Don't Come Around Here No More

South Dakota's MAGAt dog shooting Governor Kristi "Noooo!" Noem has lost hope as a VP candidate on the Malignant Loser / Al Caporn / Rip Van Stinkle's presidential ticket, and now has been barred from roughly 20 percent of the territory of her own state. Native American tribes have sovereignty to decide who enters tribal lands and who doesn't, and Noem is one of the latter. From The Hill:

"Two additional Native American tribes in South Dakota have banned Gov. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) from their reservations after she said earlier this year that tribal leaders benefited from drug cartels.

Noem is now banned from traveling to about one-fifth of South Dakota after the Yankton Sioux Tribe voted Friday to ban Noem and the Sisseton-Wahpeton Ovate did the same days earlier. Four other tribes had previously barred Noem over her cartel comments and other remarks.

“We’ve got some tribal leaders that I believe are personally benefiting from the cartels being there, and that’s why they attack me every day,” the governor said at a forum in March. “But I’m going to fight for the people who actually live in those situations, who call me and text me every day and say, ‘Please, dear governor, please come help us in Pine Ridge. We are scared.’”  (our emphasis)

Note the "please, dear governor" bit above. She really has the dishonest, narcissistic Trump "sir" anecdote pattern down pat.

Noem is known for making up stories about meeting foreign leaders and for making a weird ad for a Texas cosmetic dentistry firm, in addition to her violent termination of a misbehaving dog. The fact that 20 percent of her own state is off limits to her is indicative of her polarizing politics, demagoguery and bigotry.

(photo: Noem and her cult leader. NDTV)

 

"What's Is Wrong With Her?"

Rolling Stone's Asawin Suebsaeng writes about the conversations among the Malignant Loser's inner circle about the clueless political suicide of South Dakota's ambitious, gun humping and cruel Gov. Kristi Noem. She was once a possible pick for the Malignant Loser's VP, but no more:

"In recent days, the former president has discussed or brought up Noem’s pup-execution in closed-door meetings, as well as over the phone. Trump, sources recount, has pointedly asked questions regarding her decision to kill the dog, including specifically, “Why would she do that?” and “What is wrong with her?” He has expressed bewilderment that she would have ever admitted to doing this, willingly and in her own writing, and has argued it demonstrates she has a poor grasp of “public relations.” In these various conversations over the past week, the ex-president has also mentioned that voters generally don’t like politicians who kill dogs, two of the people familiar with the matter add." (our emphasis)

"Voters don't like politicians who kill dogs." But in his case, they're OK with him lying, assaulting women, committing fraud, conning them, and promising to kill democracy. 

Meanwhile, Noem is attempting to defend her actions, a glaring example of ignoring the maxim "when you're in a hole, stop digging." 

(photo: "Cricket come here girl. We're going to the gravel pit." Twitter)

 

Scratch Another Off Trump's VP List

 

They're falling like rotten apples from a rotten tree:

"Former President Donald Trump has reportedly expressed disappointment in South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem after she revealed that she killed her puppy.

In the upcoming book, Noem wrote about how she was forced to shoot Cricket, her dog, because of its aggressive personality. [snip]

Noem, a Republican Governor, has reportedly lost her opportunity to be Trump's Vice President pick.

The loss comes after an excerpt from her upcoming book, "No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward" was released.

Sources close to Trump revealed to the New York Post that the ex-president's team was shocked to hear of Noem's detailed story about how she shot and killed her dog in the book.

An insider said, 'She was already unlikely to be picked as VP, but had a shot. After this, it's just impossible.' Noem was rumored to be an option for Trump's Vice President position.

