HYPERION: 5 of 13 — 51% Yess
The tide has turned in Union County.
No 814 0.49 5/13
Yes 836 0.51 5/13
June 3, 2008
Clinton projected winner in SD
Most of the major news organizations are projection Hillary Clinton as the winner in South Dakota over Barack Obama.
Hillary Clinton 10,879 0.57 144/762
Barack Obama 8,268 0.43 144/762
Obama made a couple glancing stops in SD, whereas Clinton, along with her former president husband and enigmatic daughter, spent the full week leading up to the primary in the state. Obviously the feet on the ground paid off for her.
Obama chose the strategic move to concentrate on the general and you cannot fault him, politically, for that. HRC, on the other hand, was doing everything she could to win as many votes as possible in order to put herself in a more attractive position for Obama to consider her for VP.
Watching the primary numbers…
DAVID WHITESOCKOff the top, with one precinct reporting, those in Union county are voting NO (76-24 percent) on Hyperion.
With 84 of 762 precinct reporting, Hillary Clinton leads in votes against Barack Obama (56-44 percent). But, he will get enough delegates through South Dakota, and including super delegates, to become the presumptive Democratic nominee.
And, Joel Dykstra is wiping the floor with his primary opponents for the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate.
June 2, 2008
Post Bill Clinton notes
DAVID WHITESOCK — The former president of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton, blew into Vermillion on Friday night, just like the storm that delayed the speech by about 30 minutes.
The event was impressive; I suppose. I don’t get too worked up over events with politicians. Our country treats them like rock stars, which is ridiculous. We elevate these individuals upon pedestals, yet at the same time we want them to be simple, like us. It’s a contradiction which has, in my opinion, been the root cause for the country coming to depend on our representatives to improve our lives — not ourselves.
Now that my soapbox rant has been disposed of, lets forward some other thoughts.
Bill Clinton is one hell of a speaker. I’ve spent a considerable amount of time with U.S. Senators in the past, and it is very easy to tell when they are “feeling it” and excited to deliver an address, and when they “phone it in.” Bubba phoned this one in.
I’ve never seen him in person, but obviously there is a difference between what the television represents and what he’s like in person. There was charisma (the top descriptor for Mr. Clinton), and there was also that calm swagger that he has. But, there wasn’t much of a connection with the audience. He was on auto pilot. But we can give him the benefit of the doubt, he’s been traversing from podunk South Dakota town to podunk South Dakota town for the last week now, doing the dirty, smelly campaign work for his wife.
Nonetheless, with just a single sheet of notes — no full text anywhere — he stood up for 50+ minutes and delivered a speech with tremendous grace and ability. Granted, he has been giving the same speech 3 or 4 (sometimes more) times a day, but to do what he does, is always difficult.
Obviously, I think the policies of he and his wife are absurd and not in the spirit of what the Founders had in mind for this country, but damn if he didn’t almost convince me that socialism is the way to go.
Just kidding about that last part; he wasn’t even close to convincing me, but I’m sure for those who are less in tune with what liberty really is, they could be persuaded.
Regardless of my biases — which I state for complete clarification of where I come from so you can consider full disclosure regarding my journalistic integrity (or lack thereof for some) — The Volante had a band of merry reporters covering the event.
Read Nick Woltman’s wonderful article on the speech and event as a whole.
Michelle Rydell, along with Sarah Reinecke took the video camera for a ride and got event-goers reaction to the president’s visit and to the politics of the season.
Devin Wagner, who is in town working with AIJI, shot an amazing amount of superb photos… As did The Volante’s own Adam Lichty.
And lastly, I had the audio recorder capturing sound of the people and combined that with Devin’s photos — View audio slideshow.
Check out all of The Volante’s coverage of the former president’s visit as well as all the latest from USD, Vermillion, and of course with tomorrow’s primary election.
May 27, 2008
I’ll be on KELO-TV tonight discussing Ron Paul
I am in Sioux Falls today, where I just got done doing a street interview with Lou Raguse. The piece about the June 3 primary and Ron Paul will be on KELO tonight at 10 p.m. Don’t miss!!!
May 26, 2008
Memorial Day Reflections
DAVID WHITESOCK — I sat conflicted along side my mother and father, both who served in the military — my mother for just a few years in the Air Force (still a civil service employee, though) and my father for 26 years, also in the Air Force. My conflicts were with what was being memorialized and why.
