The supporters of Initiated Measure 22,the Anti-Corruption Act, are playing offense. Represent.Us points out in this fun Facebook video that two of the leading legislators who have sued to overturn the voters’ will, Republican Senators R. Blake Curd and Deb Peters, make questionable use of public dollars and power:
Republican spinster Pat Powers tries to distract the public by pointing out that Represent.Us is an out-of-state political action committee. That’s a typical South Dakota Republican ad hominem tactic, hollering that the person saying things they disagree with somehow isn’t one of us.
Powers does not, of course, address the actual substance of the charges Represent.Us lays against Republicans Peters and Curd. Powers only says that if someone from outside South Dakota says poop stinks, then poop must not stink.
Powers will have to extend his outsiders-lie, poop-doesn’t-stink critique to Vermillion activist Doug Kronaizl, co-leader and spokesperson of Represent South Dakota:
“An ethical government is not a Republicans versus Democrats issue; support for this measure extends from Sioux Falls to Rapid City among voters of all stripes,” said Doug Kronaizl, a spokesperson for Represent South Dakota, the local chapter of Represent.Us, the nation’s largest grassroots anti-corruption campaign. “What we are seeing and hearing now, though, blatantly disregards that support and, in turn, disrespects the voters.”
In recent days, public pressure began building on ringleaders of the repeal effort, starting with an aggressive online and print campaign, including a full page ad in the Argus Leader highlighting how Senate Majority Leader Blake Curd — the leading repeal proponent — is involved in a potential conflict of interest that the Anti- Corruption Act is designed to prevent. Curd is an owner of a hospital that received state contracts while he was a state senator. The state has refused to release emails that would show whether or not Curd was involved in contract negotiations. Curd signed an amendment to one of the state contracts [Represent South Dakota, press release, 2017.01.09].
Represent.Us/SD is also hitting Senator Curd with a mailer:
I find that card a little puzzling, given that it only softly calls recipients to action with that website at the bottom. The card more directly calls Senator Curd to act, with the other side reading, “Show us the emails, Blake.” It doesn’t provide readers with contact information for Senator Curd (38 S. Riverview Hts, Sioux Falls 57105, home/biz 605-331-5890, Capitol 605-773-3821, e-mail Blake.Curd@sdlegislature.gov) to encourage them to get hold of him and find out what this fuss is about. Represent.Us/SD must figure that South Dakotans are smart enough to figure that out for themselves… unlike Republicans like Curd and Powers, who don’t think South Dakotans mean what they say when they vote for measures like the Anti-Corruption Act.
What this is really all about is a desire for politicians to respect the will of the people. That is the message we are taking to Pierre tomorrow morning at 11 AM. Join us there if you can. You’ll find us on the sidewalk in front of the capitol building.
Ha!!! PP makes the out of state argument for why why corruption can’t be reigned in. Funny. He, along with most Republicans, has supported and blessed just about every corrupt project from any out of state outfit that has shown up with a few checks to pay them off. And, really, the extent of SD Republican corruption extends to foreign entities.
Don’t forget the money Pat has taken from Americans for Progress, and his absence of any critique of their involvement in campaigning against IM 22, and his failure to acknowledge, let alone criticize, all of the out-of-state money filling John Thune’s coffers (which also trickles down to Pat for his ads and press releases).
Mr. Winegar, if there is nobody else out in front or walking on the sidewalks you should go inside and wave your signs and sing and whatnot right there in front of the legislatures. They probably don’t go out on the sidewalks very much.
That’s okay grudznick. They watch tv and I believe they read the papers.
So you could parade in Sioux Falls in front of Mr. Curd’s clinic too and get on more TV and news papers. I’m just sayin…
What’s your beef weenie with this, Bob? I thought you were out traveling as a corporate narc this week, you must be on the computer in the Super Eight lobby in Chadron again, eh?
There will come a time, grudz.
If we all listen to Powers and take this as our own, then it is not out of state, it is what it is. I like the new South Dakota idea that shows what weasels these two knuckleheads are. As I am now a contributor, this is not some out of state operation, it is a South Dakota one. Blake is one curd who has soured badly.
how much out of state money does photo op get.