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Lederman, Rhoden, Team Noem Appeal to Thug Tactics

This is the Trumpist fascism we fight.

At Vice-President Mike Pence’s last-ditch attempt to save Kristi Noem from losing to Billie Sutton, South Dakota Republican Party chairman Dan Lederman takes the Saudi approach to objective criticism and says “the only thing radical liberals understand right now is a punch in the mouth“:

Noem’s running mate Larry Rhoden walks up to Democratic opposition researcher Ethan Marsland at a Noem event and says, “What if I gut-punched you right now… that would be unfriendly, wouldn’t it?

Noem’s political director Jim Macintosh engages in similar intimidation tactics against Marsland, insisting that Marsland doesn’t have permission to be at a publicly advertised political event… until a sponsor of the event comes up and says he does:

“Be nice to everyone,” right, Al Novstrup? Maybe you should kick that message up the ladder to your Republican leaders.

In South Dakota, the thug tactics come from Republicans. Vote for decency—vote for Democrats

63 Comments

  1. Hank

    I wish I could say that was unbelievable, because it should be shameful at the very least, but this is the tactic and it is absolutely the way the Noem family and friends treat others. My daughter had the misfortune of playing softball against the Noem daughter and my daughter was on third base and the Noem dad yells at his daughter as she is running from 2nd to 3rd to “take her out”, this was a 4th grade summer softball game! So, I am not surprised. I had a conversation with the Noem dad after that comment and he retracted in a hurry, but only because I am much larger than he and he was in my hometown. Fortunately the daughter had no idea what he was telling her to do and simply got to the base and didn’t take my daughter out, but that is the win at all costs mantra that is on display in her advertisement and in her life. Let’s hope they are not the governing family. I know some good families as I live across the street from Dick Kneip’s brother and saw him yesterday and he and his family are wonderful people and I think Billie and his family would be a good addition to the statehouse as they are civil people from what I have found, not like the Noem family in my experience.

  2. leslie

    Democrats are not radical, they are members of the Democratic Party’s values of goodness, conscience, fairness and justice.

    In response Republicans are all angry elbows. Hillary called them a name that fit: “Deplorables” and their finely honed PROPAGANDA MACHINE-Fox News responded like a tantrumming adult/child that must only be dragged off by one kicking foot, screaming, to its room. Remember Kevin in “Home Alone”. He told his mother: “I HATE YOU”. That…is the swampy attitude of Noem, Rounds, Thune, Nunes, Kobach, MacCarthy, McConnell, Trump, Ryan, Cruz and every other Republican who labeled racist KKK/Nazi/militant AR15 Milita fight clubs trying to hold onto the white majority: “many FINE people”. W

    We Dems, Progs, & independant Liberals have all been smeared as Antifa, and as a Mob resisting all this dysfunction, as SCOTUS was unconstitutionally packed to the right, and with misogyny (Thomas, Kavanaugh).

    A punch in the mouth is just like shooting someone on 5th Avenue.

    Just like starting the Iraq War.

    Just like stealing Jimmy Carter’s election by treasonous delay of hostages’ release.

    Just like Bush v. Gore.

    Just like Merrick Garland’s stolen SCOTUS seat.

    Just like Round’s Senate election despite his EB5 complicity.

    VOTE Billie Sutton. It starts here in SD.

  3. Jenny

    When one Political Party has been the ruler for 40 plus years, they become self-entitled, arrogant, little________________. (My DFP boys can fill in the last line!)

    The Republicans are annoyed at a close race this year.

  4. OldSarg

    Hank “but only because I am much larger than he” do you always handle situations such as this by acting like a bully?

    leslie “Democrats are not radical” when people call other people names in order to demonize them politically that is radicalism. Look at this quote “This is the Trumpist fascism we fight”. Trump is not actually a fascist but a democratic radical uses these terms to inflict hurt and damage on half the Nation who voted for Trump. There are bullies on both sides of the debate and it is our responsibility as civil members of society to stop the name calling and verbal attacks. Poor Hank above has even lowered it to threats at a girls ball game.

