South Dakota Sen. John Thune REFUSES TO BACK MR. TRUMP
I rather liked South Dakota Sen. John Thune even though he had an affluent upbringing. He was considering as run for the Presidency at one time.
I didn't know he was a BUSH operative however until I started vetting him.
Thune's paternal grandfather, Nicholas Thune, was an immigrant from Norway who partnered with his brother Matt to start Thune Hardware stores in Mitchell and Murdo, South Dakota. His maternal grandfather is from Ontario, Canada, and Thune's mother was born in Saskatchewan. Thune has a brother who lives in California and is a high school English teacher.
After completing his MBA, Thune became involved in politics. He worked as a legislative aide for U.S. Senator James Abdnor from 1985 to 1987. In 1980, Abdnor defeated U.S. Senator George McGovern.
In 1989, Thune moved to the state capital of Pierre, South Dakota, where he served as executive director of the state Republican Party for two years.
By relying on strong personal skills and the help of his old network of Abdnor friends, Thune won the primary, defeating Hillard 59%-41%. In the general election, Thune defeated Democrat Rick Weiland, a long-serving aide to U.S. Senator Tom Daschle, 58%-37%.
Thune challenged Tom Daschle, the United States Senate Minority Leader and leader of the Senate Democrats, in the 2004 elections. In early 2003, Daschle unexpectedly decided not to run for president.
This was the most expensive Senate race in 2004, with $30 million spent,[23] and it was the most expensive race in South Dakota history. It was widely followed in the national media. Thune – along with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, President of the United States George W. Bush, and Vice President Dick Cheney – described Daschle as the "chief obstructionist" of Bush's agenda: "Thune was able to criticize 'Daschle for serving incompatible masters' and portray him, as Frist did when he came to South Dakota to campaign for Thune, as a partisan obstructionist and political heir to liberal icon and former Senator George McGovern of South Dakota."
Daschle's critics charged the Democrat with using filibusters to block confirmation of several of Bush's nominees to the federal judiciary, and being out of step with the views of South Dakota voters on other political and social issues: "The GOP had targeted Daschle, the Senate minority leader, claiming he had been the chief obstruction to President Bush on such issues as tax cuts, judicial nominees and the war in Iraq."
On November 2, 2004, Thune defeated Daschle by 4,508 votes, winning 51% of the vote. Daschle's loss was the first ousting of an incumbent Floor Leader since 1952, when Arizona Senator Ernest McFarland lost his seat to Barry Goldwater.
Thune faced no Republican or Democratic opposition for his Senate seat in 2010 and won re-election with 100% of the vote
THUNE SPONSORED:
S. 3068, a bill to bind increases in veterans' benefits to an amount equivalent to the cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security benefits, introduced May 25, 2006, reintroduced in the 110th Congress as S. 161 and in the 111th Congress as S. 3359. A separate bill sponsored by Mark Begich of Alaska, S. 2258 (113th), that does the same thing as this bill has since become law.
S. 2242, a bill to repeal the estate tax and the tax on generation-skipping gifts, and to reduce the gift tax to 35% and allow for a $5 million lifetime exemption from the gift tax, introduced March 28, 2012, reintroduced in the 113th Congress as S. 1183. This bill was included as part of a separate bill sponsored by Mike Lee, S. 3420.
S. 1788, a bill to promote net neutrality and limit barriers to internet-based commerce by making them conditions of future international trade agreements, introduced December 10, 2013
PROMOTING SO-CALLED FREE-TRADE?
Prior to the selection of Sarah Palin, Thune was mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick for Republican Presumptive Nominee John McCain in the 2008 presidential election. Thune publicly played down the speculation.
Significant speculation arose regarding a potential 2012 presidential bid by Thune.Thune was encouraged to run by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham.
During the summer of 2012, the USA Today reported that "South Dakota's Thune is on short list for vice president," but Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan was instead selected.
Thune engendered some speculation that he might run in the 2016 presidential election, but he declined to run, stating that his "window...might have closed in 2012."
