SOUTH DAKOTA STRAIGHT TALK

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America’s longest serving Congressman has passed away.

Senator Robert Byrd served in the US Congress for 57 years, 51 years in the U S Senate and 6 years in the House of Representatives. He was known at the “King of Pork” and often alluded to bringing home the bacon. He once said his goal was to bring a Billion Dollars in federal spending to West Virginia.  Today that is small potatoes with Bridges to Nowhere and the legacy of Bud Shuster and John Murtha. Hell a in terms of Obama Stimulus One Billion is just a drop in the deficit bucket.   

As quoted in the online edition of the “New York Times”, Senator Byrd said, “I lost no opportunity to promote funding for programs and projects of benefit to the people back home.”

With talk of deficits and the public outrage perhaps Bob Byrd’s passing will mark the end to the era of pork barrel spending as well. One can only hope.

In reflecting on West Virginia pork (as well as remembering Byrd for his pompous oratory and ego) I remember him as Democrat Leader. In reference to South Dakota I remember his trip in about 1979 or 1980 when he came to Mitchell to campaign for George McGovern. He brought his fiddle and played as well as spoke. I also remember his speaking of Tom Daschle as Democrat leader and referring to Daschle’s “spine of steel.”

Byrd served as Chairman and ranking member for ages of the Senate Appropriations Committee and as Senate Pro Tempore. Despite his record tenure, his gargantuan spending, and his leadership, he will be remembered for his addiction to coal, his opposition to the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964 and his membership in the Ku Klux Klan.

Finally Byrd’s death made me remember another name from the past, former South Carolina Congressman L. Mendel Rivers. Rivers who served in Congress for 30 years (1940-1970) was in his last 5 years Chairman of the Armed Services Committee in the U S House (during the Viet Nam War (excuse me Era – not officially a War.) It was said with tongue in cheek but with more truth that one might admit that if South Carolina or Charleston got one more Navy installation, South Carolina might sink from its weight.

How history judges Robert Byrd will be interesting. Will long service make you great? Or will Byrd be a modern interpretation of “While Nero fiddled Rome burned?”



Post It Note - Back to blogging from the best two weeks I ever spent. Each of the past two weeks one my grandchildren came and stayed with their Grandmother and I. Nothing better! My Daddy told me that Grandchildren were the interest on his money. Like so many things he was totally correct!



Straight Talk Commentary - Steve Forbes’ Op Ed in today’s “Wall Street Journal” is too good to pass up. He is right that cutting tax rates raise State revenues and gives the wealthy incentive to invest. Their investment creates jobs. In fact then the wealthy in real dollar terms pay even more of their income in taxes, though at a lower rate.

Hillary of course inadvertently commented on the worthiness of lower tax rates when commenting on the Brazilian economy’s job creation machine. I relish Forbes’ description of President Obama as a neosocialist.

As Secretary of State I suppose it is part of her job to be talking to groups like the Brookings Institution on global economic matters but (since they were rivals for the Democrat Presidential nomination) it may not be thrilling to the Prez that his SOS is talking economics; Particularly not when the President is highlighting his global economic leadership at G20 or G8.

Germany and Great Britain prior to the Economic Summit were calling for real deficit reduction but our President reined them in. The final goals of the G20 are to cut their deficits in half by 2013 and “stabilize” their debts by 2016.

If I understand this the President is calling for us to cut the annual budget deficit by one half or about $800 Billion in two years. Given that deficit spending is the number one political issue when Americans understand this they won’t be happy. Of course they want others to feel the effects of program cuts not those programs they like.

Goals are great but I view last weeks confab as little more than a photo op. Fiscal restraint takes real political courage. Want to cut the deficit? Cut tax rates!

This is happening in an environment of the Gulf Oil Spill and Presidential job approval ratings south of 50%. Hillary is talking economics at the same time  Democrat candidates Congress do not want to get anywhere near Barack Obama. They do not want the President campaigning or raising money for them. Who do they want? The answer is: Bill Clinton, the most popular Democrat politician in the Country.

If the Republicans can control themselves in this fall’s campaign and do not become too rabid, they will hand the President and the Dems their Donkey. Then looking forward to 2012 elections their may be a revolt within their party. Will they leave their Leader in the White House and take up with the Democrat talking economic sense? I do not know.  A sure sign might be a Hillary resignation by mid 2011.

