FHA Scorecard for 2016 Legislative Session

Family Heritage Alliance Action has released it’s scorecard for the 2016 South Dakota legislative session.

The scorecard scored 20 bills including topics ranging from restroom safety bills, human trafficking, civil asset forfeiture, alcohol, education, abortion, gambling, parental rights and more.

Many of the results were not surprising, as we have come to know what to expect from many legislators, both good and bad.

For example, Senators Brock Greenfield, Jenna Haggar, Phil Jensen, Betty Olson, David Omdahl, Gary Cammack, Ried Holien, Bill Van Gerpen and Bruce Rampelberg all scored 100%.

Meanwhile, liberal “Republican” senators like Craig Tieszen came in at 54%, Deb Soholt at 55%, and Deb Peters at 55%.  Absolutely pathetic that legislators who are a coin-toss as to whether they’re going to vote with Democrats should call themselves “Reublicans.”  There are laws about fraud and truth in advertising when it comes to consumer products, right?

In the House, some excellent scores (100%) included Jim Bolin, Thomas Brunner, Chip Campbell, Scott Craig, Lynne DiSanto, Dennis Feickert, Don Haggar, Roger Hunt, Joshua Klumb, Isaac Latterell, J. Sam Marty, Al Novstrup, Lee Qualm, Lance Russell, Jim Stalzer, and Larry Zikmund.

It’s interesting that Democrat Dennis Feickert scored 100%, putting to shame “Republicans” like Dan Dryden (64%), Peggy Gibson (50%), Jean Hunhofff (79%), Tim Rounds (76%), and Jacqueline Sly (71%).

A number of these liberal “Republicans” have primary opponents in this year’s primary election coming up on June 7.  Learn about their primary opponents, and if they’re more like real Republicans, get behind them.

Be sure to check out the scorecard thoroughly for yourself here.

America Clarion will be coming out with a 2016 legislative scorecard soon; just a little more proofing to make sure all the votes are right, and it’ll be ready for release.  Where the FHA Action scorecard scored 20 bills, the American Clarion scorecard scored 33 bills for across-the-board conservative areas.  What’s more, the American Clarion scorecard scored not only FLOOR votes but COMMITTEE votes (and re-votes, and veto overrides, etc.).  The RINOs who betray Republican principles year after year after year do some of their greatest damage in committee rather than on the floor, killing good conservative bills before they can even get out of the gate and get voted on by the majority of legislators.  And they know that almost no scorecards (or people, for that matter) look at committee votes, only floor votes…so they escape accountability for behaving like Democrats.

Not with the American Clarion scorecard. Some of the “Republicans” who scored better on the FHA Action scorecard didn’t do nearly as well on the American Clarion scorecard, primarily because of these committee betrayals votes.  And before the squealing about “cherry picking” starts from the RINO chorus, I picked out the bills before I knew who voted on them and how. They are votes that illustrate loyalty or animosity toward either conservative or liberal values.  The legislators chose their votes, and the scorecard lets the chips fall where they should.  No RINOs were specifically targeted, and no favored legislators were spared.

What’s more, the American Clarion Scorecard used 33 bills, including committee and floor votes–that’s more than 1/3 more bills than the FHA Action scorecard.  So if RINOs are going to whine about “cherry picking,” they can start with the FHA Action scorecard, which has 1/3 fewer bills scored, before moving on to whine about the American Clarion scorecard.

The American Clarion SD Legislative Scorecard is coming soon…

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Bob Ellis has been the owner of media company Dakota Voice, LLC since 2005. He is a 10-year U.S. Air Force veteran, a political reporter and commentator for the past decade, and has been involved in numerous election and public policy campaigns for over 20 years. He was a founding member and board member of the Tea Party groups Citizens for Liberty and the South Dakota Tea Party Alliance. He lives in Rapid City, South Dakota with his wife and two children.

Bob Ellis

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