In Politics: Nationally: The Election is over and the wrong side won. Despite all the celebration on the Republican side however, nationally, as votes continue to roll in, it turns out that the Republican victory was very narrow and Trump himself received less than 50% of the popular vote, 49.83% and dropping as of this morning. The Republican margin in the US House of Representatives is extremely narrow too (220-214) and only the Republican gerrymandering in North Carolina and Florida with the partisan approval of the US Supreme Court produced their victory.
Unfortunately, the closeness of these races doesn’t change the fact that Republicans control all three branches of government (including a very partisan Supreme Court) for the first time since the late 1920’s, which, coincidentally, coincides with the date Republicans want to turn time back to. No social security, no department of education, no department of health and human services (if you need help, it is just proof God doesn’t like you). The election may have been close but the future will be hell for many and for most of us in the end.
In Politics: South Dakota: The one positive outcome of Trump’s election for South Dakotans is the promotion of our beauty queen Governor out of the State and into the Office of Homeland Security for the Trump administration. I have no idea what she will do there other than whatever bidding Trump desires at Homeland Security but she will prove to be good eye candy for Trump at Cabinet Meeting photo ops. At least she will not bother us in South Dakota any more. I pray (vigorously) the Senate approves her.
The South Dakota Democratic Party (SDDP) performed miserably in 2024 and lost two of its previous 11 seats in the 105 seat South Dakota Legislature. Marginally relevant before, South Dakota Democrats now are mostly irrelevant. If they continue on their current course they will quickly become absolutely irrelevant.
Their failure in 2024 was entirely foreseeable given the SDDP’s current Leadership’s focus on ideological purity rather than electoral success. Since their recall of their Chairperson Jennifer Slaight-Hansen last July for suggesting economic issues get greater emphasis than LGBTQ issues, the GOP has increased its voter registration plurality over the SDDP by 21,147 voters. The GOP now has 318,423 registered voters to the SDDP’s 146,204. In percentage terms, since the recall of Slaight-Hansen the GOP’s share of all South Dakota voters increased from 49.8% to 50.8% while the SDDP’s share decreased from 24.8% to 23.3%.
It is enough to turn a Democrat to drink. I think I will!
l3wis