With the Gorsuch nomination out of the way, Senator John Thune is coming back to South Dakota so he can hold town halls! On Monday, April 10, the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce will host a public meeting with Senator Thune at 1:30 p.m. in the community room at the Public Safety Building… the police station.
Hmm… didn’t Congresswoman Kristi Noem hold her last (only?) 2017 town hall in the police station in Watertown? Is this part of the new protestophobia our Republican lawmakers have been exhibiting?
But hey, at least we got three days notice this time instead of the barely 24 hours Noem gave. Of course, with lots of people working on Monday, it may hard to get a big crowd to offer Senator Thune their questions….
Will farmer John’s “town hall” be preceded by ten minutes of “rules” like Miz Kristi’s ??
Good to have the police there though, eh ??
Nail his butt to the floor Cory! I’ll be in Murdo tonight. Maybe I’ll see him
The GOP Party memo must have told members to avoid town halls at any cost, but if you have one – hold it at the police station.
Marcel Marceau Marlboro Barbie he ain’t, but he might just as well be unspeaking. You can teach Mynah birds mimicry.
I suppose the word around Washington is that town hall meetings could become violent so they have looked for a safe haven. However, so many South Dakotans have been beaten down so far by Republicans there isn’t too much fight left in a lot of them. I hope they can rise to the occasion and not be violent but show the guy that South Dakota is sick of him and his days are numbered.
Yeah he is scaerd to hold it in sioux falls
Three days, huh? Well, I guess we are moving in the right direction though. Its kind of like learning to ride a bike I guess for Republicans. I can’t wait until they remove their training wheels, however.
But holding it at the police station is kind of like you having your Mom call the neighbors when you are feuding with your old friend next door….
But at least we got three days with the Senator, unlike the spontaneous Kmart style “Blue Light Special” town hall meeting that Noem held last month…… (“Attention Kmart Shoppers! Congresswoman Noem will be holding a town hall meeting for only the next fifteen minutes in the Sporting Goods department.”)
Senator Thune’s town hall strategy is more like when someone invites you on a trip, but they really don’t want you go, so they only give you three days to prepare….. (“Oh, I am so sorry that you can’t come along.” ;-) )
3 days? If a person was an informed voter with legitimate concerns, I would think they would be able to address him on the spot (as they have already been contacting him via phone calls/email/etc). Alas, there is too much TV and sports to keep up with.
Joe, if that is the case, then there really isn’t any need for a town hall, right? But since the Senator has legitimatized the concept of a town hall by announcing one, then why not do it right with a week or two week notice. And how about having it in a high school gymnasium, too?
When Janklow closed USD/S back in 1984, that didn’t stop him from holding a town hall meeting in Springfield to talk about the closure, which filled a high school gymnasium. It seems to me that Janklow is the standard when it comes to true South Dakota town hall meetings, but our Senator not so much.
But I will say it takes a lot of audacity to hold a town hall meeting at a police station just after you were complicit in the stealing of a Supreme Court seat, however….. I got to give him credit for that one…..
John,
I am all for Town Halls. I think that face to face time is of great value in all walks of life, and that a lack of it leads to worse communication, not better.
I just think it is funny when people feel like they are caught with their pants down when a politician rolls into town.
As far as being set in a police station….I think that is a misdirect. The conference room in the Public Safety Building is where plenty of organization hold meetings, training, and briefings. Such as:
The Retail Coalition
The South Dakota Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
The Aberdeen Area Human Resources Association
A Citywide Prayer Gathering in 2016
Housing and Urban Development
The Aberdeen City Planning Commission
The Aberdeen City Council
The South Dakota Counseling Association
The South Dakota Housing Development Authority
The Brown County Republicans
To imply protestophobia is preposterous. The guy is making three stops, according to Hub City Radio. Seems like plenty of venues to protest if one wanted to protest (unless said protesters are as afraid of Lutherans and Boys/Girls Club members as they are police):
That would be the perfect place to ask the fellow about immigration and his lack of leadership on the matter. Why are we now loosing money? https://www.propublica.org/article/us-immigration-agency-will-lose-millions-process-visas-fast-enough?utm_source=pardot&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailynewsletter
As long as this is acceptable, what is his suggestion about filling the seasonal jobs that are needed across his state with local folks? Will he insist on scale wages, lodging and health coverage for the workers to fill the positions needed?
Dairy farmers and ag folks in general should demand that Thune endorse the WTO instead of being like the rest of his republican cronies and denouncing it. They will need the WTO to find a way on a trade deal with Canada that has been blowing up for some time now. http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/4/7/1650872/-Canada-increases-tariffs-on-dairy-products-more-on-that-supposed-trade-defeat-for-Trump If farmers like this one, wait until BAT hits the fan!
Of course, all Thune will want to discuss is the fact that they got their man on the Court. So they can now lay more waste to the women folk and their offspring. They now have the Court, and everything else, when will they go after Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood to eliminate both?
Marlboro Barbie is under arrest for impersonating a United States Senator and human being that cares for anything other than korporate overlords. Book ’em, Danno!
Joe,
I don’t doubt that the conference room at the Aberdeen police station has been used for a lot of meetings over the years. But given the current mess we have in the West Wing along with the Republicans having just stolen a Supreme Court seat, I think the people of South Dakota deserve two weeks notice, the Barnett Center, and a one on one with our Senator with the help of some cordless mikes.