The holiday dates back to 1868 and a proclamation by General Logan as a means to recognize and honor the already tens of thousands of dead from the Civil War (more than 400,000 would eventually perish). At the time, and at the time of any conflict, the people rose to the challenge and poured into their city squares and cemeteries to pay tribute to their fallen. The ceremonies were solemn but celebratory, and always regal. Nothing much has changed today, besides the fact that those who orchestrate and (mostly) attend the events are elderly and each year less appear.
The youth today have less ties to war — however, that is changing with each passing week the United States remains embroiled in the Middle East. Another factor that contributes to the lack of younger Americans attending Memorial Day events is that the politics of the wars are different. The Civil War was, for the most part, pretty clear cut — you were on one side or the other. With WWII, there was much of the same. The entire country was involved in that effort. As much as we did not like the nationalistic tendencies of the communistic Hitler and the fascist Mussolini, the U.S. rallied around the flag just as ardently — only, our cause was better.
Tis be the precipice of my inner struggle.
War by nation-states is always fueled by the nationalistic fire of the people. The Government lights a spark by way of a political exigency, relying on the people to kindle the flame. In the case of the U.S., the Government has at its fingertips the principles of freedom and liberty which they deem as fragile, as protected by the Government for the people. If the Government does not fight against political ideals which are contrary to ours, then the very freedom which we enjoy is at jeopardy. The Government always portends that THEY are the guarantors of liberty — how sorely wrong they are.
So, it is on this, Memorial Day, when WE THE PEOPLE gather to “honor” those who sacrificed their lives, not for our freedom, but for the attempt of giving “freedom” to another country which has never known, and will never know the type of liberty which was not only envisioned by our Founding Fathers, but was secured by way of the Constitution. A system of government was set up in this country which relied on the notion of consent. WE THE PEOPLE, consented amongst ourselves that we would govern ourselves through a representative democracy. The system is not perfect, but in terms of establishing a truly free political society, the Founders hit the mark.
Every country for which we have entered to help spread the fruits of democracy, has chosen not take our lead. Throughout all of Europe, following WWII, each and every country chose a system of government, despite its reliance on democratically elected representatives, which more resembles communism and socialism than that of true freedom and liberty for which our system is based.
Obviously, the course which our federal government has taken since 1789 has veered dramatically from that which was created by Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Franklin, et al. The federalist system which was so passionately fought over and set forth no longer resembles what once was.
It is not MY freedom that those of WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, or Iraq fought and died and continue to die for. My freedom, despite the Government’s every attempt to strip it from me, is rightfully secured in the Constitution. Implementing “freedom” through coercion is not freedom. The incredible tragedy which exists is that men and women, who, with all the goodness of individual intentions, submitted themselves as pawns for the Government’s political desires. They gave their life for the Government, not us; and certainly not freedom for the people of the United States.
May 23, 2008
Clinton Invokes Assasination in South Dakota
DAVID WHITESOCK — While on a campaign visit in South Dakota today, Sen. Hillary Clinton invoked the assassination of Robert Kennedy in 1968 as a justification for staying in the race. Her comments came while being interviewed by the Argus Leader editorial board. Video below the jump.
This reference is unfathomable. Obviously, this is an unique campaign with the most viable female candidate for president, ever; and the first ever viable African American candidate for the office. There are some, even Obama’s chief strategist David Axelrod, who suggest her intention was not to invoke the idea that if Sen. Obama were assasinated (in June), that she would be ‘available’ to take over the party’s nomination, were not necessarily intentional.
Okay, so this is how the Obama campaign has played things all along. They play nice. I like that about the Obama campaign.
However, Sen. Clinton is a smart woman. When speaking off the cuff, she does have a strong sense of historical context, I’ll grant her that, but this inference is historically and politically unforgivable (at least until after the Nov. election).
Her comments are insane to say the least. The problem I have with the current state of political campaigning, is with the impact the media has on the behavior of the candidates. Obviously, the candidates want to get out and speak to, or “reach,” as many potential voters as possible. Their most efficient method for attaining this goal is to “invite” the media (local and national) to every single event they have planned — even if that means a walk-trough of a local diner or (Brandon, SD) grocery store. What is happening more frequently because of this “media strategy,” is that candidates find themselves having every utterance they speak recorded and distributed to the masses in some way, shape, or form (Can you say “Macaca?”)
It’s clear that we are all human make mistakes, especially speaking mistakes — their a dime-a-dozen. The mistakes are more so when cameras and microphones are picking up everything the candidates say. They are also amplified. It makes me wonder, why is it that political strategists who work for these candidates have not yet told their clients to shut the hell up? The media isn’t going anywhere. They will cover what you have to say when you step before the microphones. And you you say something, it will get distributed throughout the country is such a fashion that if what you said was of some substance and importance, those that want to hear it, will.
