Apr 11
Can Smidt take on wonder-blogger Powers?
By Denise Ross
My friends, the power of the modern political blog is about to undergo a test in South Dakota Legislative District 7, where longtime incumbent state lawmaker Orv Smidt faces upstart blogger Pat Powers for the GOP’s spot on the November ballot - where the victor will face the winner of the Democrats’ primary between Craig Tschetter and Pam Merchant.
So, Orv’s been knocking around the Capitol hallways for 12 years, keeping busy enough but not blowing his own horn too loudly and not leading the charge on any major policy initiatives. And he’s never had to fend off a primary challenge.
The trend of Smidt’s legislation is towards Regents-friendly and education-friendly legislation, which stands to reason since he represents the home of the state’s largest university, public or private. (Go Jacks!) He’s also been active working with supporters of the vocational technical institutes and has sponsored bills to increase and/or reform their funding.
Senate Bill 86 from the 2008 session is as representative as any bill Smidt has carried: An Act to prohibit and establish a penalty for hazing. (SB86 died in committee, 4-2.)
And then there’s Pat Powers, who readers of his South Dakota War College blog know, got a bit of a wild hair and then jumped in, head first, to a legislative primary. And when PP, as he’s known, takes on a project, he goes all in. He’s been campaigning, handing out literature, pounding the pavement.
And if you’ve read SDWC at all, you know there’s one force in the universe PP is out to destroy - the dreaded Nanny State. (No car seats for you!)
Full disclosure: PP’s a pal and soon-to-be business partner in a little blog ad network we’re piecing together with some things we found out in the garage. (www.bigpixelproductions.com)
PP will tell you, as he’s told me, he’s not sure he can overcome Smidt’s longtime tenure and name ID in greater Brookings, but he’ll sure give it a go. I don’t know what’s happening in Brookings enough to say what Smidt’s standing is amongst opinion leaders. One would assume it’s solid.
But PP is his own kind of opinion leader, and this race could turn on how many GOP voters in District 7 log on to read his blog musings - and how many join him in bristling at Nanny-Statism.
Given PP’s drive and clearly defined policy positions, I’d say Sen. Smidt’s going to have to step up his game. And, in the name of democracy, how could that be bad?
5 Comments so far
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Go, Pam Merchant! You go, grrl.
Nanny-statism? C’mon, Denise. How much nannying
do people who really need it, like poor folks, really
get in SD, so dependent on Federal dollars as the state
already is and programs cut right and left under with
advice from Bush’s buddy Grover Norquist? If you
mean by nanny stuff like regulating reproductive
health but ignoring corporate kite-flying, I’m with
you. If you mean further ignoring the schools or
prairies, we’re falling out, grrlfriend.
Heaven forbid PP should run as Sibby.
Do say more.
I’ve no position on the “nanny state.” My point was that it is PP’s signature rant. Go to his blog and search “nanny state,” and you’ll see why I mention this. I’m sure he would love to debate the idea in all of its many forms. -Denise
enjoy your primary coverages - hope you will be doing most of them so we politically retired folks can keep up
Thanks, Lee. I’ve got a list I’m working through. Please do let me know if you read a race differently than I do. Junkies like us need to take care of each other. -Denise -P.S. Define ‘retired.’
in races like the one in brookings, the dynamic that frequently gets missed, is the price incumbents pay for not having serious or any primary and general election opposition. I understand candidates prefer to be unopposed, but one consequence is that they get distant from their voters - who have never had a reason to seriously commit for them. When you have one of those settings, the race is a toss up in the face of a serious challenger.
There are some other races in the state where incumbents will be proving themselves for the first time
All PP needs to do is get Orv in a debate, the guy in looney. Orv chaired an education summer study committee back in the late 90s. He made some of the most preposterous statements Ive ever heard from a legislator. Orv didnt (still doesnt) have a clue about K-12 funding. I bet the audio is still archived somewhere of that meeting, thats how I heard it.
My hunch is, PP would have never gotten into this if he didn’t think he could win.
He’s a lot of things, but he’s not dumb. And beyond that, all I can say is that he should be glad neither Nick Nemec nor I live where he lives, because one of us would almost most certainly be making designs to rain on his parade. (…and in fact, one or more of us my yet be doing so in the very near future.)