USD College Republicans

Reps-Dems Debate

A packed crowd greeted the eight debaters last night.

I think both the CRs and the Dems argued their points deftly and passionately.

Many thanks to Rhino, Matt, Brittany, and Bill. And also to David Whitesock, our able referee, PSL, and the Volante.

You can see Volante Political Reporter Joe Sneve's liveblog, as well as pictures of the debate on the Volante website.

-Matt Hittle

Posted at 11:03AM Oct 29, 2008 by College Republicans in University of South Dakota  |  Comments[0]

Republicans-Democrats Debate

What: Volante/Political Science League's annual USD College Republicans-USD College Democrats Debate
When: Tuesday, October 27, 2008, 7:00 PM
Where: Farber Hall in Old Main

Posted at 08:27PM Oct 27, 2008 by College Republicans in University of South Dakota  |  Comments[0]

D-Days Update

Today, the College Republicans marched in the D-Days parade with Jerad Higman, Chris Lien, and Joel Dykstra. Many thinks to Dan Lederman for letting us use his truck and trailer! We had an army of volunteers for each candidate, throwing out many pounds of candy, stickers, t-shirts, frisbees, cups, and beads.

We had a massive caravan: the CR float, the Chris Lien van, the Higman truck and trailer, the Higman four wheelers, and a massive million-dollar rock crusher from Masaba. It was just another reminder of the amount of money that Higman's business brings into Vermillion, yet another reason that he's miles ahead of the competition (who, appropriately, had a pickup truck with a sign).

All-in-all, it was a fantastic day!

-Matt Hittle

Posted at 02:38AM Oct 12, 2008 by College Republicans in University of South Dakota  |  Comments[0]

More thoughts on Nesselhuf's reply

1) Mr. Blake made it sound as if Nesselhuf actually had an active role in the USD money. He had absolutely nothing to do with the bill, other than voting for it like every other senator

2) Mr. Blake said that Nesselhuf is the first Senator from Clay County in 100 years to hold a Senatorial leadership. That is about as much of a stretch as possible. There is absolutely no statute or Senate rule mentioning a "Caucus Chairman." It is a title made up by the Democrats to make him sound important. If he were something like majority or minority leader, whip, or president pro tempore, he would be a Senate leader. But he isn't any of those.

-Matt Hittle

Posted at 05:27PM Sep 24, 2008 by College Republicans in University of South Dakota  |  Comments[1]

My response to Nesselhuf's response

To Matt Blake’s response to my Nesselhuf column last week:

---On the minimum wage and pre-K education---

-Of course Mr. Blake is happy Nesselhuf supports these. Increased government meddling in citizens’ lives is a valuable tool for the Democratic Party.
-Blake makes a knee-jerk assumption that the minimum wage is beneficial (it isn’t) and that pre-K education is a good investment for taxpayer dollars.

---On Hyperion---

Nesselhuf’s failed bill would have allowed the state government to write incredibly strict environmental regulations, leaving the door open for opposition
to essentially write Hyperion out of existence, by, say, regulating so strictly that Hyperion could not operate.

“I took the laws straight off the books in California…” said Nesselhuf at one of the hearings on Hyperion.

-Also, Nesselhuf was so anti-Hyperion that the Hyperion people don’t want to work with him. Hyperion IS coming. Nesselhuf is not ready.

---My “hard core partisan” stance---

-Apparently Mr. Blake knows me…despite the fact that we’ve never met.

-His claim that I am a hardcore partisan is untrue. Though I am president of a partisan organization, I remove that hat when I write. The Volante hired me
to write Matt Hittle’s opinions, not the College Republicans’. There are several issues in the Republican Platform with which I don’t agree.

-It’s smart for Mr. Blake to paint me as a radical, though. It erodes my credibility in the eyes of readers. Both he and Bill Muller, the Nesselhuf campaign
manager, have done this now. Muller did it in a press release in which he falsely claimed that my Nesselhuf column was a product of the College
Republicans. When asked to correct this mistake, Muller became angry and refused to change the blatant error (or lie, depending on your view).

---Nesselhuf voted _____ times for _____---

-And? What’s your point? So he voted a bunch of times for bills that don’t pass. Shouldn’t his effectiveness be measured not by the ideas he supports, but
by his ability to get those ideas codified into law?

