Friends of a fair and independent redistricting process evidently failed to collect enough signatures by yesterday’s deadline to submit their petition for a constitutional amendment to take Legislative redistricting out of the hand of our Legislature.
Not long after the hope for that happy amendment evaporated, House Republicans took a dinner break from their Special Session on redistricting and failed to come back to finish their work. Earlier in the day, the House passed its Grouse map for Legislative districts 48–20, while the Senate passed its Blackbird map for this decade’s districts 20–15. Dinner—or maybe drinks—were so good that the House stood the Senate up:
Senate President Pro Tempore Lee Schoenbeck slammed the gavel just before 8 p.m., adjourning a 10-hour day for the senators who overwhelmingly support a new legislative district map that runs counter than the preferred map passed out of the state House. And that’s only increased the chances that a deal never gets done.
…Schoenbeck said he’s still hopeful a compromise can be reached, but the decision was made to adjourn for the day after waiting hours for the House to schedule a time and place to convene a conference committee composed of three representatives and three senators.
House Republicans were caucusing in secret as of 9 p.m [Joe Sneve, “South Dakota Lawmakers Leave Capitol Monday Night Without Common Ground on Redistricting,” that Sioux Falls paper, 2021.11.08].
Once they’ve slept off their “caucusing in secret,” House State Affairs will convene this morning at 8 to discuss the Senate map again. Senator Schoenbeck is making pretty clear that redistricting has to go the Senate’s way or the highway… or in this case, the High Court’s way:
“This is for the people that aren’t thinking about running for the state legislature yet, it is for citizens across the whole state,” said State Sen. Lee Schoenbeck (R-Watertown). “We have to account for them, and also, this Voting Rights Act is no small issue.”
…“It takes two to tango, and we are not to the finish line,” said [House Majority Leader] Kent Peterson. “My job is to worry about what we are doing.”
“This is going to the Supreme Court unless the House decides to pick some map that follows the law,” said Schoenbeck [Austin Goss, “‘This Is Heading to the Supreme Court…’ South Dakota House, Senate No Closer Redistricting Deal,” KSFY, 2021.11.08].
On top of Senator Schoenbeck’s intransigence, lawmakers must contend with a packed Tuesday schedule. Senate and House are scheduled to convene at 10 a.m. today to start their second Special Session, on impeaching killer Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg. Then they have to break for lunch and keep quiet for Frank Farrar’s memorial ceremony in the Rotunda at 1 p.m. If Legislators keep things tight, they’ll be able to reconvene at 2 p.m. to take up redistricting again.
With all this distraction, this may be a good day for Jason Ravnsborg. And if the Legislature can’t do its job on maps, it may be a good day for fair representation in the Legislature. I maintain the Supreme Court can do a better job of drawing fair Legislative district boundaries than legislators who are simply out to pick their own voters. Anti-gerrymandering activists, maybe you should go to the Capitol today and see if you can out-shout the nutty anti-vaxers. Get there quick and just start shouting, “Supreme Court! Supreme Court!”
Curious how ranking Democrat former Chief Justice Dave Gilbertson was hazed into retirement so Mrs. Noem could pack the bench, innit?
South Dakota judges may not serve past age 70. Justice Gilbertson retired because he reached the mandatory retirement age.
It’s a shame. I always found Gilbertson to be a good egg. About 12 years ago, I helped him on the side of the road with a flat tire. The next year, to my chagrin, I was before him for divorce proceedings. Pretty much shot down all of my spouse’s haggling and attempts at hiding the marital assets.
Needless to say though, he recognized me. He told my lawyer so afterward. He said karma works things out. :)
What do you call a legislature full of Russian German descendants failing to compromise?
C’mon.
You know what they are.
Oh please, Porter, they’re not all Russian Germans.
I’m not sure what you’re trying to say.
What’s your heritage, CK?
Again, I’m not sure what you’re trying to say. What do you call a legislature full of Russian German descendants failing to compromise?
