• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓
  • ←
  • →

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about its history.”

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Let there be snark.

Since we are repeating ourselves, let me just say fuck that.

Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

When we show up, we win.

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

If you thought you’d already seen people saying the stupidest things possible on the internet, prepare yourselves.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Republicans: “Abortion is murder but you can take a bus to get one.” Easy peasy.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

the 10% who apparently lack object permanence

The fight for our country is always worth it. ~Kamala Harris

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

If you don’t believe freedom is for everybody, then the thing you love isn’t freedom, it is privilege.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

This really is a full service blog.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

Mobile Menu

  • Seattle Meet-up Post
  • 2025 Activism
  • Targeted Political Fundraising
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • COVID-19
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • 2025 Activism
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • Targeted Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2014 / Johnson Out

Johnson Out

by @heymistermix.com|  March 26, 20139:18 am| 23 Comments

This post is in: Election 2014

FacebookTweetEmail

Senator Tim Johnson, D-SD, won’t seek re-election. Johnson suffered a brain hemorrhage in 2006 and has been partially paralyzed, with affected speech, since then. He won a landslide victory in 2008 after winning squeakers in his previous two Senate elections, mainly because the Republican didn’t want to get wrapped up in a dirty campaign against a guy in a wheelchair, so they ran a nobody with no money, Joel Dykstra.

This seat was already in serious play because Mike Rounds, the former governor, has announced his candidacy. Rounds stupidly signed an abortion ban in 2006, which was overturned, but otherwise he’s considered a decent, well-liked governor.

The only Democrat who has a chance of winning this seat is former Representative Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin, who makes most of you bluer than blue because she’s a Blue Dog who opposed Obamacare. That was stupid and it didn’t help her keep her seat in 2010, but she’s still pretty well-known and well-liked in the state. Being well-liked and “independent” is the only way a Democrat wins in the ultra-red state South Dakota has become. There’s some talk of Johnson’s son Brendan, who’s the US Attorney, running, but he’s not that well known and has never run for office.

Though this is an off-year election, turnout in South Dakota is way over the national average – 62% turned out in the 2010 race between Herseth-Sandlin and Palinesque Kristi Noem. Mike Rounds is no Rick Berg, the tea party idiot that Heidi Heidekamp beat in 2012’s North Dakota race. Even so, South Dakota is a relatively cheap media market, and money spent on this race goes a long way.  Given a choice between Herseth-Sandlin and Rounds, I’d vote for Stephanie once a day and twice on Sundays, even if she’ll end up being a Mary Landrieu or Claire McCaskill once she’s elected.

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « Murdering Hussy Obsession
Next Post: Not So Fast »

Reader Interactions

23Comments

  1. 1.

    cmorenc

    March 26, 2013 at 9:30 am

    If the dems can hold onto even a slimmed-down majority in the Senate in 2014, 2016 will likely find the dems on extremely favorable turf to more than make up for any 2014 losses as all those 2010 senate seats the GOP won will be coming up for reelection in a presidential high-turnout year. To keep the turf favorable, however the dems have to come up with a strong, attractive presidential candidate. Um…anyone know of one :=)? Can we please not try to shoot ourselves in a circular firing squad seeking to kill all but the purest progressive pony in the herd?

  2. 2.

    CarolDuhart2

    March 26, 2013 at 9:31 am

    Remember it’s a numbers game in Congress, folks. More Senators means Obama’s judges get through more easily. means we don’t have to worry about the Teatard House ideas becoming law. Yes, she’s Blue Dog, but sufficient numbers means her vote won’t be needed to pass more liberal laws.

  3. 3.

    Higgs Boson's Mate

    March 26, 2013 at 9:37 am

    Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin becomes a more attractive candidate when I consider the words, “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.”

  4. 4.

    TooManyJens

    March 26, 2013 at 9:52 am

    @CarolDuhart2:

    More Senators means Obama’s judges get through more easily.

    Only if we get past 60 or get some real filibuster reform. Sadly, I don’t think either looks likely. Which isn’t an argument for not supporting her; I’m just down this morning.

  5. 5.

    JPL

    March 26, 2013 at 9:53 am

    @Higgs Boson’s Mate: Well at least with McConnell, we won’t have that pesky filibuster problem. ugh

  6. 6.

    danielx

    March 26, 2013 at 9:56 am

    OT but…could use some good thoughts, as I’m off to the hospital where the daughter unit’s VP shunt is due to be revised today, possibly with a week of IV antibiotic therapy. She is not a happy camper, possibly less so than Mrs. X and your humble obedient. No trip to Harry Potter world for her and she’s highly pissed, not to mention scared and uncomfortable.

  7. 7.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    March 26, 2013 at 10:00 am

    Who names their boy Brenda with an “n” at the end?

  8. 8.

    Ash Can

    March 26, 2013 at 10:06 am

    @danielx: Here’s hoping all goes well.

  9. 9.

    JPL

    March 26, 2013 at 10:06 am

    @danielx: Good thoughts for all of you.

  10. 10.

    rikyrah

    March 26, 2013 at 10:07 am

    I understand this retirement. I’m glad he held on as long as he did.

