The Closet

Kevin Woster tripped my trigger with his Politics in Keloland blog post on his recent breakfast club meeting with Larry Pressler.

Thanks Kevin for the spark and the opportunity to bolt on to your post. Kevin crafts a great story and having him still contributing to recording and explaining the fabric of South Dakota is a big plus for our shared culture. Thanks KELO for making a very smart move snapping Kevin up when he separated from the RC Journal.

Larry Pressler should not need an introduction to SD Political readers but just a few highlights. Larry Pressler was first elected in the post Watergate election on 1974 (forty years ago). He served 2 terms in the U S House and then 3 terms in the U S Senate (defeating Don Barnett, George Cunningham, and Ted Muenster). He was defeated in 1996 by Tim Johnson. Pressler again ran in 2002 for the U S House seat that was won by Bill Janklow who went on to defeat Stephanie Herseth.

Pressler has a sterling resume. Among his vitae, Rhodes Scholar, Harvard Law School, first Viet Nam veteran to serve in the U S Senate, 22 years service in the U S Congress. Senator Pressler as Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee also oversaw the rewriting of the mega important Telecommunications Act. He also did extensive work on the Under the Sea Treaty. For a little spice, if you are a little interested Google (the verb) Pressler Abscam investigation and (Google again) Pressler amendment.

Larry Pressler is a complex personality, always has been. For over a decade he was the Champion for Senior Citizens and owned their votes. I have often thought that Larry Pressler possesses somewhat of a split personality (never quite certain which Larry Pressler he is); The United States Senator who is just a farm boy destined to be the Champion for Agriculture or The United States Senator who is an Academic (Rhodes Scholar, Harvard Law) destined be a University President or Ambassador to the U N or some important nation. BTW Pressler was briefly a candidate for the Republican nomination for President in 1980.

Despite Kevin’s claims about the Janklow camp in South Dakota (I think I might have been on the Board of Directors), there has never been any report by someone who witnessed the man behind the door story. Where I agree with Kevin, Pressler often acts like the absent-minded professor. 

In my recent StraightTalk blog post, ,I noted that Pressler is simply past prime time, though he in his own way will bring value to the fall’s campaign, i.e. the debates.

Larry Pressler literally bumped into me a month or so ago at the wellness center. I, barely clothed in a towel after showering was getting dressed and Larry Pressler who was walking about holding his locker key and looking for his locker. At that point it was a classic absent-minded professor scene.

I had not engaged with Larry Pressler for 12 years. I acknowledged and greeted him as he did me. The encounter was pleasant. At this point very similar to Kevin’s breakfast, just a couple of old war horses doing some reverie about past encounters. He said he reads my blog and was complimentary (at that point I hadn’t posted in 5 months.) I appreciated his compliment. I acknowledged he was again a candidate, and he jumped right in talking about his campaign.

He then in about 60 seconds told me that health care affordability was a big problem and that as he campaigned people were telling him that. He said that Obamacare was not going to be repealed and needed fixing (a very pragmatic view in my opinion). He then offered what seemed to be the developing Pressler solution. Why couldn’t we (he suggested), have health care delivered through cooperatives, like the Farmer’s Coops? Profits would not be retained by for profit health providers or non-profit health providers but instead by the cooperative’s members?

My purpose isn’t to pass judgment on his evolving health care proposal but rather to compliment someone for having one.  Disclaimer: I am not supporting Larry Pressler, past prime time, and supported Barack Obama in both his elect and re elect campaigns. While I appreciate his effort to reach across the aisle, for those endorsements alone, I cannot support him.

The 2014 campaign in the GOP primary so far has been five candidates not talking about making anything better. No new ideas, no policy proposals, no nothing. They are to varying degrees angry birds.  Just Shouting! Angry, more angry, and pissed off! ? “I love guns more than you.” “I hate Obamacare more than you.” “I am more conservative (says me) than you.”

Senator Pressler is out of the closet (if he was ever in one) talking about effecting change. It is time for the other candidates to come out of their closets and tell us how they are going to make America better.

South Dakota Is Getting a New U S Senator

Primary election day is some six weeks away, yet the campaigns for U S Senate in South Dakota are bizarre and dysfunctional. Observing elections in South Dakota for now almost forty years, we haven’t seen one like this before.

