“That dog won’t hunt,” is what Kristi Noem says before shooting her family’s 14-month-old dog. Hey, you guys remember that? It’s speculated that may have cost her the vice-presidency. At one point in 2024, Noem was considered that top bet for Trump’s running mate. Then came the story she published in her own book detailing how she shot the family dog. You know if there’s one thing the American people are notorious for, it’s loving it when you hurt dogs.
Sigh.
Anyway, she’s Trump’s pick for Secretary of Homeland Security. So it’s time to talk about the dog killer.
Dog Corpse One: LGBT People
So Noem is a bit of a transphobe and has a special little history as a homophobe. I talked about her briefly in one of my old videos about the homophobia of the GOP. I’ll reuse a paragraph here so you don’t have to go back and watch a three hour video.
After banning transwomen and trans girls from sports, Noem was asked about reported anxiety and depression rates amongst LGBT kids in South Dakota. Her response, “I don’t know.” Now, I don’t want to assume any sort of knowledge for anyone, but I don’t think the Governor is an idiot and as such, I sincerely believe she does know and cannot admit it because to admit it is to deal with the shame that comes from being bigoted. Mental health concerns amongst the LGBT population are increased, stoked, and sometimes wholeheartedly birthed from lack of affirmation, from bullying, from having their existence be a political conversation that adults debate and talk about how they are wrong and evil and confused and shouldn’t be who they are. That is why, Governor. But you know that. You simply can’t admit it, because to admit it is to admit the role you have played in doling out that harm.
Back when Obergefell was decided and gay marriage became legal, Noem expressed her disdain through her spokesperson at the time because she is personally a sincere homophobe who thinks gay marriage is bad because she thinks gay people are her immoral lessers.
After Roe v Wade was overturned and Justice Thomas indicated Obergefell should be revisited and potentially overturned, CNN’s Dana Bash asked Noem about whether she agreed with that. Noem said that same-sex marriage will continue to be a debate had and indicated she thinks it should be decided by the states. That is an endorsement for overturning Obergefell and removing gay marriage rights. Noem has not evolved in her views. She is still a committed homophobe who would like to treat trans and gay citizens in this country as lesser citizens who do not get to enjoy the same rights as cis and straight Americans.
Dog Corpse Two: Her Daughter
Counting in dog corpses is upsetting and funny. The best sort of combination. Something else that’s almost so upsetting and annoying that it’s funny is nepotism and politicians pulling the strings to get their kids whatever they want no matter the rules that bind the rest of us.
Noem’s daughter Kassidy Peters was initially denied her certification as a realtor appraiser because her application at the time did not rise to national standards. She could wait to apply again after half a year. Or mommy could pull some strings, and strings mommy pulled.
George W. Bush’s ethics lawyer said of the whole debacle, which resulted in the head of the agency in charge of such certifications being forced into retirement, “It’s clearly a conflict of interest and an abuse of power for the benefit of a family member.” The forced retirement of Sherry Bren led to the state of South Dakota paying her $200,000 to withdraw an age discrimination complaint.
From reporting on the application, prior to Peters, applicants were given 2 chances to apply and meet minimum standards. The second try allows for them, after some training and classes, to fix “deficiencies” in their application before they getting denied. South Dakota said, “No, no. In 2017 there was someone who got a third chance so this isn’t speciallllll.” But as CNN points out, the 2017 applicant was reviewed by a third party and allowed to withdraw his first application. Peters was given a third chance… by the state, not a third party. Hm. Special things for the governor’s daughter?
Well, yes. That includes the Labor Secretary intervening for Peters before her second chance, removing the requirement for additional training most applicants most get in order to fix their work. As the AP reports, this is the first time that happened. A Republican-led committee found that Peters received preferential treatment.
MAGA supporters pride themselves on being anti-establishment. The movement is based on a sort of cultural populism that is against the “elites.” I do have to ask, what is more elite than the head executive of a state intervening to get her child special privileges and benefits in an application procedure that no one before her was granted? Noem got her child preferential treatment using the power of her political positions. Her cabinet lessened typical requirements, gave additional chances, and forced a woman who did not give preferential treatment into retirement. Now, I know, to a degree, this isn’t going to bother the movement because Donald Trump has done similar nepotistic things with his own unqualified children. But, and I never thought I’d say this, to Trump’s benefit, most of his nepotism was within his own family businesses. Noem used the power of the state to place her child above all others.
You could frame this as a pro-family move. I mean, after all, it speaks to a primal urge to use whatever you can to make sure your children, your family, your loved ones get ahead in life. That they can live happily and healthily. I understand the instinct behind this move. I understand the love Noem has for her daughter that motivated her to act unethically and use the state for personal gain. But understanding it does not make it ethical. This is the epitome of the elite manipulating the system for their own benefit. If MAGA actually cares about this whole swamp draining thing, they can’t support Noem.