    It is time to grow up folks and act like civil adults.

  5. Porter Lansing

    OldSarge represents President Trump’s midterm campaign built on dark themes of fear, anger, division, nationalism and racial animosity. They want a Democrat reaction, making us appear to be an “angry mob”. It’s a political tactic President Trump’s using to take attention away from himself and his crude behavior.
    Election Day’s not the time to be distracted or diverted from the job at hand.

  6. o

    Last night, the news live feed from Rep. Noem’s campaign event showed her speaking about her family’s struggle after the “death tax” to pay the bills. I don’t know if she has really spoken to that much, if at all, on the campaign, but clearly last day of the campaign is the time to break out all the hits – especially ones that do not have time to be fact-checked.

  7. 96Tears

    Ol’ Lazy Dirtball Kristi Noem is the one Lederman should want to punch in the throat.

    Billie Sutton has run a superior campaign against far greater odds than Lazy Dirtball Kristi, but any other candidate with experience would be walking away with this election. Why?

    – Lazy Dirtball Kristi wasted eight years in the U.S. House and accomplished nothing other than voting dozens of times against Obamacare.

    – She ran a dirty campaign because she has nothing of value to sell other than to expose Billie for being a Democrat. (Big whoop.)

    – She is dismissive of people in public, and can hardly make eye contact in her own campaign commercials. Until now. At the last minute. Only because she has blown her chances to run on merit.

    Craig Lawrence’s full page ad Sunday calling on Republicans to come home and vote Republican looked desperate. It tells voters to hold their noses and vote for his party’s worst candidates for governor and attorney general in four or five generations.

    Lederman is an appalling failure as a state Republican chairman in South Dakota. This election should have been on cruise control in the last two weeks. It’s far from that.

    On the positive side, win or lose, Billie Sutton has shown Democrats there is a path forward in South Dakota.

  8. Rorschach

    The old, “We inherited millions. It was sooooo tough!” line. It stirs the Republican soul, if there is such a thing.

  9. jimmy james

    Feeling a little stressed, Larry? I would be too. Maybe they are so desperate they’ll take any publicity… even from an assault.

  10. John Tsitrian

    Mr. Tough Guy Lederman is a joke. Unfortunately, those who care about South Dakota’s image to the rest of the country can’t be finding it very funny.

  11. Rorschach

    You have to understand. Bail bondman Lederman wants people to get arrested.

  12. Richard Schriever

    McIntosh – brown shirt – skinhead. I guess he’s pretty obvious.

  13. Richard Schriever

    Old Sarge – the classic definition of fascism is a situation in which the government acts as an arm of industry. When corporate interests supersede the interests of the general populace. When private profit drives public policy. Trump is indeed a fascist.

  14. chris

    That ugly won’t botox.

  15. mike from iowa

    when name callers call other people names in order to demonize them politically that is whining, especially when done by Trolls.

  16. Rorschach

    In 2016, Trump lost the popular vote by more than 2,850,000. And a lot of his votes then were not FOR Trump but against Hillary. Trump has never been popular and never approached 50% approval. There is going to be a major anti-Trump vote today. People are fired up to vote for Democrats. The anti-Trump majority will be heard today.

  17. o

    Jason, are you now against the second amendment?

  18. Jason

    Of course not 0. The Candidate they are endorsing wants to take guns away from law abiding citizens.

    So what message do you think they are trying to send 0?

  19. Donald Pay

    The problem isn’t Lederman or Trump or any of these pretend leaders. It’s the Republican audience. We like to focus on the leaders, and they all are terrible, but in a democracy the leaders get away with whatever the voters allow. If the Republican audience and a majority of the voters are thugish, well, they’ll elect and follow the candidates who reflect themselves.

