The Battle for South Dakota (Part 2) | Scott Presler - Not Welcome

My first visit to South Dakota since 1995 began innocently enough—with breakfast at a local diner and picking up my conference credentials. I remembered the people here being very friendly and welcoming, and this (with a few exceptions) has remained the case.

I arranged to meet @ScottPresler  (AKA The Persistence) to discuss the situation with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the lack of urgency around passage of the Save America Act, and to give Scott a copy of my collection of Byzantine Generals comics, The Joys of Communism.

Gerald and Scott with a copy of Byzantine Generals | The Joys of Communism.

Scott and I had both registered as Guest/Journalist (Independent). With my registration, I received tickets for everything available—lunches, dinners, and the social event on Friday evening. An important note: when I registered, there was no indication that press were barred from the social event. I also learned that many media outlets were not allowed to attend the conference at all. I found this interesting because it has been my experience that Democrats are the ones who favor restricting free speech. I was surprised to see this kind of activity from those who are supposed to be our Republican colleagues. I am no fan of the AP or other leftist outlets, but I would still expect them to be allowed to attend.

We became aware that, since Senator Thune had sent the Senate home for recess, he would be attending the social event—along with DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Scott mentioned that he did not have a ticket to the event and wanted one. This is a new platform, and no one knows me from Adam. Although I would have loved to meet the senator and the secretary in person, I knew Scott’s mere presence would bring pressure on Senator Thune. So I gladly gave him my ticket.

We all know what transpired afterward (for those of you on X who saw this story rocket to the top of the trending topics). A picture of Scott had been left at the door, and he was blocked by Sgt.-at-Arms Matt Bruner. Later, SDGOP Chairman Jim Eschenbaum (@JimEschenbaum) apologized for how the interaction was handled and indicated that either Senator Thune himself or members of his staff did not want Scott in attendance. We spoke the next day with one of the other sergeants-at-arms, who said he had sided with letting Scott in. In his view, it was bad form to block him at the door, and Scott should only have been removed if he caused a disturbance after being allowed inside.

The entire scene was an unforced error on the part of Senator Thune and his staff. The only thing worse than fumbling this opportunity—the high-road move would have been for Thune to welcome Scott with open arms—was the fumbling of the situation by Thune’s director of communications, Ryan Wrasse (@RWrasse), who is now in full-blown damage control mode.

The next day brought more drama. With Scott being blocked from the event now the top topic on X, it was also the hot topic in the conference rooms and hallways. Tension escalated during the scheduled resolutions committee meeting. The committee considered two resolutions: one to censure Senator Thune for his lack of action on the Save America Act, and another supporting him. The censure resolution passed the committee, while the supportive resolution was defeated.

The resolutions committee’s role is to vet proposals. Those that pass vetting go to the full delegation for a floor vote. Once on the floor, the censure resolution was defeated.

Such resolutions are rare. The most recent successful example was the censure of Senator Thom Tillis (NC) for positions viewed as violating the party platform—e.g., on LGBTQ+ rights, immigration, and gun policy. That censure no doubt contributed to Tillis’s decision not to seek reelection when he faced a primary challenger more closely aligned with the will of the voters.

There is an important lesson here—albeit one to which Senator Thune seems immune, despite the primary losses of Senators Cornyn (TX) and Cassidy (LA). The people are tired of excuses and being lied to. The internet age has given voters a way to verify or debunk Senator Thune’s explanations about Senate processes and rules in real time.

If Senator Thune decides to start listening, the people of South Dakota have made their voices loud and clear.