Drinking Liberally

Drinking Liberally Feb 28, 2025

l3wis March 1, 2025 4Comments

Trump is a Russian Asset. Republicans Can Not Find a Red Line. Are They Color Blind?

Since the end of World War II, we have stood up to the threat of Russian territorial expansion through our NATO alliance with Western European Democracies. It has been the foundation of our foreign policy for 80 years, unquestioned by every Democratic and Republican administration beginning with Truman and continuing through Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush II, Obama, and Biden. Even Trump the First honored this long standing policy. But, for some unfathomable reason Trump has decided to abandon it, betray our commitment to a fellow Democracy and allow Russia to force its will as it can in much, perhaps all, of Eastern Europe. ( I personally think Trump is a Russian asset. )

Today he and JD Vance ambushed President Zelensky of Ukraine at a press-opportunity where they rudely and arrogantly tried to establish justification for abandoning Ukraine in the midst of its 3 year battle against Russia’s invasion. As an American, it was not only embarrassing, but also horrifying as one reflects on the World that existed prior to World War I and World War II where “might makes right”, only now with nuclear weapons.

I am hoping our Republican friends, color blind until now, will see this betrayal and policy reversal as a red line they will not cross. It is long pass the time to reign in Trump and his MAGA crew.

Here is an article for everyone’s reflection.

Drinking Liberally Liberals South Dakotans

Drinking Liberally Update

l3wis February 3, 2025 8Comments

We have reduced our ambitions lately from saving the World to surviving Trump. As residents of a state dominated by crazy, right-wing Republican’s for many years we probably have special insight to share.

The leadership of the South Dakota Democratic Party (SDDP) is in the Washington, DC area for the 4th or 5th time since they recalled their own Chairperson 18 months ago. They are there to choose a new National Democratic Chairperson and his or her leadership team. South Dakota has about 1/4th of 1% of our Nation’s population and Democratic voter registration in South Dakota has fallen to 23.2% of total voter registration in our State, so you can imagine how important the presence of SDDP’s leadership is in DC. I would estimate it as even less relevant than the seven Democratic Legislative Caucus members their leadership of the SDDP has left us with in our State’s 105 member Legislature.

Democratic Forum Democrats Drinking Liberally Sioux Falls

Drinking Liberally (12/6/2024)

l3wis December 9, 2024 2Comments

In Politics: Nationally: We are all preparing for the most corrupt Presidential Administration ever,so corrupt in fact that, much like President-elect Trump himself, we will have difficulty differentiating the Trump Administration from Putin’s Russia.

To counter Trump’s Government of Billionaires and massive conflicts of interest, the Democratic Party will meet in February to select a new Chair. Among others, Ken Martin, the longtime Chair of the Minnesota Democratic Party has announced his candidacy for the post. In support of his candidacy, Martin sent out a ten point plan for the Democratic Party going forward. 10 Points…!!! Ok… As a wit and friend of mine said, “I’m holding out for eleven points. I need eleven points before a plan gets my attention.”

In Politics: South Dakota: For those who haven’t been watching closely, the South Dakota Democratic Party (SDDP) has been in serious decline for the last year and a half, if not longer, going from a total of 208,000 registered voters in 2008 to a new low of 146,000 this year, all while Republicans gained 80,000 new registrants. The SDDP got more bad news a day ago when, after being reduced to 9 legislative seats in South Dakota’s 105 seat legislature in November, two Native American legislators from west river abandoned the Democratic Legislative Caucus which now numbers seven, five of whom are from Sioux Falls.

It is hard to believe, but the SDDP continues to deteriorate despite its already, mostly irrelevant status.

The good news is that the Minnehaha Democratic Party announced at its meeting this week that it would soon produce a strategic plan for its membership to review. I can hardly wait to see how it differs from the strategic plan the SDDP produced in 2019.

While I wait, I think I will have a drink, maybe two.

Drinking Liberally Liberals Sioux Falls South Dakotans

Drinking Liberally (11/29/2024)

l3wis December 1, 2024 10Comments

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!

Drinking Liberally Sioux Falls

Drinking Liberally Update (11/15/2024)

l3wis November 18, 2024 20Comments

In Politics: Nationally: The Election is over and the wrong side won. I have nothing to contribute to the barrels of ink being used by Pundits to explain away the Democrat’s lose this cycle. For those interested, I refer you to the New York Times Opinion page where you can find any number of explanations, some of it even insightful.

My only thought is that, Trump, whatever he does, has always exceeded my worst expectations, exponentially. I am prepared for the worst, but expect it will be worse.

In Politics: South Dakota: The South Dakota Democratic Party (SDDP) lost two or three Legislative seats (there is a recount for the second House seat in District 15). South Dakota has 105 Legislative seats and the Democrats will now hold eight or nine of them, down from the eleven they held in the last Legislature. The Democratic candidates for the US House and the PUC also lost by substantial margins.

Drinking Liberally

Drinking Liberally Feb 28, 2025

Drinking Liberally Update

Drinking Liberally (12/6/2024)

Drinking Liberally (11/29/2024)

Drinking Liberally Update (11/15/2024)

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What is the City’s Art’s Coordinator up to?

The Anti-Bike Crap needs to end in Sioux Falls!

So Erica Beck wants to run for mayor? LOL.

The City of Sioux Falls doesn’t understand transparency and open government