The South Dakota Republican Party has been busy this month throwing mud about the South Dakota Democratic Party. Dan Lederman and his toady Pat Powers have mewled risibly about the Democratic Party exec’s July Fourth tweet of a notable and amusing movie line, pointed out embarrassing errors by SDDP leaders that spoiled ballot access for seven of our statewide candidates and requires us to reconvene and renominate candidates in August, and manufacturing bogus concerns about the slow process of proofreading and publishing our party platform.
Now that the South Dakota Democratic Party platform is available online (it has been for a couple days), and since Powers apparently got no really interesting blog content from his much touted trip to Washington, D.C., the GOP spin machine has to resort to more fakery to make the party’s platform sound like a product of some shameful, secretive, and invalid process:
While everyone has been distracted this week by Democrats finding out they screwed up their convention reporting, invalidating the results of the first one, and forcing them to hold another one, their platform was quietly released [Pat Powers, “Dems Silently Release 2018 Platform from Unlawful Convention…,” Dakota War College, 2018.07.13].
The Democratic Convention held June 15–16 in Sioux Falls was not unlawful. It was conducted in accordance with state law. Unlike the Republican convention, there were no instances of voting fraud or delegates ejected for unruly behavior. The only known violations of state law occurred after the convention closed, when the convention officials failed to sign the certificates of nominations legally made at the convention and failed to deliver those certificates to the Secretary of State within three business days of the closing of the convention. Those errors were big—they invalidated our nominations—but they did not invalidate everything that happened at convention. When he says, “invalidating the results of the first” convention, Powers implies incorrectly that the platform and resolutions that resulted are invalid. The delegates reviewed the platform in subcommittees and in committee of the whole, the delegates authorized a careful style and form review to be conducted by party staff, and that careful review has produced a valid party platform.
There is no controversy about the Democratic platform. Like the Republican platform, it is a very general document, making very general statements that provoke very little real disagreements without reading into them the partisan interpretations that Powers and Lederman need to manufacture headlines.
If there is any controversy, it should be in the failure of Powers, Lederman, and the South Dakota Republican Party for its continued endorsement of its national leader despite his numerous violations of the Republican platform. To wit:
- “The State should only collect taxes to fund legitimate government functions. Government taxes and fees should be limited to essential, inherently governmental functions.”—Tariffs are taxes. Trump’s tariffs fund no essential functions. They only devastate South Dakota’s economy.
- “Traditional American families should be encouraged and moral values supported….”—Donald Trump is a serial adulterer who regularly undermines moral values with his reckless, hateful, selfish statements.
- “We support a strong and viable economy for agriculture.”—Trump’s tariffs harm agriculture.
- “Free Markets – We support competitive markets”—Trump’s tariffs violate free markets and competition.
- “We support private property rights and due process.”—Trump has expressed disdain for due process on multiple occasions.
- “Caring for Others – We affirm our commitment to address the needs of citizens who are physically or mentally unable to care for themselves.”—Trump has expressed explicit disdain for people with disabilities and has undercut programs to support them.
- “We respect the American flag and encourage flag etiquette.”—(Oh, wait—that was Pat himself who disrespected the flag! Take party cards away from Trump and Powers both!)
I’ll take a moment in a later post to offer a full analysis of the Democratic platform. I suspect that, like my analysis of the Republican platform, that analysis will matter to very few voters, who, we can only hope, will focus on what both parties will actually do rather than what they say they will do, or what the parties’ propagandists say in fabricative outrage about their opponents’ platforms.
Nothing-burger. No madness. Unlike the heavily out-of-state financed, but low education SD Republic Party that hates minorities, the poor, the oppressed, the kind and gentle, and the unweaponized. We’ve all known Ann T is not a lawyer. Democrats are of the party of the people. Volunteers mainly. Interesting that Republican’s biggest deal, Thune, mischaracterized Putin’s/Mercer’s stolen election as a confusing nothingburger by BOTH parties. Republicans are truth challenged. ROLLING STONE intervw of Nancy Pelosie.
This is part of the same all encompassing strategy to sway public opinion against Mueller.
Rupert Murdoch’s news paper the Sun UK did the hit interview on Theresa May yesterday. Thump hires Shine as new deputy from Murdoch’s Fox News yesterday. Shine was Ailes’ no. 2. World wide faux news! Head fake the entire world.
can u tell i’m a little coffee rattled?
This is a diabolical vast right wing conspiracy. Having Koch Org. welcome in Sioux Falls is like having the Banditos headquarters in Rapid City.
And Powers blogs and SDRP hires big time lawyers to railroad all Dem candidates.
Reminds me of the Wyo/SD effort of rapid city lawyer Sara Frankenstein to deny voting rights of our Native neighbors in a recent crucial election where Rounds skirted EB5 fraud accountability.
One really needs to look at this in a more wholistic manner: the is no longer a Democrat or Republican part. There is only ProAmerican or Anti-American. The left is Anti-American and then there are Americans. Today you worry about tarriffs, yesterday it was illegal kids, before that collusion, excedera, excedera, excedera. You can only be one of two things: you either want America First or you want our home to fail. If you are predisposed to hope for failure then get the F out.
Well, old soviet, that leaves you out in the street bud. We are staying. We will hold the door for you whilst you get your lame arse out, and take your Russian lap dog with ya. Russian military men just got indicted by Mueller in the trump collusion operation. trump is just as guilty as these Russian soldiers as he ordered them to do the operation on July 27, 2016. That was also his last press meeting. The Russian’s were following orders from their Russian officer, trump. Lock him up!
What do ‘ya think, Jerry? I can’t understand stand why OS doesn’t get along well with his co-workers. Jolly old soul, ain’t he?
Hey, Sarge. Here’s some learnin’ for you. Tequila makes white people mean …
Excedrin. Excedrin, et cetera.
Just what i was noticing Curt. OS, it’s spelled “Excedrin,” and it will help you with that blinding headache.
You’re welcome.
Yup. Over 30 years ago Sec. Clinton warned us about the Vast Rightwing Conspiracy she was already on to. They had to shut that up fast. Too bad that patriotic US citizens didn’t listen better then. But we are now and we are incredibly fierce fighters.
Another interesting read. The difficulty is people differ in their view(s) about what it means to be an American(citizens of the United States of America) and who meets their criteria. Of course dueling monologues about acceptable behaviors, opinions, lifestyle, religion, etc. is of no value in actually solving the problems we face as a civilization. Honestly I believe we have much more in common and someone is monetizing the divide between us.