Another source told the publication that the former US president 'likes Kristi a lot' but was very 'disappointed' to hear the story about her dog." (our emphasis)

When the zealous, lying loser Kari "Shallow" Lake was banished from Merde O'Lardo (story below), the cruel governor of South Dakota must have thought her chances of being on the Malignant Loser's ticket were improving. Her abject sycophancy was on display a few years ago when she presented the Malignant Loser with a four foot replica of Mt. Rushmore with his face added.  Until her "political suicide" over killing an unruly puppy was published, she was appearing in numerous venues as a Malignant Loser surrogate. The story has outraged most people across the political spectrum, and the fact that she's out defending it tells you everything you need to know about this horrible person.

 

The Trump Party's "Empty Vessels"

There's a hungry crop of Trumpist Republican authoritarians waiting in the wings to pick up Dear Leader Trump's torch if he backs out of the 2024 race, or lands in prison, whichever comes first. As James Downie of the WaPo writes, they're interchangeable "empty vessels" into which the far-right's talking points and delusions are poured. He focuses first on toadies South Dakota's cynical Gov. Kristi "Cowgirl Palin" Noem, and Virginia's stealth Trumper Gov. Glenn "Fleece" Youngkin to demonstrate. Downie sums it up:

"There are many reasons Donald Trump rose to prominence in the past decade — why this wannabe authoritarian easily took over one of the two major parties, and just as easily has held on despite losing reelection. Noem — and Youngkin, Cruz, DeSantis and so on — personify a key factor that gets lost in the shuffle: Aside from Trump, the party’s most prominent figures are willingly empty vessels in thrall to the GOP base. Until that changes, the GOP will stay the party of Trump. [snip]

In 2022, though, there’s no alternative to Trump in sight, only a series of toadies who want the voters to tell them what to do. In the short term, the pandemic and inflation may paper over these challenges. But U.S. history shows us that political parties can’t last purely as personality cults."  (our emphasis)

Until and unless they get successive, thorough whippings by embracing the Malignant Loser, the toadies and the unhinged base will be successful in their quest for a authoritarian, fascist America.

(photo: Dear Leader flanked by DeSantis and Noem, who seems to be getting more of Trump's "attention."  Evan Vucci/AP)

 

Republican Sexytime: The Guv and Corey

 

It's apparent that the former guy's well-documented history as a sexual predator and assaulter attracts those with a similar bent. One recurring example: the slimy Corey Lewandowski, the disgraced, original campaign manager to Dear Leader, before he was let go for manhandling a female reporter. Lewandowski has been using his connection with the mentally ill former guy to shill work as a "consultant" to alt-right nutjobs seeking election. One could say, based on recent reporting, that he appears to be a "hands-on" consultant, having groped a major GOP donor's wife, according to multiple witnesses. For his part, the groping goon has apparently been exiled from Dear Leader's inner circle, replaced as the head of Trump's Make America Great Again Acton super PAC. It's ironic that groping a woman is a fireable offense in former President P*ssygrabber's circles.

That said, a new report is alleging that Lewandowski is having an affair with the loony, ethics challanged Trumpist fanatic governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem, who has been his client for several months:

"A conservative website, American Greatness, published a piece Tuesday claiming that, according to 'multiple' sources, Noem has been having an affair with Lewandowski 'for months.' The website did not identify any of the sources. [snip]

Noem and Lewandowski have traveled extensively together across the country for political events, and he has promoted her to members of the media. At one event in January, they were spotted partying together late in a hotel bar."

Noem has been one of Dear Leader's most ardent supporters, but has accumulated a disastrous record during the pandemic as cases in her state infection rate surged while she fought against public health guidelines and pushed for the notorious Sturgis motorcycle rally super spreader. In her response to the allegations of an affair, Noem reached for the Bible thumping card, saying of her marriage, "I’m proud of the God-fearing family we’ve raised together."  It remains to be seen, should the alleged sexytime with Corey be true (we certainly hope so),  if it will result in her ejection from Trump's circle of hypocrites.

