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Thune Engaging Public; Noem Engaging Mouth

Senator John Thune is working the town hall circuit hard this week. He is taking questions at open public meetings today in Madison, Brookings, and Watertown. Tomorrow he hits Yankton and Mitchell. Over the following days he takes questions in Aberdeen, Rapid City, North Sioux City, and Sioux Falls. Thank you, Senator Thune! Well done! Folks, get out and wear out your Senator's ears.

Meanwhile, where's Rep. Kristi Noem?

For Immediate Release
Contact: Andrea McCarthy
January 8, 2013
202.225.2801

Rep. Noem in Sioux Falls Wednesday

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Kristi Noem will be in Sioux Falls on Wednesday, January 9 to visit Feeding South Dakota and to address the South Dakota Pork Producer's 44th Annual Pork Congress. Rep. Noem will meet with Feeding South Dakota staff, tour the facility and will celebrate Land O'Lakes's donation of 38,500 pounds of macaroni and cheese. Launched in 2009 by Lank O'Lakes, First Run is part of a larger Feeding Our Communities initiative that delivers fresh product to food banks each quarter.

WHAT: Feeding South Dakota Tour/Land O'Lakes First Run Food Donation
WHEN: Wednesday, January 9, 2013 3:00 p.m. CT
WHERE: Feeding South Dakota, 3511 N. 1st Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD 57104

WHAT: 44th Annual Pork Congress Address
WHEN: Wednesday, January 9, 2013 7:00 p.m. CT
WHERE: Sioux Falls Ramkota, 3200 West Maple Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57107

As of this morning, those closed events today are the only items on Congresswoman Noem's sparse public calendar. Rep. Noem loves her special little invitation-only events. She loves to talk to certain South Dakotans, but not with us.

20 Comments

  1. larry kurtz 2013.01.09

    Senator Thune's apology tour is hardly surprising after his party's assaults on women, civil liberties, and the Earth. He is as ineffectual as Noem is telegenic.

  2. oldguy 2013.01.09

    I would lump senator Johnson in with Kristi. Thune is at least out front in meeting with people in public unrehearsed so if you have a problem Larry go to the meeting.

  3. owen reitzel 2013.01.09

    And I'll be there old guy, because yes I do have a problem. With Thune

  4. Eowyn 2013.01.09

    And now I'm just being nasty but does that official press release actually print: "Land O'Lakes's donation"? My eleven year old could do better when he was eight.

  5. oldguy 2013.01.09

    Good Owen. Thune needs to hear from all of us no matter what side of the fence we are on. All republican ideas aren't bad and all democrat ideas aren't bad. What makes me mad is when our elected representative no matter what party they belong to need to be in front of us the voting public.

  6. mike 2013.01.10

    This has been a stain on Noem since way back in 2010 when she ripped Herseth. Where is she? Why can't she show up to 10 town halls like Thune is doing? It's horrible. Johnson should be ashamed also.

    1 out of 3 willing to listen to constituents is bad.

    Noem will stick to prescreened franking teletown halls and short notice meetings while Thune advertises his a week in advance and allows for good attendance.

    Thune is a gold standard for public servant. Noem isn't even in the same ballpart and neither is Johnson... Hopefully Rounds does what Thune does because we all know Herseth didn't like town halls either.

  7. mike 2013.01.10

    The other thing about Noem is we are always guessing how she will vote. She doesn't say ahead of time or even tell us what she is looking for. She won't say if she supported Boehner's plan B she wouldn't say if she'd support the cliff deal until she had the chance to vote. It's very similar to Herseth not saying how she would vote on Health Care until the moment of the vote.

  8. caheidelberger Post author | 2013.01.10

    Eowyn, the s's is in the original text... and I might defend it. The donation does not come from some group of lakes; it comes from a single entity whose name, unfortunately, ends with s. In those situations, I, too, am inclined to write s's, like "Jesus's disciples'... because nobody says "Jesus' disciples" with just one s sound at the end of his name.

    Notice that once again, after I post a complaint about the paucity of public events on Noem's schedule, her webmaster hurriedly adds a couple events to her webpage: speech to the Watertown Rotary today (just up the road from her house), then addressing the SDREA annual meeting in Pierre Friday. The Noem office really does just fly by the seat of its pants.

  9. Michael Black 2013.01.10

    Thanks to Cory, we get to hear about Noem all the time, but aside from yesterday's visit to Madison by Thune, I can't honestly remember hearing ANY news from our two senators over the last 6 months.