I find it interesting that Forbes submitted this Op Ed to the Journal and it was has published as Forbes is the Editor and Chief of the business magazine “Forbes” and CEO of Forbes, Inc. a competing media company to News Corporation owner’s of the WSJ.  

Hillary Clinton: Accidental Supply-Sider

She's right about Brazil's growth. She's wrong about its tax rates.

By Steve Forbes

The Wall Street Journal

June 28, 2010

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared recently at the Brookings Institution, "The rich are not paying their fair share."

She then went on to praise Brazil as the tax holy grail for the rest of the world: "Brazil has the highest tax-to-GDP rate in the Western Hemisphere and guess what—it's growing like crazy." At first blush those kinds of words must make her neosocialist boss, President Obama, jump for joy. But is the secretary of state actually a supply-side subversive?

Take a look at Brazil's income tax rates—they are lower than ours. The highest rate is a mere 27.5%, far below our top federal rate of 35%, which, given the complexity of our tax code, is actually closer to 38%. Moreover, that exaction will climb to almost 43% come January.

Isn't Brazil's success an example of what Ronald Reagan and other tax cutters have always claimed: Lower rates generate more economic activity, which, in turn, generates more government revenue?

Sadly, for our beleaguered economy, Hillary Clinton and her staff had no idea that Brazil's income tax rate on the rich is slightly lower than that levied even in Ronald Reagan's heyday (28%), a rate Bill Clinton railed against when he was running for the White House.

Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama and the rest of the administration don't grasp that the top 1% of income earners in the U.S. already pay about 40% of federal income tax receipts, and the top 5% pay some 60%. When President Reagan took office the top tax rate was 70%, with the highest income earners paying a mere 18% of federal income tax receipts. By the time Reagan had whacked the top rate down to 28%, the proportion paid by the rich had soared to well over 30%.

Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama and their friends also have no conception of capital creation. Low tax rates encourage people to take risks on new businesses, products and services. While most of these fail, the handful that succeed generate vast amounts in new assets.

Take the current stock market hottie, Apple. Before its dazzling train of iPods, iPhones and iPads, Apple was on the verge of extinction. Today the company is worth more than $240 billion, and Steve Jobs is high on the Forbes rich list. As a result, the government has collected billions of dollars in taxes on capital gains, corporate taxes and other levies, as well as on the profits from all of Apple's vendors. AT&T, for example, has been an enormous beneficiary of Apple's technology, as its network is the exclusive provider for the iPhone and iPad.

Clinton/Obama statists will never grasp the truth that those who create wealth will almost always reinvest it far more productively than government bureaucrats. Bill and Melinda Gates have established a foundation with assets of $35 billion. Does anyone really believe that money would do the world more good if it were put in the hands of the bloated bureaucracies of the Department of Health & Human Services or the Department of Housing and Urban Development?

Fortunately, while this administration will never understand the dazzling, opportunity-creating dynamics of genuine free markets, the American people still do.

The Primary Election is Tuesday. There is no statewide action on the Democrat side while there are two hard fought contests for the GOP. The Dems do have some skin in the game trying to gather enough signatures bu Tuesday’s Independent filing deadline to get their Independent surrogate on the ballot to oppose John Thune in November’s U. S. Senate race.

There has been little excitement in the GOP primary campaigns. Because of the lack of excitement voters have become little engaged and consequently the outcomes seem in doubt. Because of the lack of contrasting campaigns voters will rely on campaign advertising and impressions of candidates to make their vote decision.

(What follows are solely my impressions of the campaign advertising in the two Republican Primary elections. I assume that most ads are still linked on each candidates web site or can be found on You Tube – thus they are not linked on this post)  

Overwhelmingly the best television ad is from the non contested primary election candidate, Democrat Scott Heidepriem “We’re going to put you on a diet big boy.” No Republican ad comes close. This is in contract to his fist awful ad I posted on previously.  Expect to see Heidepriem use the Republican elephant symbol used again in Heidepriem’s General election campaign as a metaphor for overspending.

Number 2 most effective ads were the branding ads by Dave Knudson. His “All fixed” and “Politicians at the spigot” effectively identified and branded Knudson as “Mr. Fix It.”

 The third ad of importance was Dennis Daugaard’s “Bio ad.” This ad first ran as a 90 second spot and debuted back in February during the Winter Olympics. They were effective in telling the Lt. Governor’s personal story. However they were too effective. The bio ad ran too long and as a consequence bars voters from absorbing later campaign messaging. When thinking about Daugaard voters don’t identify anything about him other than his personal story – compelling that it is. This is important because voters don’t care about you they care about themselves. You must communicate what is in it for the voter. From the candidate’s perspective Ads must be about what voters care about.  

