Democratic candidate Matt Varilek says Rep. Kristi Noem should be doing more to get the Farm Bill through Congress. Rep. Noem says she's "been a vocal advocate for bringing the bill to the floor."
Alas, Noem's "vocal advocacy" doesn't include bucking Speaker Boehner and supporting members who want action on the Farm Bill as soon as possible:
Reps. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa), Rick Berg (R-N.D.), Chris Gibson (R-N.Y.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) are preparing a discharge petition to force House leaders to bring up a five-year bill.
Braley told The Hill Friday that he believes House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) is deliberately stalling the effort, at the behest of leaders.
...[Braley] said that under the rules, the discharge petition will not be available until Sept. 13 for members to begin signing unless Lucas acts during August pro forma sessions. If Lucas acts, the petition could be placed at the House clerk's desk immediately when the House reconvenes. The few days matter, as current farm subsidy programs run out Sept. 30.
The effort also suffered a blow when Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.), who was originally planning to gather signatures from the GOP side, decided against joining the effort. Noem is a rising star among the House freshmen and might have feared angering her leaders [emphasis mine; Erik Wasson, "Farm Bill Discharge Petition Runs into Roadblocks," The Hill: On the Money, 2012.08.03].
I guess the R by Kristi's name stands for Roadblock. She apparently needs some time at home to remind her that she serves the people of South Dakota, not herself and the House leadership.
Update 09:01 CDT: In related news, ag journalist Alan Guebert thrashes Speaker Boehner's cynical anti-Farm Bill tactics... you know, the tactics Kristi Noem is facilitating.
Hey Kristi! This is where leadership hurts. Sprout a spine and do what your state expects. Lead Noem ... or go home.
I think everyone knows what question one will be at the August 22nd debate...
Rick Berg would probably be doing the same thing if he was running to keep his House seat.
Just to be clear, Mark, would that question be, "Rep. Noem, why won't you support Rep. Braley and Rep. Berg in their effort to bring the Farm Bill to a vote as soon as possible?" Or should we phrase it thus: "Why are you helping Speaker Boehner delay the Farm Bill?"
The Conservatives skewered Daschle for seemingly putting the position of congressional leadership above the needs of the people of South Dakota, it is hypocritical for them to stand silent now.
Hypocritical? Well, at least they're consistent!
Cory --- pose the question either way. Either way she squirms. My point about Berg is informed by speculation by my GOP friends' thinking since Berg is running for Senate now and not hitching his horse to Boehner.
This, in my opinion , will be the tipping point for the Noem.
For those doubting Varilek vs. Noem is going to be competitive, look at the first Rasmussen poll after the week of August 22. Be wary of my two-cents worth. I still haven't figured out how Curd or Nelson lost to her in the first place.
With the meter running on the bill, interesting last sentence in the Noem statement: http://noem.house.gov/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=6b131f91-f881-43ff-8e37-7ecec5437f08
She says it's "critical" to get the Farm Bill done "this year." Question 2: does she mean "fiscal year" (ending Sep. 30, when current Farm Bill expires) or "calendar year"?
Does she know that there is a difference?
The farm bill--the roadblocks--the politics. Has either Varilek or Noem taken the "courage pill" to address a piece of legislation that is full of subsidies, encourages large producers over smaller operations, does little to promote local foods, and still locks in place a mono cropping farming system? Both candidates need to address this core question. Just adding differerent kinds of "political sauce" to the same fight leads to the same old , same old.
Noem, like everybody else, knows that bill expires September 30, so she should be thinking along that timeline.
In the last election cycle, she was a better (and lucky) candidate than she's proving to be a member of Congress. She was sent to Congress to get things done. With 22 calendar days in September of which 13 are House working days she needs to exhibit some leadership to break the stalemate. The heat and drought are getting to farmers and it's time it gets to her, too.
Actually, I think Kristi understands more than we think about the Farm Bill. After all it is a major source of income for her and her family.
She knew the importance when she made the decision to run.
But yet, she has done nothing to represent and lead on this important issue on behalf of South Dakotans. And it was a deliberate decision to do nothing to lead. That is unless fundraising in California and "educating" the California country club set was a part of that plan.
