Senator Adelstein attacks Senator Greenfield, but Napoli does a run-out to the ring.

If you’ve never watched or experienced professional wrestling before, let me explain a bit of what goes on, and some terminology. I’ve watched this stuff for years, and is a guilty pleasure of mine. Just like politics.

When two combatants go at it, they’re in the wrestling ring (sometimes known as the square circle). And from time to time, when one wrestler, say Wrestler "A" starts beating on Wrestler B improperly, say using brass knuckles or another foreign object, Wrestler B may have a buddy (Wrestler C) in the back who comes to his defense. When this occurs, Wrestler C is doing a run-out.

How is this applicable to politics? Well it’s pretty close to what happened in the Rapid City Journal on Friday, March 3rd. Check out these snippets from the article on the cuts in public broadcasting which got the battle started by Senator Brock Greenfield's proposed cuts which were approved by the legislature:

Sen. Brock Greenfield, R-Clark, brought the funding cut to the Appropriation Committee on Tuesday night. Greenfield argued that the state has plenty of television and radio outlets and that the public-broadcasting system was set to have a budget cushion of about $970,000. Then, he proposed the cut, which the committee approved on a 12-6 vote.

But then, Senator Stan “The Brain” Adelstein pulled out a foreign object to clunk Brock “the Giant” Greenfield on the head with a strongly worded attack:

Sen. Stan Adelstein, R-Rapid City, one of the most outspoken opponents, called the cut “yet another example of extremism gone too far in the Legislature.”

Adelstein was upset both by the cut and by the fact that it came so late in the budget process that there was no public comment or involvement by supporters of public broadcasting. A former Appropriations Committee member, he labeled Greenfield as “an ultra-conservative extremist” who helped organize the “last-minute ambush of public radio by extremists.”

“It is a breach of trust and an abuse of power,” Adelstein said.

Seeing that his compatriot from the Appropriations Committee was being unfairly targeted, it was at that point which Senator Bill “Blackjack” Napoli did a run-out from the back and started swinging at Adelstein:

Napoli was angered by those comments, which he said showed Adelstein didn’t understand the amendment or the public-broadcasting budget.

“I’m upset beyond belief that this little gray-haired senator would call me an extremist for doing my job, and that’s exactly what we did,” Napoli said. “If that guy would get his ass out of bed and come to the committee meetings, he would have realized that South Dakota Public Broadcasting has almost a million dollars left over.”

That devastating swing from Napoli left Adelstein stunned on the canvas and scrambling to get up. With his tone softened, and the crowd catcalling, the rhetoric continued:

Adelstein said the cut should have been presented to lawmakers earlier. He said it was aimed more at a perceived liberal slant by public broadcasting than it was at the budget.

“The cut was presented by people who didn’t like the tone of public broadcasting,” Adelstein said. “I don’t think the editorial pen should be exercised with the hatchet of cutting off necessary operational funds.”

Heh. Napoli telling Adelstein to "get his ass out of bed and come to the committee meetings" was about the verbal equivalent of the wrestling move known as "the steel chair." After Napoli hit Stan, Greenfield got up and put proceeded to Adelstein in a full-nelson with a return retort:

Greenfield said Thursday that even with the cut, public broadcasting would end the year almost $500,000 in the black next year. He doubts the cut will hurt programming.

Greenfield, the executive director of South Dakota Right to Life, said Adelstein’s comments about him were inaccurate and unfair.

“I guess that’s his prerogative. Sen. Adelstein has chosen to engage in personal attacks,” he said. “I guess I’m not cut from the same mold.”

And I'm sure we haven't heard the end of all of this. Please don't forget to read it all here at the Rapid City Journal.

The biggest thing to note in all of this is that the measure was passed by the legislature, so it's not just one person swinging blows at SDPB. It's a majority of the legislature deeming the proposal as a proper one. So, when Senator Adelstein calls the cuts a "last-minute ambush of public radio by extremists" that would mean he's referring to the majority.

And if the majority of legislators hold that view.... Wouldn't that place them in the mainstream of legislative thought, leaving Stan as the extremist? Just a thought to ponder.

Back to the topic at hand, the big question remaining in the battle royale over SDPB's budget surplus; as the bell prepares to ring on the sparring match, who will be declared the victor by the referee on the 35th legislative day?

Stay Tuned.