SDGOP spinster Pat Powers manages to say something funny, noting that the Brookings County Democratic Party’s drive-through petition-signing event—10 a.m. to noon today downtown at the Brookings Activity Center, 320 5th St.—is gathering signatures for four local candidates for city council but not for either of the declared statewide Democratic candidates. Unfortunately, his critique makes the cheap and unfounded claim that the absence of statewide candidate petitions indicates that the Brookings Democrats “have no interest in seeing” Brain ” or Barry Hulse “get on the ballot.” But he does get off one genuinely funny shot, asking why there won’t be anyone “handing out buttons saying ‘Vote for Hulse, he has a pulse?‘”
Hulse, pulse… yeah, there’s fun to be had there, especially if the mysterious Vermillion entrant can turn that line to contrast himself with his opponent, who doesn’t have a heart.
But in his zeal for zingers, Powers misses the real political news in the today’s petitioning in Brookings. The four candidates seeking your signatures for Brookings City Council nominations (and since city council is non-partisan, you don’t have to be a Democrat to sign: any registered voter can sign any city council candidate’s petition!) are Holly Tilton Byrne, Wayne Avery, Brianna Doran, and Bonny Specker. Specker stands out on my list, as she is the esteemed SDSU epidemiologist who has been talking sense and science about coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic with her blog and her updates to the Brookings City Council.
Specker also stands out because, with her candidacy for City Council, she is setting in motion one of my Top Ten Stories of 2022, my prediction/hope that Specker would lead a rational revolution in South Dakota by running for Governor. She may not be targeting Pierre this year, but the Brookings City Council has launched two recent mayors to the Legislature. Specker’s sensibility could easily launch her from city council to Legislature to Governor by 2030 following the enlightened reign of Barry “Beating Heart” Hulse! Whoo-hoo! Sign Bonny’s petition, and forward the Enlightenment!
Why anyone still reads Powers remains a mystery.
Brookings will face a water crisis in the very near future and is already angling for its share of Lewis and Clark water as agricultural waste inundates its drinking water. Brookings began adding monochloramine in 2020 because the Big Sioux River is a toxic waste dump and Oak Lake is at risk to CAFOs.
The good news? The town is aging out and Republicans are dying in the hospital the city owns.
Powers cowers glowers and scours for hours from Ivory towers.
Mike, GOOD ONE!!! LOL…or as I call him: The “Pontificating Powers” that be.
Rhyming is always good for political commentary. Now, how can we deploy some rhyme for the good doctor? “Tired of Noem? Specker will wreck ‘er!”
Doc Specker took her science to Pierre
No magats dared fact check her here
Doc’s science makes it very clear
Magats can’t tell heads from rears
Noem’s horse then testified
without Ivermectin I could have died
from parasites inside of me
and pills taste better than my pee
Noem Nothing herself not swayed
refused to visit Pierre that day
and told Fake Noize all of her trust
in those who listened and bit the dust
so the story goes as more people died
with Ivermectin tossed aside
and drinking urine on the rise
tastes like chicken became the cry
Can’t predict how this end
Noem Nothing likely wins
a second term of standing by
as South Duhkotans live and die.
Vote for Democrats!
“Governor Noem has a history of having trouble telling the truth.” – Steven Haugaard – candidate for Governor
Look at the candidate list at SD Secretary of State!
0 Democrats running for State Senate. Districts 33, 34, 35 have 1 Democrat each.
What’s the last day, March?
Hungry to lose Democrats.
Minnesota you can pay candidate filing fee of $300 to run for Governor, $100 to run for State Senate or Representative.
SD candidates have to file petitions by March 29? Minnesota’s last day is May 31.
I still favor a Democratic or Progressive 501c3 organization or social business (Dr. Yunus books and website) having Real Elections every month! Or better yet, every week, 52 elections a year! How about elections for Nonprofit or social business office every 3 days! That’s 121 elections every year!
Wouldn’t 242 elections every 2 years be more exciting than 1 ?
So a term in office could be 3 days or 72 hours.
Democratic Group or Progressive Interesting Group or some easy to remember name.
These groups we can be ELECTED to, hey, we won’t pass laws or levy taxes on people. We will actually do cool things!
I bet we can do more things in 3 or 6 days than Legislatures do in decades. We can be the change and create the change and sometimes have 3 elections in 1 week!
Should a hummingbird flap its wings once every 2 years?
You may be used to Republicans running 90 to 100 percent of everything. Then the first amendment kicks in. Complain. Not do.
Get creative ! Do!
You can be the change and get elected every 2 or 3 days! Amaze yourself by what We can do!
Names and Ideas for our nonprofit, social business, or new Party elections—
Democratic Group
Progressive Ultra Group
Progressive Now Group
Democratic Ultra Group
Progressives Into New Things Organization
Progressive Abundance Network
You can make it really simple: Agree to the principals, pay dues 5 cents a year (waived if you have no money), then the office could be–
Governor !
or
Senator!
Can you imagine an organization of 300 or 1000 Governors, all elected, doing great things?
Elections can be very simple—no money needed to run, everyone gets elected (as long as they aren’t in jail or disagree with proncipals),, you could even have a Proxy voter voting YES for all 200 Governors, they would get elected every 3 days with one person electing a slate.
What you want to do, can be done with a group like this. Believe.
Two definitions of Liberal from Meriam Webster–
liberal noun
lib·er·al | \ ˈli-b(ə-)rəl \
Definition of liberal (Entry 2 of 2)
: a person who is liberal: such as
a: one who is open-minded or not strict in the observance of orthodox, traditional, or established forms or ways
AND
adjective
: BROAD-MINDED
especially : not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or traditional forms
Traditional or established forms and ways are–elections every 2 years, and 40% of the population (Democrats, Progressives and Libertarians NOT be represented AT ALL or not very much),
A liberal can decide–hey, let’s do something, I’m not going to wait until November 2022 or Nov. 2024.
Do NOW. Or do later.
Now Noem went to lick her wounds
and get buttered up by Fake Noize goons
who praise her for the work she’s done
while her body count adds another one
Since Noem can’t control the press
who remind all of her covid mess
She tries to re-write history
while telling another falsehood or three
I’d love to see her finally hire
rabbit hole refugee and his ire
and display pseudo-scientific crap
all over South Duhkota’s map
People in state that get to vote
Need better candidates more up to date
with truthiness from doctors all
and hope one party rule falls
40 years have come and gone
since Democrats graced guv mansion lawn
the state has dwindled to be sure
state ethics drowning in manure
states with much better jobs and pay
with hopes of better retirement day
and better weather the entire year
are located not that far from here.
Vote for Democrats!