Bottom line, there is about an eighty percent chance Mike Rounds will replace Tim Johnson. Rounds will win the vaudevillian GOP primary with 50 percent of the vote or more. Therefore he will run in the General Election against Democrat Rick Weiland and Independents, former Senator Larry Pressler, and if we believe him Gordon Howie

Our Nation faces more than a few very important issues. Issues that affect our national life are not being addressed because of the ideological political warfare that exist in our Country.

In the macro sense the issues are: Less self-reliance and personal responsibility / More reliance on government, our explosive and corrosive national debt, and Our divided national and government where blame and political credit are the business rather than solving problems.

In the micro sense issues that are not being addressed are balancing the budget, funding social security and medicare, energy independence, immigration, health care affordability, education (which I don’t believe should be a Federal issue), national fiscal policy, the deterioration of our foreign policy in the past five years, and increased political instability in the world. BTW – there are many more problems.

There are also important social issues but generally I believe individuals can make better choices than government.

Neither of the Parties is fielding their best Candidates.

A look at the field –

Rick Wieland is a two-time loser and hasn’t proven he has what it takes to win in Republican South Dakota. I don’t completely rule him out but in the past he hasn’t demonstrated the political abilities of Stephanie Herseth Sandlin or her vote getting abilities.

As noted, I do not completely dismiss him. Rick Weiland knows Democrats can win in South Dakota. Rick Weiland is working very hard and somewhat smart. He is busy developing a narrative and touching regular South Dakotans not just those that are politically active.

The fact he is in the field with advertising during primary season (even though unopposed) shows he learned something from his former boss, Tom Daschle. In 1986 Daschle ran ads during primary season to remind voters he was alive (while Republicans were slugging it out in Senate and House primaries) and setting the stage that problems in the country were not being addressed. Remember the with the red ink flowing over the Constitution?

Sidebar – I recently raised the point that SHS was the best Dem candidate with a very partisan Democrat who took offense and told me Stephanie was a Republican. He said SD Dems are furious with her over her vote against Obamacare and her not supporting same sex marriage.

As a GOP partisan, we should have a candidate who is younger than John Thune. I’m crying over spilt milk but we have four outstanding young leaders who have won statewide elections that would have been stronger Senate candidates than those running for the GOP nomination. (Alphabetical) Marty Jackley, Dusty Johnson, Chris Nelson, or Kristi Noem would have been a stronger Senate candidate.

As far as the GOP campaign field goes – as previously stated, Rounds wins. The former Governor got out very early, co-opted other Republicans by announcing his candidacy despite what Tim Johnson decides and harvesting the establishments campaign cash and support early. Rounds accomplished his early goal of convincing Kristi Noem her political future was better staying put. Otherwise the only even remotely qualified candidate is State Senator Larry Rhoden.

Dr. Bosworth and Stace Nelson are proving to be fringe candidates who in the best sense are running, as “Change” candidates and the worst sense are woefully unqualified for political office. Jason Ravnsborg just is too late, unknown in political circles, and not even remotely vetted.

Sidebar – the GOP does have a deep bench. Rather than the Staces, Bozs, Ravnsborgs, et.al. there are highly more accomplished and attractive GOP teamers on the bench ready to take the field of statewide office. Consider State Representative David Lust, State Senator Corey Brown, and State Senator Shantel Krebs (who is seeking the GOP nomination as Secretary of State.)

The campaign for the GOP nomination is not only a circus but has the sideshow and menagerie as well. Primarily they are only campaigning at Republican events.

Republican Lincoln Day Dinners are a great tradition and useful tool for the Republican Party.  It’s a great way for candidates to meet the activists and party faithful – but frankly while maybe attendance is mandatory for Governor and Federal races (absolutely mandatory for Constitutional Office candidates (that’s where convention delegates are), it’s a lousy way to get votes. Way over half if not more of those that attend have already made up their mind whom they support. GOP events are not the way to connect with voters. Candidates Bosworth and Rounds made far better voter contact at the Sportsman’s show than any LDD they attended. I noted that candidate Rhoden was at Lion’s Pancake Days in Sioux Falls last week.

