the big-city Democratic machines. And women’s suffrage . . . well, let’s just observe that without it Barack Obama could never have become president. Time for the ladies to take one for the team.

I suppose we’re supposed to imagine it’s a “joke”, because he takes a jovial tone for the last one. But if so, it doesn’t make sense. He’s dead fucking serious about the other two—three, really, because he only seems to be against Prohibition because he believes it gave Democrats a leg up, which is one of those deaf-to-historical-change moments that lead Republicans to imagine that Lincoln would have anything to do with the modern version of their party—so, as a joke, it falls completely apart. If he hadn’t rolled it up with the other amendments initially, the “joke” defense he clearly has in his pocket would be an easier sell. Something like, “I’ve long advocated for the repeal of 3 of the Progressive Amendments (though one has already been repealed), and hey, ladies, sometimes you make me wish to repeal all four.” It would still be a misogynist joke, but easier to sell as a joke, even if not a very funny one.

As it stands, it’s clear he’s doing what Al Franken calls “kidding on the square“, where you say something you mean but pretend it’s a joke so you don’t have to take responsibility for it. Franken has some fun with it in his books, calling himself out for it and therefore turning a typically unfunny bit of passive-aggression into a for-real joke, but I’m guessing you all know that because of course you’ve read his books. Kidding on the square is a favorite tool of sexists, who want to say sexist things, but are too cowardly to say them directly. Walsh is just a particularly obvious example. And no, none of the other National Review bloggers argued with him on this point.

I’m trying to imagine the shitstorm that would erupt if a feminist dare say men should forsake their right to vote until they shape up and start voting correctly. It certainly wouldn’t slide under the waters, like this did.

And I am not talking about the fast food chain, I’m talking about the building they are holding the RNC in;

After BK (short for where we met the breeder to pick him up in Chamberlain)

And where you and Gant would plot your next move.

I had someone send me this exchange on Pat Powers FB page today. Not sure if Nelson was snarking on Pat or Stan, but it was funny;

Pat Powers
Less than 100 days until election day. If you need signs, postcards, palm cards, door hangers, etc and so on, drop me a note, and I’m happy to help you complete your “to do list.”

Stacey Nelson
How about all that ultra Top Secret public information you are reputed to have access to? Is that extra or does it come with the pennies you charge for postcards?

Pat Powers
Stace – Shhh… People might discover it’s been on-line for about 15 years.

I also found this sob story on Pat’s FB page to be over the top;

Pat, you created the wedge between Stan and yourself, that, and what you did may not have been illegal (according to SD state law) but it was extremely unethical. Apparently you have learned NOTHING from the experience. Unfortunate but not surprising.

I would assume that Pat will get his job back now that it was found he didn’t do anything illegal;

Attorney General Marty Jackley says he has found no evidence that Secretary of State Jason Gant or former employee Pat Powers violated state law.

Sen. Stan Adelstein asked Jackley to review the activities of Gant and Powers for any “impropriety, conflict of interest and possibly illegal activity.”

Jackley issued his response this afternoon, saying he agreed with the Division of Criminal Investigation, which found no evidence of a crime while interviewing witnesses and reviewing more than 60,000 emails and 150,000 Internet usage entries from the Secretary of State’s office.

Jackley concluded as follows:

“Based upon witness information and document review, I concur with DCI’s determination that there exists no evidence of state criminal violations within the scope of this investigation. The voluminous emails, internet usage and computer files provided no evidence that the activities of Secretary Gant, Mr. Powers or “Dakota Campaign Store” were in violation of state criminal statutes.”

I knew all along in my heart of hearts, this is how it would turnout. When you have a Republican AG investigate a Republican SOS, we know the results. I will be interested to see if Powers shows back up at his old job come Monday. You have been cleared of wrongdoing Pat, go back to work.

Or maybe it should be ‘Where did you go now?’

Well, if you are doing NO wrong, or don’t believe you have a conflict of interest, how do your supposed ‘conflicts’ disappear?