In a further distant fourth place is the Blake Curd first “Bowling” ad.  It identified the candidate, delivered the message and used humor. Voters appreciate humor. Heidepriem and Knudson used it effectively in the ads previously mentioned and you can’t forget John Thune’s daughters in his ads in 2004.

Kristi Noem hit a little bump with filming her first ad in Texas but it was mostly inside political baseball stuff for the politically infected and most primary voters have zero recollection of the hiccup. I also liked Blake Curd’s internet video “The Rilie Factor”.

While not a Statewide race, the election maker voter contact of the Republican Primary is the life size cutout sign of Greg LaFollette candidate for Minnehaha County Auditor. You can put the winning check mark next to LaFollette.  This outstanding (literally) use of the commercial political sign (4x6) will break new ground in South Dakota campaigns.



Scott Heidepriem’s campaign for Governor continues to be a little unconventional and continues injecting itself into the mix of what should be a time period of exclusive GOP message and candidate name identification establishment.

Besides running the memorable “We’re going to put you on a diet big boy” television ad throughout May, in the final week run up to the contested GOP Primary elections, Heidepriem is stealing more GOP media oxygen. Yesterday he announced his selection for Lieutenant Governor. I am not a fan of making such announcements before the primary results but in this case it may be argued what is the difference because he is unopposed; the Democrat nomination has already been secured.

The presumptive nominee gave his nod to Ben Arndt the Chief Operating Officer of Bell Paper Box in Sioux Falls. Heidepriem claims this is a historic event because Arndt a Republican is being selected as the Democrat candidate. It is a little unusual and maybe a first but this factoid is more a question for Trivial Pursuit not Historic. What might rise to politically questionable is what has become of geographic balance with having two persons from Sioux Falls together leading the Democrat Statehouse ticket.

To the extent that the second man helps the ticket Arndt is a good choice.

If he were not Scott Heidpriem’s choice and he were the GOP nominee’s choice, Republicans would be embracing him. Arndt is a fresh face, young, has an attractive family, and is a small businessman that actually has created jobs. Presumably as a small businessman he shares Republican views about government over regulation, bureaucracy, tort reform, and taxation. In sum he looks very much like the model of what Republican’s hope to find when recruiting candidates.

Arndt’s bio is very similar to Jerad Higman the CEO of Masaba Mining Equipment in Vermillion who was the GOP State Senate candidate in District 17 in 2008 - Young, good looking, nice family, manufacturing entrepreneur, smart, and successful. Higman also is a recent Iowa transplant to South Dakota who had held high test professional jobs before landing in South Dakota. Higman had worked for Andersen Consulting and Arndt for Microsoft and Procter & Gamble. P & G is absolutely the best marketer in business. You can expect Arndt (Heidepriem) to have a strong marketing plan and can be sure that Arndt is process oriented.

Last election cycle you may remember Democrats rallying around Ben Nesselhuf (their District 17 Senate candidate) crying Jerad was an Iweejen carpetbagger and really wasn’t a true South Dakotan, essentially what the GOP is doing now saying about Arndt.

What may really seem hypocritical and puzzles me is what South Dakota Democrat activists and Arndt himself thinks.

About two months ago Democrat activists were outraged (to the point of putting up a primary challenge - Kevin Wieland) against incumbent Stephanie and presumably still are that she took more moderate positions opposing liberal litmus test positions on the cap and trade energy bill and health care reform. Thus the question of where is the outrage over Arndt who is being portrayed as “our Republican” and presumably more moderate. Will the left wing party activists speak up or give their Governor nominee a pass?

The other unanswered questions that have me puzzled are: What are Arndt’s positions on small business issues like card check (that Heidepriem opposes), tort reform (that surprise surprise Heidepriem also opposes)  and the health care reform bill (that Democrat activists wanted to drive Herseth Sandlin out of the Party because of her opposition)? Answers to these questions might tell us a little more about his credentials as the Republican small businessman that he is presented to be.

This may be a risky choice for Scott Heidepriem but his campaign clearly understands that in a Red State, to win in November they must take some risks.



Several weeks ago I returned to Living World Christian Center in the Twin Cities to celebrate my second “A Night to Honor Israel.” I last attended Pastors Mac and Lynne Hammond’s Church in May 2007. I posted at the time what a tremendous experience it was. The Fellowship lowered barriers and eased my concerns about mixing religion and politics.