    It’s not a pleasant thought that your neighbors and co-works might be thuggish fascists, but that’s exactly what the history of fascism in the 1930s and 1940s teaches us. You were either people who were hiding the Anne Franks from the Nazis and were part of the resistance or you were the Nazis. That’s what South Dakotans get to decide. It’s about you and who you are, not about weak people like Lederman.

  20. o

    Jason, I cannot speak for the men in your linked picture; I also cannot confirm your broad description of Abrams’ position on guns (I do not vote in her district). Maybe those men can wrap their heads around the idea that support of a candidate can be nuanced, and there can be more than a single-issue to determine the value of a candidate? Maybe?

    Bu allow me to ask you, why did you refer to that picture as “thug tactics?” So often, “thug” is right-wing racist whistle-calling. What exactly made those men “thugs” in your view?

    Are these men and women “thugs” as well? They are armed and advocating for a candidate:
    https://nypost.com/2016/07/18/trump-supporters-show-off-their-guns-at-rnc-rallies/

  21. mike from iowa

    Of course not, O. The candidate Jason’s endorsing wants to take away voting rights from law abiding Democratic voters in every red run state plus the kremlin annex.

    Meanwhile, in Georgia, Drumpf was telling bikers to violently engage antifa protesters because thatis what Drumpf wants all his minions to do. Get violent so Drumpf can claim victimhood.

  22. Debbo

    “part of the resistance or you were the Nazis.”

    Don, I agree that what the people embrace is critical and that the urges to violence and hate were already there but— leadership unleashed it. Leadership normalized it. Leadership encouraged and approved of it.

    I think the leaders are as important as the followers.

  23. OldSarg

    Wow! Early polling is not looking good for the democrats nationwide! Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin are showing an overwhelming number of republican votes. Higher than the last presidential election!

    I haven’t seen and exit polls for South Dakota yet. Looks like most of you posters above should have paid more attention to your own state rather than our home state. I guess this is what happens when you put your nose where it doesn’t belong right Portly?

  24. OldSarg

    Wow! Early polling is not looking good for the democrats nationwide! Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin are showing an overwhelming number of republican votes. Higher than the last presidential election!

    I haven’t seen any exit polls for South Dakota yet. Looks like most of you posters above should have paid more attention to your own state rather than our home state. I guess this is what happens when you put your nose where it doesn’t belong right Portly?

  25. mike from iowa

    Crooked California Congressweasel Daryl ‘My Brother Did It” Issa conceded his seat before the polls even opened. One POS wingnut down already.

  26. Rorschach

    The only question tonight will be, “How many governorships, house seats, and state legislative seats will republicans lose?” The GOP Party will have a terrible night. It’s only a matter of how terrible. Heck, they may even lose seats they are supposed to win – like the governor and attorney general races in SD. Wouldn’t that be something if the GOP lost those slam dunk races, OldSarg?

  27. Donald Pay

    OldSarg, don’t ejaculate prematurely. Early exit polling always favors Republicans, because that’s when more Republicans vote. Democrats vote more predominately in early voting and late afternoon to evening. Students always drag themselves in during the evenings. As long as students are in line at 8:00 they can vote.

  28. Debbo

    538 has consistently listed SoDak among the very pale pink states. Leans R, but but only 1 or 2 points in the gov race.

    Tell you what, if Ravsbutt is elected, I hope the SDGOP focuses it’s grifting on chiefly GOP voters. They’ll deserve it for electing an idiot.

  29. Debbo

    Mike, great news about Issa. He’s a nasty SOB.

  30. Debbo

    Cory, do we get an Election Results open thread?

  31. Jenny

    Donald, that’s funny! It’ll be a very good Evening for Democrats in Minnesota. South Dakota Democrats can smile a little bit as a former Mankato high school teacher that started his career teaching on the Pine Ridge reservation will win the gubernatorial race in Minnesota!
    Go Tim Walz!

