Last updated on 2011.03.25
Have you seen Congresswoman Noem's latest weekly column? With all the important events happening in the news, all the important conversations a public official might lead, guess what she chooses to write about in this centerpiece of her public communications?
- war in Libya
- the Japan earthquake
- nuclear power
- spring flooding
- abortion and women's rights
- basketball
The answer (and Kristi's grade): F. "Basketball Builds Character."
I would suggest that war, earthquakes, floods, energy policy, and reproductive rights build character, too... if you spend time thinking and writing and doing something about them.
Bonus Lack of Originality: Kristi's handlers must have forgotten that they wrote pablum just like this for Senator Thune last year.
Update 2011.03.25 17:36 CDT: As usual, I'm swimming against the current....
You didn't give me much to work with, Cory.
Meyer Important; Libya Flooding....?
{CAH: I enjoy challenging everyone, including you, Larry. Good work!}
It's NCAA tournament time, so the bread and circuses are probably distracting everyone. Heck, Obama filled out a bracket on ESPN while he was contemplating bombing Libya.
The problem,as you rightfully point out, is that she's confusing pablum with being simple yet profound. Heck, we've both heard novice orators deliver speeches with more substance and insight than Noem's drivel about hoops.
{CAH: Indeed! Some novice orators at least try to say something new rather than just scoring points by saying nice obvious warm fuzzies. And novice orators aren't public employees.}
It's probably more important to South Dakotans. Sadly I really believe athletics are that important to small communities than the major issues.
{CAH: ...and part of the job of a political leader is to lead conversations, to direct popular attention toward issues that need more attention.}
What? No claim that President Obama had totally destroyed our energy policy with the "Moratorium" on deep water drilling" just the week before the new deep water project started?
I just wish that in light of the new oil slick seen in the gulf that Kristi will stand up to eliminating the cause of that slick by people wearing too much Coppertone! When will people learn that a good pre-cancerous burn is a good thing and that they shouldn't be harming our ecosystem with man made oils to accelerate that bronze look. God made tanning beds for a reason. To collect more taxes and create new causes and markets for cancer.
Seriously...oh sorry, using serious and Kristi in the same sentence is getting kind of silly, unless you are looking for thought as deep as will fit on a bumper sticker or pre-fed talking points.
In defense of Representative Noem, it looks more like she gave her staff the instruction to send out a communication and this is the best that they could come up with. Pity.
{CAH: And if I'm paying that staff hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars, I expect more than a Madison Daily Leader editorial.}