BONUS:  Meanwhile, must distract --

 

brave pic.twitter.com/Fvzxnnbfqc

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 30, 2021

 

(photos: Lewandowski demonstrating his "consulting" technique as Noem beams. Alex Wong/Brandon Bell / Getty Images)

Noem Sending Nat'l. Guard Mercenaries To Texas

After her theatrics about Fourth of July fireworks at Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota's ambitious, radical Trumpist Gov. Kristi "KOVID Kristi" Noem, who deliberately ignored the COVID-19 pandemic in her state, is on a new mission to stay relevant with the Trump cult. In a obvious stunt, she's sending 50 of her state's National Guard to the southern border in Texas, responding to the call by that states's corrupt and incompetent Governor, Greg "Abbadabba" Abbott. It's hardly a coincidence that the announcement was made a day before Dear Leader is visiting the border to spread lies about the immigration situation. 

What makes Noem's action particularly dangerous and ominous is that a GQP megadonor is paying for the deployment. While Noem hasn't disclosed the amount of the private funding, her action hero-named spokesperson did disclose the name of the right-wing sugar daddy:

"Ian Fury, a spokesperson for Noem, said the undisclosed amount was paid to the state of South Dakota by Willis and Reba Johnson’s Foundation, a Tennessee-based nonprofit that donates to various groups, including churches and the National Rifle Association, according to 2018 tax filings. Willis Johnson has donated to GOP campaigns for decades, including at least $550,000 to Trump in 2019 and 2020, filings show.

In a brief interview, Johnson said his donation '100 percent' was meant to fund the border deployment. He declined to say how much he paid the state, or whether Noem approached him or he acted on his own accord.

'I want to protect America and that’s it,' Johnson said."

Sending privately-funded National Guard troops to another state has the obvious look of a mercenary operation, as noted by military experts:

"Privately funding a military mission is an affront to civilian oversight of the armed forces, said military and oversight experts, describing the move — a Republican governor sending troops to a Republican-led state, paid for by a Republican donor — as likely unprecedented and unethical.

'You certainly don’t want our national security priorities up to the highest bidder,' said Mandy Smithberger, a defense accountability expert at the Project on Government Oversight, a nonprofit government watchdog.  [snip]

"...the mission’s political overtones, underscored by the growing speculation that Noem may consider a run for the White House, poses a significant problem for civilian-military relations, said Katherine L. Kuzminski, a military policy expert at Center for a New American Security, a Washington think tank.

If Noem had decided it was a national-security priority to augment border operations, she could have found a lever to federalize her troops to support the DHS-led mission, Kuzminski said. Moreover, the governor’s method — using a private donation rather than taxpayer money — sidesteps potential questions from her constituents about the deployment’s cost and purpose."

Noem could have offered the guardsmen to the Department of Homeland Security under Federal control, but of course this isn't about border security. It's about who can stir up enough dust at the border to please Dear Leader and to jockey for position for 2024. She's shown numerous times that she's willing to cross any line to advance her political career, and that she's one of the most dangerous demagogues out there.

(photo: Pointing out the Great Seditionist. AP pboto / Susan Walsh)

You Might Want To Think Twice About That South Dakota Vacation

 

We've been seeing this ad a lot recently.  It seems nice and very picturesque:

 

Until you remember what the saleswoman in the ad is all about:

In recent weeks, Noem has gone to court to challenge President Joe Biden’s administration for blocking an Independence Day celebration with fireworks at Mount Rushmore. She also joined a lawsuit from several states against the administration over climate change regulations — one of the only plaintiffs who doesn’t hail from a state heavily dependent on fossil fuels.

Noem says she’s simply acting in the state’s interests, but the tactic has given her a chance to cast herself as one of Biden’s most prominent foes. She went on Fox News to announce the lawsuit over Mount Rushmore fireworks, and later joined star host Sean Hannity for a podcast titled “Noem vs. Biden.”

Noem told Hannity the only way “to get fairness on this issue” was to sue the Biden administration, and cast it as a fight not just for South Dakota but also for “our nation and the ability to celebrate our independence the way that our founders encouraged us to.”

