Dan Lederman deep sixes the truth to raise PAC cash
Rushmore PAC put out a call to raise $1000 for Swanson’s local race, and quickly assembled a number of small donations from the area to help her get her positive message of economic development and community growth out.
After Laure hit the campaign trail and pushed hard the entire election, with less than a week to go before the election, Heidelberger curiously announced his withdrawal from the contest. Despite the fact it was too late to remove his name from the ballot.
Swanson handily captured the victory 78-22%.
Operating from the halls of Congress to City Council chambers, those are just two of the recent elections where Rushmore PAC was able to make a difference. When you make a donation to Rushmore PAC, you can be sure that we continue to elect conservative Leaders for today, and for the next generation [Dan Lederman, “Rushmore PAC Helps to Secure a Win Again!” RushmorePAC.org, 2015.06.23].
Lederman previously made a quixotic crusade out of intruding on a local election and turning Aberdeen’s nonpartisan city council race into a big-money partisan feud. However, his PAC efforts had zero impace on the outcome of the election. Zero.
There really was no contest, no victory to be swayed by Lederman’s outside meddling. I publicly withdrew from the race on May 26. If Lederman finds that withdrawal “curious,” he could satisfy his curiosity by reading the statement I published on May 26 or the article that the Aberdeen American News published on May 28, both of which explained that I withdrew because my wife and I bought a house in the northwest part of town and would be moving out of our rental unit in the southeast part of town in June. Laure Swanson’s seat represents Aberdeen’s southeast district; had I been elected, I would not have been able to serve in that seat. I thus withdrew.
Rushmore PAC implies that its money helped Swanson “get her positive message of economic development and community growth out” and “push[…] hard the entire election. My neighbors do not recall seeing a single ad or street sign. Swanson skipped the only public forum of the campaign on May 9. Wherever Rushmore PAC’s supposed thousand dollars went, it didn’t go for any visible campaigning.
Rushmore PAC says it made a difference in electing a “conservative leader.” However, the outcome would have been the same whether Dan Lederman had raised a million dollars or zero dollars for Swanson, the former marketing director for the failed Northern Beef Packers (making a living on Joop Bollen’s shady government-facilitated business practices—yeah, that’s conservative). Rushmore PAC quite literally made no difference in Laure Swanson’s default victory. Dan Lederman’s claim to the contrary is a lie, baldly demonstrating his willingness to deceive donors for his own benefit.
So Allender beat a right wing conservative like Kooiker. Big move. Allender is a racist and Lederman is a Jew.
But why did Lederman quit his job as state Senator. Just a year before he had been second in command in the Senate.
Hard to say, Roger. Maybe working behind the scenes at a PAC makes it easier to tell whoppers and deal only with the rich friends one likes instead of having to serve all citizens.
Dave
Is Swanson required to file a campaign finance report? If so, would it demonstrate that Lederman is either 1) so hungry for attention that he’ll throw money where it’s not needed or 2) a big, fat liar?
David Newquist
Although the city council members can be identified with political parties, the town likes to claim that the campaigns for council are non-partisan. Lederman demolishes that notion. However, what is most dismaying is that he is among those who think that telling lies, particularly if they impugn or cast doubt on the character of someone, is smart and clever politics. This is the essential plank of the GOP on national and state levels. Rand Paul was recently called out by the Washington Post fact checkers for telling an anecdote that the most cursory checking proved false. Lederman does that in regard to the Aberdeen council election. That conservative streak in the populace is based upon an underlying malice in people who crave occasions to denigrate other people , as it is the only thing that makes them feel superior in some way. The GOP exploits malice and ignorance as the key to gaining and holding power in this state. And it unabashedly generates falsehoods, such as Obama’s Muslim religious preference and his birth place.
The disappointing part of Laure Swanson running unopposed in an essentially non-partisan election is that she has never had to explain anything about what she knew and what her connections were as the public relations manager at Northern Beef Packers. The city endorsed and accommodated that project, but apparently was never given any information about the status of the NBP scheme. She is not merely an unfortunate ex-employee. Her job was to manage the information, ostensibly, and she seems not have had any.
We exceptional Americans like to look at the contrived mythology of Third Reich Germany and and the former Soviet Union, but pay little attention to how much of our country operates on falsehoods and deception. Here we have an example of how ignorance and mal-information reaches down to the local level.
Dave, I seem to recall that the city finance officer said we city council candidates are not required to file any such report.
And David, indeed, it is frustrating that Swanson did not show for the city council candidates’ forum held by the League of Women Voters and provide us a chance for a real dialogue about Northern beef Packers.
I worry that Lederman and other Republicans bent on one-party rule will turn their partisan attentions to city elections. If they do, we Democrats will have to follow suit and fight for decent, unbiased government, especially at the city level, where partisan politics solve no practical problems.
larry kurtz
Lederman’s ploy is right out of the ALEC playbook.
Cory, maybe you should find out exactly what Laure was doing during a debate that turned out to be meaningless. You will find out that family is above politics and your comments are/were insensitive.
