State Dems Criticize Giuliani

SDDP Chair Jack Billion: Giuliani’s history with Kerik makes him unfit for Presidency

SIOUX FALLS – South Dakota Democratic Party Chair Jack Billion said South Dakota Republicans should be wary of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s ethical scandals and leadership deficiencies before and since 9/11.

The latest scandal embroiling the liberal New York Republican is his refusal to say whether or not, as President, he would pardon his long time friend Bernard Kerik who is facing tax fraud, corruption and conspiracy charges.

Giuliani had recommended Kerik to be National Homeland Security chief, even though Kerik accepted $165,000 in gifts from an alleged mob-linked construction firm while Kerik served as New York City Corrections Department Commission. [New York Times 3/30/07, 7/03/06; Newsday 12/18/04]

Giuliani has not disputed evidence presented to a grand jury that Giuliani was briefed on Kerik’s relationship with the firm before he appointed Kerik to serve as New York City police commissioner. In later campaigning for Kerik to head Homeland Security, Giuliani, who was a mentor to Kerik for many years, personally lobbied President Bush to promote Kerik for the number 1 national security position.

Kerik currently faces tax fraud, corruption and conspiracy charges. Kerik also stirred a scandal when it was revealed he had used an apartment designated for use by Ground Zero rescue workers as a nest for an extramarital affair. [New York Times 11/3/07]

“The culture of corruption in the Bush/Cheney White House has disillusioned many South Dakotans. The last thing voters from either party want is more of the same,” Billion said. “Hopefully, the South Dakota Republican Party will get this message.

“South Dakota Republican Party officials should be cautious when inviting a man of Giuliani’s troubled history to represent their party in our state.”

Poll Discussion: SD Legislative Priorities for 2008

We posed the question in our Crazy Days straw poll; now we'd like to open the discussion up to folks online. Check out the online poll (see the sidebar >>>) and vote for the issues you think should be legislative priorities for our representatives in Pierre in 2008. (You may vote for more than one!) Then add your comments here: tell us why you think we need to focus on the issues you've chosen. All opinions are welcome: just keep it civil and relevant.

What LCDems Are Reading

GL: 2007 KIDS COUNT Data Book, Annie E. Casey Foundation, released 2007.07.25. Data comparing children's well-being from state to state. Cause for concern: South Dakota dropped in overall ranking from 14th to 30th in this year's survey....

CAH: Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America, San Francisco: San Francisco Books, 1986 softcover edition.

CAH: Bjørn Lomborg, The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World, Cambridge, UK: University Press, 2001

Fellow Dems, what books are shaping your thinking? Submit your running titles in Comments!

Straw Poll Winners: Hillary, Health Care, Education

The Lake County Democrats table downtown at Madison Crazy Days on Friday drew lots of visitors. Brownies, bread, and other baked goods sold like crazy. Passersby also filled our Straw Poll ballot jar to the brim!

We welcomed all voters -- Democrats, independents, Republicans, even an avowed Libertarian -- to participate in the straw poll. Voters cast ballots on the following two questions:

1. Which Democrat will win your vote for President in 2008?
2. What are the most important issues the South Dakota Legislature should address in its 2008 session?

Here are the results!

Total ballots cast: 68

Presidential Straw Poll (Total Ballots Marked = 63):

1. Hillary Clinton: 27 votes = 43%
2. Barack Obama: 15 votes = 24%
3. John Edwards: 10 votes = 16%
4. Bill Richardson: 7 votes = 11%
5. Dennis Kucinich: 4 votes = 6%
6. Mike Gravel, Chris Dodd, and Joe Biden: 0 votes, 0%

SD Legislative Priorities (Total Ballots Marked = 67)
ranked in order of importance, 1 = most important, 9 = least important:

1. Health Care (average ranking of 2.6 )
   
2. Education (2.8)
3. Environment (3.4)
4. Energy (3.9)
5. Taxes (4.2)
6. Open Government (4.9)
7. Economic Development (5.2)
8. Gambling (6.7)
9. Abortion (7.5)

Some details on the Legislative Priorities results:

1. Health care and education were both marked as priorities for the legislature on 57 ballots. Health care was ranked as the #1 issue by 17 voters. Education was ranked as the #1 issue by 16 voters.
2. Abortion was left blank on 33 ballots, 49% of all cast. On the 33 ballots on which abortion was ranked, 2 voters marked it as their #1 issue. 20 voters ranked abortion #9, behind all other listed issues.
3. Other issues ranked #1: environment (7 #1 rankings), taxes (6), open government and energy (3 each), gambling and economic development (2 each).
4. Other issues ranked #9: gambling (4 #9 rankings), taxes and open government (1 each).
   
5. Most, but not all, voters ranked all nine listed issues. Some voters ranked only their top 3 or 4 issues; some voters simply marked with Xs the two or three issues they are most concerned about. The averages listed above are based only on numerical rankings given to each issue.
6. Two voters made a point of ranking abortion lower than #9. Those rankings (15 and 231) have been counted as 9s.

Readers are welcome to review the complete ballot tabulation data online.

LC Dems in the news! Straw Poll coverage by KJAM!

July 23, 2007 YouTube/CNN Debate Transcript

The Democratic Presidential candidates debated questions submitted via YouTube last night. If you missed it, or if you want to study and cite who really said what, read the complete transcript (Part I and Part II) at CNN.