-What do you mean by “helped secure” dollars for USD? You mean he “voted for” the bill that gave dollars to USD. Blake makes it sound like Nesselhuf
took the lead, valiantly “securing” money for USD. In reality, Nesselhuf merely voted for a Regents-supported bill. That’s a no-brainer.

---Nesselhuf is popular---

-No argument there, he’s a nice guy and his father is a nice guy. But you can’t ride the amiability of yourself and your family forever. Eventually, you’ll
have to face your record, whether it’s in 2008 or in the next cycle.

-Matt Hittle

Posted at 03:50PM Sep 24, 2008 by College Republicans in University of South Dakota  |  Comments[0]

Suppressing free speech for posterboard space?

After my morning class, I strolled around campus, replacing the College Republicans signs that had been torn down over the morning.

We put our signs on general-purpose sign boards, and people are free to tear them down to put other signs up.

I was replacing torn down signs in East Hall and was approached by a woman who said "If you inundate this board again, I will get you in trouble because I am faculty." I asked this faculty member what, exactly, I would be charged with and she said "littering" and stormed off.

She wouldn't give me her name.

As she stormed away, I told her not to suppress my speech. And I meant it.

Now, I'm not sure what is at issue. Either she was mad about the CRs using too much poster board space or she was mad that the CRs were USING poster board space at all due to some political bias. I'm not assuming the bias, but it is a possibility. Either way, I thought her attempted suppression of the CRs' free speech was ridiculous, so I put up my signs and immediately called the Dean of Students.

Luckily, the Dean assured me that the College Republicans were not being inappropriate with our signage and that there is no precedent, to her knowledge, that allows disciplinary action to be taken against students who put up lots of posters.

They can keep tearing down the posters, as is their right. But we'll keep replacing them, as is our right.

-Matt Hittle

Posted at 11:52AM Sep 23, 2008 by College Republicans in University of South Dakota  |  Comments[4]

NEW COMMENT POLICY

I'm instituting a new policy here at the College Republicans blog.

All comments must be written under your name, not a pseudonym, not "anonymous."

All comments that are anonymous or those listed under an obvious pseudonym will be deleted.

We CR bloggers are brave enough to write under our own names. We catch flack, but we've got the cajones to keep writing. It's only fair that you do the same.

Thanks

-Matt Hittle

Posted at 12:20PM Sep 22, 2008 by College Republicans in University of South Dakota  |  Comments[6]

Nessehuf Needs to Go

Check out my political column in the first print edition of the Volante. It can be found HERE.

It discusses State Senator Ben Nesselhuf's inadequacies and why I think he should be removed from office on November 4th.

Apparently, parts of the piece were leaked to Nesselhuf by someone on the Volante staff last weekend, so I'm on pins and needles while waiting for what will surely be a rapid-fire response from Nesselhuf's campaign manager Bill Muller or the USD Dems in general.

Here's a quick disclaimer about the article that is already known by the Nesselhuf campaign: Jerad Higman has not read, influenced, seen, or approved anything I wrote in that column.

Also, the CR signs around campus were not paid for, influenced by, seen, or approved by any Republican candidate. They are totally from the minds and personal pocketbooks of the CRs.

-Matt Hittle

Posted at 09:34AM Sep 17, 2008 by College Republicans in University of South Dakota  |  Comments[0]

New Volante Columns

There are two articles you should check out today:

Fellow CR Raleigh Tiahrt has his first Volante Opinion Column and I've got my first column of the year

-Matt Hittle

Posted at 09:08AM Sep 10, 2008 by College Republicans in University of South Dakota  |  Comments[0]

On Debate II

Let's quell this now.

1) The USD College Republicans will participate in a debate that is structured. We can say we'll be nice, but tempers flare. Basic structure doesn't inhibit one side from expressing itself, being witty, or making jokes.

2) A discussion about candidates will invariably lead to squabbling about missteps along the campaign trail- the minutia of politics. We'd rather not waste our time when the pundits engage in this discussion ad nauseam. We'd much rather talk about the respective platforms of the parties- that is, the issues. We want the theme of the debate not to be the candidates specifically, but about issues.

3) I'm not partial to either the PSL or the Volante debate. However, I am sure that PSL would cater the questions according to the fact that it is an election year. It's not as if they use the same questions each year (Full disclosure: I am secretary of PSL, but have excused myself from all meetings regarding the debate).

