Curious: could the threats Rep. Mark Sanford of South Carolina describes receiving from the Trump White House explain why South Dakota’s Rep. Kristi Noem won’t make a peep against the Donald?
Rep. Mark Sanford, the former South Carolina governor, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that White House budget director Mick Mulvaney, a former fellow congressman from Sanford’s home state, delivered the threat to him from President Donald Trump.
“He said, ‘The President hopes you vote against this because he wants to run somebody against you if you do,'” Sanford said.
Sanford said Trump made similar threats “to any number” of other Republicans, adding that he viewed those threats as “counterproductive” [Eli Watkins, “Rep. Mark Sanford: Trump’s Threat on My Seat ‘Counterproductive’,” CNN, 2017.04.23].
Noem hasn’t said anything about threats from Trump, but consider her vulnerability. She snubbed Trump by turning down an interview for his Cabinet. She has a gubernatorial primary opponent who has been cozying up to Trump and his racist, ineffective immigration ban. If she survives Jackley’s challenge in the primary, she could face and independent challenge from a rich and hungry Sioux Falls mayor who continues to style himself as a South Dakota Trump. (Now throw in a Democrat who runs on the empathy-for-Trump-voters platform, and my nightmare is complete.)
Perhaps it’s no wonder we can’t even get Rep. Noem to use her power to call on Trump to fulfill his two-year-old promise to release his tax returns. It’s no wonder Rep. Noem keeps dressing up Trump as the fundagelical’s kewpie doll. She can’t afford to see that kewpie doll come play G.I. Joe for anyone else in her race for Governor.
Does Noem do any thinking for herself? If it’s not the Trump administration, it’s the House speaker giving marching orders. Please, someone start a “long” list of all Kristi’s accomplishments and authored legislation. Other than making news for playing on her cell phone during committee meetings, she hasn’t really gotten any national attention. Now she wants to bring that show to SD? Nice.
… and in today’s RCJ, Kristi gives her “pro-birth” screed.
I shudder to think of the damage she causes.
The only way to beat bully trump type people is to ignore them and get in a position where you are in charge yourself. On whatever issues she is right, if she stays for those right positions and becomes gov. she could make a difference. For a woman to make a difference in a male-bully trump administration is almost impossible. Before she could point out that she has a very powerful position in the house ways and means committee. That is a very significant committee and as soon as trump gets in she decides she will be heading out the next election. Good people need to keep resisting bullies, but with people voting for bullies like Janklow and Trump, then good people do not do as well. The voters need to figure this out. If not, we will continue to have leaders who scorn ethics committees while we have GEAR UP programs covered up.