Senator Jim Hundstad is less than honest. Again.

Remember back during session when I railed on Senator Jim Hundstad (a former teacher) for his blatant plagiarism of his legislative column? It was a blogpost I titled "When teachers plagiarize. A legislator not giving credit where it is due."

If I didn't know better, I'd say all he did for his weekly legislative report is to copy a few of the GPPPI e-mail reports to his local newspapers, slap a paragraph on the beginning and on the end, and make it look like it's his own work.

It's like he erased the name off of someone else's homework and wrote his own.

and..

So, as far as the SDWC is concerned, Senator Hundstad's legislative report this week gets a Failing grade. Not for content, but for not giving credit where credit is due. For presenting the work of another as his own. And Senator, if you're going to parrot GPPPI material for your weekly legislative reports, at least give them the appropriate citation.

I know it got attention, because the following week, he was forced to print a correction where he acknowledged the source of the content for his prior column. One would have thought that his public spanking on being less than honest with his legislative column would have dismayed him from playing fast and loose with the truth in the future.

Well.... Since I'm writing this, of course it didn't. What's the most recent example of Hundstad's dishonesty? Here you go:

I saw this ad yesterday myself, and while I was driving to Brookings, I've had it also sent to me by no fewer than three people. Suffice it to say that people are p*ssed off about this ad, entitled "Working together we can Get-er Done."

I could understand why they'd be annoyed by the misspellings, even getting the "Git-r Done" wrong. But (at least according to my e-mail) the picture of Hundstad with Governor Mike Rounds has Republicans from Aberdeen to Pierre to Sioux Falls absolutely livid. By picturing Hundstad with Governor Mike Rounds, this ad seems to imply an endorsement or implying that they somehow work together on issues.

Let me assure you, this couldn't be farther from the truth.

If I was to give it a name, I'd call it "National Enquirer" style photography. Where a photo is selectively edited or selectively angled to imply something that doesn't exist. It's obvious from the content of the picture, this is simply a portion of a photograph depicting the Governor signing a piece of legislation and Hundstad was one of several sponsors. Nothing more.

It's not unusual for these types of photographs to be used in newspapers noting the passage of legislation. What is unusual is for them to find their way into campaign advertisements without permission.

I've done campaign photography for years. And one of the things that's usually called for is the permission of people being used in those photos. Candidates don't want an unhappy person screaming about their being included in a campaign shot without being asked. And in this instance, that's exactly what Jim Hundstad has done.

But I also have the strong feeling that this is going to come back to haunt him.

Brian Johnson, the same opponent that Hundstad had two years ago, is giving the race another run. Up until now, he's been running a fairly low key, on the ground race. His wife is expecting, and he's had farm chores to do.

But with this photograph hitting the Doland newspaper, it's kicked things into high gear, and provided strong motivation to get rid of Hundstad once and for all.

Hundstad has managed to fly below the radar for years at the same time he's proposed goofy tax schemes, such as his authoring a bill on "intangible property tax." (a new statewide income tax on the margin between purchase price and current value on stocks, bonds, money markets, mutual funds, franchise values, etc.) If there ever was a target for GOP ire, with goofy tax and spending schemes, he's it. And now, he's managed to fire up the troops.

Except they're troops on the GOP side of the aisle.

One thing I found myself pondering.... This advertisement placed by Hundstad shows him with Mike Rounds, at the same time that the Billion campaign finds itself floundering and possibly short on cash for advertising. Why do I think he's short on cash? Well, you don't see him in the papers, or on TV, do you? Hundstad is providing yet more column inches advertising and depicting the Governor, (even though it's unwanted).

My prediction? Watch for this ad to come back and bite Hundstad in the ass hard. He's fired up the GOP troops, and with this picture is inviting the Governor to become involved in the race. But if that happens, it's not going to be an involvement to Hundstad's benefit. It will likely come in the form of an unequivocal endorsement of Brian Johnson's candidacy.

In fact, when I asked Brian himself about it, he was kind enough to give the following statement for this website:

"While the advertisement is "legal", it is unethical on Senator Hundstad's part to imply to the public that Governor Rounds supports his campaign in any way. In fact, the Governor has supported my campaign publicly and financially as I try to unseat a Senator who has continuously misled the public on his true intentions as a legislator. The advertisement is another example of his desperation to gain traction with his campaign, as it becomes increasingly clear that his actions over the past two years have distanced him from his constituents.

The voters of District 2 have made it clear with their growing support of my campaign that they are tired of Senator Hundstad's attempts to destroy our tax system. His support of Amendment D, his plan to fund education with a state income tax, and his inability to LISTEN to the people whom he represents are just a few examples that I continually hear from people as to why they will not support him. They are proud to support my campaign, as I strive to bring a strong, common-sense voice to Pierre."

Thanks, Brian.

Now, when you think about it, all of this is a lot of headache earned for Hunstad just for one small ad in the Doland newspaper, isn't it? Maybe next time, he'll strive more for honesty and good government than trying to imply an endorsement that doesn't exist.

*** Important Update - More dishonesty from Hundstad ***

This ad makes reference to "Hundstad’s legislation insures (sic) our SD Guard and Reservists receive treatment equal to regular armed service personnel"

What measure is he talking about? Because the only thing out there recently was SB 172 - a measure he had nothing to do with. The only thing out there that might be associated with him at this point is HCR 1006.

If it is HCR 1006 he's referring to, the picture included with the ad provides even more of a deception. Why? House Concurrent measures don't go to the Governor. They're simply resolutions in support with no force of law, and no signature by the Governor.

A misleading picture and a misleading ad. It makes one wonder about other things Hundstad is misleading his constituents on.