Traveling  to the almost 3 hour celebration I mused whether I would have a better experience than my prior visit.  Our host, the Minnesota Chapter of CUFI (Christians United For Israel), did not disappoint. Both Nights were simply fantastic. They were slightly different experiences but both were exceptional and memorable.

With the possible exception of visiting my Kentucky grandparents as a young boy, in my entire life, I have never been so sincerely and warmly welcomed. Our hosts were genuinely glad for us to join them. At a pre event reception I was greeted by Pastor Tim Burt, CUFI’s Minnesota State Director. Pastor Burt was extremely easy to talk and we found we had similar views on Israel and other National and International issues.

The program included greetings by the Pastors Hammond, a fantastic historical documentary of the Diaspora and the founding of the modern State of Israel, Israeli music and singing, a presentation by Orli Gil the Consul General of Israel to the Midwest, and at the conclusion a music celebration including the sanctuary exploding with the singing of “Heiveinu Shalom Aleichem” (we have peace onto you) - More noise and enthusiasm than a Beach Boys Concert at Dallas Market Hall during the 1984 Republican National Convention but perhaps a little less than “Margaritaville” at a Buffet concert.  – Great Joy!

My Brother (and now Blogger Brother) Stephen who attended who is far more grounded in Israel, Jewish theology and practice, history (B A degree in History from The University of Texas), and International Affairs posted on CUFI and our second Twin Cities visit on his excellent blog, Random Thoughts. His post explains the religious background of the evening’s program.

I do not completely share my Brother’s prior expressed view that most Christians are anti-Semitic. Skeptical perhaps. This is a subject worthy of its own posting but I would only add from my own experience, I found particularly in areas where there are Christians who maybe never met a Jew, they too might be skeptical but not hateful. As Nelson Mandela has said – (not a religious view) – “No one was born hating another.” Hate is a learned trait though learned out of lack of education.

The highlight of the night was the Keynote Speaker – Dennis Prager. Prager is a popular political commentator, author, radio talk show host and television personality. Prager whom it is widely held is a Conservative commentator is actually more pointed in his view according to Wikipedia that America “is engaged in a "second non-violent “civil war” “culture war” over the fundamental moral values on which American society was built are based.”

Prager’s Wikipedia bio also states, “Prager argues that many influential American institutions (including universities, trial lawyers, labor unions, the ACLU, civil rights groups, and most large newspapers and television networks) are dominated by "secular leftists," who, he says, attack and misrepresent the uniqueness of Judeo-Christian values and their positive historical effect upon America and the world.”

In his almost 40 minute address Prager touched on the many historical anecdotes and Jewish principles upon which American government is founded.

Prager stated “America was founded by Christians based on Judaism.” Prager added, the American Founders believed that America was “the Second Israel.” The Founders believed the Jews left Egypt and we left Europe. Benjamin Franklin and John Adams wanted the symbol of America to be the Israelites departure from Egypt.

It connected with me (as I have a similar viewpoint) when Prager mentioned he is often asked if he thought of himself first as an American or a Jew? Prager replied essentially both. He said “I have two Fathers, George Washington and Abraham.” I agree, I am an American and a Jew, they are not mutually exclusive.

Prager stated and I also agree – that the American Armed Forces are the greatest force for peace on the Planet Earth and that they and by the fact they are an extension the government of The United States of America are the guardians of mankind not just America. 

History has shown when there are problems in the world America Shows Up. Not just tidal waves and earthquakes but WWI and WWII. Parallels should be drawn too to a nuclear Iran but I’ll refrain from that for now.

Prager concluded that there is nothing as powerful as Jews and Christians working together for goodness. – I Agree!

Endbar -  At the reception for many guests after the event I was greeted by a couple with a strong South Dakota GOP connection. One of the hosts who asked where I was from said he was a Mitchell native. As fate would have it, his name was Tace Wieczoreck. Tace is the son of the Dean Wieczoreck who was a stalwart in South Dakota politics, especially in Davison County but in statewide GOP circles as well. Dean a large man with a heart of gold served several years as a South Dakota Highway Patrolman.  Dean served several terms in the South Dakota House of Representatives including a stint as a GOP Majority Whip. Tace’s brother Tal is also active in S D GOP circles and is a talented and successful attorney in Rapid City though he lives in Meade County.