Sidebar – One of the best campaign techniques I witnessed was when former S D Representative Don Ham approached me at the old Prairie Market warehouse food store in Mitchell one Saturday afternoon when my family were shopping. Rep Ham was running against Clint Roberts in 1980 for Congress in the “old” 2^nd Congressional District. Don approached with the line that since I was shopping at a warehouse market I must be a man who wanted to stretch my dollar. If that was the case, he was my man to send to Congress. Don probably got more votes that day talking to shoppers than he ever got at GOP dinners. (Don lost!)

Worse yet the biggest issue is who hates Obamacare more? “Vote for me I hate it more than you do.” Then they talk about not attending debates, not being ideologically pure, i.e. “I am the real conservative in this race.” “I love guns more than you do.” (as defined by their own standards).

The issues I detailed above, are absent in this campaign.

Sidebar – My personal favorite is the attack on one of the candidates that he used to be a registered Democrat.  Just a reminder but Ronald Reagan, John Thune, Phil Gramm, Norm Coleman and many others were at one time Democrats.

Independents –

Howie puts himself in Stace Nelson’s camp. I couldn’t agree more. Enough said.

Former Senator Larry Pressler is simply just past prime time. He will add to the discussion and subtract marginally from the GOP vote totals next fall. Pressler is motivated for both personal reasons and because he too is unhappy with what’s going on in our Country. Many of Larry Pressler’s previous supporters are no longer with us. It’s worth noting, he hasn’t been on a ballot in South Dakota for 12 years as Mike Rounds hasn’t been on a ballot for 8 years. Presser’s endorsements and support of Barack Obama won’t be helpful in South Dakota where the President and his health plan enjoy little popularity.

While South Dakota has not put its best on the ballot, I take comfort in knowing that a pragmatic Republican Mike Rounds will when elected vote consistently for South Dakota and pretty consistently support his party in Washington.

Another South Dakotan Made Good!

I don’t usually respond to other SD political blogs but found this recent post at SD War College blog rather informative. War College reported South Dakota’s former Congresswoman received in compensation over a half million dollars in the last reporting year. The information comes from a Morningstar report of Compensation for Key executives of Sioux Falls based Raven Industries.

I am guessing the author at War College is not a reader of Morningstar reports but identified Mrs. Herseth Sandlin’s 620K+ from a Google notification or the like, that tracks SHS for him.

I agree Mrs. Herseth Sandlin’s salary is handsome but do not believe it is among the reasons she decided against being a candidate for the U S Senate in 2014.

Should SHS have entered the 2014 Senate race, she would have been perhaps the most formidable candidate from either party; most importantly the only battle tested candidate who had been through the real war of a campaign. The perhaps exception is Kristi Noem, who also chose not to seek the Senate seat and is running for re election to the House of Representatives. It is not lost on followers of S D politics that now Rep Noem defeated Rep Herseth in 2010 in a close contest.

The previous big knock on Stephanie was she is DC; went to school there, then went to work there, and then came back only to run for Congress. Except for the school part, the her working in Washington is a very similar to the work histories of Larry Pressler (another 2014 Senate candidate), Tom Daschle, and to some degree John Thune who returned to South Dakota after working in DC to work near State government and politics in Pierre (Party ED, State Government, and Association Exec) for eight years before running for the U S House.

Partisans in South Dakota often rail about those living and working in the Washington culture; i.e. they are not one of us. It’s an easy target. It certainly wounded Senator Daschle in his 2004 re elect when his District of Columbia real property tax exemption was disclosed.

Politicians in South Dakota speak often (sometimes unhappily) about our kids going out of State for higher education and careers. When one of the wanderers returns, often the same pols speak with glowing praise how South Dakota is a great place to come home and raise a family.

There is very positive magazine piece (in fact the cover story) about “Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, Wife, Mother, Leader” in the April/May issue of Sioux Falls Woman that tells such a similar story. (Her picture on the cover is quite a glamour shot.) Did she return for politics, fortune, or Zachary Lars Sandlin? You can decide for yourself, but I don’t believe it’s the dinero.

Combined with the very nice article (to my political eye – a puff piece) and with the recognition of her salary, what sparks my interest is the contrasting life of our former Representative and the politics of the President.

