Noem and GOP Getting a Little Nervous?

I had taken the last few days off from blogging because I had some full days with the family and school.  Unfortunately I did get the opportunity to follow SDWC and noticed the obvious attacks on recent candidate Corinna Robinson who is running against Kristi Noem.  I was not shocked that they turned almost immediately to the fact that she has not been sort of living on a farm in South Dakota.  That and a comment about a poorly made statement trying to connect terrorism and the minimum wage (I understand that she is trying to highlight her experience, but I don't think that was the best way to do it.), and that was about it.  

Leo Kallis reminded us that we can expect this will probably be the classical move by Noem and the GOP: avoid talking about anything of substance.  Noem has reasons to worry.  If voters care about substance, Noem will have little to hang her hat on.  

1. Corinna Robinson has significant military experience that required her to perform many important tasks.

She assists in advising the senior Agency leadership on a broad range of strategic and policy-related matters affecting the planning, development, and execution as to meet Agency, DoD and National objectives. As a member of the Civilian Expeditionary Workforce (CEW), Ms. Robinson served as the Director of Legislative Affairs, for United States Forces-Iraq (USF-I), Baghdad, Iraq, in 2010. This position required sensitive coordination and travel with Congressional Delegations, Interagency, and the Department of State (DoS) personnel to establish unprecedented foreign policy in our Nation’s history.

Noem has failed to get the many time promised farm bill passed.  

2. Robinson is also well aware of the disfunction in Washington and understands that to get things done, a person must be able to work with other groups.

Robinson, a Democrat, said she was prompted in part because of a dysfunctional Congress that has resulted in furloughs, a partially closed government and threats to veterans. 

"It’s very discouraging," she said. "It just seems like the parties can’t work together."

Noem has become the face of the government shut down.  You don't have to take my word for it, you can take the words of the Aberdeen News

On Wednesday, Noem was the only member of South Dakota's congressional delegation to vote "no" on the agreement to reopen the government and raise the country's borrowing limit. That measure passed 285-144 in the U.S. House. 

 When Noem could choose — voting for the best interests of South Dakota and the nation, or staying in the good graces of the fringe conservative movement — she voted with the latter.

In fact Noem has been a classic example of just working toward getting elected and not trying to protect her constituency.

While South Dakota’s ranchers are facing a terrible disaster, they aren’t the only ones to suffer from weather-related damage. Natural disasters hit the U.S. all the time, whether it’s hurricanes in the Gulf states, widespread droughts in the Midwest, tornadoes in the panhandle states or “super” storms like Sandy that ravaged the East coast a year ago. 

That’s why the federal government provides emergency assistance through the FEMA and ongoing assistance through programs like those in the farm bill. 

Noem voted against federal assistance for victims of super storm Sandy in New York and New Jersey. Nevertheless, she’s at the front of the line asking the federal government for money to help victims of the early-October blizzard. 

It appears that Noem is against federal spending until she’s for it.

3. Corinna Robinson is also a woman that I would probably guess would not let Native American women down when it comes to voting on legislation like the Violence Against Women Act.

Kristi Noem has already proven that she is ready and willing to turn her back on a important portion of South Dakota's population when it comes to fighting domestic violence.

The revised bill, which passed by a Republican-infused vote of 222-205, was introduced by Rep. Sandy Adams, (R-Fla.). It eliminates Senate language that would have provided major tribal court jurisdiction and protection order provisions for tribes in the lower 48 states meant to curb the epidemic of violence that exists on many reservations. 

Section 904 of the approved Senate bill recognized tribal court jurisdiction over non-Indian domestic violence offenders. Section 905 allows for tribal protection orders involving “any person,” including non-Indian offenders. The bill also strengthened federal authority to address violent felonies on reservations. 

It seems that Noem might have a few reasons to worry about a strong candidate running against her next year.  With a record like Kristi's, Pat Powers and the GOP had better start up the smoke machines to try and distract potential voters.