4) I don't know if the USD Democrats have more information than we do, but we haven't heard a peep from the Volante since the original e-mail regarding this topic. If the USD Democrats have more concrete information that has not been shared with the College Republicans, that's all the more reason for us not to participate.

5) Like I've said before, we aren't agreeing to anything at this point because the Volante hasn't even so much as approached us with concrete ideas. When the Volante approaches us with an official plan/offer, we will vote on the matter.

-Matt Hittle

Posted at 12:07AM Sep 10, 2008 by College Republicans in University of South Dakota  |  Comments[0]

On Debate

In their latest post, the USD Democrats whined about lack of debate on campus. They said there is a "demand" for debate and that our members use "smear pictures" in their Facebook profile pictures.

Look through the silly hyperbole and ad hominem and you'll find a nugget of truth: They want to fight and they want a spectacle to show it off.

Instead of respectfully asking for a debate with the College Republicans, South Dakota Federation of Democrats President Emily Van Gerpen launched an ad hominem attack against members of the USD College Republicans (and a veiled snipe at me) and their Facebook pictures. Sure, my profile picture lampoons Obama from time to time, but that fact has no place in a debate about issues.

This just goes to show what kind of rhetoric we can expect from the USD Democrats in whichever debate occurs.

The USD College Republicans want to engage in debate. However, we won't be drawn into a spectacle. I don't know about the USD Democrats, but the USD College Republicans want to maintain their reputation as calm, intelligent debaters. An "informal" debate might put this reputation at risk. That's not a risk the USD College Republicans are willing to take. Heck, we don't even know what "informal" means yet. We've heard a peep here and there from the Volante, but we're not going to agree to anything without first seeing an official sheet of rules and a pledge that they will be strictly enforced.

In addition to engaging in a proper, structured debate, the USD College Republicans will not talk about the presidential candidates. We don't want to talk about Palin's baby. We don't want to talk about Obama's ties to the Rezko scandal. We don't want to talk about Biden's slurs against immigrants. We don't want to talk about McCain's age.

We want to talk about issues. And if you examine the USD Democrats' latest post, they make nary a mention of issues, instead wanting to debate presidential candidates. Well, the USD College Republicans think the candidates themselves are doing that already.

It remains to be seen which debate the USD College Republicans will participate in. But the USD Democrats should understand the simple fact that, if you want someone to participate in your event, it's best not to insult them.

-Matt Hittle

Posted at 09:32AM Sep 09, 2008 by College Republicans in University of South Dakota  |  Comments[0]

Quick thoughts on the State Senate Race

I've been pondering the local State Senate race for awhile now.

It seems to me that Nesseulhuf is attractive to the students of Vermillion, many of whom do not vote locally. He's young, liberal, and a student. But there are several reasons that students should not support Nesselhuf. First, he denied students their constitutional rights to possess firearms on campus. Next, he tried to deny Hyperion, which will be an economic boon for southwest South Dakota, as well as USD. For all you social conservatives out there, it might pain you to know that Nesselhuf has been a staunch supporter of abortion in the State Senate.

Jerad Higman, by contrast, is a mature, conservative, responsible local business owner. I think that the students and residents of this area, when presented with such a drastic choice, will choose the latter.

Nesselhuf can run on his record. But, if I were him, I wouldn't.

-Matt Hittle

Posted at 04:18PM Aug 22, 2008 by College Republicans in University of South Dakota  |  Comments[2]

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to another year at the great University of South Dakota!

We College Republicans- the BEST party on campus- are planning many great events for the fall semester. Watch this blog for details.

We're heading into the general election, and we've got lots of opportunities to put Republicans in local, state, and national office.

First is the State Senate race. Our current State Senator's job has been laughable. Aside from echoing extreme environmentalism from out of state- and in the process, almost denying Hyperion access to Union County- Ben Nesselhuf has done little for our corner of South Dakota.

Nesselhuf's Republican challenger, Jerad HIgman, is a local businessman and entrepreneur who has millions of dollars invested in Vermillion and employs over 60 people- a lot for a small town! Jerad plans to work for southeast South Dakota in ways Nesselhuf never did.

Visit JERAD HIGMAN'S campaign website!