Instead of entrusting her attorney general with the lawsuits, Noem has filed them herself by tapping a state legal fund that has historically been used to defend against lawsuits, not launch them.  [snip]

[Republican] State Rep. Steve Haugaard, a former House speaker who has sparred with the governor, gave the Mount Rushmore lawsuit little chance of prevailing in court. The National Park Service, which controls the monument, cited the possible fire danger and objections from local Native American tribes for denying the state’s application to hold fireworks this year.

“When the outcome is a foregone conclusion, then there is a better use for those funds,” he said, adding that state “resources shouldn’t be used for personal attention.”  [snip]

... Courting a national profile is a priority for Noem, who became a frequent Fox News guest in the past year in part due to a hands-off approach to managing the coronavirus pandemic without requiring masks or imposing any significant restrictions. Noem has also traveled the country to appear at political fundraisers and at conservative events such as CPAC, and also campaigned as a surrogate for Trump and for the GOP Senate candidates who ultimately lost critical runoff elections in Georgia earlier this year.  (our emphasis)

Well, that's enough for us.

Noem is yet another one- dimensional, anti- democratic Trump Republican publicity hound with visions of being on a national ticket in 2024. She'll have plenty of competition with fellow lightweights and empty suits like Hawley, Rubio, and Haley.  Putting herself front and center in promoting tourism to her state is not an unusual thing for a governor to do.  But this one is also assuming the mantle of resistance to Native American concerns, climate change, and sensible public health policy.  Would you really want to support a state's tourism economy that's promoted by this kind of lying, cynical demagogue:

. @JoeBiden ‘s game plan: send us illegals, take your guns, raise your taxes, cancel fireworks, rig our elections and pack the courts to cover it all up. Republicans must unite and lead to beat back Biden’s radical agenda.

— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) April 16, 2021

 

We know Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan are very nice in the summer (except for this dump in Michigan). 

 

Karma Khronicles, Cont.

We did Nazi this coming (no, we did):

President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa in late June that drew thousands of participants and large protests “likely contributed” to a dramatic surge in new coronavirus cases, Tulsa City-County Health Department Director Dr. Bruce Dart said Wednesday.

Tulsa County reported 261 confirmed new cases on Monday, a one-day record high, and another 206 cases on Tuesday. By comparison, during the week before the June 20 Trump rally, there were 76 cases on Monday and 96 on Tuesday.  (our emphasis)

Next up:

Shortly after fireworks above Mount Rushmore disappeared into the night sky on Friday, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem accompanied President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One despite having had close contact with Trump’s son’s girlfriend, who had tested positive for the coronavirus.

Trump has been in a position all along to encounter a virus that spreads from people who don’t feel sick, such as Noem, who had interacted closely at a campaign fundraiser with Donald Trump Jr.’s girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, who turned out to be infected. Noem didn’t wear a mask on the plane and chatted with the president as the flight returned to Washington, D.C., according to her spokesperson, Maggie Seidel.  (our emphasis)

On the horizon:

When President Donald Trump moved his Republican nominating convention to Florida after yanking it from North Carolina last month, the extra hassle and cost at least carried the benefit of shoring up his support in the country’s highest-value swing state.

Four weeks later, with coronavirus cases flaring across the state, the move may instead make it that much harder for Trump to win Florida’s 29 electoral votes ― votes that, if he loses them, would almost certainly guarantee his loss nationally.

“If they move forward with that convention, with the numbers the way they are, people are just going to think they’re crazy,” said Kim Nymeyer, president of the North Pinellas County Democratic Club, adding that Trump’s insistence on holding an in-person coronation amid a pandemic gives her side yet another argument. “I do think Trump is taking the rope and hanging himself without any help from us.”

This is the party of sociopathic dimbulbs that's over- ruling guidance from the CDC on school re- openings to please narcissistic moron vector Donald "COVID Donnie" Trump.  They can't hang themselves soon enough.

Republicans Don't Care About You, Part Infinity

Like their Dear Leader, Republicans don't really care about you, part infinity.