Tace is businessman from the Twin Cities (Lakeville area to be exact). Tace and his wife Carmen are members of Pastor Mac's Church and volunteers for CUFI. Visiting with Wieczorecks topped off a fully qualified Night to Remember.

Not talking about Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard but Ruth Bader, Sonia, and Elena.

Elena Kagan, the Solicitor General of the United States, and who most everyone who follows politics and government knows is President Obama’s nominee to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.

Since the announcement early Monday, the partisan lines have been predictably drawn. Democrats love her and the GOP has “concerns.” The Senate Minority Leader and the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee have stated the President’s choice should be a confirmation process not a coronation process. In other words, Slow It Down!

The White House and Democrats believe a speedy and clean confirmation will be perceived as a win by their side. Republicans on the other hand see tripping Ms. Kagan up would give the President and the Dems a hickey. There also is the matter of revving up the base of each Party as Supreme Court appointments do. (I’ll get to that a little later.) November is not too far away!

Absent a bombshell, the Nominee will win an easy confirmation. Democrats are in the majority, this is an election year, and the newly minted Senator from Massachusetts  (Scott Brown) will be hard pressed to vote to sustain a filibuster; Having said that she should be investigated and vetted.

It has already been suggested that she is anti military and that alone is worth taking a look at and understanding her viewpoint. She also has scant experience as a practicing attorney, spending most of her career in academia, though she also has political experience serving as Deputy Assistant Domestic Policy Advisor to President Clinton.

As a legal scholar she has a sterling resume, i.e. Dean of the Harvard Law School, Professor University of Chicago Law School, law clerks to Justice Thurgood Marshall and Abner Mikva. No one believes she doesn’t have the chops to engage in legal debate and discourse at the highest level.

Sidebar – Check out Judge Mikva’s wiki bio if you don’t think all these guys haven’t been living in the same hood. They definitely have a common culture. Mikva’s comment about Barack Obama is priceless.

“Mikva became Obama's political advisor and suggested he learn more effective public speaking from observing preachers. Mikva said of Obama: “He listened to patterns of speech, how to take people up the ladders. It’s almost a Baptist tradition to make someone faint, and, by God, he’s doing it now.””   

The Republicans in their opening salvo asserted she does not have Judicial experience. This was done partially just to undermine the President. In the 2010 Supreme Court confirmation it’s the Democrats that do not agree. In a perverted way (to my thinking), both the political parties like Appellate Judge nominees.  Appellate Judges have a paper trail. Nominees decisions can be combed and parsed to discover  strong ideological positions or controversial opinions that are used to either as the case may be, to sidetrack or destroy a nomination (thus damaging the President) and or ginning up their Party’s ideological base.

This year the Republicans are looking for owees but when the roles are reversed a Republican President nominates, the Democrats have the same MO. Remember Justice Alito’s confirmation?

Lack of Judicial experience should not be a handicap. Having Justices that were previously Court of Appeals Judges is a more recent phenomenon. Certainly Justices need a great legal mind but I like real world experience, particularly someone with experience from the private sector. Political experience is good too.

Two examples of influential Justices that did not have previous Judicial are Justice Tom Clark and Chief Justice Earl Warren.

Clark was in a private law practice who became the Dallas City Attorney. He was noticed by FDR’s administration and moved to Washington, DC with a high ranking appointment in the Civil Division at the Justice Department. Tom Clark had the good fortune to be poker playing buddy of Senator, Vice President, and then President Harry Truman. The rest is history. When Truman became President in 1945 he appointed Clark Attorney General and subsequently Justice to the Supreme Court.

Truman later claimed that Clark was the worst appointment he ever made. When President Truman tried to nationalize the steelmakers and the action was taken to the Supreme Court, Clark opposed the Administration. Despite never having served as a Judge, Clark is believed to have been a very good Justice.

On a historical note, President Lyndon Johnson appointed Clark’s son, Ramsey, as Attorney General thus creating a conflict of interest that persuaded the elder Clark to resign. LBJ did this knowingly to engineer the way to appoint Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to the Supreme Court. At the time this was a very overt political act that symbolized push for Civil Rights in the Nation.

