South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem oppressed by random tyranny of Google Alerts feed

We have rarely been so hyperaware of the seditious influence of tech and the internet as when we received two Google Alert items in a single email:

• Trump endorses Noem's reelection bid in South Dakota | TheHill

  The Hill
  Former President Trump on Tuesday gave South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) his "Complete and Total Endorsement" in her reelection bid.

• Kristi Noem's Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Week - Democrats.org

  Democrats.org
  Poor, poor Kristi Noem. Politically isolated, under investigation, and stymied by lawmakers in her own party, it's been a tough week for the South ...

Let's peer inside those alerts. From the first, Trump endorses Noem's reelection bid in South Dakota | TheHill:

Former President Trump on Tuesday gave South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) his "Complete and Total Endorsement" in her reelection bid.

"Kristi Noem has done a great job as Governor of South Dakota," Trump said in a statement. "She is strong on Borders, the Second Amendment, preserving land and Energy Dominance, Medical Freedom, and kept South Dakota open during COVID. She fully supports our great Law Enforcement, Military, our wonderful Vets—and is a fighter for the incredible people of South Dakota. Kristi has my Complete and Total Endorsement!" 

Noem, who is up for reelection in 2022 and has been rumored to be a possible Republican presidential candidate in 2024, has been an ardent Trump supporter. The president repeatedly called for Noem to primary Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) after Thune refused to validate Trump's claims that the results of the 2020 presidential election were not legitimate. 

The South Dakota governor said that she was "honored and humbled" to receive Trump's endorsement.

"Since being elected Governor, I have worked to bring President Trump's America First agenda to the state level in South Dakota by cutting burdensome regulations, keeping government out of the way of South Dakota small business owners and job creators, and supporting South Dakota law enforcement," Noem said, according to the Argus Leader. "I look forward to continuing to fight for our shared agenda if elected to serve a second term as Governor of the great state of South Dakota."

Noem gained national attention during the COVID-19 pandemic for refusing to implement restrictions to limit the spread of the virus and for criticizing other Republican governors for imposing restrictions in their states.

And from Democrats.org, the Democratic National Committee? In Kristi Noem's Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Week:

Poor, poor Kristi Noem. Politically isolated, under investigation, and stymied by lawmakers in her own party, it’s been a tough week for the South Dakota governor. 

The knives are out in South Dakota, as Kristi Noem is politically isolated and facing multiple investigations of her conduct. 

Daily Beast: “The Republican Knives Are Out for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem”

Daily Beast: “State political insiders suggest Noem is basically alone in Pierre, and that even if she remains beloved by large swaths of the Republican base, her image has taken a serious dent among the very people she needs to get things done.”

Daily Beast: “Policy fights aside, Noem is also under pressure thanks to a pair of investigations into her past conduct—some of which have been set off by members of her own party.”

Last Wednesday, Governor Noem suffered another blow as Republicans in her state legislature blocked her extreme anti-abortion bill. 

Newsweek: “South Dakota Republicans Halt Kristi Noem’s Abortion Bill, Shock Governor”

Insider: “The bill would have banned abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is around six weeks of pregnancy and sometimes before some women realize they are pregnant. The proposal also sought to use lawsuits brought by private citizens, rather than criminal charges filed by state prosecutors, to enforce the bill.”

Associated Press: “But it quickly met resistance when groups opposed to abortion access raised issues over her bill draft and Republican lawmakers on the House State Affairs committee declined to give it a hearing — a move rarely seen in the Legislature that signaled defiance of the governor.”

And just when it looked like things couldn’t possibly get worse, a new report revealed that Kristi Noem accepted campaign donations from a convicted murderer and a right-wing extremist.

Sioux Falls Argus Leader: “Noem’s latest finance report found multiple donations totaling $10,000 from Louisiana man Charles Pilkinton, who was convicted of homicide in 2010 after admitting to shooting a man in the head two years earlier and pleading down from second-degree murder charges.” 

Sioux Falls Argus Leader: “The 2021 year-end filing also shows $4,000 in contributions from a Florida man named Steve Alembik, a known right-wing extremist with a history of using racially and ethnically disparaging language to attack Democrats and progressives.”

Well jeepers. The Democratic National Committee missed a few other fumbles.  There's South Dakota GOP senators reject trans student bathroom ban, an Associated Press story in our Google Alerts, for example. Apparently picking on transgender people only goes so far, even in South Dakota.

Why do Google Alerts pick on conservative women? Oh why, oh why?

Photo: Governor Kristi Noem.

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