  32. mike from iowa

    Speaking of thugs here’s AG (soon to be an asterisk) Jeff Sessions idea of protecting the integrity of the voting process:

    Sessions goes well beyond the false equivalence of that paragraph: The actual monitoring efforts seem far more aimed at keeping a close eye on minority voters, not at ensuring their right, as trouble-making journalist and think-tank guy Dan Lavoie points out on the Twitters:

    Sessions is explicit that DOJ is monitoring for “fraud.”

    Of the list of 35 DOJ-targeted jurisdictions:

    24 of the 35 jurisdictions are majority POC (69%)

    31 of the 35 are at least 40% POC (91%)

    All 4 jurisdictions in Alaska & ones in SD and ND are more than 70% Native American.

    Lavoie adds,

    7 of the 35 jurisdictions being monitored by DOJ are majority Native American.

    There are only 26 majority-Native American counties in the whole country — meaning DOJ is monitoring a quarter of all such counties!

    Gosh, you know, there really IS a huge problem with Republican efforts to suppress the Native American vote in North Dakota. But looking for “fraud” at Native-majority precincts isn’t exactly going to help a lot.

    From yer Wonkette

  33. Debbo

    Mike, your congressvermin has raised his level of idiocy by barring the Register from his last campaign event.
    https://goo.gl/sxhrtJ

  34. mike from iowa

    Fraud is not the problem with US elections. It is voter suppression done exclusively by the party of wingnuts, which explains why wingnuts won’t look for something they can actually see and find.

  35. OldSarg

    I just voted at Pinedale elementary. It was nice to see all the Republicans in one place, standing in line and laughing about our victory tonight.

  36. OldSarg

    mike, Debbo and jenny you guys sure comment a lot on a South Dakota site being none of you live here and your opinion doesn’t matter. . .

  37. RJ

    Violence is never acceptable. Whomever it comes from. There happens to be people who align themselves with a certain political party who have demonstrated violent rhetoric and violent behaviors. There are many people I disagree with but even if the orange turd bucket was spewing vitriol right in my face, I wouldn’t punch him, nor would I condone anyone else doing so. What’s interesting, is that I haven’t heard one S.D. democrat calling for violence against people with a different perspective. So, thank you to my local Dems for keeping it classy and peaceful.

  38. mike from iowa

    OldSoapsudsSouffle sure wastes a lot of time whining about a few out of staters he can’t do a damn thing about. Must drive him crazy knowing he is that impotent.

  39. mike from iowa

    King also said he hoped Sotomayer and Kagan eloped to Cuba so we could have a 7-2 activist wingnut court full of sexual predators.

  40. Timoteo

    Those comments are terrible. No one should be condoning physical violence as a way to suppress political disagreement. I say this as a conservative person.

    Sometimes I wish that liberals would similarly castigate their fellow liberals who condone physical violence. If everyone did this, surely the problem would lessen.

  41. Jason

    o wrote

    Bu allow me to ask you, why did you refer to that picture as “thug tactics?” So often, “thug” is right-wing racist whistle-calling. What exactly made those men “thugs” in your view?

    Are these men and women “thugs” as well? They are armed and advocating for a candidate:
    https://nypost.com/2016/07/18/trump-supporters-show-off-their-guns-at-rnc-rallies/

    Thug is not often right-wing racist whistle-calling.

    Holding guns contrary to the candidates position makes it a thug tactic.

    Republicans holding guns in your picture is not a thug tactic because the Candidate follows the Constitution and the Second Amendment.

  42. grudznick

    Aw, that fellow was standing on his tippyptoes with a camera in the air, and Mr. Rhoden came up and jokingly said “What if I gut-punched you?” and then laughed. It was exactly like when Mr. Sutton said “Why no personal income tax on the list?”

    But let me tell you, Jack, you would not want to be gut-punched by Mr. Rhoden. That’s exactly why he’ll make a dandy Lt. of Governors.

  43. grudznick

    Mr. OldSarg, I like Mr. Rhoden’s approach when it comes to out-of-staters. Some of the local order of the Rhoden Rhangers came to pick me up and take me to vote this morning, and then surprised me by taking me to a fine breakfast at the Campbell Street Cafe. Every one of them was a rhed-blooded rhock-rhibbed Republican.