Exhibit A:

An Indiana congressman said Tuesday that letting more Americans die from the novel coronavirus is the "lesser of two evils" compared with the economy cratering due to social distancing measures.

Speaking with radio station WIBC in Indiana, Republican Rep. Trey Hollingsworth asserted that, while he appreciated the science behind the virus' spread, "it is always the American government's position to say, in the choice between the loss of our way of life as Americans and the loss of life, of American lives, we have to always choose the latter."

Exhibit B:

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is facing increased scrutiny over her refusal to issue a stay-at-home order as a coronavirus outbreak at a major pork processing plant in her state raises new concerns about the nation's food supply.

Noem is one of seven governors -- all Republicans -- who so far have not issued statewide stay-at-home orders. "South Dakota is not New York City," she said in early April.

Her denial comes as fellow Republican officials in her state, including Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender, call on the governor to take more sweeping action and as the pandemic has forced the closure of the pork processing plant -- a move that will have consequences outside South Dakota's borders.

Instead, Noem has touted her state's role in evaluating hydroxychloroquine [snip]

But South Dakota, a state of 900,000, has 988 coronavirus cases and six deaths. Of those, 438 are employees of a Sioux Falls food processing plant, and 107 are people who have been in contact with those employees, Noem said Tuesday.

Exhibit C:

From New York to Ohio to California, the nation’s governors are leading the way during the coronavirus crisis, using their offices to provide residents with consistent messages that promote public safety.

Then there’s Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

A month into an international pandemic, the leader of the nation’s third-largest state has confounded with conflicting orders. DeSantis has made erroneous claims — like last Thursday when he suggested no one under the age of 25 has died from the coronavirus in the United States. He has pushed unproven medical cures while dismissing advice from health experts. He has shared wrong information, potentially affecting millions of people, that went uncorrected for hours.

Unlike other governors, DeSantis doesn’t hold regular public briefings. He has ceded the biggest decisions, like whether to close beaches, to city and county officials, yet he hasn’t talked to many of them. Early on, he clashed with federal officials over whether Florida had community spread of the virus.

DeSantis’ uneven response has made him an outlier among his counterparts across the country. The approval ratings of most governors have soared during the crisis. DeSantis, one of America’s most popular governors a few months ago, has seen his support plummet. One poll found him the third-worst rated governor at handling the coronavirus in the country.

Exhibit D:

Pete Ricketts has closed schools (even before New York City did), banned gatherings of 10 people or more, and closed dine-in areas in restaurants—but he is one of only eight governors in the country to resist a statewide stay-at-home order. The state’s May 12 primary is still on the books, and last week, Ricketts was already talking about easing what restrictions are in place, and a mall in Gretna was planning on reopening on April 24.

“Reopening sit-down restaurants and bars may be a part of that,” Ricketts, a conservative Republican, said on Wednesday. “As we get into this toward the end of the month, we'll be re-evaluating where we are with regard to where the virus is and making those decisions."

By the numbers, Nebraska is in better shape than most other places. With 901 COVID-19 infections and 20 recorded coronavirus deaths, it’s in the bottom 10 states.

But Nebraska also ranks 43rd in the rate of testing, which means there could be many undetected cases. Over the weekend, cases were reported for the first time in three more counties. And the number of cases statewide shot up by 100—the biggest one-day total so far—between Saturday and Sunday.

In Grand Island, the numbers are worse, and some residents are bristling at the governor’s approach to a pandemic that has killed over 23,000 Americans.

Hollingsworth is a multi- millionaire (the 12th wealthiest Member of Congress);  Ricketts is a mult- millionaire (from family ownership of TD Ameritrade and part ownership of the Chicago Cubs); Noem and DeSantis are relative paupers by comparison, waiting to cash out when they leave office.  But it's narcissistic sociopath Donald "I Don't Take Responsibility At All" Trump's party, lock, stock and barrel, regardless.  The cancer has metastasized and needs to be removed at all levels.