The story of Chief Justice Earl Warren is well known. Warren was a California attorney who became a very significant politician. Warren was a tough as nails prosecutor in Alameda County for 14 years, He served as California Attorney General and was elected Governor of California for 3 terms, the only person ever to do so. In 1946 he was so popular he secured the nomination for Governor from the Republican, Democrat, and Progressive parties and ran virtually unopposed. In 1948 Governor Warren was the Republican Party candidate for Vice President as the running mate of Thomas Dewey. It was thought the Republicans would win but Truman pulled off the upset. (Remember the photo of Truman holding up the Chicago Tribune?) The 1948 Presidential was also the year Strom Thurman ran on the Dixiecrat Ticket. The Electoral Count was: Dems 303, GOP 189, Dixiecrat 39.

In 1952 Earl Warren was a favorite son candidate for President from California but he withdrew and supported Eisenhower. His withdrawal was in exchange for the next available appointment to the Supreme Court. Chief Justice Fred Vinson died unexpectedly of a heart attack thus making Ike’s first appointment that of Chief Justice.

As Chief, Warren went on to become one of the most influential Justices in U S History. He also chaired the Warren Commission that investigated the assassination of President John F Kennedy.

Both Clark and Warren were qualified! No Judicial Experience!

The current makeup of the Court (appointed by both Democrats and Republicans) does not look like America. In fact with the seating of Ms. Kagan four of New York’s five Boroughs will be hometown to a U S Supreme Court Justice.

Justice       Hometown          Undergrad          Law School

Kennedy    Sacremento        Stanford            Harvard

Roberts      La Porte             Harvard             Harvard

Scalia         Queens              Georgetown        Harvard

Thomas     Savannah           Holy Cross          Yale

Alito          Trenton              Princeton            Yale

Ginsberg    Brooklyn            Cornell               Harvard/Columbia

Breyer       San Francisco     Stanford/Oxford  Harvard

Sotomayor Bronx               Princeton           Yale

Kagan        Manhattan       Hunter College/    Harvard                                        Princeton                                                     

On a Personal Note – I served one term as a lay member of the South Dakota Judicial Qualifications Commission.   In addition to being of excellent character and legally qualified (both intellectually and reputation within the legal community) approaching an almost must was real law office experience with daily contact with South Dakotans. The Commission liked a broad experience that many in lawyers in South Dakota have, especially those outside the two larger Cities. In terms of judicial candidate applicants those who had spent their careers mostly hanging out at Court Houses were at a disadvantage (that would be full time prosecutors and even Magistrate Judges).

For reference in South Dakota we elect our Circuit Judges every eight years while Supreme Court Justices are on the ballot for retention (no opponent just an up or down vote). Judicial vacancies are filled by the Governor’s appointment from a list of a minimum of two submitted from the Judicial Qualifications Commission. The JQCC advertises for applicants and then interview and investigate the applicants before sending the names of nominees to the Governor.  

I like my Judges so to speak – home grown - Real people in touch with real people. We entrust Judges with real power over people and their property. I respect the Judiciary but someone becoming Judge does not instantly make them wise.



Tomorrow begins Sioux Falls Mayor Dave Munson’s last week in office.

His term in office is one of accomplishment even though the going has been rocky at times. Dave’s stick to it tiveness  has far more often than not prevailed.  

Last Friday Mayor Munson’s record of accomplishment was highlighted by the ribbon cutting and re opening of the Main Library in Downtown Sioux Falls. At the ribbon cutting Dave Munson spoke from his heart. It was the best address I ever heard him make. He spoke of the importance of libraries to communities, to our children, to the quality of life, and especially in helping to make the City’s downtown a welcoming place. He injected humor into his remarks (something he rarely does) saying that Library staff might expect to see more of him often after May 17, his last day in office.

Sidebar – It is not well known (because he refused to publicize it) that Dave Munson was extremely active each year in the Leaders are Readers program. Each year Mayor Munson went to each of the City’s elementary schools and read to classes. His presence giving emphasis to the children of the importance of Reading.

Among the Mayor’s other grander accomplishments are straightening out the loop situation, revitalizing Downtown and the Pettigrew Heights neighborhood, cleaning up the physical and financial mess at the Orpheum Theatre, pushing to completion the languishing Falls Park and Phillips to the Falls project, and the opening up of thousands of acres to development on the east side of the City.

Without question I am a Dave Munson fan, though from time to time was frustrated with his communication and strategic skills. And I am still upset of his endorsement of Tim Johnson in 2004. As I told the Mayor at the time, it was not necessary and affected his support from many Republican activists.

Dave Munson leaves big shoes to fill. Sioux Falls is a better place today than eight years ago. The City has grown and prospered.

