General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSouth Dakota Democrats Close Their Offices
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 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 partys dwindling finances.
democratisphere
(17,235 posts)elleng
(130,905 posts)Seems Democratic Party just can't afford South Dakota.
bearsfootball516
(6,377 posts)Very small population as it is, and even smaller population is Democratic, and an even SMALLER percentage of those Democrats donate.
RandySF
(58,823 posts)in part because we are so preoccupied with the presidential primary.
elleng
(130,905 posts)still_one
(92,190 posts)Botany
(70,504 posts)Many farmers will not vote republican after Trump's trade war killed the markets for
their agricultural products.
RandySF
(58,823 posts)RandySF
(58,823 posts)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.
Response to RandySF (Reply #9)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
NewJeffCT
(56,828 posts)disappointing.
Can Tom Steyer or Michael Bloomberg help them out?
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)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
(27,120 posts)My precinct is heavily red, so we only open offices during the campaign season.
But an entire state?
We can't do that.
dalton99a
(81,486 posts)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
(33,345 posts)Are they renting a penthouse?
TwilightZone
(25,471 posts)As the article notes.
JHB
(37,160 posts)...around $1.00 to $1.33 /square foot, so 1800 to 2400 square feet. Split over 2 locations.
Backseat Driver
(4,392 posts)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
(23,953 posts)RhodeIslandOne
(5,042 posts)What a disaster.
TwilightZone
(25,471 posts)Of Augustana University, where she seems significantly more happy than she did in the political world.
Liberal In Texas
(13,552 posts)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
(2,848 posts)Tennessee Hillbilly
(587 posts)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
(31,261 posts)But the current leadership is making some long overdue moves to buck up democrats.
TwilightZone
(25,471 posts)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.