Raven Industries is not shelling out big bucks because she is not talented. Neither did Skadden Arps the established White Shoe law firm she worked for in Washington, DC. The girl is smart (Yea Groton High, Georgetown, and Georgetown Law!) and talented.

Mitt Romney, who was a product of meritocracy and believed in individual ability and initiative, was disparaged by Democrats for seeing America as a meritocracy, a Country where the talented progress based on their ability. In America those with brains, ideas, and a strong work ethic should succeed. We believers in the Meritocracy also believe the opportunity to succeed must be available to all. Consequently thus we understand the need for free public schools, free public lending libraries, and a society that provides opportunity to all.

Barack Obama sees America quite differently. Hardly a day does not go by that he is not out touting and preaching income redistribution and playing the class warfare card.

Clearly Stephanie Herseth Sandlin resides not only in South Dakota but in the Meritocracy camp as well.

Endbar –Repeating previous postings - the biggest difference between the two major political parties are: Republicans believe in the equality of opportunity, Democrats believe in equality of outcome.

My Kind of Town

Sioux Falls voters went to the polls on Tuesday and said they are for the most part happily living in the Queen City on the Prairie.

Sioux Falls is a good place to live was good news for incumbent candidates who were all re elected (Mayor Huether, Councilpersons Erpenbach and Rolfing, and School Board member Morrison.) Our new Councilors for the open seats are State Representative Christine Erickson and Rick Kiley.

The losers were the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) forces. Included in this category were the measures against the outdoor pool at Spellerberg Park, the construction of a Wal-Mart at 85^th and Minnesota, and the Shape Places new zoning ordinance. Ms. Schwan who lost the Southeast District Council seat was also closely identified because of her activism and outspoken opposition to the 85^th and Minnesota Wal-Mart zoning and construction.

I am not sure we have heard the last from Ms. Schwan or of her opposition to building that Wal-Mart (despite the vote).

Voters said that while the some opposition may be valid progress is important and the City need to move forward.  

It is instructive that the ballot percentages for the losing NIMBY elections (the three NIMBY issues and the Southeast Council seat) were essentially 2 to 1.

The Mayor’s election was the variant. Mike Huether won re election by 56% to 44%, approximately 10 percentage points less than the anti progress yet otherwise happy Sioux Falls Citizens.

In analyzing the election it is important to understand that incumbent Mayors win re election. The candidate with the most money also usually wins. Mayor Huether also aggressively used the power of incumbency during the preceding two weeks before the election if not the preceding three years. There was an announcement from the City almost every day.

Briefly summarizing the campaign, Mayor Huether’s campaign was one of personal accomplishment. The Mayor talked about what has happened in Sioux Falls in the last four years and either specifically or generally took personal credit for everything good. This includes resurfacing the streets, the events center, river greenway, and even non-governmental activities like building housing and creating jobs.  

Economic cycles play an important part in elections. That certainly is the case in Sioux Falls. When the Mayor took office in 2010 Sioux Falls had almost zero growth in sales tax collections. This was a result of the effects of the great recession and the aftermath of what had been explosive growth in the Ethanol industry that peaked and whose growth couldn’t be sustained.

After Mayor Huether took office sales tax collections began to rise again (politicians take the credit, but the City of Sioux Falls had little to do with the economic turn around.) Also Sioux Falls credit card industry took a hit with the passage of the Dodd – Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2011. After extensive employee layoffs in Sioux Falls and subsequent successful litigation by the credit card industry, many financial jobs in Sioux Falls were restored. I believe some of these new jobs were baked into the Mayor’s claim of creating 3000 new jobs.

Challenge candidate Councilman Greg Jamison, in contrast focused his campaign on People First. Jamison laid out a plan of what he would he like to accomplish and specifically raised the issues of traffic control, returning tax dollars to taxpayers rather than increasing historically high treasury reserves, and addressing the rising crime rate in Sioux Falls. Jamison also challenged the Mayor over his ethical behavior that the Mayor refused to address.

Interestingly in each case the Mayor deferred to engage on these choosing to basically relying on his self-proclamations of accomplishment, or trotting out his Police Chief or City Finance Officer to address the issues with them saying the City was already taken care of that issue. Specifically on the crime rate the Mayor when first asked denied there is a problem stating that so many people would not be moving here if there were.