But I also think that you said it best, when you wrote, “I just think it is funny when people feel like they are caught with their pants down when a politician rolls into town.” Because you demonstrated or articulated rather well how spontaneous, flippant, indifferent, and coincidental this upcoming town hall meeting really is for the Senator and his attitude about it…..
Thanks to Senator Thune, we now have the freedom to shoot hibernating bears in their dens. That seemed cheap and mean to me — shooting sleeping bears, but Thune explained:
“As an avid outdoorsman and a U.S. senator, I understand the need to preserve and protect our wildlife and natural resources through proper management. I support a balanced, multiple-use approach to the management of our resources for agriculture, outdoor recreational
sports, wildlife enthusiasts, and commercial interests alike.”
So because of this Thune endorsed balanced, multiple use approach, wildlife enthusiasts are also now free to shoot wolf pups in their dens. And avid outdoorsmen can shoot both from planes and helicopters.
Next thing you know Marlboro Barbie, so called sportsman ,will shoot pheasants on the ground from an open vehicle window and declare that sporting. Maybe he will import an elephant (Indian or Asian one of course) and hunt tigers at the zoo in the name of sport.
So many questions to ask the smiling man who lies with a straight face…..but my top three would be:
– why do you keep saying the ACA is in a death spiral when it has been shown (by data and fact checkers) that this is untrue? Why don’t you reauthorize the “risk corridors” so that insurance companies will stop “bailing” out of the exchanges? And why did you authorize this obvious sabotage of the ACA?
– why did you vote to give away privacy of Americans internet browsing history – so that ISP’s could sell those histories to the highest bidder?
– you gave a floor speech talking about how the big, bad Dems were setting a dangerous precedent in filibustering Gorsuch. Was it a “dangerous precedent” to not give a Supreme Court nominee a hearing? For almost a year?
Bonus question: when will you, Rounds, or Noem – do a townhall in a more major city in South Dakota? Like Sioux Falls or Rapid City?
But Joe, notice that the stops bookending the public meeting are controlled events with no invitation to public Q&A. Also notice that he makes sure to schedule an event right after the town hall so he has an excuse to skedaddle.
Cory, since when did protesters need an invitation? Were the protesters invited to the Islamaphobia fest the other day? Nope, they just went and protested.
As for bookending events, I am going to safely assume that Thune is a busy man, and has things to do. Isn’t it a good thing that he is visiting so many places in Aberdeen? Additionally, since the town hall is during the day, many people might not show up; you might get quite a bit of q and a time.
Thanks again for putting the wishes of the Republican Party before the needs of the working class in South Dakota!!
Thank you for publishing the info. We often miss these and the cracker barrels due to simply lack of notification! Thank you for publishing the info!
Marlboro Barbie and mates are scheduled for 37 weeks of session this year as opposed to only 26 in an election year last year. Senate is only scheduled for April 3, 4, and 7 this year. MB could spend a week at each venue taking pointed questions from disgruntled constituents because they aren’t too keen on working and when they do decide to do something it is to the detriment of all except the wealthy. Is that what you want from your delegation in DC? Partisan destruction of social safety nets and gridlock otherwise?
Mr. Mike, I realize you are from Iowa, but you are making even less sense than usual. Can you try to elaborate your points with normal English like we speak here in the Great State of South Dakota and without calling people names? Or do you know an Iowegian neighbor who perhaps could type out coherent thoughts for you?
Really? Dakota “‘Free’ Press”? Is this the way to introduce an interview/town hall? Is this journalism at work or just more of the same old… You just might be another O’Riley spewing what your readers want to hear. Kudos for ratings. Please…
Ah, more of the false equivalence. Among other differences, I’ve never behaved so badly that I had to spend millions of dollars to settle lawsuits.
Tell me, Pete, what about my statements do you find inaccurate?
Can someone please let me know how to get on a state government email list that sends notifications of Thune, Rounds and Noem town halls here in the state of South Dakota. Additionally, I’m wondering if any of the three have ever heard of this metropolis known as “Sioux Falls”.
Alas, Brian, I don’t think there is any such government e-mail list notifying us of town halls. Thune, Rounds, and Noem, appear to schedule this events haphazardly and give little if any general notice of these opportunities… which is strange, since they know full well when recesses happen and have lots of staff who can plan and announce such events.
Glad to help, Keith—thanks for coming and asking an important question about military spending!
Joe, protestors don’t need an invitation, but I was referring to Q&A. Thune held two controlled events and did not invite the public to attend. He held one controlled event in one of the most controlled settings in the city, complete with an armed police officer coming in and out of the room… to monitor the audiovisual equipment.
Cory,
Is it wrong for a public leader to want a secure environment? Don’t some actually enlist security? Are there not armed guards inside of Congress at all times?
And as far the first event at Trinity Lutheran, it was open to the public. I just called them (605-225-6081), and they said it was open to the public, and that anything that is posted on their public sign or in the newspaper is generally open to the public. And to be fair to all the other churches in South Dakota, this is usually the case when it comes to events. I am willing to bet you could go to everything short of special meetings; bible studies, worship services, et cetera…
I could be wrong, maybe in your journalistic endeavors, you called Trinity, and they told you it was not open to the public.
Additionally, I would think that of all the law enforcement in the world, you would consider the Aberdeen Police Department as the most trusted, as that is where you are at right now. I don’t reckon most South Dakotans are afraid of guns. And of South Dakotas, the police certainly have the most training in safety when it comes to firearms. But I have not done much research into the Aberdeen Police. Are the Aberdeen Police untrustworthy or should the public fear them? Does this blog post promote trust, or fear, of the Aberdeen Police and police in general?