The South Dakota Democratic Party has failed to find a lawyer willing to jump at the chance to campaign for the impeachment-opened seat of Attorney General. Marty Jackley will thus re-ascend to the job he held for nine years under Governors Rounds and Daugaard without having to face the judgment of the general electorate.
Democrats convened yesterday in Fort Pierre to nominate candidates for statewide offices. They fielded candidates for all of the other nominatable statewide offices—Tom Cool for Secretary of State, Jeff Barth for Public Utilities Commission, John Cunningham for Treasurer, Stephanie Marty for Auditor, and Tim Azure for Commissioner of School and Public Lands—but no one stood for Attorney General.
I can understand the practical calculation that would deter good lawyers from tackling an experienced Attorney General sitting on a $300K campaign fund (as of May 18; Marty must have spent some of that on postcards and chicken dinners trying to keep Republican convention delegates from nominating another nimrod). But running a Democratic candidate against Marty Jackley would be an excellent opportunity to hold the Republican Party accountable for one of its greatest political failures of this century. Jason Ravnsborg, his incompetence and corruption in office, his killing of Joseph Boever, and his impeachment and conviction all constitute an open wound for the Republican Party. Forcing Marty Jackley to campaign would keep that wound open and weaken the Republican Party. A smart Democratic challenger would find ways to aggravate the dissenters in Jackley’s own party who opportunistically share the concern of many in the middle and left that the candidate endorsed by Queen Kristi Noem is bound to continue to cover up her corruption. A sharp Democratic campaigner could portray Marty Jackley not as the remedy for but another symptom of the chronic cronyism of a Republican Party that puts partisanship and power above public service. Sure, Marty isn’t as dumb as Jason, but he’s just as much a product of the political machine. Now’s the perfect time, a Democratic candidate could say, to escape that corruption and restore public trust by electing someone new as our Attorney General, someone who’s not an insider, someone who’s beholden to nothing but truth, justice, and the people of South Dakota.
But in failing to challenge Marty Jackley, the Democrats give the Republicans what the Republicans want: to let the grave wound of Jason Ravnsborg, his crimes, and his impeachment scab and scar to a faint rough mark that few will notice come November 8.
Has Marty replaced his jilted wife yet or is he still playing the field?
This morning at the Conservatives with Common Sense breakfasts we shall discuss this “slate” of candidates very briefly, as there is so little to discuss, and then talk about how Mr. Seiler’s plan cam together.
Always quick with the personal, aren’t you, Larry? At peril of inviting more of your bitter irrelevancies, tell us what relevance your question has to the administration of the Attorney General’s office and the choice Democrats have chosen not to give to the voters. Do you really think divorce is a voting issue or a disqualifying condition for public office?
Food and reproduction is all there is. As long as Marty isn’t getting his needs met temptation will inform his every decision. It’s just that simple.
Jackley is a killer trained to protect his donors and clients with reckless disregard for the people of South Dakota despite his weasel words to the contrary.
He wasn’t protecting the South Dakota Constitution went he threatened the Santee Sioux Tribe he was prodded into it by his donors and clients.
Bulls***, Larry. Divorce remains irrelevant, as does your comment. Is your rabbit-hole point now that unmarried individuals should not be allowed to hold public office? Gee whiz, you should have more actively informed the SDDP of that concern; maybe that would have helped them find a nominee.
How does your comment enhance your access to food and reporduction? I doubt they do, thus disproving your facile excuse for your comment.
Jason Ravnsborg killed a man and lied about it. Aside from overseeing executions, we have no evidence that Marty Jackley killed anyone.
But hey, Marty will be our next Attorney General, because Democrats couldn’t find a candidate to challenge him. Would anyone like to address that main topic, or shall we spend the Sunday pursuing Larry’s rabbits?
Good question about divorce, Cory. Repubs always play the “morals” card and if you swear a marriage oath that you are willing to break, you can be sure the next constitutional oath probably means nothing either. Something to consider, so leave the ballot blank where Jackley is posted and he wins the spot with only a very few friendly votes. I’m sure no one wanted to run against a “shoe in”.
Our state has needed a competent Attorney General, and now we have one until January, and he will be replaced by another competent Attorney General. This time, Marty Jackley does not owe anything to anyone when he steps into the role. I think he carried water for the Rounds Racket and helped the corrupt Mike Rounds run down the clock to stepping into the U.S. Senate. Justice over EB-5 embezzlements and the Gear Up embezzlements and all that bloodshed and lost/hidden records went out the door when Smilin’ Mike raised his right hand in the Senate chambers.
This is now a clean slate. Mr. Jackley can build a legacy of his own. I’d like to see if Marty 2.0 can restore the wreckage left behind from Jason Ravnsborg. I hope the current A.G. completes the business of Noem’s criminal behavior with Ms. Bren and the state airplane. That responsibility is his, and it shouldn’t matter which A.G. started the process of investigating these severe abuses.
In the hierarchy of sins in Marty’s church divorce is equal to abortion so his character is automatically in question the instant he takes the oath. How could he possibly defend the state’s constitution if he’s above his vows to his creator?
