The Washington, D.C.-based American Conservative Union Foundation says South Dakota’s Legislature got less conservative this year. Hooray!
The ACUF has reviewed each piece of legislation voted on in both the Senate and House of Representatives to produce average scores for each chamber as well as individual scores for each sitting member.
…Despite the two chambers working together to pass a handful of beneficial legislation this year, the average scores for the South Dakota State Senate and House both fell this year, suggesting the legislative body has room for improvement. The South Dakota Senate’s average score decreased by 2% points this year – from 59% in 2016 to 57% in 2017 – and the House’s score decreased by 3% – from 63% in 2016 to 60% this year [American Conservative Union Foundation, “South Dakota Sees Falling Scores, a Tough Legislative Session,” 2017.07.24].
Well, not “each” bill; the ACUF South Dakota scorecard shows 22 bills scored for Senators and 21 for Representatives.
ACUF names Jenna Netherton of Sioux Falls and Phil Jensen of Rapid City the most conservative Senate members. Senator Netherton raised her score from 70% to 95%; her only slip came in voting for Senate Bill 163, which sought to remove some campaign finance disclosure requirements. ACUF’s rating on this bill is confusing, since they say, “ACU opposes laws that are designed to intimidate donors and chill political speech and opposed this bill.” But SB 163 sought to remove exactly the kind of disclosure requirement that Koch-flavored donors say intimidates them and chills their speech, since they prefer to meddle in our elections anonymously. SB 163 also cost Senator Jensen points—he dropped from 100% to 91%—as did his vote for SB 135, an obvious liberal plot to support American beef by updating South Dakota’s country-of-origin labeling requirement.
ACUF says Larry Rhoden of Union Center is the most conservative House member. Rhoden scored 90%, losing points on two bills. Rep. Rhoden supported HB 1157, which, says ACUF, “creates a new bureaucracy, the Agriculture Future Development Fund, which will make grants and loans to promote the activities and products of the South Dakota agricultural industry.” Rep. Rhoden also supported SB 81, an effort to crush free-market competition by banning powdered alcohol.
District 3 Representative Dan Kaiser (86%) and Senator Al Novstrup (tied with supposed conservative stalwart Senator Stace Nelson at an embarrassing 82%) are among several conservative runners-up. Alas, ACUF doesn’t find anyone in what it calls the “Coalition of the Radical Left,” legislators scoring 10% or lower. The “worst” they can find are Democratic Representative Ray Ring of Vermillion at 19% and Democratic Senator Craig Kennedy of Yankton at 27%.
The least conservative Republicans were Senators Soholt, Tidemann, and White, all tied at 59%, and Representative Conzet at 43%. The most conservative Democrats were Senator Frerichs at 48% and Representative Bartling at 52%.
Of course Mr. Rhoden is the most conservative. He is a Rhock Rhibbed Conservative, and none of the Rhoden Rhangers are going to fault him for a common sense ag measure or banning the snorting of powdered alcohol that only libbies and Libertarians would want to give to our young people to put in their coolaid and up their noses. Let those kids drink PBR and Schlitz they steal from their pa’s garage fridges like the rest of us had to do.
Mr. grudznick, yes, you are correct about the Rhodendrean being the most conservative. He is the best at it that money can buy. If you put the Rhodenrean beside a tree in the forest, and they fell together, would anyone care?