As far as her job with NBP, who cares what she did there. She was PR. At the time of her employment, the plant was up and running. When the employees were laid off, she was employed elsewhere. All I can say is, it was a job, but some people that comment on this blog wouldn’t know what that is like.
Dan Lederman gets to lie about the role his PAC played in this election, and you call me insensitive, DR? Sounds to me like you Republicans are too sensitive to having your bull called out.
The forum moderator read a statement at the forum saying Swanson had chosen to take care of her ailing mom instead of attending the forum. I stand by my statement. She skipped the forum—plainly true, and plainly refutative of the Lederman statement that Swanson “pushed hard through the entire election.” I’m not questioning the moral merits of her choosing not to push; I’m pointing out that Lederman lies when he says she did push. Swanson is far less the issue in this post than Lederman, so let’s focus, shall we, DR?
The time of her employment at NBP included a couple years when it was not up and running, when they were still trying to pull the thing up out of whatever morass its managers had gotten it into while chasing EB-5 money. When the employees were laid off, a Texas company that had signed the first contract with NBP threw her a lifeline, a favor not many NBP workers got.
Yes, it was a job, making predictions and promises that her company did not keep. Her employment selling Aberdeen a line of bull seems very relevant to a discussion of fitness for office.
Note also, DR, that I’m not trying to discredit Lederman’s argument by talking about how insensitive he is for insulting by misportrayal the choices I made for my family with respect to the campaign. My family values and Laure’s are irrelevant to the fact that Lederman is lying.
leslie
OH BOY!! ROUNDS 6TH RICHEST NEW CONGRESSMAN!!! And we in Rapid City, friday at noon at the Hilton get to ask BRENDAN JOHNSON why in the hell all the investigators in china couldn’t indict CONGRESSMAN ROUNDS for EB5 FRAUD.
Roger Cornelius
“All I can is, that is was a job, but some that comment on this blog wouldn’t know what that is like”. – DR
I suppose that we can safely assume that DR knows the employment status of those that comment of this blog. Just who is employed or unemployed, DR? Who is retired and owes you no explanation?
And, why is it republican wing nuts automatically assume liberals are unemployed when they start losing a debate?
Where are you employed, DR?
Roger Cornelius
From what I have learned about EB-5, it was dirty from day one and perhaps planned that way.
Deb Geelsdottir
Cory, I’m sorry sleezy Lederman tried to defame you. It’s the kind of situation where you must rely on your reputation to refute character attacks. On that you have no worries.
Very perceptive, Roger. You understand that DR is trying to turn the argument from the facts (Lederman is lying) to personal attacks (Heidelberger’s mean, his commenters are lazy bums). As we all know, where we work, and even where Swanson works, are irrelevant to establishing the falsehood of Lederman’s claims. Should not Lederman’s potential donors be concerned about his false sales pitches?
Interesting, Deb: I don’t think I’d classify anything in Lederman’s June 23 post as defamation, but I realize I missed another falsehood. Lederman says in his June 23 post that I “took out papers to challenge Swanson within a day or so of moving into her community.” This statement is obviously false. I took up residence in Aberdeen on February 2, 2015; I registered to vote here on February 3, 2015. I filed my nominating petition on March 31, the petition deadline. One would expect that Lederman, a former state legislator and someone apparently paying close attention now to municipal elections, would know that an individual who had just moved into a community a day before the petition deadline would be ineligible to run for municipal office, since SDCL 9-14-2says one must reside in a city for at least 90 days before being elected or appointed to a municipal office, and the filing deadline was only 64 days before the election… unless, of course, Lederman is acting like Powers and falsely accusing me of breaking the law. Now that would be defamation. :-D
So Allender beat a right wing conservative like Kooiker. Big move. Allender is a racist and Lederman is a Jew.
But why did Lederman quit his job as state Senator. Just a year before he had been second in command in the Senate.
Hard to say, Roger. Maybe working behind the scenes at a PAC makes it easier to tell whoppers and deal only with the rich friends one likes instead of having to serve all citizens.
Is Swanson required to file a campaign finance report? If so, would it demonstrate that Lederman is either 1) so hungry for attention that he’ll throw money where it’s not needed or 2) a big, fat liar?
Although the city council members can be identified with political parties, the town likes to claim that the campaigns for council are non-partisan. Lederman demolishes that notion. However, what is most dismaying is that he is among those who think that telling lies, particularly if they impugn or cast doubt on the character of someone, is smart and clever politics. This is the essential plank of the GOP on national and state levels. Rand Paul was recently called out by the Washington Post fact checkers for telling an anecdote that the most cursory checking proved false. Lederman does that in regard to the Aberdeen council election. That conservative streak in the populace is based upon an underlying malice in people who crave occasions to denigrate other people , as it is the only thing that makes them feel superior in some way. The GOP exploits malice and ignorance as the key to gaining and holding power in this state. And it unabashedly generates falsehoods, such as Obama’s Muslim religious preference and his birth place.