  44. Jason

    RJ wrote:

    interesting, is that I haven’t heard one S.D. democrat calling for violence against people with a different perspective.

    I was threatened with violence on this board by one of your liberal democrat buddies.

  45. grudznick

    I’ve heard if Ms. Noem wins the elections, Tally’s is considering a new breakfast sandwich billed as “The Rhoden, a breakfast gut-punch.” It’s got 5 meats and 7 eggs stacked between 5 slices of Frenched Texas Toast, with a double side of gravy taters. I can’t wait.

  46. grudznick

    Mr. Jason, was it one of the numerous out-of-state libbies? They threaten people all the time. I’m not sure there are more than a handful of SD liberal democrats who blog here, and they are generally nice and well mannered people.

  47. Jason

    I’m not sure where Rorschach lives.

  48. mike from iowa

    Grudzilla is another of the typical whiny right wing nutters.

  49. mike from iowa

    In the interest of bi-partisanship, I am not at all certain having wingnuts in an elementary school is such a good idea- considering.

  50. mike from iowa

    FWIW- Sanders easily wins re-election in Vermont. Tim Kaine handily defeats Booker in Virginia Senate race.

  51. RJ

    Guessing the “Rhoden” breakfast will come with an onslaught of crippling diarrhea, much like it’s namesake. Thanks Grudz!

  52. Rorschach

    Are you whimpering again Jason? I didn’t threaten violence against you. I just offered that if you have a gun I would place it in its holster for you. The offer remains open.

  53. Jason

    Rorschach,

    Stating a fact is not whimpering.

    You made a threat and I took the high road.

  54. happy camper

    Grutz did you vote Billie? Why, from a Republican perspective, is Noem so unpopular?

  55. grudznick

    Mr. RJ, “The Rhoden” breakfast, also known as the Gut Punch, does not cause crippling diarrhea. It causes constipation. That’s why they hang a picture of Mr. Rhoden in the lavatory, because he scares the crap outta you!

  56. RJ

    I like that response Grudz! I literally laughed out loud.

  57. Spike

    You guys think it’s funny your newly elected lt governor has to physically threaten someone from the other party?

    Why not welcome him? It’s not like your over achieving leadership in Pierre is threatened by our little blue cluster.

    We all know how much more brilliant and innovative Kristi has been and will be.

    White nationalist party and you guys are apparently proud of that.

    Sad. Not what the old Repubs built.

  58. OldSarg

    It’s ok Spike. We are all ok and safe. You need to find peace.

  59. happy camper

    If you watched the videos that really seemed like a joke Rhoden was making, and Dan Lederman actually repeated what David Horowitz said, but it was Jim Macintosh’s behavior that really seemed disturbing he didn’t care the camera was going or that Ethan Marsland had permission to be there his behavior was just atrocious. That said it is interesting to listen to David Horowitz and why he made the flip from far left to far right. He saw the corruption inside the Black Panthers, the naivety of their supporters including himself. He flipped too far but what OldSarg says is true, we live in a very safe place and a lot of what the posters see here is from their internal prism. A new black friend thinks our small town is wonderful, the most friendly people he’s ever met, step back now and then and gain perspective.

  60. Clyde

    Just wanted to say that Marsland handled that all wrong. People that oppose these jerks are going to have to change their tactics. The first thing that the reporter should have done was to get the bully’s name on camera then announce that he was going in and the only thing that would stop him would be assault after which he would see the jerk through bars and in court. He should have then proceeded. The bully would have backed down or there would have been a good story for the press against Noem and her thugs.

  61. Marsland handled the situation about as well as he could. He’s a lone individual in an unfriendly room. He has no back-up. He’s just following the law, taking video at a public event, doing things he shouldn’t have to defend, and up come some bullies threatening him. It is a jarring experience, and he handled it bravely.

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