The publicity related to the rise of terrorism may be diverting attention from another kind of threat to freedom.
It is the grip on power by people who are more interested in advancing their own personal or collective agenda than protecting and preserving our freedom.
It’s seems easy for people to vilify Barack Obama and Harry Reid. Their control and influence has been highly visible.
South Dakota is home to another dangerous threat to freedom and justice. It is called long time, one party rule.
Republicans hold a firm grip on power in South Dakota. They have total control of the Governors office, the state House and the state Senate, not to mention both US Senate seats and the lone US House seat. Don’t get me wrong. There are many good people holding office. The problem is that there is no serious challenge to the leadership at any level. That wouldn’t even be quite as bad if they followed their own Party platform.
What has happened to the GOP in South Dakota? Strong leaders throughout history have always wanted to impose their will on political parties and people. In South Dakota, the Republican Party has simply moved to the left, thanks to the efforts of political power brokers with lots of money and liberal perspectives. Infiltration of the Republican Party might have been the Democrats response to one party rule by the Republicans. They did, indeed gain some ground with regard to policy, but at what ultimate cost? Democrats are now so weak statewide that they have trouble finding credible candidates for most political races, thereby simply giving the offices to Republicans.
That leaves Republican rulers completely in charge. In charge to oversee things like no-bid contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars and scandals like EB-5. While those Crony Capitalism practices get swept under the rug, anyone who dares to challenge the dictatorial departures from the Republican Party platform is subject to everything from being expelled from committees to felony charges for petition violations. Favored politicians are shielded from challenge. The Republican party pays fines for favored sons and joins lawsuits against others who dare to hold party leaders accountable for their own violations of petitions violations.
If there is any hope for accountability to return to this state, it may be in a revitalized Democrat Party. That will only happen if they can entice their own to shed the costumes, leave the Republican Party and come home. That would leave conservatives to manage the Republican Party and once again, give South Dakota voters a real choice.
We would do well to remember that power corrupts.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
***Gordon Howie is an author and CEO of Life and Liberty Media***
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Gordon, the Democratic Party in South Dakota (and nationally) is too tainted, too contaminated with its own corruption and double-dealing and abysmal track record to be revitalized and offer any real choice to South Dakotans. in the 25 years I’ve been involved in politics in South Dakota, I’ve seen exactly what you point out, time and time again, in the GOP. But the Democratic Party has weakened itself constantly, and what is left of it is farther from the beliefs and ideals of anyone in South Dakota, including most of those who are enrolled members of the tribes, to be relevant in any way. Perhaps something like the South Dakota Libertarian Party or even a new Prairie Populist party might be, but the Democrats are not.