While people like their City, that 10% difference between NIMBY and the Mayor’s race results represents increased dissatisfaction among some over the Mayor’s job approval.

Mayor Huether to my judgment, lives in the here and now. His governing philosophy is about time and money. He is focused on personal impact and accomplishment with little vision of the long term.

However things are not perfect. There are problems. Crime is on the rise and is correctable if addressed. Increasingly there are retail vacancies downtown that the private sector needs to address with City encouragement. Parking is a pressing issue as well, particularly on the East Bank. Maybe getting rid of that River Ramp so quickly wasn’t the best idea. Railroad relocation is still an issue as is public transit.

People are happy here in Sioux Falls and while NIMBY seems to have been addressed, government goes on and there are still issues both short and long term. Essentially this election has formed a new government with the same Leader.

I wish them well.

Free Speech

There is no celebration in my heart this Independence Day.

I am both depressingly sad (for my Country) and extremely torqued (at our leaders - Executive and Legislative branches) over the so-called IRS Scandal. 

Simply put the Government of the United States has targeted people and by extension groups they organized because of their opinions. That this has happened is not questioned nor in doubt.

I can’t think of anything more Un-American. All Americans hold opinions and the spectrum is extremely diverse, in itself a cause for some tolerance. Most elected officials and many active in politics are motivated in large part because strong opinions have motivated them. Most opinion makers, commentators, and even bloggers are motivated by their opinions.

After the managed “pre report” leaked disclosure, the IRS Inspector General report acknowledged that groups were targeted for special treatment by the Internal Revenue Service because of the cast and special nature of their opinions.

As with everything else that happens in politics today this “scandal” was treated as an uber political matter. Both parties immediately drew the partisan R & D lines seeking to use the issue to electorally damage the other party. Political advantage seems strangely more important than accountability and justice.

The President quickly tried to dis associate himself from any responsibility of this happening on his watch and dismissed the acting IRS Director with little explanation. The President also condemned the activity but has subsequently done almost nothing to identify those responsible. The Republicans in the U. S. House have been pushing for investigation while the Democrats have said they are outraged but believe the matter should just be put behind us. While I understand the Democrats don’t want to talk about perceived political bad news, I am not all that happy with the Republicans either. They continue to let this matter slide away.

Free Speech and the Right to Petition Government for a Redress of Grievances is at the heart of our Country and what makes America different from other nations.

Yes, there are so many significant issues on the public policy plate many that will not be dealt with. (the National Security Agency spying on many Americans, wiretapping of the Press, immigration reform, national energy policy, the ongoing saga of the implementation of Obamacare to name a few.)  Despite this the Government targeting those with certain opinions over rides all others! The Right of Americans to express their opinions is the basis of political debate.

Where is the OUTRAGE? Where are the Liberals?, the Libertarians?, the Press? Not a day should be going by that the President, The Secretary of the Treasury, The Attorney General, The IRS Commissioner and Every Member of Congress should answer what has been done to find and bring those responsible to Justice. Assure the American People that this has stopped.

Is the politics more important than finding out where our Government got off track and who is responsible? As a result of the bombing at the Boston Marathon our government moved heaven and earth in three days to bring the terrorists to the bar of justice. Some reports suggest there were 3000 federal agents involved in addition to local and Massachusetts State Police. Can’t they do the same within an agency of the government?

Doesn’t the targeting of Americans for their beliefs rank at least equal attention?

Happy Independence Day

Seuss Falls

The WP scores another BIG Hit with their current exhibit: Seuss Falls: Discovering the Arts andScience of Dr. Seuss.

The Washington Pavilion has brought another Do Not Miss exhibit to Sioux Falls. I love books. Cultural and social history is far more than a passing interest to me. The Seuss exhibit is well done; for history it is a solid A and the art, which is quite familiar, yet still interesting gets a B (not spectacular.)

Theodor Seuss Geisel was inventive, innovative, and imaginative. His career, as his art went through very diverse stages. Primarily Geisel was an illustrator. His illustrations take on a very artistic touch. Though artistic his drawings are welcoming as shown later in his creatures that have a certain warm cuteness. In addition to his drawing talent Geisel was poetic. He was fascinated by sounds and hypnotic rhyme; He possessed a strong social conscience.