  11. 11.

    rikyrah

    March 26, 2013 at 10:07 am

    @danielx:

    happy thoughts and prayers coming your way

  12. 12.

    falala

    March 26, 2013 at 10:19 am

    I iz worried about holding onto the Senate. Tis not looking good.

  13. 13.

    Andy

    March 26, 2013 at 10:23 am

    I was very disappointed by Herseth Sandlin’s Obamacare vote (I called her office beforehand), but I still voted for her over Noem. I’d gladly vote for her again against Rounds, though I’m sure she’d disappoint me on any number of issues in the future. It’s an easy calculation: some inevitable disappointment from a blue dog versus perpetual disagreement with a Republican.

  14. 14.

    The Moar You Know

    March 26, 2013 at 10:42 am

    I’m surprised we’ve held onto South Dakota this long. It’s going to take a monumental effort to keep it from flipping.

  15. 15.

    Omnes Omnibus

    March 26, 2013 at 10:46 am

    @Just Some Fuckhead: Tim Johnson.

  16. 16.

    Mnemosyne

    March 26, 2013 at 10:56 am

    @danielx:

    Ugh. Happy thoughts for all concerned!

  17. 17.

    low-tech cyclist

    March 26, 2013 at 11:34 am

    I’m happy to support Blue Dogs in states where that’s the best we can do, as long as they don’t get all prima-donna-ish about it and spoil the brand.

    When a Bob Kerrey or Joe Lieberman gets a big chunk of Dem camera time, people think what they stand for is what the Dems stand for, and GOP-lite doesn’t exactly turn out the voters.

  18. 18.

    burnspbesq

    March 26, 2013 at 11:40 am

    Given a choice between Herseth-Sandlin and Rounds, I’d vote for Stephanie once a day and twice on Sundays, even if she’ll end up being a Mary Landrieu or Claire McCaskill once she’s elected.

    Heresy! You will surely be burned at the stake for your lack of fidelity to the principles of progressive purity.

  19. 19.

    Yutsano

    March 26, 2013 at 11:40 am

    @danielx: Oh man. Hopefully the little one cruises through this. Kids are resilient things though.

    @burnspbesq: So why doesn’t Dr Jill Stein try to run for Senate there huh? PURITY UBER ALLES!!

  20. 20.

    Greg

    March 26, 2013 at 12:03 pm

    I hate you for getting my hopes up that Ron Johnson was resigning.

  21. 21.

    henrythefifth

    March 26, 2013 at 12:31 pm

    Does Herseth-Sandlin even live in the state any longer? Does that matter?

  22. 22.

    Gretchen

    March 26, 2013 at 12:50 pm

    I wish you east-coasters would quit hating on Claire McCaskill. If she were from Massachusetts, she’d be Elizabeth Warren’s right arm. But she’s not. Todd Akin was confidently expected to beat her easily until he started airing his thoughts about rape. She had Obama’s back on Obamacare. She was state auditor before she was Senator, and she’s still working to trying to rein in the big banks. She’s a hell of a lot better than Lieberman, and that takes a hell of a lot of courage in Missouri.

  23. 23.

    henqiguai

    March 26, 2013 at 5:49 pm

    Top

    …turnout in South Dakota is way over the national average – 62% turned out in the 2010 race…

    Well, that’s kind’a easy to do, when the entire state’s population is less than 840,000 (don’t LA and NYC have *neighborhoods* with almost that many people?), GOTV is a lot simpler.
    /snark

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

On The Road - PaulB - Olympic Peninsula: Lake Quinault Loop Drive 5
Image by PaulB (5/19/25)

Recent Comments

  • Elizabelle on Monday Night Open Thread (May 19, 2025 @ 9:07pm)
  • Adam L Silverman on War for Ukraine Day 1,180: The Cost (May 19, 2025 @ 9:06pm)
  • Sister Golden Bear on Monday Evening Open Thread: Perspective (May 19, 2025 @ 9:02pm)
  • RaflW on Monday Night Open Thread (May 19, 2025 @ 9:01pm)
  • Soprano2 on Saving Biomedical Research (Open Thread) (May 19, 2025 @ 9:01pm)

PA Supreme Court At Risk

Donate

Balloon Juice Posts

View by Topic
View by Author
View by Month & Year
View by Past Author

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
War in Ukraine
Donate to Razom for Ukraine

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

Meetups

Upcoming Ohio Meetup May 17
5/11 Post about the May 17 Ohio Meetup

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)
Fix Nyms with Apostrophes

Hands Off! – Denver, San Diego & Austin

Social Media

Balloon Juice
WaterGirl
TaMara
John Cole
DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
Betty Cracker
Tom Levenson
David Anderson
Major Major Major Major
DougJ NYT Pitchbot
mistermix

Keeping Track

Legal Challenges (Lawfare)
Republicans Fleeing Town Halls (TPM)
21 Letters (to Borrow or Steal)
Search Donations from a Brand

PA Supreme Court At Risk

Donate

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Comment Policy
  • Our Authors
  • Blogroll
  • Our Artists
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!