By Ed Randazzo
I’m told that there is a push-poll underway in Rapid City that asks questions about Alderman Sam Kooiker.
I saw Sam Kooiker on Tuesday and someone asked him if he was running for mayor and his reply was that he was considering it but had not yet made a decision.
Mayor Hanks has not announced his intentions either but this bit of
information leads me to believe that his decision has been made. I had reported on 1/31 that there had been a fundraiser for the current mayor on 1/27 at Black Hills Harley-Davidson as well. I’m thinking that one or two of Hanks’ supporters are behind this poll and one of them recently commissioned another push-poll to hype his proposed sales tax. Maybe he got a package deal price.
The real shocker here is that apparently one question relates to Alderman Kooiker’s censure by the City Council. If I were Mayor Hanks I wouldn’t want to bring that up at all. The voters spoke very clearly on what they thought about that maneuver.
It’s also quite interesting that this sets a negative tone for this race even before it has begun.
Frankly. I do get a little tired of being attacked by people like inde. Who ever this gutless wonder is, was attacking me long before the abortion debate. Because I stood tall for what was right and decent and honest.You will notice that inde uses the same buzz words to describe everyone that is not an ultra liberal leftist. Well, What about Sam? some of the Lefties have called him the Napoli of the council. Look at his votes!!! Look at his issues!!!Look at his stand on abortion!!! Sam will make the biggest mistake of his political career if he follows the advice of people like inde. Who by the way will never vote for a Religious right wing zealot like Sam anyway. If Sam moves to the center it will cost him the election. We already have a Mayor that is trying to be everything to everybody. Why do we need another? Lets not forget the last election. Lefties called them tea partiers But it was conservatives that routed the mainstream repubs.and lefty democrats. Lets fight hard.and make the conservative movement grow.
Fundamentalist and proud of it!!!!
PH
Sam would be a very good Mayor. I’m not sure he’d be any better than Mayor Hanks though. Mayor Hanks is doing a fine job. If elected I’d look for Sam to move towards the center quite a bit. He’s a very reasonable and intelligent man, unaffected by the blind conservative partisanship and religious fervor that is responsible for the divisive state of most political arenas now a days. And he’d be wise to distance himself from Napoli. Come to think of it, any elected official would be wise to steer clear of Napoli.
Sam would be a very good mayor. Once you typed that sentence you should have just quit. Then you launch into your normal pronouncements which are annoyingly monotonous. It’s always the same. Apparently in your world it’s “blind conservative partisanship and religious fervor” that is the root of all evil. Sam Kooiker would be an excellent mayor for Rapid City. We don’t need you to pronounce that he is a “very reasonable and intelligent man.” Listen up, Inde, the political arena is by nature partisan. All the people, and therefore their candidates and representatives reflect their diverse opinions and values. The arena is where these values collide. I would urge you to reserve your judgment of Mayor Hanks until some facts emerge during the campaign that you may not know yet. Then, of course, you were compelled to vilify Bill Napoli. Bill has proven his honesty, integrity and dedication to the people he has served in office. Vilification from the likes of you is a compliment. Rage on, Inde….you are mildly entertaining despite your predictable diatribes.
Thanks Ed. But it wasn’t me who vilified Napoli, he did that himself with his “simple rape” comments tied to the abortion debate, which is tied to Bill’s religious beliefs, which have no place in politics.
I stand by my comments about Mayor Hanks, he’s been a good Mayor. And it will take more than campaign rhetoric to change my opinion. As for the political arena, it used to be just that, but in the past couple of generations fundamentalists have dragged their religion into the arena and made it personal, and unconstitutional too. Back in the best times this country has ever known people didn’t do that. Religion belonged in church and the home, as our Founder’s intended. Partisanship was forgotten as soon as a discussion was over, and it was replaced by the fact we’re all Americans.
Even though I consider you to be a threat to religious freedoms and peace in this country I still enjoy bantering with you.
You just can’t get by your dismay that people believe in God and that God is the center of their lives. God is not to be compartmentalized or limited to Sunday in church. Christianity is not just a religion, it’s a relationship. You cannot know me without knowing the relationship I have with God. It is the center of my life and affects every aspect of my life. To deny or to not live that relationship is to me is impossible. I am a child of God before I am an American. The stain of my sins has been erased by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ not the Constitution. I have eternal life whether I am an American or any other nationality. But I am proud to be an American because I believe that God inspired the creation of this great republic and He has blessed us greatly with the freedoms and liberties we enjoy. I am not a threat to anyone’s religious freedoms but I want no one or any government to be a threat to mine. Religion and politics are personal or they are irrelevant.
As for Mayor Hanks, I think you will learn some truths soon that will change your mind.
You have a very interesting outlook on religion, and a strange idea about having a “relationship” with God. It sounds like it’s all about you, not God. That’s not how it works, butif it works for you, and you’re happy then so be it. You’ll be getting the real message one day.
So in your world, how does a mere mortal like yourself have a “relationship” with God? It’s apparently all in your mind, or all about you.
My relationship with God is not strange at all. I have accepted Jesus Christ, God into my heart and my life. God is the center of my life. I effort every day to live my life following Jesus Christ. My relationship with God is in my mind and my heart and my soul. It is an integral part of who I am. If you find that strange then so be it.
That’s a concept us Jews will never be able to understand, the Trinity and “accepting” Jesus. God doesn’t need our permission to enter our hearts. God doesn’t need our acceptance to do His work through us. Remember Abraham? God’s going to do what He pleases, regardless of our mindset. Perhaps you have to be one of His chosen people to understand. At any rate, God will not be deterred by the ways of the Gentiles.
Adelstein is like the George Soros of Rapid City. He uses his money to pull the puppet strings on his players for his own hideous purposes and I wonder if the puppets even realize that he is manipulating them. Well if Sam does run it will be a good start in cleaning up the current regimes’ climate of wastefulness and dishonesty lurking in city hall. I live outside of Rapid City limits but I sure will do what I can to help Sam. He is an honest man.
PH
Many of us have not forgotten the “Wingnuts” assault (not to be confused with Sen. Napoli’s group, which is a good group of Conservatives). I think we can expect more of the same… YOUR NEWS NOW will be on the scene bringing TRUTH through the Right Side Blog and her “sister News/blogs”
This will be an interesting one to watch!!!
gh
Adelstein’s money got him over the top last time. After the way he’s acted since then…I’d say he’s toast if Kooiker runs against him.