Let's get it on!
Selected Quotes from the Volesky Announcement
Lots of coverage from Ron Volesky making his bid for Governor official. Here's a few selected passages from the Sioux Falls Argus Leader:
Wonderful. The Republicans have been in authority too long, and we need a change. So let's institute taxes that South Dakota has resoundingly rejected over and over for years. (Excellent letter in the Argus on this very topic this Sunday AM, BTW)
And there's "we need a change, so I'll run a University and be Governor." Which, I'm wondering how in the heck he'll manage that in light of the statutory requirement of SDCL 3-8-1, requiring that a "constitutional officer devote full time" to their office. (In case anyone is asking, there's similar requirements for the PUC as well. I have those statutes memorized.)
Regardless, I thought the best part were the comments by Jack Billion.
This "I love him but hate him" tact is similar to the strategy that Don Frankenfeld used against Tim Johnson in 1988. And it's not a criticism of Don, whom has always been more than nice to me. But the strategy of "Tim is nice, but we need a change" worked as well as you can anticipate the strategy of "Mike Rounds is a wonderful guy. People like him, but we need a change" is going to work.
Bottom line - if people believe they like you, they will vote for you. And according to Jack, it looks like we're most of the way there.
"The Republican Party has ruled this state too long," Volesky said. "It's time the Democratic Party has the opportunity to govern the state of South Dakota."Read the whole thing here.
and..
"Volesky promised to pursue a personal income tax and a corporate tax for South Dakota."
and..
"If he succeeds in acquiring the university and wins the general election, he said he can lead both the state and the school because he never planned to be involved in the day-to-day management of the college."
Wonderful. The Republicans have been in authority too long, and we need a change. So let's institute taxes that South Dakota has resoundingly rejected over and over for years. (Excellent letter in the Argus on this very topic this Sunday AM, BTW)
And there's "we need a change, so I'll run a University and be Governor." Which, I'm wondering how in the heck he'll manage that in light of the statutory requirement of SDCL 3-8-1, requiring that a "constitutional officer devote full time" to their office. (In case anyone is asking, there's similar requirements for the PUC as well. I have those statutes memorized.)
Regardless, I thought the best part were the comments by Jack Billion.
"Mike Rounds is a wonderful guy. People like him," Billion said.Yes, he also adds that he "thinks the Gov has struggled" without saying how. Is he considering Homestake and Ellsworth struggling? But strategically, what was Jack thinking?
This "I love him but hate him" tact is similar to the strategy that Don Frankenfeld used against Tim Johnson in 1988. And it's not a criticism of Don, whom has always been more than nice to me. But the strategy of "Tim is nice, but we need a change" worked as well as you can anticipate the strategy of "Mike Rounds is a wonderful guy. People like him, but we need a change" is going to work.
Bottom line - if people believe they like you, they will vote for you. And according to Jack, it looks like we're most of the way there.
Comments
The Governor is just as incompetent as Volesky, but his handlers are smart enough to get him photo-ops at ribbon cuttings and other puff events, without providing an opportunity for him to show his intellectual abilities on the infamously vague 2010 initiative, which I'm sure he is just as puzzled about as are the rest of us.
Now, if Volesky articulated that South Dakota needs change because of the Pierre building spree, the tax increases, the spending increases, the numerous new state employees, the nepotism, the belief of entitlement in Pierre, the misuse of taxpayer property, the ineptness of the Departments of Health, Insurance and GF&P to name a few, and the sheer lack of vision by the Governor, he may have begun the articulation of why the taxpayers of South Dakotaq deserve better. But, Volesky simply wouldn't be any better. He is also an idiot who would not have any direction to lead. He, like the Governor, is there exclusively for the reason that he personally wants to be Governor.
Both the Republican and Democrat parties should be able to do better. Unfortunately, both parties are so inept that it appears that the real test is a race to the intellectual bottom. At this point, the Democrats will win that race, but not really by a great margin.