A couple of SDGOP establishment poobahs tell Jonathan Ellis that, even with the tantalizing prospect of majority leadership, the man from Murdo may have had enough of running for public office:
The prospect of becoming a Senate leader is one reason why longtime Thune supporters are hoping he runs again.
“Somebody’s got to do it, and I think he’s the most qualified person in the country to do it,” Sioux Falls businessman Tom Everist said.
But Everist, who has known Thune since he was 20, concedes that Thune is weighing family issues while contemplating a fourth term.
Businessman Teddy Hustead concedes that Thune is closer now to not running than at any other point in his career.
“I would be surprised if he retires, but I would certainly respect his decision,” Hustead said. “He’s got a good chance of being the majority leader, and I think he would be a fantastic majority leader” [Jonathan Ellis, “Thune Retirement Could Cause GOP Bedlam in South Dakota,” Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 2021.12.18, updated 2021.12.20].
Thune has nothing to fear in the 2022 election—his primary challengers so far are C-level posers with no name or money, and the Democrats have announced no candidate. But on the off chance Thune isn’t just teasing us, the vacuum he’d leave could suck numerous current out-sitters into the ring. The incumbent advantage is a vicious cycle: incumbents raise more money and are harder to beat, so rational, risk-averse candidates often avoid challenging incumbents, meaning incumbents often face weaker candidates and have even better success rates. Move Thune out, and a number of sharp Democratic cookies might move in…
…or at least they’d better, because as bad as John Thune is, the Republicans vying for his seat so far are much worse lying sacks of excrement.
Thune is negotiating the deal between Faceberg and Sioux Falls-based MetaBank.
https://www.wired.com/story/inside-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-2-years-of-hell/
I’m sooo looking forward to Red Thune billboards and ads of Moscow Murdo Johnnie as part of the the GQP.
Thune may realize that the radical right has taken over the party and will prevent him from being the minority or majority leader
jad, let us not allow Thune or any GOP member — especially ones in leadership — be to allowed the “victim” narrative of how “their party was taken over.” These men actively cultivated the party they have now. these men actively promoted the ascension of the MAGA extremists. these men actively promoted the ascension of the Tea Party and theocratic extremists. The new face of the GOP did not happen “to them.”
Ahhhhh…”weighing family issues” – been awhile since I’ve heard that one.
@ O ~ “victim narrative”? good one ✯✯✯✯✯
Well, as a parting gift to SD it looks like John Thune will be able to claim the “honor” (although Rounds will likely have an an equal claim) to single-handedly defeating the Build Back Better bill in the Senate and stopping the influx of over a billion dollars into to the SD economy, since it appears the Dems will be short just one vote to get that passed in the Senate.
Why Montana’s Senator Tester hasn’t thrown in the towel is a mystery, too especially after New Mexico’s Tom Udall chucked it. NM is safe D but MT is at real risk to the extreme white wing.
There are two, and only two, South Dakota Democrats who can win the seat John Thune warms but only if a well-financed conservative ideologue runs in the general election, too.
Marlboro Barbie doesn’t have the killer instinct” gene McCTurtlefartface has and will never be the Number 1 magat in the sinate. All MB is good for is his fawning looks at McCT in photo ops.
Someone has to say it. It’s too Thune to tell.
Well, Senator Frankenstein, how do you like your creation now? I guess he can go back to Murdo where he learned that female crotch grabbing was OK, that blackmail is fine, that scamming your neighbor is good business or that beating the crap out of anyone you disagree with is normal. I am making these assumptions of small town SD because, evidently, these are the values he learn growing up, these are the kind of people Johnny supported in his political life and these fine folk kept voting him back. What else am I to believe?
The RINO Thune bites the dust leaving empty hat big buckle queen gov to step up for the good of the country and the betterment of SD. The sooner she is out of the sauna surround by a mansion surrounded by a fence the better.
US 45 and SD 33 are planning and planting behind the curtain of honor.
Killer virus and Republicans on the loose in 2022. Scary.
What, that young Ms. Franenstein has become or is going to become a senator? That will be really neat-o and swell.