Not running someone against Jackboots was a mistake. The Dems could have dug up all kinds of dirt on him during the campaign, Gear Up and the wall of yarn, EB-5 and the 5 foot branch, Sexual harassment scandal, etc. The problem is Seilor has a personal relationship with Marty. It wasn’t Randy couldn’t find anyone to run against Marty, he didn’t want anyone running against him.
bankroll their elections to the posts they hold.
If South Dakota had a Democratic attorney general she’d sue Montana and Wyoming for the toxic legacy created by Colstrip, Basin Electric and Black Hills Energy. In 2020 Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sued ExxonMobil, Koch Industries and the American Petroleum Institute for lying to residents of that state.
How bad does it have to get before the State of South Dakota files lawsuits against Black Hills Energy, Basin Electric, NorthWestern Energy, Otter Tail and/or the Colstrip Generating Station not to mention the ag chemical industry poisoning the Waters of the United States?
Since it’s no longer safe for Democrats to even live in South Dakota expect Marty to direct the DCI to harass anyone.
You go, Lar! Marty 2.0 has nothing on you!
Shades of Tom Pischke: Angela sued Marty for divorce but Jackley can state on his Wiki page he lives with his kids in Pierre?
What if Marty Jackley was smoked out as the compromised shill he really is and question the results of November’s election whatever the outcome?
“cibvet” writes:
Wasn’t it his wife who filed for divorce?
Larry Kurtz writes:
Is he still professing Roman Catholicism?
Scott Ehrisman writes:
That wouldn’t require much digging, especially for anyone who was at the Republican state convention.
The problem is that Marty Jackley has spent fifteen years leading people in positions of power to believe they all have personal relationships with him, and he’s not shy about distributing political favors, or asking for them, even when doing so involves corruption and abuse of power.
If it were all just a game, he’d be good at it.
Randy really isn’t worth a $hit, is he.
Neal, I’m guessing you have never met the man you reference in that disgusting comment – which, in itself is worthless. If you have any interest in constructive dialog, post something here. Engage. Discuss. But if all you want to do is demean a good man, drop dead.
So much negativity. It’s no wonder that …
Happy World Population Day – It’s estimated that 2007 was the first year in which more people lived in cities than in rural areas. If trends continue, by 2050 about two-thirds of the world population will be living in cities.
It’s not that cities per se make us happier. It’s that happier people move to the cities. You can easily see what’s left behind.
I know the man quite well, Curt. I’m guessing you’re the one who doesn’t. But my comment wasn’t about his miserable personality. It was about the fact that the ONE thing he could have done to help your train wreck of a party — run against Marty — he refused to do.
He’s been an abject disaster as party leader. This doesn’t bother me directly, because I’m not part of your train wreck of a party. But I do believe that politics requires a least a little bit of balance. The Dems in SD don’t even do that anymore, and Randy is partly to blame.
The right’s obvious fear of the extraordinary accomplishments of Democratic Party leader, attorney Seiler in South Dakota pretty much says it all.
I initially intended to respond to Evan’s obvious idiocy but decided it was unnecessary yesterday.
Practicing, successful lawyers are generally way too busy and smart to step into the ring of Republican dominated SD politics.
Neal writes to Curt (not to me):
Leslie writes:
*Evans’s
I have no obvious fear of Seiler’s accomplishments, and I’m wondering what specific “idiocy” Leslie means.
You know, I thought Ravnsborg would open the door for the GOP to use the AG’s office to harass and prosecute dissidents. It turned out that Ravnsborg’s weakness turned out to be one of the best protections dissidents had in South Dakota. His ineffective lawyering helped me overturn two oppressive laws in court and helped other dissidents beat Noem’s 2019 riot-boosting laws. On the downside, I can only imagine how many criminals escaped prosecution because of Ravnsborg’s ineptness.
I am confident that Jackley can do the job of AG more effectively than Ravnsborg. I hope that means more effective law enforcement. But with Jackley back in Pierre, we won’t be able to count on incompetence to protect political dissent.
I’d written:
Cory writes:
Maybe he could, but if he also abused the power of the office more effectively, that probably wouldn’t be a net improvement.
Evans may have a point … is it better to have a bumbling, incompetent killer in charge of the prosecutor’s office, or a more competent but devious political hack doing the same job? I’ll hang up and listen.
Like Jeff Sessions or fat Catholic “Bilbo” Barr, on the national scene. JFC, Republicans, come on?!
we had a new mayor, personality-wise a lot like Trump. A guy from outside called him up, said he wanted to be a dept head. Mayor hired him on the spot.
Barr writes bew-guy Trump, says he wants to be AG, Trump hires him on the spot.
Barr set up militarized BLM response. Barr shelved Mueller 500 PAGE REPORT on Trump’s Russian defeat of HRC. Barr yahdahyahyadah…. Genl Flynn…, Kristi Noem…etc.
Republicans get what you want in “leadership” through incompetent vetting. OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
Yeah, you guys are sure owning the libs. Fer chrissake!