A little more on the Main Library expansion – The downtown Library was first constructed in 1970 when the City had a population of about 70,000 (less than one half the City’s current population.). Since then 3 branch libraries have been built in the City. A fourth is in the planning stage for the West side.  Additionally in 1995 the City and Minnehaha Counties merged their library systems creating Siouxland Libraries. There are eight additional library locations in Minnehaha County outside the City of Sioux Falls. There also is Bookmobile service and Outreach services to participating nursing homes and day cares. The administrative function for all locations is headquartered at the downtown Sioux Falls site.

The Downtown Library expansion and renovation is highlighted with a more inviting appearance. There is more natural lighting though the ceiling and windows, and enhanced by the use of lower bookshelves. There is increased space and emphasis given to non book media, children, and space for teens. Importantly there are now 50 computers available with connections to the Internet. Of course the entire Library is wireless. Many of the new chairs even have small desks for using laptops.

Many deserve kudos for this spectacular addition to our City. The most important group responsible is the Sioux Falls Taxpayer, without whose money, it would not have been built. It surely could not have been built with library fines or user fees. Some quality of life facilities require community investment.

Sidebar – Remember in the last election all the nonsense about if you don’t use it you should not have to pay for it? 

Mayor Munson’s commitment and vision saw this project through.  There were many staffers at the City Hall and Library who deserve credit for the wonderful new  library (finance, city services, engineering and the like), but the two most influential persons were the Director of Libraries, Sally Felix and her Assistant, Joan Reddy. Sally Felix deserves a large amount of credit. Ever the diplomat, Sally is focused and has the firm yet soft touch to keep things moving the right direction. Joan Reddy day to day lived the Library expansion and made sure that all the project’s players stayed on plan, and jobs were finished, and finished on time.

The Library is utilitarian, is beautiful, and came in considerably under budget.  

The election results in Tuesday’s Sioux Falls Mayor’s election were surprising and yet not surprising. Surviving the cut are Mike Huether and Kermit Staggers. Regardless of the outcome of the second lap, many Citizens will feel that the best candidate did not win or for that matter even make the runoff election. It was thus a divide and conquers election. Candidates receiving over fifty percent of the vote did not make the playoffs.

Had the election been a three or four candidate race, the results could have been much different. Keep this in mind when the ultimate winner claims a mandate for their cause.

Objectively what happed was that the two candidates that will face off in the April 27 runoff election are the candidates which started campaigning the earliest, employed retail politics (going door to door and meeting with voters as opposed to greater emphasis on paid media (billboards, television, mail, and print), and were to a larger degree self funded.

I posted previously it was a wide open race - and one Council member and one non Council member would likely face each other On April 27th. The campaign really heated up after and in some respect was driven by the Mason Dixon Poll sponsored by KELOLAND TV and Argus Leader. The poll was released about two weeks prior to the election.

The poll showed Staggers in the lead with approximately 20% of the likely vote, followed by Vernon Brown with 17%, Pat Costello 12%, Huether 11%, Bill Peterson 7%, and Ajda 1%. The elephant in the room however were the Undecided Voters who commanded 32%. After release of the poll numbers the race was on for the undecided voters.

Important results from the poll also showed Staggers is unfavorably viewed by 35% of likely voters, slightly over 50% of voters support an event center, and a majority of voters do not support a tax to fund an event center. Significantly results also showed current Mayor Dave Munson’s job performance was rated by the respondents as excellent 10%, good by a majority, fair 26%, and poor 9%.

Mike Huether could read the poll. He tuned up his campaign and modulated his message to get in concert with the poll results. He stressed and re emphasized he does not support the event center proposal, does not support a tax increase to fund it, while at the same reiterating his support of an event center though scaled down. The primary opponents in his path to a runoff position were Brown and Costello both supporters of the Events Center Task Force plan.

Staggers maintained his lead with his appeals and adherence to his message the city overtaxes and overspends. Despite Staggers’ limited financial support, he had the best campaign. This really is no surprise. As I have said repeatedly he is a good campaigner and personally engaging (people like him one on one). He understands the nuts and bolts of political campaigns. Kermit blocks and tackles well. He had succinct billboards, yard signs, and television ads that delivered his message Staggers – common sense.

While Staggers opposes government involvement in all but the most basic of city services (and he may want to change some of those as well), the election results in the four Council races refute Stagger’s view of what voters want. All four winners Rex Rolfing, Jim Entenman, Sue Aguilar and Michelle Erpenbach, are interested in quality of life issues that Staggers opposes. Entenman and Erpenbach defeated Staggers’ disciples Michael Jones and Theresa Stehly by landslide margins.