The disappointing part of Laure Swanson running unopposed in an essentially non-partisan election is that she has never had to explain anything about what she knew and what her connections were as the public relations manager at Northern Beef Packers. The city endorsed and accommodated that project, but apparently was never given any information about the status of the NBP scheme. She is not merely an unfortunate ex-employee. Her job was to manage the information, ostensibly, and she seems not have had any.
We exceptional Americans like to look at the contrived mythology of Third Reich Germany and and the former Soviet Union, but pay little attention to how much of our country operates on falsehoods and deception. Here we have an example of how ignorance and mal-information reaches down to the local level.
Dave, I seem to recall that the city finance officer said we city council candidates are not required to file any such report.
And David, indeed, it is frustrating that Swanson did not show for the city council candidates’ forum held by the League of Women Voters and provide us a chance for a real dialogue about Northern beef Packers.
I worry that Lederman and other Republicans bent on one-party rule will turn their partisan attentions to city elections. If they do, we Democrats will have to follow suit and fight for decent, unbiased government, especially at the city level, where partisan politics solve no practical problems.
Lederman’s ploy is right out of the ALEC playbook.
http://www.governing.com/topics/politics/gov-alec-goes-local.html
Cory, maybe you should find out exactly what Laure was doing during a debate that turned out to be meaningless. You will find out that family is above politics and your comments are/were insensitive.
As far as her job with NBP, who cares what she did there. She was PR. At the time of her employment, the plant was up and running. When the employees were laid off, she was employed elsewhere. All I can say is, it was a job, but some people that comment on this blog wouldn’t know what that is like.
Dan Lederman gets to lie about the role his PAC played in this election, and you call me insensitive, DR? Sounds to me like you Republicans are too sensitive to having your bull called out.
The forum moderator read a statement at the forum saying Swanson had chosen to take care of her ailing mom instead of attending the forum. I stand by my statement. She skipped the forum—plainly true, and plainly refutative of the Lederman statement that Swanson “pushed hard through the entire election.” I’m not questioning the moral merits of her choosing not to push; I’m pointing out that Lederman lies when he says she did push. Swanson is far less the issue in this post than Lederman, so let’s focus, shall we, DR?
The time of her employment at NBP included a couple years when it was not up and running, when they were still trying to pull the thing up out of whatever morass its managers had gotten it into while chasing EB-5 money. When the employees were laid off, a Texas company that had signed the first contract with NBP threw her a lifeline, a favor not many NBP workers got.
Yes, it was a job, making predictions and promises that her company did not keep. Her employment selling Aberdeen a line of bull seems very relevant to a discussion of fitness for office.
Note also, DR, that I’m not trying to discredit Lederman’s argument by talking about how insensitive he is for insulting by misportrayal the choices I made for my family with respect to the campaign. My family values and Laure’s are irrelevant to the fact that Lederman is lying.
OH BOY!! ROUNDS 6TH RICHEST NEW CONGRESSMAN!!! And we in Rapid City, friday at noon at the Hilton get to ask BRENDAN JOHNSON why in the hell all the investigators in china couldn’t indict CONGRESSMAN ROUNDS for EB5 FRAUD.
“All I can is, that is was a job, but some that comment on this blog wouldn’t know what that is like”. – DR
I suppose that we can safely assume that DR knows the employment status of those that comment of this blog. Just who is employed or unemployed, DR? Who is retired and owes you no explanation?
And, why is it republican wing nuts automatically assume liberals are unemployed when they start losing a debate?
Where are you employed, DR?
From what I have learned about EB-5, it was dirty from day one and perhaps planned that way.
Cory, I’m sorry sleezy Lederman tried to defame you. It’s the kind of situation where you must rely on your reputation to refute character attacks. On that you have no worries.
Very perceptive, Roger. You understand that DR is trying to turn the argument from the facts (Lederman is lying) to personal attacks (Heidelberger’s mean, his commenters are lazy bums). As we all know, where we work, and even where Swanson works, are irrelevant to establishing the falsehood of Lederman’s claims. Should not Lederman’s potential donors be concerned about his false sales pitches?
Interesting, Deb: I don’t think I’d classify anything in Lederman’s June 23 post as defamation, but I realize I missed another falsehood. Lederman says in his June 23 post that I “took out papers to challenge Swanson within a day or so of moving into her community.” This statement is obviously false. I took up residence in Aberdeen on February 2, 2015; I registered to vote here on February 3, 2015. I filed my nominating petition on March 31, the petition deadline. One would expect that Lederman, a former state legislator and someone apparently paying close attention now to municipal elections, would know that an individual who had just moved into a community a day before the petition deadline would be ineligible to run for municipal office, since SDCL 9-14-2says one must reside in a city for at least 90 days before being elected or appointed to a municipal office, and the filing deadline was only 64 days before the election… unless, of course, Lederman is acting like Powers and falsely accusing me of breaking the law. Now that would be defamation. :-D