A big helping of meatloaf and mashed potatoes and gravy for lunch, in celebration!
lkurtz – Thanks for bringing up MetaBank. Zuckerberg’s pocket change could more than pay for a deep investigation into Thune’s personal, professional and political lives, including his role with MetaBank at the time Thune’s close pal and political guru Dan Nelson was swindling folks dealing with his Dan Nelson Auto Centers. At the time, Thune was not in Congress, but held seats on the MetaBank Board of Directors and its Audit Committee. I’m glad that I held onto this from Madville back in 2014. It makes for some very interesting reading:
https://madvilletimes.com/2014/01/24/guest-essay-comparing-roundsbendajackley-2014-to-thunenelsonlong-2004/
That case landed jail time for Nelson and others, and Nelson ended up declaring bankruptcy to the tune of owing more than $28 million, about $10 million of it to MetaBank. Zuckerberg’s legion of legal experts, no doubt, have seen all of this. By now, they also probably have uncovered a lot more information than what was compiled by Iowa state investigators and the press at the time. Thanks to dark money dictating winners in Washington cloaking any amount of money Zuckerberg cares to spend, Thune may have found a horse head in his bed and realized he needs to minimize the fallout.
The paper trail is clear: John Thune made congress look the other way as Vlad and the GOP stole the 2016 election.
http://interested-party.blogspot.com/2017/09/thune-colluded-with-comey-facebook.html
Well..I think the rub here is that if McConnell retires or falls over, Thune probably doesn’t have the support to hold off more ambitious red meat Republicans, like Cotton or Scott, even Cruz. It would be ugly and he doesn’t have the stomach for it. He’s a gentleman at heart not a knife fighter.
Thune is certainly no gentleman. He showed his table manners in Moscow on a 4th of July not so many years ago getting their game plans from Putin. Dude is just another crook from South Dakota that would stab you in the back while trying to give you a reach around.
Thune’s affiliation with Dan Nelson, Tapkin and the Byrider scam leaves plenty of questions. The whole operation was shady from inception, young men on the make to acquire several millions of dollars selling wrecked cars. Only in South Dakota. They were heralded as young, aggressive free market warriors but were just plain crooks. They were also a source of funds for Thune. I think Thune has now gotten past the scandal and has established his career legacy, though I couldn’t tell you what it is. I believe he prefers Liz Chaney to Trump and would prefer to take his millions and fade into the sunset.
Thune may “prefer Chaney to Trump” but has neither the balls nor spine to say so! Better to be quiet and get invited to the photo ops, I guess. Legacy, that of an unprincipled coward!
Six more years of intractable partisan gridlock,
flying back and forth every week when he knows his party is plotting civil war must mean something or someone in DC is worth it. Right?
How does John Thune keep his great tan year-round?
And also https://www.reddit.com/r/grammar/comments/69aprj/in_this_weeks_new_yorker_i_saw_the_word/
McCTurtleF@#KFace is imploring Marlboro Barbie not to retire because reasons.
https://www.politico.com/minutes/congress/12-22-2021/mcconnells-plea/
If Thune’s out in January, what stops The Snow Queen from filing for the U.S. Senate seat? She won’t have to explain her record as a deadbeat governor and she’ll have a much bigger bullhorn on the Senate floor. As governor, she’s seen nationally as coming from a nowhere state capitol in a flyover state.
Sounds like a win-win for COVID Kristi.
Arlo, always remember sand never forget, iowa’s AG Tom Miller rode to the rescue and prosecuted Nelson when South Duhkota refused to do it.
https://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/newsroom/miller-pleased-with-federal-plea-stemming-from-iowa-ag-s-action-against-predatory-auto-dealer
Tom Miller is still iowa’s AG, longest serving AG in America and a shining example of everything South Duhkota’s AGs should be, but aren’t. Whoopee!!
Marlboro Barbie is one of three Johns waiting toi replace McCTurtlefartface as leader of the magats.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/12/mcconnell-successor-three-johns-race-526920
What is the leader of magats called? Queen fly, maybe.