Senator David Novstrup dropped in to Dakota Free Press this morning to lecture me on accuracy. That lecture didn’t go well for David.
The tree from which that apple fell now exposes his own difficulties with accuracy. Representative Al Novstrup’s first ad campaign, launched outside District 3, links to his campaign website, the home page of which opens with an inaccurate statement:
I am running for re-election to the South Dakota State Senate. I have served in the State Senate for six years [Al Novstrup, campaign home page, downloaded 2016.08.19].
Has Al already forgotten the son he’s trying to replace. Al served six years in the Senate from 2009 through 2014, but David is District 3’s current Senator. Al is one of District 3’s two Representatives. His proper verb tense should be simple past, “I served,” not the misleading present perfect, “I have served.”
Al’s time warp continues below, where he includes in his “Legislative Accomplishments,” “Currently serving on Senate Appropriation Committee.”
Ah, no. Al is not currently on any Appropriations Committee, House, Senate, or Joint.
These errors are probably just a matter of cleaning up obsolete Web content. But you’ll want to hop to that, Rep. Al, before your son Senator David sees those errors. He can’t stand inaccuracy on the Internet.
Man, what a tag team. Where is Verne Gagne https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verne_Gagne
These two could not be farther from reality. The horse they speak of has long since been discredited much like austerity itself. Just a right wing pipe dream to feather their own nests. http://democracyjournal.org/magazine/41/a-threat-not-a-theory/
Young Mr. Novstrup is a plain spoken man of the people and not a fancy talking articulator no doubt but I suspect he makes no apologies for that.
But being mean to the younger Mr. Novstrup I will be perceived as just being mean by some people.
A lot of these people seem to have a great deal of difficulty with language usage and interpretation and those that read their offerings seem to have issues with reading comprehension. It seems far more republicans believe that language isn’t important as long as people get the general “jist” of the meaning of their rhetoric or at the very least, are clairvoyant in the understanding of it’s intent. Promulgating good law and policy absolutely demands a full and complete command and understanding of both language and “legalese.” Novstrup’s participation on legislative committees is purposeless folly if products coming out of those committees are vague, unenforceable, and impossible to understand.
These folks read or think things into documentation or publication that isn’t there or completely misinterpret something that is there. It is said that Trump and most of the other POTUS candidates communicate, at best, at the 5th grade level. Most of the time, Trump descends to 3rd grade. Then they “talk down” to us as if we were serfs and subjects to be educated. Clear evidence in South Dakota that our educational system has failed a huge number of native politicians. And even a few that come from Kansas!!
I’ve seen that trick used in past elections and it almost always bites the trickster in the butt. Usually, the opponent mails out or publishes a statement exposing the fraud right away.
First, as Cory says, it is factually incorrect to say Weird Al is running for re-election. The clear implication is Al is the incumbent seeking re-election, which is both cowardly and deceitful.
As to intent (reading the mind – such as it is – of Al Novstrup being a waste of time), the statement that Al is the current member of the Senate Appropriations Committee shows Al meant to masquerade as the incumbent Senator. I expect Al will claim somebody failed to proofread Al’s document or he will use the tired standby for stupid people, “well, the other side does it too.”
What Al does effectively is bully citizens who expose his two-faced explanations at home after he votes against education, jobs for youth, working families and a healthy economy. When Al goes Full Donald, it’s pretty disgusting. My guess is the key to Al’s political success is the legislature gives Brown County residents a reprieve two months a year from Al’s bluster and baloney.
I don’t know, folks. Mr. Novstrup, the young one named Al, was previously elected to the South Dakota state senate. He wishes to be re-elected to the state senate. Would it be better, would you go as grammar nazi on him, if he said “I am asking you to elect me to the state senate again, just like you did before, so I can do even more wonderful things for you.”
I like the watchdog for fair taxes bit. I assume he wants to tax people based on their income and ability to pay taxes then, instead of taxing food and other necessities of life. I assume that he doesn’t want the poor and middle class to pay a higher proportion of their income to the state than wealthy individuals. I assume he doesn’t want the elderly couple on a fixed income to pay a much greater proportion of their income for property taxes than their well to do doctor or lawyer neighbor.
You’re right, Darin: you and I watched that regressive tax much more closely. I still ended up supporting it, as did Al, but I’ll be curious to see what he says on the campaign trail about how he would fix that regressive tax to distribute the burden away from the elderly fixed-income couple and out to the real carriers of wealth in the state who should be paying their fair share for the blessings of a free and fair K-12 education system.
CH: See what Stan Adelstein is saying about who should pay their fair share of taxes. Right now corporate ag owns this state and they are the ones that craft tax policy. It’s the fox guarding the door of the chicken coop. At least one former State Senator is brave enough to try and kick the can over.
Mr. Stan is one wise fellow and had much of his property taxed at agriculture levy levels for some time, property he lived on or recreated at or developed for sale to soak some poor suckers. My friend Lar had much information on this. He’s no slouch when it comes to playing the game and for years he pretty much controlled all that happened with the legislatures budgets and things. I bet you dollars to challah that he’s feeling like in his last years he wants to make up for some of those things.
He is only one step above David, he is his father….it certainly isn’t in truth telling or smarts!!!!
I just finally went to alnovstrup.com/issues, and Cory, you just gotta beat this guy. You just absolutely gotta.
When I think about your capacity and affinity for communicating what going on around us and what people are most interested in, it’s clear as day that you will keep your constituents as informed as they could ever want to be while you’re in and out of session. And many legislators get in deep doodoo not responding to emails from their constituents; while you have such huge experience facilitating and following numerous sets of dialogue and issues simultaneously – it’s perfectly clear to me you’d be as reliable as the sun comes up in the morning for the people.
…And for MANY more reasons, I refuse to believe that South Dakota, or Aberdeen, could be so wrong that people like Al should be preferred over you in Pierre. I know you do great work and work your tail off, but Holy Jesus does Al Novstrup disappoint me on his website, for starters. You just really gotta beat this guy!!!
I am really pulling for you and for the people Aberdeen… and thereby my whole state on this one.
Cory is the ultimate in transparency. Do you want to know about what he knows and/or where he stands? You can search for it right here.
For God’s freakin’ sake, Al just talks about a whole huge giant – wait for it – keep waiting – it’s worth it – 2 whole issues he cares about the most. It’s actually a pert near comedy skit.
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Adam. Tell your friends, and send reinforcements!
I agree that transparency on the issues is one area where I hold a great advantage. I make clear where I stand on policy issues, without triangulation. When it sometimes sounds like I’m triangulating, it’s because I’m just trying to explore and explain multiple sides of the issue and find the necessary practical balancing point among competing interests.