Good to see that the Argus is hanging out at the deli counter with us bloggers.

Had I mentioned before that Randall Beck hates the Governor?

We all know he thinks bloggers are worthless pieces of garbage, but it seems there's nothing that gets Randall off like a fire and brimstone sermon against Mike Rounds.

In case you don't remember, I mentioned it here, and here with regards to the editorials that he's written here, here, here, here, and here related to the topic, and several other times I'm not going to bother citing. It starts to bring into question whether or not the Argus' publisher is legitimately questioning items in the public view.... or if he just plain hates the Governor's guts.

In his latest tirade against our state's chief executive he tries to take yet another shot at the gov because of the story that appeared this weekend about two of the Governor's brothers opening up a distillery:
What started as a bill last January to regulate liquor sales around Bear Butte State Park magically morphed, under the shrewd direction of our Legislature, into a measure legalizing distilleries to produce up to 50,000 gallons of spirits each year.

and...

The final version of the bill won overwhelming support in both houses - including from Rep. Tim Rounds, a Pierre Republican. With the skids greased, brother and Gov. Mike Rounds were all too happy to sign the legislation. And recently, a month after the law went into effect, more family members stepped up to the plate.

and...

To be fair, the brothers Rounds won't be dealing much to booze hounds; only small bottles will be sold at the distillery.

The real money, I imagine, will come from anticipated bulk sales to liquor stores and bars.

Hey, let them do the dirty work.
(Read it all here) So, should we take it that he's starting a temperance crusade, or write it off as yet another example that the publisher of the Argus hates the Governor?

As far as I can tell, everyone was up front about stating their purpose. Just like the people out West who wanted to start a small scale brewery. They had to get the law changed to do it. And also like the people in the Eastern part of the state who wanted to start wineries. They had to change the law to do it.

Here, we have a couple of people who want to start manufacturing specialty liquors on a small scale. Just like their predecessors, they had to ask for the laws to be changed for that. Yet, because they're related to the Governor, Mr. Beck infers it's dirty, and uses pointed language like "greasing the skids" and picks up his literary ax against alcohol like a woman in a victorian gown going to smash up the local speakeasy.

My point to all of this? Pure and simple, it's bias. He's writing it not from a sense of moral outrage for the Sioux Falls community about the evils of alcohol. He's merely penning his tome because of personal animosity.

And it's bias is ill befitting someone who - with a straight face - actually had the hubris to belittle bloggers and state "when anybody with an Internet connection and an ax to grind can distribute baloney disguised as news, a good newspaper with high ethical standards plays a critically important role in any community or state."

I'll be the first to admit that bloggers are biased. You're reading a blog written by a fairly conservative Republican activist, and that's how I write. There are Republican blogs, and if memory serves, I think you'll find a few Democratic oriented blogs out there as well (both linked on the right hand side of the page). But I don't think any of us are going to get on our high horses and claim "high ethical standards." We write what we write, and it's simply opinion and the evidence that we believe supports our view.

Most of the time we disagree. Sometimes we don't and actually collaborate. But my point is, we freely admit our opinions, leanings, likes and dislikes. We don't or at least we rarely try to set forth a facade' that we aren't biased.

Yet, our state's largest newspaper has done just that in the past. They've claimed "high ethical standards" like some white knight trying to lead the citizenry from darkness. in the past, they've inferred that bloggers improperly got them to change whe way they covered the election because they pressured them by complaining about a perceived bias.

What about "the perception?" By itself, today's editorial isn't an example of a perception of bias. But once you get past the third or fourth instance, and get into the fifth and the sixth, you've got to start to wonder. And today was just another example why they're no better than the rest of us who have "an Internet connection and an ax to grind" distributing "baloney disguised as news."

So, Randall Beck, welcome to the deli counter with the rest of us. We saved you a stool.

Would you like that baloney sliced think, or thin?

Comments

Anonymous said…
There's plenty of venom for the Gov and Republicans in general at the RC Journal, too. The two major papers seem to employ political writers who share political views -as well as genes, in some cases. This means that their biases encircle the state like a pair of parentheses.
Just this week, Kevin Woster abused his readers with two days of headlines over the biggest non-story (Lee Breard's e-mail and the "confrontation" of Bruce/Stephanie) since Al Capone's vault! In contrast, they completely buried Jack Billion's own "brother" story on page C-7! It is real news when a gubernatorial candidate's own brother - a doctor, no less - takes a moral stand on an issue and supports his brother's opponent!
Anonymous said…
Vote with your dollars. Stop buying the Argus and the Journal and all the others that suck. Buy the Mitchell Daily Republic. That newspaper is awesome.
Anonymous said…
Or you could get all your news from the South Dakota War College...
Anonymous said…
Where can I get some kool-aid? The whalen-herseth story is a good one for Woster b/c its so silly and such bad politics it has to be reported. Only from Whalen's camp could this come out of. The billion brother story is just a side note, so what if he is for the amendment and a doctor. Are you saying, 9:59, that since he's a doctor he deserve special recognition. I think we can all live with out that sort of grandstanding-did you see he showed up w/his stethescope (sp) at the news conference-what's that all about? Grandstanding moralist, go home!
Anonymous said…
No, anon - 8:13 - he should not receive special attention because he's a doctor, but rather, because he's a brother of the candidate who happens to be a doctor. There are plenty of doctors who support the new law as written on moral grounds, but when one of them is a sibling who has stepped up to defend the unborn in spite of family ties, that is NEWS!
Woster uses anything he can to promote his sorry "Blogmore" blog. Speaking of small gene pools......
Anonymous said…
I am willing to bet that if it had been a Republican candidate who had a doctor brother who disagreed with him, it would be front page news everywhere.
Anonymous said…
Come on PP. In your post, you actually acknowledge that Beck's writing was an editorial. Everyone and their dog knows that editorials are merely the writer's opinion. I don't see what the problem is. Why can't he express his opinion just like the numerous others that write editorials and submit them to papers throughout the state? It is not like his editorial was printed on page A-1 and was intended to make the readers believe that it was anything but an editorial.
Anonymous said…
yes, 12:16...blah, blah, blah, bablah. The liberal media and the liberal argus leader. Of course they push against Rounds, he's going to win 60/40 regardless. So what. He might suffer a defeat in the "plane" vote, big deal.

Newpapers should focus on those in power, not those who aren't. What is the relevance of Mr. Kloucek's comings and goings as it effects the average South Dakotan? Very little I can tell you as someone thankfully not from his district. If Rounds flies a lot and $50 less ends up in the school system that my kids attend, that matters. If Rounds cuts a sweet contract for office furniture to an out of state company with a conflict under a legislative, maybe not directly relevant, standard. Of interest to me. If Gary Moore wants to smoke cigarettes outside the capitol and ruin his own health-don't care.

The GOP is in Power. I am a financial and vocal supporter of this. But I'm also hoping that someday we will have educated, smart and inquisitive journalist throughout the state that keep our elected officials honest and the citizens informed (whether or not they want to be).
Anonymous said…
Who ran over Beck's cat? Holy toledo - his column was written in a totally inappropriate, uptight mood. To get all uppity because someone is starting a legal business? and upset that many people make moral distinctions between alcohol and abortion? That dude needs to check his Prozac prescription, either that or loosen his corset.

I understand that it's an editorial and that it is his opinion ... however, it seems he is also foreshadowing reasons for not endorsing Gov. Rounds (like anyone would expect him to do otherwise). Just my thoughts, but I don't think family has much to do with gubenatorial credentials ... or he will have to look at Billion's family as well. not a very smart move.

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