NEOCON CREDENTIALS & ASSOCIATIONS
I rather liked South Dakota Sen. John Thune even though he had an affluent upbringing. He was considering as run for the Presidency at one time.
I didn't know he was a BUSH operative however until I started vetting him.
Thune's paternal grandfather, Nicholas Thune, was an immigrant from Norway who partnered with his brother Matt to start Thune Hardware stores in Mitchell and Murdo, South Dakota. His maternal grandfather is from Ontario, Canada, and Thune's mother was born in Saskatchewan. Thune has a brother who lives in California and is a high school English teacher.
After completing his MBA, Thune became involved in politics. He worked as a legislative aide for U.S. Senator James Abdnor from 1985 to 1987. In 1980, Abdnor defeated U.S. Senator George McGovern.
In 1989, Thune moved to the state capital of Pierre, South Dakota, where he served as executive director of the state Republican Party for two years.
By relying on strong personal skills and the help of his old network of Abdnor friends, Thune won the primary, defeating Hillard 59%-41%. In the general election, Thune defeated Democrat Rick Weiland, a long-serving aide to U.S. Senator Tom Daschle, 58%-37%.
Thune challenged Tom Daschle, the United States Senate Minority Leader and leader of the Senate Democrats, in the 2004 elections. In early 2003, Daschle unexpectedly decided not to run for president.
This was the most expensive Senate race in 2004, with $30 million spent,[23] and it was the most expensive race in South Dakota history. It was widely followed in the national media. Thune – along with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, President of the United States George W. Bush, and Vice President Dick Cheney – described Daschle as the "chief obstructionist" of Bush's agenda: "Thune was able to criticize 'Daschle for serving incompatible masters' and portray him, as Frist did when he came to South Dakota to campaign for Thune, as a partisan obstructionist and political heir to liberal icon and former Senator George McGovern of South Dakota."
Daschle's critics charged the Democrat with using filibusters to block confirmation of several of Bush's nominees to the federal judiciary, and being out of step with the views of South Dakota voters on other political and social issues: "The GOP had targeted Daschle, the Senate minority leader, claiming he had been the chief obstruction to President Bush on such issues as tax cuts, judicial nominees and the war in Iraq."
On November 2, 2004, Thune defeated Daschle by 4,508 votes, winning 51% of the vote. Daschle's loss was the first ousting of an incumbent Floor Leader since 1952, when Arizona Senator Ernest McFarland lost his seat to Barry Goldwater.
Thune faced no Republican or Democratic opposition for his Senate seat in 2010 and won re-election with 100% of the vote
THUNE SPONSORED:
S. 3068, a bill to bind increases in veterans' benefits to an amount equivalent to the cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security benefits, introduced May 25, 2006, reintroduced in the 110th Congress as S. 161 and in the 111th Congress as S. 3359. A separate bill sponsored by Mark Begich of Alaska, S. 2258 (113th), that does the same thing as this bill has since become law.
S. 2242, a bill to repeal the estate tax and the tax on generation-skipping gifts, and to reduce the gift tax to 35% and allow for a $5 million lifetime exemption from the gift tax, introduced March 28, 2012, reintroduced in the 113th Congress as S. 1183. This bill was included as part of a separate bill sponsored by Mike Lee, S. 3420.
S. 1788, a bill to promote net neutrality and limit barriers to internet-based commerce by making them conditions of future international trade agreements, introduced December 10, 2013
PROMOTING SO-CALLED FREE-TRADE?
Prior to the selection of Sarah Palin, Thune was mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick for Republican Presumptive Nominee John McCain in the 2008 presidential election. Thune publicly played down the speculation.
Significant speculation arose regarding a potential 2012 presidential bid by Thune.Thune was encouraged to run by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham.
During the summer of 2012, the USA Today reported that "South Dakota's Thune is on short list for vice president," but Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan was instead selected.
Thune engendered some speculation that he might run in the 2016 presidential election, but he declined to run, stating that his "window...might have closed in 2012."
NEOCON CREDENTIALS & ASSOCIATIONS