Common thought is that the supporters of the losing candidates will coalesce for Huether. Given the poll and Staggers’ unfavorables this makes sense.

However, I would not completely rule Kermit out. First of all he is focused and has a plan. He will play the Republican card claiming that Huether is a Democrat and thus unworthy. I touched on Huether in March of 2009. Turnout will be important. Supporters of the other candidates may stay at home and there are no other Council or School Board elections.

It has been a long campaign but this last week could have some interesting turns and maybe even a surprise or two. 

Scott Heidepriem, heir apparent Democrat nominee for South Dakota Governor, beamed up his first campaign commercial last week despite not having any opposition for the nomination. Rather curious given that the election is seven months away but not unprecedented.

In 1986 while Tom Daschle was the lone Democratic candidate for the U S Senate and Republican incumbent Senator Jim Abdnor and term limited Republican Governor Bill Janklow were duking it out the GOP nomination; Daschle ran a rather dramatic television ad showing red ink flowing over the U S Constitution. Daschle did this for two reasons; To keep his name before the public at a time when Abdnor and Janklow were running media pretty much continuously and to hammer on the issue that the Republicans in Washington (at the time, Reagan was in the White House and the GOP held the majority in the U S Senate, Dems controlled the U S House) were deficit spending to the detriment of the nation. Incongruously at the same time Scott Heidepriem was running for the Republican nomination for the U S Congress.

Heidepriem’s ad is not very good, in fact awful. The first couple of times I thought it was laughable. Although with several more You Tube viewings it got a little better from an artistic standpoint. I doubt many South Dakotans watched it or studied it several times as I did. Many probably did fast forward the dang thing though. The ad did not put a pretty face both literally or figuratively on Scott. He looks harsh if not strange when answering the phone and saying “Scott Heidepriem”.

There is however I think a method to the madness.

Like Daschle’s ad, Heidepriem is talking about the budget mess in Pierre. It was timely running during the Session last week. Also like the ’86 Daschle ad it keeps his name in front of voters. Whether you agree or not, expect the Heidepriem for Governor Campaign to continue to advocate for change saying management in Pierre has been lackluster with spending being higher than income for the past eight years.

The ad stakes out another claim or phrase that we can expect to see a lot more of: “Independent Democrat for Governor”. It sounds like our Congresswoman when she says, “I want to be an independent voice for South Dakota.” Independent must be the tried and true word that you want to use if you are a Democrat in conservative South Dakota. A recent article in “The Jewish Daily Forward” explains and stresses voters “don’t care about party, they are looking for skills.”

With the thunder, lighting, smoke, and the goofy guy exclaiming, “We Republicans have created a monster” the advertisement takes on an almost cartoonish look and feel. In that respect it is a lot like other political advertising that is popping up on the Internet and social media. Take a look at the Carly Fiorina, Republican for U S Senate in California, two ads, Fiscal Conservative in Name Only and Hot Air the Movie. Obviously Heidepriem’s is already up on You Tube and Facebook, so what difference does this make?

Consider that Barack Obama won the election because of he overwhelmingly won the vote of those under 35. Obama raised something like $500 million much raised in small donations on the Internet. Obama literally tweeted his way to the White House. This is not lost on Steve Hildebrand who manages the Heidepriem campaign. If you think I am making too much of this remember that Obama did very well here in South Dakota.

2008

McCain      53%         

Obama      45%

2004

Bush          60%         

Kerry         38%

2000

Bush          60%         

Gore          38%

1996

Dole          46%         

Clinton       43%  

Perot        10%

1992

Bush          41%         

Clinton       37% 

Perot         22%

(A little more on Obama in South Dakota in ’08) Obama won Minnehaha, Brown, Brookings, Moody, Lake, and Clay counties and though he lost in Coddington County received 46%. ) 

Obama did very well in South Dakota by historical standards.  I suspect in a large part by employing Internet and social media. Having the “Republicans have created a Monster” ad replicating across younger generation’s computer screens is part of the plan. Expect the Heidepriem campaign to employ this new media to attract younger and first time voters. If it works it could spell trouble for Republicans down the ballot as well.

Correction – April 5, 2010

Scott Heidepriem’s campaign manager is incorrectly identified. As reported to me, his campaign manager is Steve Jarding. Jarding is a very capable and experienced political hand.