Mr. Ehrisman has since updated his post to show Mr. Powers’s response. Powers has not quite shut down his DakotaCampaignStore.com website, but he has deleted most of the pages on the site. He has also redirected hits to the homepage to drag viewers through three different sham sites before finally dropping them on the infamous “Rick-Rolling” video (go ahead, click: you could use Rick Astley pop-rocking you through your day).

Guess what Pat? The joke you tried to make about ‘obsessive people’ isn’t on me or you, it’s on all the SD voters who trust in your office. Poor bastards.

UPDATE: Pat must be a little worried about the press, this is his website’s main page;

I also liked this little snarky graphic before you are sent to the above;

“Safe Elections? No problem. Would you like to buy a brochure? I know this great guy that can help you out with that, oh, ah, yeah, it’s me.”

I was pretty surprised to see that Pat is doing political consulting and marketing while working in the office that is in charge of fair and safe elections. I’m no constitutional lawyer, but if I am the only one that thinks this is a HUGE conflict of interest, there must be something wrong? Pat ran this business when he was still operating Dakota War College (which I still think he has a hand in) But I just assumed he gave it up when he ran off to Pierre with his Burger King buddy Gant.

But according to his website;

500 – Call for 2011-2012 pricing!
1,000 – Call for 2011-2012 pricing!
2,500 – Call for 2011-2012 pricing!
5,000 – Call for 2011-2012 pricing!
*Call for other sizes and quantities

And the address of the business has changed also;

Mailing Address:Pat Powers
DakotaCampaignStore.com
235 West Broadway, Pierre, SD 57501

Hey, I am all for someone making an extra buck, but you probably shouldn’t be profiting from candidate marketing when you work in the SOS’s office.

I’ve known about this column for awhile. While I offered some quotes, I can see why I wasn’t quoted. Seems there was a little ‘blogger bashing’ going on;

Most bloggers simply regurgitate news from other sources or react to news with their opinions, which range from the reasoned to the deranged.

That sentence made me laugh. I think I lean towards deranged, but more in a Krusty the Klown sort of way, not a Sibby sort of way. But back to the topic at hand, Pitty Patt Powwers and his new found, taxpayer funded, job;

Conservatism has a diverse intellectual origin, but the conservatism espoused by Powers generally was the standard institutional line: law and order – throw the marijuana smokers in jail. Never pass on an opportunity to kick around the Democrats. And always advocate for small government. Though, on this point, some observers find it amusing that Powers isn’t so conservative that he’ll pass up an opportunity to make a living off the taxpayers.

Pat is a ladder climber, he’d sell his own dog if he knew it would push him two inches forward in the SD GOP.

But Adelstein thinks Powers was dishonest as a blogger. Now, the senator worries that Powers will have access to the sensitive business filings that are held at the secretary of state’s office. Powers, he thinks, is a creature of some nefarious faction at work in South Dakota.

“I don’t know who his masters are, but I think he’s got one or two,” Adelstein said.

Pat, Nefarious? Get out of here. He has masters alright, conspiracy theories and twisting campaign rhetoric.

Powers said he’s focused on the task at hand, and that’s updating the secretary’s computer system and website. And that could mean easier access to records for the public. As for being too partisan?

“At the end of the day, they need to just sit and watch the results instead of having a knee-jerk reaction,” he said.

Indeed, sound advice from one of the state’s most prolific bloggers. Knee-jerk reactions are usually unwise, and they’re usually par for the course on political blogs. Which makes this whole episode pretty amusing.

Yes it is amusing. Unfortunately the taxpayers of South Dakota are the ones that won’t be laughing once this hypocritical partisan hack takes over in the SOS’s office.

One wonders after reading this article;

He still owns the name and the blog is on his server. Powers said he may offer to sell it at some point.

“For right now, I’m content,” he said.

And the fact that he still owns the domain.

The face of hypocrisy

For some reason I didn’t checkout the Kevin Woster story about Patt until today, and the comments section of the column had me in stitches (and we will pick apart the better parts in a moment). But, first I want to say that Patt is becoming more ironic then Thune these days. This is a guy who railed against big government and state employees then turns around and takes a job with the state? Huh? But no surprise, his father worked for the Feds, so Patt knows how to bring home the bacon on the taxpayer’s dime.

Saying government is bad = Good. Taking a job from the government = Even better.

