Dakota War College finds it blogworthy that South Dakota teachers, people who work in education daily and see the negative impacts of the Republican Legislature’s contempt for public schools and intellectual endeavor, contribute more money to Democrats than to Republicans. I find it blogworthy that the South Dakota Education Association supports any South Dakota Republicans instead of Democrats and teachers who would serve K-12 better than the current regime.
DWC takes its comment on SDEA’s campaign finance from “Public Union Facts”, a website focusing solely on public-sector unions, which I’m sure is meant to fuel attacks on labor organizations whose members work for the public. DWC should take a moment to chortle over the fact that SDEA’s biggest listed contributions are from several years ago, to the Heidepriem and Billion campaigns. According to the PUF data (which only goes to 2016), SDEA’s contributions of four figures or more have dwindled from a total of $120,500 in 2006 to only $20,000 in 2016.
The PUF piece also notices that, in contributions to parties rather than to candidates, SDEA has given $18,900 to the South Dakota Democratic Party and its affiliates and $11,750 to Republican Party groups, less than a 2-to-1 difference.
The only other public union in South Dakota listed by PUF is a bit smarter with their money. The South Dakota Fire Fighters Association has given all (two) of its donations to Democrats. It just goes to show you that firefighters know that Republicans don’t know jack about putting out fires.
Trump digs in. Paradise fire. Notre Dame fire. Yelling at the TV. We pay this guy. He gives those couple hundred grand away. Hhttps://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/donald-trump-money-campaign-2020/. He campaigns for cash. He schedules out executive time. He flys to Florida every Thursday) just like Rounds and Noem). Golfs hundreds of times. Legendary cheater. Notice how tight he keeps his golf cap. Can you imagine his hairdo if it blew off? Doesn’t prepare for North Korea ballistic missiles. Steals interpreter notes with Putin. The guy and his family are walking nightmares yet are blind to it.
Cory, you paint with a too-wide brush here. How do god ideas get passed and bad bills get killed in the SD legislature if not for the support of some like-minded Republicans? If all issues were decided purely on partisan lines, things – especially in education – would be FAR worse. Did SDEA money go to support of anti-education candidates/legislators?
Even from a purely political, practical standpoint, how does supporting the ever-shrinking Democratic Party SOLELY on name alone profit any entity looking at moving a legislative agenda ahead (or heading off a legislative agenda counter to its principles)?
Chickens and eggs? Does shifting support to Republicans only hasten the demise of the Democratic Party… and hasten public education to a situation where, with no real opposition party, it will face even swifter dismantling by those tricky Republicans?
Why does it matter if my pro-education legislator is a Republican or Democrat? Isn’t the issue more important than the label? Given the power of party affiliation now, if I can make Republicans pro-education isn’t that great for SD?
Meanwhile those that investigate Frantic Flaccid Fool and his GOP enablers are winning Pulitzer Prizes.
“The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal were honored for delving into President Trump’s finances and breaking open the hush-money scandals.”
Axios
It matters, O, when on the whole, those occasionally pro-education legislators are part of an overarching machine that will demand that they more often than not vote against long-term solutions that would serve K-12 education much better than the occasional bones the schools are handed to keep the unrest just below the boiling point.
I’m not convinced SDEA can make Republicans pro-education. On the occasions when they can wrest a reform like the 2016 formula revamp, what’s the cost? Thirty years of inaction and reinforcement of a party that produces anti-education radicals who then consume all of our energies as we try to beat down their worst ideas and leave us with little political capital for further serious reforms?
(My tone here may be stronger than my actual position… but I’m interested in testing this thesis.)
Again Cory, your assumption is that “long-term” solutions and views of education are not part of the evaluation SDEA makes under pro-education criteria. You still want to say a Republican is a Republican is a Republican. I have ranted often about partisan politics being the demise of democracy; focusing on issues rather than party when it comes to issue support seems to be a step toward de-coupling partisanship from issues — from politics and campaigning toward governing.
But let’s play this out as a purely political, partisan game. Let us use labels only and make pro-education a Democrat issue. As the opposition party, that forces the Republicans to be anti-education; they must oppose the policies of the Democrats. How does promoting the opposition of an issue in the party of VASTLY superior numerate advantage benefit that issue (much less the children and communities affected by that issue)?
How does it hurt education as an issue (much less the children and communities affected by that issue) to encourage the voices in the Republican caucus that are pro-education (and yes there are those voices, some of them strong voices) to speak out as pro-education — knowing that SDEA has their backs?
Frankly Cory, if we — SDEA, Associated School Boards, School Administrators, and individuals lobbying our Representatives and Senators — cannot make more Republicans’ stances pro-education, then the game is over. I also think the proof is in the pudding: we HAVE helped Republicans to become far more pro-education (maybe only limited to a few key issues).
Allow me to push back: show me ANY practical way to take over the House, Senate, and Governor’s seats with Democrat (assumed pro-education) candidates. Explain to me the practicality of hitching education exclusively to the minority party of SD.
Along with o’s analysis, history teaches us that the policies supported by political parties are anything but consistent over time. Support by public groups of Republican candidates with a more progressive viewpoint about education issues than party leaders may well lead to the positive evolution of the Republican party platform as a whole.
We have seen several posters on DFP reflect the faulty view that current Republicans still hold the values and ideals of radical Republicans in the 1860’s. As a corollary, the argument goes, modern Democrats retain the white supremacy values of Democrats of that past era. The obvious flaw in this view should be a reminder that the public policies advocated by members of a political party will necessarily change over time.
SDEA contributions to modern Republican candidates who support positive education goals will advance the potential for longer term positive change in the policy objectives of the Republican party as a whole. For those who desire statewide improvements in our education policies, financial support for such candidates seems a reasonable endeavor.