Besides, pretty sure there’s Norwegian, Irish and such in there too,
I, see.
You’re not sure what I’m trying to say.
Are you asking me to explain my assertion, telling me you just don’t understand and don’t care to, or just being contrary (which is a good portion of my assertion about the SDGOP)?
Hey Porter, I married a Russian German from Hosmer, you have to recognize that they slipped out on two rather bad governments. My wife now says we should move to Portugal if Trumpies get back in. Looks like a good place doesn’t it?
I have friends that now live in Portugal.
They love it.
– SD can’t be turned “BLUE” without understanding why Russian Germans are the way they are.
– As those of Russian-German heritage act, so acts South Dakota politics and polite society.
scheiße or scheisers Or as my Frisian grandmother used to lovingly call me “Scheißkapital.
Mr. Lansing, a coalition of Independents and Democrats could turn the state. The Russo-German hard heads are a hard nut to crack. The first thing those hard heads would see is that Schoenbeck, is not a hard head like them, he is a grifter sheepherder pulling the wool over their eyes for his own profit.
BTW, the entire Iberian Peninsula is a place to love. Great food, super public transportation, world class affordable healthcare for starters. Easy requirements to be able to be an ex-pat. Great places to retire or just go to live. Teachers are needed that are bi lingual as teaching American English will get you a job pronto. A big big deal is that they believe in solidarity and look out for one another by wearing masks and being vaccinated. What a concept, no?
One would err were they to think there was but “one” group of so-called German Russians.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Germans_in_Russia,_Ukraine_and_the_Soviet_Union
Mr. Lansing, I too have friends that now live in Portugal and also love it. Perhaps they are neighbors with your friends.
However they are Norskie, not German.
Germans go to the Canary Islands and also to the Azores (side note) for you sir, Azores were actually first discovered by those pesky Vikings, just like North America’s first white dudes. A lot of folks from the UK and the US hang about on the Iberian countryside, but if you go to the Canary Islands, a whole lot of German is spoken there. You see a lot of short pants with black knee high socks and sandals. Not to hard to pick them out. https://www.canarianweekly.com/posts/germany-includes-canaries-green-list-travel
Well…I’ve known many people who were descended from Germans from Russia and I’ve found them to be rather diverse in their political viewpoints. I haven’t found them to be any more unreasonable than my Danish, Swedish, or Irish ancestors. Philosophically, they did seem to have a firm sense of “right” and “wrong”, a sense of moral certainty. Having descended from people who were discriminated against and who spent several centuries as political refugees they have an appreciation for being outriders in society. Thus, they fit in well in a state settled by many peoples seeking a second and third chance to establish themselves.Legislators of this background are now third or fourth generation South Dakotans, yet, I’m assured, they will not vote for a redistricting plan they consider “wrong” for whatever reason. Ingrained in the culture is an aversion to compromising with “evil”. The Irish might give such a compromise a wink and a nod, the Danes might believe it is but a temporary arrangement, and the Swedes might look for a way to make the compromise work for them. Look at the controversy surrounding the closing of Southern State College and how the Republican Germans from Russia voted on Governor Janklow’s proposal.
I’ve seen fellows dressed in knickers and black sandal socks when I’ve breakfasted abroad, back in the day. I always wondered if they were from the Canaries or the Caymans. I did not think they were “evil” and they did enjoy mashers for breakfast.
My mother’s family was Russian German. And Democrat as soon as they moved here.
I’m not sure what your point is. I know lots of people of Russian German descent who are Democrats, if you’re implying they’re all GOP.
I think the implication was not what party they belong too but how they vote. Mr. grudzick, everyone knows that Cayman’s will eat Canaries, knickers and all. Oh, and here is a good German potato dumpling and gravy for you to keep your slender build. https://ellerepublic.de/en/german-potato-dumplings-knoedel/
Wha??? Gerry Manders. Is he here? Isn’t that the topic?