http://www.capjournal.com/ The latest news from the www.capjournal.com website! Newsys Template Engine Blog/behind Govt Lines http://backend.userland.com/rss 60 newsys-274098098 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c75c1f29be7e086157689.txt This blog has been quiet for a while now, and I'm afraid it's going to be quiet for some time to come. Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:33:53 -0500 newsys-257683073 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c6af1800d84a704227262.txt Gov. Mike Rounds has decided to apply for $26.3 million in federal education funds contained in an aid to states package, his office announced today. Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:31:03 -0500 newsys-252038608 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c65a541812f0784447115.txt They come from political scientist Alan Abramowitz and American Enterprise Institute scholar Norman Ornstein in the Washington Post. Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:04:19 -0500 newsys-249780689 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c6349da8d032798620474.txt Bob Mercer has the scoop that one of the two Democrats running for the two open House seats in District 24, Jade Cowan, has dropped out of the race. Wed, 11 Aug 2010 20:09:49 -0500 newsys-247486191 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c62ef3fddc74223185597.txt According to a release from Sen. Tim Johnson's office, the hospitalized senator is recovering from his gallbladder surgery. Johnson said he is feeling good, moving around the room and catching up on the news. Wed, 11 Aug 2010 13:43:24 -0500 newsys-243358632 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c6192eb1cb80430559785.txt Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin will vote after all for a bill to provide aid for states in the form of increased Medicaid money. Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:57:04 -0500 newsys-243491796 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c618ee725052934852817.txt A new release out just moments ago from Sen. Tim Johnson's office announed that the senator had surgery Tuesday morning to remove his gallbladder. Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:39:50 -0500 newsys-241360711 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c60766700abd660070658.txt All indications so far are that Sen. Tim Johnson's hospitalization isn't going to be a big deal. But given his health problems I wondered how exactly Senate vacancies in South Dakota are filled. (I imagine people who were around in late 2006 are all familiar with this.) Mon, 9 Aug 2010 16:43:07 -0500 newsys-239787342 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c60573dd001d732862971.txt Sen. Tim Johnson was scheduled to visit Pierre today, with events including a lunch with people at the Capital Journal and a tour of the Stanley County Courthouse, which is using stimulus money to improve its energy efficiency. Mon, 9 Aug 2010 14:31:56 -0500 newsys-239785548 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c603b5e2158d704994542.txt If you believe pollster Scott Rasmussen, Dennis Daugaard might consider meandering over to the governor's residence in Pierre to size up the drapes. Mon, 9 Aug 2010 12:46:54 -0500 newsys-237860244 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c5b22bbafbfd254926284.txt As expected, President Barack Obama's second supreme court nominee, Solicitor General Elena Kagan, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate today 63-37. Thu, 5 Aug 2010 15:45:02 -0500 newsys-236239609 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c59d7ce103e9468543785.txt The culture wars continue unabated: a federal judge, as many people expected, ruled that California's same-sex marriage ban, enacted by popular referendum in 2008, is unconstitutional. Wed, 4 Aug 2010 16:13:02 -0500 newsys-235962216 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c59c131e694a708422227.txt American politics today is a mixture of serious concerns (mounting debt, an unsteady economic recovery) and triviality (most day-to-day politics). Wed, 4 Aug 2010 14:36:21 -0500 newsys-234420623 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c59b739ef896380221550.txt It comes from the great blog, The Electoral Map: Wed, 4 Aug 2010 13:53:49 -0500 newsys-236005574 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c599ec011fbe959241952.txt Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin has faced tough polling and fundraising numbers lately for her reelection campaign against Republican challenger Kristi Noem. One of the more absurd (in my view) sideshows in that campaign over public perception of Herseth Sandlin's chances. Republican forces have expended a fair bit of public relations effort promoting the idea that Herseth Sandlin is in trouble. Wed, 4 Aug 2010 12:09:25 -0500 newsys-217059476 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c48b88735d1c320837069.txt Political press releases are always fun to read, and none moreso than those put out by political parties -- who, being more impersonal, feel free to be harsh, combative and often less than wholly accurate. Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:31:12 -0500 newsys-213739000 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c47108f0ca26531692978.txt Gubernatorial candidates Dennis Daugaard and Scott Heidepriem had been scheduled to face off in a debate today at the South Dakota School Superintendents Association annual meeting today in Pierre. That debate was canceled, however, after Daugaard pulled out due to a death in the family. Wed, 21 Jul 2010 10:21:58 -0500 newsys-214442366 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c46ff47b8e7e043531574.txt My story from today's print edition: PIERRE — A year and a half ago, South Dakota was blanketed with commercials urging support or opposition to a smoking ban then being debated in the Legislature. Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:08:18 -0500 newsys-205139935 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c3e1062678b0516081089.txt Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan is likely to be confirmed despite opposition from Sen. John Thune and most other Republicans, Thune said Wednesday. Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:31:00 -0500 newsys-198006186 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c3744e45bd0b347419347.txt A federal judge just struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act — the bill that bars the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages and lets states ignore those marriages approved by other states. But rather than striking it down as being discriminatory to homosexual couples (much how Massachusetts and Vermont got same-sex marriages/civil unions in the first place), the judge struck down the bill on the basis of the Tenth Amendment. Fri, 9 Jul 2010 10:49:00 -0500 newsys-194179800 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c35e11c8ea0d752076543.txt ... I take a look at the oft-ignored third person in the Congressional race, independent B. Thomas Marking. His chances of winning are far, far below either of the two major party candidates, but you can't deny he's got unique ideas. Thu, 8 Jul 2010 09:31:03 -0500 newsys-177383399 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4c263e7c936cb454081800.txt They don't have a Senate candidate, but there will be a Democrat on the ballot for every other statewide office this November. Sat, 26 Jun 2010 12:53:08 -0500 newsys-2927672 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4b2bfe05a04d5182626451.txt Polling is a really useful tool for understanding politics. But polls can also be misleading — especially when you move away from simple favorability ratings and political horse race questions to asking people about issues they might not understand. Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:44:53 -0600 newsys-2927671 http://www.capjournal.com/articles/2010/09/02/blog/behind_govt_lines/doc4b2acf6d6a382707256154.txt PIERRE — Six months away from the gubernatorial primaries, a majority of South Dakota voters have yet to form an opinion about any of the candidates seeking to run the state, a new poll finds. Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:44:53 -0600