Schoenfish Bitter About Unspecified Critiques from Unnamed Critics

Representative Kyle Schoenfish (R-19/Scotland) breaks from his usual mechanical recitation of bills and votes, bills and votes, to close his latest Legislative update with a rather bitter parting shot at… well… someone for… well… something:

A few dishonest politicians and people attacked me over some issues before the last primary and general elections and the voters of District 19 gave a resounding rejection of those shameful attacks. They have continued to attack me through various means over the same issues recently but our job as legislators is to serve you the people and not to waste our time constantly criticizing those who disagree with our views and votes. We are a citizen legislature in South Dakota and legislators make great sacrifices so they can serve and make a difference. It has been very rewarding this last week to have received so much encouragement and support from legislators of both parties, state officials, friends, family and clients back home and across the state rejecting those recycled attacks. I will only use the meritless political attacks as motivation to continue to serve the best I can in public service and professionally [Rep. Kyle Schoenfish, “A Review and Response,” Mitchell Daily Republic, 2017.03.09].

Voters of District 19 who may want clarification as to what shameful, meritless political attacks he was talking about were unable to query Rep. Schoenfish as to the source of his pique this weekend, since he skipped the wrap-up crackerbarrel held in his hometown of Scotland on Saturday. Kyle’s mom came to speak up for him, but that doesn’t quite count as “serv[ing] the best I can in public service and professionally.”

It’s hard to say what has Schoenfish so irked. The only time his name popped into the headlines this Session was not at the hands of any “dishonest politician” (unlike some of Schoenfish’s other language, that phrase isn’t redundant). Schoenfish’s only major press time came from Angela Kennecke, who noted that the fatally scandalized Mid-Central Educational Cooperative is blaming Schoenfish’s accounting firm for not catching over $3 million in discrepancies in Mid-Central financial reports. Schoenfish seems not to have called Kennecke back yet about that story, but consultant Michael Wyland has at least argued that Mid-Central’s blame-the-auditor defense is unlikely to fly.

Whatever Schoenfish is mad at, he should make up his mind on his response strategy. If his nameless critics aren’t worth mentioning, then he shouldn’t mention them or their critiques. If they are worth mentioning, then they (critics and critiques) are worth mentioning by name, in detail, and with a direct, succinct rebuttal consisting of simple facts. Instead, Schoenfish only throws a vague, whiny combo of “poor me!” and “awesome me!” that answers no questions.