Kristi ran because it was the cool thing to do...so Sarah Palin like...the pay was pretty good...but she didn't then and doesn't now, know how to lead and certainly not to make a difference for South Dakota. Her goal was to be a vote for the right wing meme of the day.
Her unwillingness to lead on the Farm Bill is proof that she is not the right person for South Dakota...never was.
What makes Kristi Noem a "rising star"?
The amount of money she has collected from Sheldon Adelstein and the Koch Brothers?
Charlie, you are right. There is one level of political points to be scored by Varilek in pointing out that Noem isn't doing what she says she is doing. But the debate over what the Farm Bill really ought to do is a whole different level that we aren't hearing enough about. Varilek has offered an ag position paper that shows he's hitting some notes better than Noem, calling for targeting assistance to family-scale farms (that's an interesting choice of language, not simply "family farm," which Ag United uses as a cover for industrial-scale corporate operations), banning packer ownership of livestock, enforcing the GIPSA rule, and expanding the Beginning Farmer and Rancher program (which I think Noem voted to cut).
But Varilek has not gone where our friend Dr. Kevin Weiland goes to advocate a farm bill that would promote healthy foods. Charlie, how far do you think a candidate can practically lead South Dakotans in a discussion of farm bill reform in the direction you have in mind?
Speaking of local foods, Charlie, KELO mentioned today that local growers and farmers markets have increased seven-fold since the 1990s. Do local growers need Farm Bill assistance, or is the market for them strong enough that we simply need to stop putting them at a disadvantage against the industrial-scale monoculturalists?
I guess I don't understand how the Farm Bill favors large producers over small producers. I'm not saying it doesn't, but I'm not a farmer so I don't know how.
I would definitely agree there are economies of scale in buying half million dollar pieces of equipment and paying $3,000 an acre for farm land, and diversifying your weather risk favor large producers, but I see that as inherent in the industry rather than byproducts of the farm bill.
The farmers probably don't need subsidies with income growing at around a 30+% compounded annual clip the last five years, but I guess I'm a pragmatist and want SD to get as many federal tax dollars as possible even if it isn't in my industry. After all, we could all buy farm land and become farmers if we think it is such a great deal. We may need to pool a lot of our money together to start a farming operation that has the economies of scale, but it seems clear that you can own land and custom all the work out and still be assured of not losing money under the current setup. So the fact we can't fix a combine in the field isn't a barrier to entry for us non-farmers.
When Kristi Noem first took office in January 2011, I remember saying that she would join the one-termers club along with past Representatives Abourezk and Clint Roberts. I still wonder if I might be right in making that prediction? Time will certainly tell.
Let's see here. Representative Abourezk, after his first term, became U.S. Senator Jim Abourezk.
Representative Clint Roberts, um, went home in defeat after his first term. All gimmick, no substance, from his silver tipped cowboy boots up to the CR embroidery on his French cuffs. And how many Marlboro tobacco commercials did he appear in? Zero. He was interviewed, but didn't get the job.
Hype. Thy name is Pierre press corp.
Yah, and I think Kristi Noem has been all "Hype" and no substance :)
Kristi Noem is too busy polishing Rep. Boehner's boots with her tongue to stand up to her own party's leadership on this issue. She's changing herself to be what the Warshington politicians want her to be rather than trying to change the way things are done in Warshington. In only 1 1/2 years Rep. Noem has become one of them. She's what's wrong with Congress. At this time in history we need some bomb throwers, not more go along, get along arse kissers.
"One of them"? She went Washington from Day One. That could be a problem.
Tonight on KDLT, she is quoted as saying the delay in the farm bill is because they are afraid it might not pass.
Sure wish she would have thought of that when she voted 33...yes 33 times... to repeal the ACA.
If...and that's a big if...she decides to do a town hall and actually take questions...this might be a good one.
"Kristi, why are you afraid to lead on the Farm Bill because it might not pass, but take great pride in 33 consecutive failed grandstanding votes to repeal the ACA?" "Are you in Washington D.C. just for show?"