  10. Dana P. 2013.01.10

    I appreciate Mr Thune making appearances and pretending to listen to us here in South Dakota. At least he is making that effort (despite the fact that he probably has an invisible flunky standing behind him, that pulls a string like a wind up toy, so Mr Thune can regurgitate talking points after he is asked a question) And this is typical of Ms. Noem, isn't it? Vote for me, vote for me, vote for me. Then after the election??? sigh. And Sen Johnson? I know it is a fine balance to walk, when not knowing how the optics would go over, based on some diabilities he now has. (but I think there are ways to get around that where he can still be available to hear out his constituents.)

    That being said. I don't think any of them should be here right now. It is Ground Hog day all over again. The debt ceiling battles are looming, so they should be in Washington getting this hammered out - battled out - whatever. But then again, I guess this is business as usual with Washington. Let's wait until the last minute, look like idiots, worry everybody unnecessarily. Where are the priorities?

    If I attend a meeting with Mr Thune, perhaps that would be a good question. "why are you waiting, AGAIN, until the last minute to solve a problem?"

  11. Joan 2013.01.10

    I, too, have been wondering why they have been in SD, this week. Heavens! they just went back to work. As for the Feeding SD deal, basically that was a photo op. I'm not putting any of these organizations, that I am about to mention down, but Feeding SD, The Food Pantry, and the church in Sioux Falls that has a weekly food give away, all do good work, but there are people that have no way to get to these places to get food and they don't deliver. That is just a fact of life.

  12. owen reitzel 2013.01.10

    just went to Thune's town hall meeting in Mitchell. Thune had a presentation-not suprising-blasting Obama. Blaming Obama for the large defecit, blaming Democrats for no budget and genrally saying how good Republicans were.
    Then he opened it up for questions. One guy wanted to impeach Obama for invading the country were the ambassador was killed. I didn't know we have invaded that country. Then the manager of Trail King got up and said if Romeny was President his coompany would be hiring 150-175 more workers. (I thought you based your company needs on your customers and not who's President).
    Thune then talked about Obama's lack of leadership. At that point I got up and in front of God and country I walked out. I just couldn't listen to this garbage anymore.
    I do applaude Thune for holding these meetings, Noem sure doesn't, but I think there should be questions not a bunch of ra-ra stuff. I realize that Thune can't be blamed for that, but lets have a town hall meeting not a rally

  13. Jana 2013.01.10

    Thanks for going Owen...you are brave.

    Maybe someone from the Mitchell Daily Republic will remind the CEO of Trail King that when the Republican president tanked the economy he laid off how many people?

    Then maybe remind him that he thinks he's entitled to the state subsidizing the training and hiring of his skilled labor. You know, that $5,000,000 the state is spending on an out-of-state employment firm to attract all those workers you said you needed right now...remember that Mr. CEO?

  14. owen reitzel 2013.01.10

    Thanks Jana. I don't know if I was brave. If I was brave I would have stayed. But I could only take so much.

    "Then maybe remind him that he thinks he's entitled to the state subsidizing the training and hiring of his skilled labor. You know, that $5,000,000 the state is spending on an out-of-state employment firm to attract all those workers you said you needed right now...remember that Mr. CEO?"

    Your right Jana. 2 very good points. and I know some of those people that were laid off didn't go back. they were not happy campers

  15. Jana 2013.01.10

    Maybe someone could pass this forward this to Mr. Trail "I hate Obama cuz stuff" King.

    --Truck/trailer industry outlook: Let the good times roll--

    "The good times that the commercial truck and trailer industry is enjoying should continue, according to an array of truck and trailer specialists participating at the recent ACT Research seminar in Columbus, Indiana."

    http://trailer-bodybuilders.com/mag/trucks_trucktrailer_industry_outlook/

  16. Winston 2013.01.10

    Thune should hold some of his town hall meetings at night so that working men and women can attend as well. Holding these meetings during the day guarantees a bias of business owners and retirees attendees and their questions.

  17. larry kurtz 2013.01.10

    "On the plus side, motel moved me into full suite I ordered. On the down side, extended-stay is exempt from the smoking ban, & this reeks." RT @ArgusMontgomery

    just for reference.

  18. caheidelberger Post author | 2013.01.10

    Thanks for the report, Owen! There's no controlling who shows up to speechify... but as Winston notes, evening meetings might broaden the demographics.

  19. Dana P. 2013.01.10

    Right on, Winston. I couldn't agree more.

Comments are closed.