The steady stream of complete baloney from Pierre includes a claim that the lighting fireworks over the Trump hate rally at Mount Rushmore last Friday was worth $22 million in advertising for South Dakota.
First, advertising only has value only if it makes us look good, not like a bunch of slobbering racists who ignore science and public health and pander to an incompetent dictator.
Second, the state is using this fantasy figure to bury the hard numbers of the actual cost of letting Trump turn Rushmore into a campaign stop: $1.5 million:
In total, after all security, transportation, pyrotechnics, and other costs are calculated, the State of South Dakota expects to spend approximately $1.5 million on the event. The cost of the fireworks display and other items will be paid for with future funds, and the other costs will be paid by the Department of Tourism [South Dakota Department of Tourism, press release, 2020.07.09].
The fireworks cost $350,000, which we are charging to our economic development fund. The rest of the show evidently racked up $1.15 million in additional costs—jeepers, how much did Mary Hart charge for her speech? Pre-event, the state floated the hope that it could get the feds to share security costs, but evidently, we’re just going to use state Tourism dollars as a slush fund to cover our elected leaders’ vanity plays.
Don’t be fooled by the state’s verbal gymnastics; take the Gorsuch approach and read the actual bottom line: South Dakota taxpayers just blew $1.5 million to throw Donald Trump a campaign rally… and to give Kristi Noem an excuse to fly overnight on Air Force One and pitch her own promotion to the Trump inner circle.
So how many people were turned off by Trump being in SD? These people that were turned off may not come to SD for their vacation anymore.
SD politicians need to take a few steps back and look at the bigger picture. Trump’s liking is on the decline so this event could have pissed off many people.
Good point, Scott. No one in the Department of Tourism would have spent $22 million on ads with the message Trump sent. Advertising isn’t supposed to be divisive; advertising is supposed to make everyone feel welcome and want to spend money here.
The fireworks seem a bargain and are way better than having a float in that parade in New York. This is great news. Like my good friend Bill says, James D. Hagen is what they call a “stud muffin” of advertising.
IMHO the biggest negative return of drumpf’s disgusting display was allowing Noem Nothing to go back to South Dakota from Andrews AFB.
ABC News had a couple interesting items….one being they claimed only 3700 people showed up and then this…
“After testing positive, Kimberly was immediately isolated to limit any exposure. She’s doing well, and will be retested to ensure the diagnosis is correct since she’s asymptomatic, but as a precaution will cancel all upcoming events,” Sergio Gor, chief of staff for the Trump Victory Finance Committee, said in a statement. “Donald Trump Jr was tested negative, but as a precaution is also self-isolating and is canceling all public events.”
Trump finds patsies to exploit. Joop, Charlie Ketchum, Westerwhatever. Trump is just another scam artist that South Dakota Republicans have always fallen for. They are always taken in by scams, and taxpayers foot the bill.
Sure SD, it sure seems like the only publicity you got from the President visiting your statue was negative . Social media had a heyday with a very unpopular President visited a monument where no one was practicing social distancing and then the strange bizarre comments from his speech confirmed the racist he is.
There was far more understanding and empathy from the Native Americans protesting their stolen land. Face it SD, your beloved President is going down in Nov. I hope your Queen Kristi is able to handle it.
Blood thirsty GFP only cares about killing small animals for $$$. Protect our parks from Racism!!! Defund the GFP, blue wave 2020!
Opinion from a descendant of Borglum….
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2020/07/10/take-down-rushmore-presidents-my-great-grandfather-carved-column/5401088002/
Most excellent mfi, that could be posted in a few other spots on Cory’s blog site.
Anyone have any idea how close Rushmore came to being Tulsa 2 Waterloo for you know who?
Have at it, Jerry. Post away.
I didn’t know Mary Hart was a white scumacyst either. 😥 Of course that makes her a Rancid Racist lover. 🤮🤮
I didn’t expect Kruel Kristi to be this bad. I thought she’d be marginally competent and then gone. I didn’t expect malevolence. Anyone else?
The fireworks were awesome! Let us do it again, this time without Mr. Trump.
Grudz-you’d sing a different song re: the fireworks debacle over Rushmore if you had to once perform as a firefighter to put out a fire some damn fool started. The damned fool in this case was your potus and his associate was a wannabe vice-pres Noem.