South Dakota Democrats Close Their Offices

[babylonsister]

https://politicalwire.com/2019/09/03/south-dakota-democrats-close-their-offices/

South Dakota Democrats Close Their Offices
September 3, 2019 at 9:51 am EDT By Taegan Goddard

“The South Dakota Democratic Party will no longer have a physical presence in the state,” the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports.

“The state party is closing its offices in Sioux Falls and Rapid City at the end of September, and party staff will begin working remotely due to the party’s dwindling finances.”

[democratisphere]

1. WTF is THIS about?

[elleng]

3. $$$

Seems Democratic Party just can't afford South Dakota.

[bearsfootball516]

6. It's South Dakota

Very small population as it is, and even smaller population is Democratic, and an even SMALLER percentage of those Democrats donate.

[RandySF]

7. It's about lack of funding

in part because we are so preoccupied with the presidential primary.

[elleng]

2. Bye Bye, Tom Daschle and James Abourezk.

[still_one]

4. The state that that gave us George McGovern!!! This I so wrong

[Botany]

5. Can't the DNC or somebody write 'em a check.

Many farmers will not vote republican after Trump's trade war killed the markets for
their agricultural products.

[RandySF]

8. The DNC is also nearly broke.

[RandySF]

9. It's a systemic problem with the party from top to bottom.

We love to be inspired, but he hate to day to day grind of building state/local organizations or helping win downballot races. I can't even get DU excited about the prospect that we might flip the Virginia State Legislature THIS NOVEMBER.

[NewJeffCT]

10. so much for a 50 state strategy

disappointing.

Can Tom Steyer or Michael Bloomberg help them out?

[Blue_true]

20. By law each can give only $30,000. The DNC could make a larger loan,

but the DNC would need the spare money.

This is why I boil when someone here go on a rant about never sending money to the DNC because they feel their candidates of choice got screwed, right on that belief or wrong. Money that the DNC gets makes it's way to state parties that need funding.

[Coventina]

11. For the party to give up on an entire state is unacceptable.

My precinct is heavily red, so we only open offices during the campaign season.

But an entire state?

We can't do that.

[dalton99a]

12. Details:

The SDDP started the month of July, the most recent reporting period, with $31,267 in the bank and ended the month with $3,181, according to the Federal Elections Commission. The party's finances have been on a downward trend this year from $88,127 in cash on hand at the start of the year. The party also receives at least $10,000 monthly from the Democratic National Party, according to FEC reports.

The party's decreasing funds are due to "extreme mismanagement and lack of oversight," Hawks said.

The SDDP's July expenses included $2,400 on rent and about $14,000 on salaries, according to FEC reports.

Rent for the offices is the party's largest operating expense, and based on the advice of the party's accountant and attorney, the party is making "some difficult decisions to ensure we get back on track," Hawks wrote to party leadership in an email on Thursday. They anticipate the office closures being a temporary move until the party is in a better financial situation.

https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/politics/2019/08/30/south-dakota-democratic-party-closing-sioux-falls-rapid-city-offices/2163781001/

[Hermit-The-Prog]

15. $2400 / month for rent? WTF?

Are they renting a penthouse?

[TwilightZone]

22. Two offices.

As the article notes.

[JHB]

25. A quick search on office rates in Sioux Falls...

...around $1.00 to $1.33 /square foot, so 1800 to 2400 square feet. Split over 2 locations.

[Backseat Driver]

13. SMH - what a shame

So, we're just giving up on the fact that Every Vote Matters in SD, a state ripe for suppression? Working remotely is hardly sufficient. Egads, do we want the media to spout so-called truths about the party's inability to fund not so much as a presence? Look at what happened when HRC didn't think her face-to-face presence was necessary in PA.

Do you want media to talk trash like this (may be behind paywall)?
https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190826/ohio-republican-party-leader-says-democrats-want-recession-to-beat-trump

We all know who and what is responsible for that eventuality where policies that favors widening the wealth gap, reduction of programs that support social safety nets, obstruction of legislation that could help support the economy, and suppression of selective voters.

This is from last year, but so relevant. With screening of home phones so prevalent now, don't abandon party headquarter sites!


https://www.npr.org/2018/11/03/663709392/why-every-vote-matters-the-elections-decided-by-a-single-vote-or-a-little-more

[0rganism]

14. meanwhile, Trump spends over $100 Million of taxpayer money on golf, proceeds going to HIS resorts

[RhodeIslandOne]

16. Remember when Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin was going to be president someday?

What a disaster.

[TwilightZone]

23. She is president.

Of Augustana University, where she seems significantly more happy than she did in the political world.

[Liberal In Texas]

17. And here I thought George Soros was handing out $ like it was going out of style.

And here is the epitome of what's wrong with the political system. Without money the opposition can't get organized or get their message out.

[Joe941]

18. This is concerning.

[Tennessee Hillbilly]

19. Bad leadership?

I suspect that this is at least partly due to bad leadership and/or mis-management.

In the 2000 presidential election, the Tennessee Democratic Party had weak leadership, and that contributed to Gore losing the state to Bush.

[Blue_true]

21. The Florida Democratic Party had that problem up until recently.

But the current leadership is making some long overdue moves to buck up democrats.

[TwilightZone]

24. It's South Dakota.

As someone noted above, hardly anyone lives there, a small fraction of that hardly anyone is a Democrat, and a smaller fraction donate to the party.

It's not really any more complicated than that. Funding is difficult to obtain where sources are almost non-existent.