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District 3 Senate Candidates Distinguished by Commitment to Online Interaction

In the race for District 3 Senate, which candidate is serious about using the Internet to communicate with voters, and which candidate considers online contact an afterthought? Let’s compare campaign Facebook pages. Here’s mine this morning, before breakfast:

Cory Heidelberger, campaign Facebook page, screen cap 2016.08.10.
Cory Heidelberger, campaign Facebook page, screen cap 2016.08.10.

And here’s my Republican opponent’s campaign Facebook page at about the same time:

Al Novstrup, campaign Facebook page, screen cap 2016.08.10.
Al Novstrup, campaign Facebook page, screen cap 2016.08.10.

Letting voters know what’s on your mind and inviting them to tell you what’s on their mind is a pretty basic job requirement for statesmen in a democracy. It’s also really easy in an age when over 70% of us are walking around with enhanced Starfleet communicators in our pockets.

Voters need leaders who are willing to communicate, to meet voters where they are, online and off. District 3, I can do that for you.

20 Comments

  1. caheidelberger Post author | 2016-08-10 12:59

    Leo, I’m not aware of any resolutions on net neutrality that have come before the Legislature. I wonder: are there any state policies on which the Legislature may have taken action that would intersect with that issue?

    Part of the reason I support net neutrality is to make sure that independent websites like mine and certain social media platforms can’t be crowded off the stage by big-spending corporate and political interests who want to make sure their message gets more attention. All citizens should have equal opportunity to publish their thoughts online and to invite conversation… and all candidates should work hard to use that opportunity.

  2. Leo 2016-08-10 13:53

    Sen. John Thune, Chairman of the Commerce Committee, vows to rewrite Telecommunications Act in 2017. The Telecommunications Act gives the FCC its authority. The FCC is also having to defend against several lawsuits.

    http://www.thehill.com/policy/technology/290772-republicans-see-fresh-chance-to-overhaul-telecom-law

    Cory, I am unaware of any state policies taken by the legislature, but I do think this needs to be watched closely. State policies would fall under the jurisdiction of the PUC, would they not? I am bringing this to the attention of people now because I think Thune should clearly state his position on Net Neutrality. Has Jay Williams?

  3. Timoteo 2016-08-10 15:35

    Yes, you are running circles around the competition, but perhaps there is no need to gloat. =P

  4. Kris 2016-08-10 15:54

    dude wat are yer chances of winnin?

  5. Kris 2016-08-10 15:58

    ya gonna beat him bad?

  6. grudznick 2016-08-10 17:49

    That face book thing is just another one of the fads the kids do like this Pokeyman thing going on now. Mr. Novstrup should be applauded in his preference to shake hands and talk like a human being with his constituents instead of blogging and tubing and interlinking in.

    I am sure if the young Mr. Novstrup were to stand on the corner with a sandwich board with his phone number asking people to call him to get their problems fixed, Mr. H as his competitor would criticize the color of the sandwich board.

  7. Leo 2016-08-10 18:40

    Cory H. is a Sanderscrat, highly social in all aspects, and a leader for South Dakotans. Al must be intimidated for sure….probably went to the golf course to check his handicap with his cronies who are few in number.

  8. leslie 2016-08-10 20:41

    grudz, facebook of which I am not a part, is one of the largest industries in the world and its advertising (bothersome pop-up ads which corrupt the ability og a computer to run efficiently) is a business model with no equal.

  9. Kris 2016-08-10 20:48

    hes da dude wit thunder road in Sioux falls. me my pops n buds raced n my car broke. this novstrup dude gave us free rides fer it. hes sick! you runnin against him?

  10. Jenny 2016-08-10 20:50

    Cody, did you ban Sibby again? I haven’t seen him on here for awhile.

  11. caheidelberger Post author | 2016-08-11 07:06

    Jenny, Sibby is on a timeout. I am dedicated to conversation with constituents, but I will shut out individuals whose net effect tears the conversation away from substantive issues, just as I will eventually end conversations while I’m going door to door that aren’t going anywhere. I will also give heck to people like “Kris” who keep pretending to be someone they are not and faking a spelling disorder.

    Kris does raise the interesting point that our District 3 Representative spends most of his work time running an amusement park 200 miles away. AL’s closer to Mitchell than I am; he should open a blog and invite Sibby to the comment section.

  12. caheidelberger Post author | 2016-08-11 07:07

    Timoteo, it’s not gloating to point out that I am carrying out one of the basic duties of a Legislator far better than my better-funded opponent who has done the job for 14 years.

  13. caheidelberger Post author | 2016-08-11 07:09

    Leo, net neutrality is an issue I will pass off to the feds first, then maybe the PUC if they have any jurisdiction. It’s an important issue, but state legislators aren’t the ones to work on it. Do check with Stace Nelson, though: he likes writing resolutions on national issues. ;-)

  14. Kris 2016-08-11 07:21

    wat?

  15. caheidelberger Post author | 2016-08-11 07:25

    [Kris, the word is what. w-h-a-t. what. If you aren’t pretending, now you know the proper spelling. Use that proper spelling from now on. You’ll improve your ability to communicate and be taken seriously in written conversations.]

  16. Leo 2016-08-11 07:37

    @Cory, Laugh now, or bitch later! Snide does not become you. Reminds me of all those many talking heads who dismissed Trump in the GOP primary. Of course this is a federal issue first (at least for now), but leave it to sell-out Republicans like Thune to deregulate everything at the expense of the public interest, health and safety in order to line their campaign coffers with big, corporate dollar donations.

  17. Dana P 2016-08-11 09:12

    I wish I was a District #3 constituent. No question as to how my vote would be cast!

    Change needs to happen in Pierre. I’m hoping that Cory will be the one that will start this change.

  18. Roger Cornelius 2016-08-11 11:39

    At the risk of giving Sibson any kind of exposure, I put on my barf bag and travelled over to sibbyonline.
    Virtually every post he now has up is slamming Cory.
    Naturally I won’t give him the satisfaction of a comment and it appears no else does either, except Larry Kurtz.

  19. caheidelberger Post author | 2016-08-12 04:37

    And that, Roger, is why, even amidst my commitment to open conversation with my constituents, I will mute a few characters from the conversation. This blog post is about me, but such posts are a rarity. Sibson tries to make every post about himself and his strange online war against me personally. I’m happy to talk about my views, and I’m happy to hear other people’s thoughts about the policy questions under discussion. But the general public doesn’t benefit from one obsessed person turning every conversation back to the same narrow-minded hobbyhorses.

Comments are closed.