Obama played the Rev. Wright issue perfectly. He didn’t step in front of a microphone for days. He took a deep breath, wrote a speech, and told the country in fell swoop what he thought. End of story. He’s not even really bothered much by that whole incident (amplified by the media, or not).
Some have suggested that Sen. Clinton’s remarkes today in Sioux Falls were possible the result of an exhausted campaigner, that she should be given the benefit of the doubt. Sorry. No benefit here. Once these candidates realize that they don’t need to make sure that every camera in the country captures every word they say, and went back to less words mean more, then politicians may get some of their credibility back, at least as campaigners.
Worthy of viewing, Keith Olbermann’s Special Comment on HRC’s remarks.
May 11, 2008
Was it a snub?
Saturday at USD’s graduation ceremony (121st Spring Commencement Exercises), former Senator, and hot-in-the-news, George McGovern was on hand to receive an honorary doctorate. On the program it listed that President Abbott was to give McGovern the accolade, but he didn’t, Acting Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Matthew Moen did the honor.
Given the recent big news that McGovern switched his support from Clinton to Obama, did Abbott snub McGovern because he’s in Clinton’s camp?
May 7, 2008
Caution: Obligatory graduation post ahead
DAVID WHITESOCK — Almost there, well, not me specifically, I have another full year, but for many of you, this it and Saturday is the BIG day. Or is it?
We all have our separate paths which we’ve traveled to get to graduation day. Some of our stories are typical rural Midwestern middle-class graduation stories — mom, dad, 2.2 kids and 2.2 cars and a mound of federal financial aid. For others, our path has been rocky, or adventuresome. There are single mothers working part-time, taking 12 credits a semester trying to get that degree to give a better life to their young child — and themselves. There’s that guy who loved partying at the “frat” too much the first time around in college and had to work construction for 10 years before deciding he was tired of that work and wanted something different. Or, how about that gal you know who often takes a semester off to work because she can’t get a loan for school so she has to work and save to pay for the whole tuition right then and there. It took her 6 years, but she’s going to graduate on Saturday and it is going to be one heck of a day for her and anyone else around her who appreciates the accomplishment.
Accomplishment. Graduating college, no matter how smart you are or how you did it, is an accomplishment. It’s really easy to break out the broad brush and say that there too many who will graduate on Saturday and it will just be another day. Mom and dad paid for their tuition, their rent, pizza and beer, and whatever else was needed to get through this four-year hell, and for them, all that matters is that their dad has a connection for a job and that he’s throwing a kegger for a reception party that night. Others though, will have deep gratitude for the work their parents did to make sure they could get the education and hurray for you.
As a self-admitted people-watching addict, I tend to hear all kinds of conversations. I do nothing with these conversations except store them in my cranium somewhere for retrieval when I decide to write my memoirs some day. Interestingly though, I’ve heard too many conversations from people who are annoyed by the fact that they will have to sit for 3+ hours on Saturday, in an ugly bright red robe just so they can shake President Abbott’s hand and get a fake diploma — “all for what?” they say.
Many say they have complained to their parents that it’s not worth the long drive; they’ll mail the diploma, and we can have a party then. Others I’ve heard claim that getting the undergrad degree is not that big of a deal, that when they get that masters, that J.D., or that M.D.; now that will be worth it. Yes, that will, but for the time being, you don’t have that degree, and who says you’re actually going to finish the next 2 to 3 years — grad school is hard, and many get weeded out of programs. Good luck, you’ll need it.
Regardless of what anyone thinks, graduation day is a BIG day. Forget all the bluster that you are going to change the world and humanity is better off because you spent (or borrowed) tens of thousands of dollars for a quality higher education. No, the real story on Saturday will be about perseverance and character. Who’s overcome what obstacles to get to this day? How will that affect them and what they do in the future? For many families still, you just might be the first in your family to get a college degree. How incredible of a thought is that? Despite all the turmoil in the world and difficulties in our own backyard, you went to college, hopefully learned all you could about everything you could, and now you are ready to contribute to yourself and your community.
We all walk down different paths. But for one day, many of you will converge on the same path of accomplishing something that still too many in the United States don’t have the fortune to get or too many take for granted. Go, walk across that stage, it might be annoying to you, and damn it all if the batteries on your iPod go dead; but just know that there are friends and relatives sitting way up there in the stands of the Dome, proud as hell of you. Some of us made that rough journey already and others of us are still on it, but we all say, “Way to go, kid!”
