Congresswoman Kristi Noem must be trying to get back her Tea Party cred. Yesterday she voted for a government shutdown. The "minibus" appropriations bill, funding the federal Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Transportation, and Housing departments, includes language extending funding for the entire government for another month. Rep. Noem bucked her leadership and voted no. So did Senator John Thune.
Just what was Noem voting against? Maybe her vote for a government shutdown was part of her self-touted effort to "put pressure" on the budget super committee... though with the minibus bill passing easily in both houses (298&ndash121 in the House, 70&ndash30 in the Senate), Congress showed it doesn't have much stomach for using a government shutdown as a political crowbar again.
Perhaps she joined fellow naysayer Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who expressed outrage at the bill's inclusion of language declaring (at the behest of the frozen food industry) pizza a school-lunch vegetable.
Maybe she changed her mind on horse slaughter. The minibus bill reinstates funding for USDA inspection of horse slaughterhouses. Noem expressed support for such a policy last summer, but not yesterday.
Noem's nay yesterday could be read as a vote in support of conservation. This minibus bill focused cuts on conservation and renewable energy programs, while leaving commodity, crop insurance, and export subsidies untouched. (Here's a short list of cuts in other programs.) If she comes out with that defense of her vote, I will give her full credit and kudos.
But I'm betting Noem had her political fortunes, not any particular policy goal, in mind. Back in August, she voted to avert a government shutdown at a moment when various Tea Partiers were shouting for just such madness. Noem has since incurred some severe Teabagger disaffection. With this latest shutdown deadline looming without as much media attention, perhaps Noem saw an opportunity to post at least one Tea-orthodox vote to wave off potential right-wing primary challengers.
Cory, The DC theatre is really meaningless. What is important is going on in secret...G20, Bilderbergers, etc.
Noem is very political. Barth and Varilek better learn that Noem does not like the Tea Party. I know many who say they have heard her say so. It isn't that she doesn't agree with them in someway but she wants to have a different image than the Tea Party. She is a self serving oppurtunist.
I'm sure she voted against this bill so she can vote for the supercommittee's recomendations and the farm bill they want to slip into it without debate.