During his lifetime Geisel’s privately created serious artworks that are an interesting segment of the exhibit dubbed his “Secret Art.”  The piece of his more serious Secret Art that I liked was done in 1932 titled, “Incidental Music For a New Year’s Eve Party. One of his cartoons that touched me took on a political tone. It was a 1940 work called “The Knotty Problem of Capital Hill” …further described as: “Finding a way to raise taxes without losing a single vote.”

Geisel began his career as a Cartoonist, working primarily for magazines, creating cartoons, illustrations, advertising and covers.

From magazines he segued into the Advertising creating “Ad Art.” He worked for some of the Big Boys including Standard Oil of New Jersey and Ford Motor Company. For Standard Oil of NJ (Humble Oil and Refining Company we called it in Texas) he worked on a bug spray named “Flit.” Apparently Flit contained DDT or some type of human toxin for which Geisel later felt some embarrassment by association. Years later he penned  “The Lorax” that extolled the virtues of environmentalism.

Geisel worked in the Advertising field for fifteen years, though interrupted by his service during World War II. In the Army he worked for the U S Military Office of Information and Education creating posters and other advertising matter. In 1943 he authored movie scripts for a military unit headed by Frank Capra, the renowned director doing war documentaries. Geisel won two Academy Awards  (Documentary Feature and Animated Short Film) for his work in the Army and was awarded the Legion of Merit.

Geisel’s next career field was as a writer and illustrator of children’s books. Dr. Seuss (Geisel’s pen name taken from his middle name) is probably the most well-known and popular Children’s authors of all time. He sold over 600,000,000 (that’s 600 MILLION!) books.

Among his most popular books are: “The Cat In the Hat”, “Green Eggs and Ham”, “How the Grinch that Stole Christmas”, and “Horton Hears a Who.”

The good Doctor’s social conscience besides, “The Lorax” and environmentalism, extended to “Sneetches”  - tolerance and racial prejudice and “Yertle the Turtle” dictatorship and expansionism.

Factoids of fancy for me – “The Cat in the Hat” was written as a reading primer and contained 225 new reader vocabulary words. “Green Eggs and Ham” was written as the result of a $50 bet between Geisel and his publisher at Random House, Bennett Cerf; that Geisel could not write a book using only 50 words. Dr. Seuss won. The resultant 62-page book used only 50 words, 49 of them were one syllable and the 50^th word was “anywhere.”

Geisel believed, “no matter the media, every piece of paper was a canvas.”

This exhibit was a solid effort by the WP. The cost is a little spendy, $18 adult admission. Despite the higher cost, I hope the Pavilion programmers keeping bringing on these art exhibitions.

Cultural Notes – Endbar

In conjunction with the Seuss Falls exhibit there was (they took it away before my second visit) a display case in the entryway outside the entrance to the exhibit that contained four or so whimsical music instruments (perhaps Geisel inspired) loaned from the American Music Museum on the University of South Dakota campus in Vermillion. As many of the exhibits at the Vermillion museum, they are unique.

The American Music Museum (formerly Shrine to Music Museum) needs to get “Out There” – it’s a TREASURE and nobody has ever heard of it much less seen it.

Unfortunately music lovers just are not traveling to Vermillion. The museum’s collection is World Class, nothing else even close in North America and maybe (I understand) one of the three best on the Planet Earth. I understand a new building is planned and a new marketing is being studied. If you haven’t seen the American Music Museum it’s less than an hour’s drive. You will not regret the trip. They have a world class website – check it out.

More music but closer to home is the America’s Music series that is ongoing at Siouxland Libraries.

A film, lecture, and performance series has been first rate. It continues through the end of June. On successive Sunday’s Augustana College Music Department Chairman, Scott Johnson has lectured, led discussion, and shown films on the history of Rock and Roll, Broadway, and Jazz. There was an outstanding presentation on guitar craftsmanship, last month by a local guitar maker (luthier), Josh Rieck, and I am looking forward to SDSU music faculty Anthony Lis who will talk again about Blue Yodels, Prairie Radio, and Arizona Swing: The Country Music Life of Billy Burkes.

Culture is alive in South Dakota.