It is pretty obvious that Jason Gunt appointed Patt as a political reward for his years of successfully attacking the libs even when there was no harm done by the libs. I’m mean, really kids, what does a Brookings Real Estate Agent know about running statewide elections? LMAO!

Of course, Mr. Gunt scares me more then Patt. Remember, this is the clown who made a false issue about the Feds taking over our state elections. I’m sure that is something Pitty Patt dug up for him on his internets blogs.

But Jason says Patt is qualified because of his ‘computer skills’;

Gant says he’ll be working, in part through Powers’ computer skills, to upgrade the system at the SOS office and make the elections and campaign finance information, as well as the corporate data, more easily accessible and transparent.

OMG. Laughing this hard in the morning really gets the bowels moving. Thanks Jason, never thought the SOS could help me drop the kids off at the pool. Anyhoo, first off, what computer skills are you talking about? This is a guy who paid through the nose to host his own blog. Who is that foolish? Do I pay for my blog space? Yes, but trust me, It costs me less then a Starbuck’s coffee. Makes you wonder what kind of new expenses the SOS office will occur? Remember Patt, big government is badddddd! Better keep those expenses to a minimum.

Data ‘more easily accessible and transparent’ LMFAO! This from a guy who deletes his entire blog?! Let’s be honest here folks. Will I ever run for office someday? Maybe. Will I delete my blogs on the internets if I do? Nope. In fact I would continue to blog up until the day I was elected and I might even continue after I am elected. I might even make it into a campaign issue and refer people to my archives. That is where the hypocrisy of Patt exists, this is a guy who railed against government then turns around and takes a job with them. And to add insult to injury, he deletes his past. Oh, but Patt claims that no one has the whole story;

PP (formerly) at the SDWC Says:
December 13th, 2010 at 4:30 pm

Kevin -

I “apparently decided to kill and hope folks would forget most of what (I) said?” Any thought towards actually asking my motivations instead of assuming? Because you know what happens when you assume. 

PP: Yeah, don’t you hate that about bloggers, when they assign motives without first discussing it with the assignee and pass judgment without getting all the facts? Boy, I’m glad that you never did that on your blog. What? Hello? (Rim shot, please). But I am, really, seriously, glad that you jumped in to explain. Wanna talk here, or should I give you a call? K.W.

And instead of finally filling us in, Pitty Patt gets his shorts in a bunch;

PP (formerly) at the SDWC Says:
December 14th, 2010 at 5:49 am

Kevin -

Sorry. I thought you worked in a newsroom.

PP: Wait, was that snotty? Because you didn’t include any smiley face. Surely you couldn’t be getting snotty already? Jason is never snotty with me, even when he doesn’t like something I’ve asked or written. Maybe you don’t understand the new rules. You’re not a private blogger anymore. You’re a soon-to-be state employee. That means you have to be nice to reporters. Even me.  Some might suggest you have to be nice to legislators, too. Even Adelstein.  K.W.

I’ll have to agree with Bill Fleming on this one;

Bill Fleming Says:
December 15th, 2010 at 10:59 am

“PP: Wait, was that snotty? Because you didn’t include any smiley face.”

Above: My favorite KW blog comment to date, right behind the time he told us that when he goes into the woods, he sings “Smo-o-o-oke on the Waaa-ter” to scare off the mountain lions. Great chops, BlogSensei. (…bows, mouths the words “I’m not worthy.)

PP: Who loves ya, baby?

So, in conclusion, I’m considering starting a pool on South DaCola to see how long Patt lasts in Mr. Gunt’s office. I give him at least two weeks.

Apparently, PPP has not seen ‘Jesus Camp’

Here is PPP’s crybaby story.

Want more?

Conservatives have been up in arms over a tape showing schoolchildren in New Jersey singing a song in praise of President Obama. Glenn Beck said the tape showed “indoctrination that is going on.” Sean Hannity ranted, “This video makes me mad…Mao would be proud.” Typical of this overblown outrage was this statement from RNC Chairman Michael Steele:

Friend, this is the type of propaganda you would see in Stalin’s Russia or Kim Jong Il’s North Korea. I never thought the day would come when I’d see it here in America.