-Matt Hittle

Posted at 10:39AM Aug 16, 2008 by College Republicans in University of South Dakota  |  Comments[2]

Someone should hide T-Liggs' keyboard

This is Matt Hittle's opinion, and isn't necessarily that of the USD College Republicans.

Our not-so-distinguished former SGA president has been running amok on the Volante website.

As a columnist for The Volante, it irritates me that he uses our comment section for self-glorification and ego boosting. That space is to be used for a substantive discussion of the article or column that precedes it.

In addition to the horrible things he has said about the USD College Republicans, Terry has a track record of immaturity and ignorance. It seems to me that he has a major ego issue that causes him to put down others while glorifying himself.

Someone needs to hide his keyboard, lest he make an even bigger fool of himself.

-Matt Hittle

Posted at 08:50AM Apr 03, 2008 by College Republicans in University of South Dakota  |  Comments[0]

A debate afterthought

I've been dreadfully sick for the past few days, so I've been doing lots of thinking while stuck in my bed. After reviewing my notes from Tuesday's debate, I realized that there was one major point I was unable to make due to time constraints. Here it is:

USD Dems President Chris Berry, in response to a question about the economy, stated that the government should have a role akin to its role in health care and education.

This puzzled me. Health care and education are two of the biggest governmental failures around! At the very least, they're the two issues the Democrats are most upset about.

Let me get this straight. They bellyache about health care and education, although they LIKE what's wrong with them- excessive government involvement. Now they want to force that same failed idea onto the economy?
This is just not logical. When will they learn that, as the amount of government intervention increases, the worse the systems become?

-Matt Hittle

Posted at 11:57AM Feb 07, 2008 by College Republicans in University of South Dakota  |  Comments[2]

Terry Liggins: a lasting disgrace to USD

Last night after the debate, I was walking through Old Main schmoozing and shaking hands.

I walked past recently-deposed SGA president Terry Liggins and overheard him talking to a friend.

------
Friend: ...Oh and those College Republicans...
Liggins: F*gs!
------

Someone had to tell him off, I decided. So I approached him and told him that it was unbecoming of a former SGA president to say such things, and essentially that he was a blot on USD's good name.

Liggins' words- ridiculing the CRs AND using a pejorative term for homosexuals- should upset anyone with a sense of decency. I would bet that the USD Democrats would agree with us on this one, as calling such horrible names does absolutely nothing to ensure rational campus debate.

I think we should all demand that Liggins immediately apologize to the College Republicans.

-Matt Hittle

Posted at 08:51AM Feb 06, 2008 by College Republicans in University of South Dakota  |  Comments[0]

Analysis of the Republican-Democrat debate

Tonight's debate was lots of fun!

CR President senior Drew Peterson, freshman Morgan Peck, freshman Tim Carr, and myself, senior Matt Hittle, took on the Democrats (Dems President Chris Berry, Ryan Cwach, Brittany Neiles, and Emily VanGerpen).

Unfortunately, the virus I've had since the weekend had taken its toll on my voice. It wasn't the most ideal situation for me, but I'm very glad I was able to take part. As for analysis, I think that the College Republicans held their own. Personally, I think that we were largely on the offensive, while the Dems were largely on the defensive. Of course, they might disagree. I had wished we were able to discuss more than 3 minutes per side on each issue. I had much more information left in the chamber when it was all finished.

We had our applause lines, to be sure, but so did the Dems. However, I think we edged them out on humor, which makes me proud. Debates are boring without humor. Overall, it was a fantastic time, and I can't wait until next year.

The College Republicans sincerely thank the College Democrats, the USD Political Science League, and the USD Department of Political Science for all participating in this great event!

-Matt Hittle

Posted at 10:43PM Feb 05, 2008 by College Republicans in University of South Dakota  |  Comments[0]

Republican-Democrat debate Tuesday!

Dear readers- be sure to attend the USD College Republicans take on the USD College Democrats in the annual Political Science League debate.

We Republicans have been working hard to prepare our facts and figures. We look forward to a digression from normal political debates- an interesting, rational debate about issues, disregarding petty politics.

When: Tuesday, February 5, 7:00pm
Where: Farber Hall inside Old Main on the USD Campus

Also, interested parties are welcome to attend the USD College Republicans meeting on Wednesday at 8 pm in Old Main.

-Matt Hittle

Posted at 09:57PM Feb 04, 2008 by College Republicans in University of South Dakota  |  Comments[0]