Now, I have a feeling that they’re going to. Because, as I said in my video critiquing leftwing populism, populism is not a coherent ideology. It’s a set of stories that contort themselves to hold no contradictions. Noem is within MAGA world. Therefore, for the Trumpian populists, she is within the “people.” The 70-year-old woman she scapegoated and forced into retirement as part of a scheme to benefit her daughter is not a life-long public servant willing, as the Republican committee said, to improve the system she oversaw. Rather, she is the elite, and therefore the enemy. This is like how Trump, a supposed-billionaire, former reality TV host with a gold toilet is not “the elite” because he represents them, and they are the people, and populism cannot set itself up in a way to accept movement from one group or another. Populism cannot hold nuance. Nothing Trump could do could ever qualify as an elite taking advantage of the system because that would destroy the story. So I don’t predict that Noem’s nepotistic use of the state to advantage her family will make any difference, because that would harm the story. That is. Unless she critiques MAGA. At which point, she will reveal herself to have always been an elite, and this nepotism story will suddenly matter to right-wing populists who will point to it as evidence that she has always been a secret deep-state anti-Trump agent.
Dog Corpse Three: Trade
Speaking of, in 2019 Noem said Trump’s trade wars and tariff battles were ratfucking her state’s economy. Since she’s a proud anti-furry, she doesn’t appreciate when rats do that.
While speaking at a Politico conference, Noem complained that the tariff war Trump engaged in during his first administration went on for far too long and was in the process of devastating her state’s economy. Donald Trump has vowed for his second term to raise tariffs across the board. This doesn’t seem to necessarily be part of a trade war, though I don’t doubt it might instigate one. But if he plans for these tariffs to be permanent, well. I guess South Dakota needs to prepare itself for some rat-loving.
If his tariffs go in place and screw over the American economy, as economists have predicted it will, and it then goes on to devastate South Dakota, will Noem again come out in opposition to the “trade war?” Trump places a premium on loyalty. Will he tolerate her speaking out against one of his pet issues when… if it starts to negatively affect her state? Will MAGA tolerate her doing so?
In her statements against the trade war, she made sure to couch it between compliments. “I understand the President’s goal. It’s hurting our farmers. He’s trying to do a good thing. It’s destroying South Dakota. You’re such a special boy, Donald. We’re on the brink of devastation. The best president.” It’s almost like she knows she’s dealing with emotionally immature man who can’t handle any criticism coming from his allies let alone his enemies.
Dog Corpse Four: The Border
With Kristi Noem in charge of ICE and FEMA and the border patrol, we might finally build that wall on our southern border. Now granted, it will be made out of dog corpses that Noem will make sure to personally shoot dead herself, but it will be made.
As the head of Homeland Security, Noem will be key to Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportations. So there are some important questions that she must be asked and made to answer for. Some of these questions, I believe, must be asked of all elected officials, Democratic and Republican, state and federal, elected and appointed.
Trump is apparently planning on appointing Tom Homan border czar. When asked about family separation when there are undocumented parents of American citizens, Homan said, “Families can be deported together.” American citizens cannot be deported out of America. That is because America is their country. Those children are citizens of our country. Birthright citizenship, being born upon American soil, makes one an American. That is our constitution. Trump’s proposed executive orders will not change that. That is posturing. Until such time that a constitutional amendment changes how citizenship is granted in this country, what Homan is suggesting is a full-scale attack on American citizens and the rule of law. If they deport these American children, they will be setting up precedent for deporting any American citizen. That is not a power the government has. Noem must be asked what she will do if she is ordered to deport American citizens. Any answer that is not strongly opposed to such a thing will be disqualifying.
This becomes even pertinent given reporting in Politco that Homan was central in lobbying for for Noem to get the role of DHS Secretary. Politico’s reporting makes it seem as if Noem won’t really have much to do with the border, defecting mostly to Homan. That almost seems like a way of stepping around Senate confirmation duties to allow a man who would be confirmed to have a near-Cabinet position.
Here’s another issue. I’ll let the Hill lay it out. “On the campaign trail, Trump promised deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th-century law that allows the summary detention and removal of any foreign national above the age of 14 who hails from a country at war with the United States.” We’re not at war with any country. Haven’t been in a formal war for a long time, actually. So no, legally speaking, he cannot do that. I went over this idiotic, dangerous plan when I dove into the GOP 2024 Platform. Here’s a bit of a retread for ya:
“We will also invoke the Alien Enemies Act to remove all known or suspected gang members, drug dealers, or cartel members from the United States.” An article in Just Security points out that using that act in such a way wouldn’t fly because we’re not at war with Mexico and this a war time act. Invoking it this way would be clearly illegal. However, we know they don’t care about that. As Ebright writes in this article, it applies to any non-US citizen, so people here perfectly legally who just aren’t US citizens can be caught up in this act with no rights to argue against it, no trial, and no need for proof beyond that they’re from the place the President wants to send them too. The use of the word “suspected” in the platform gives the game away. This is a guilty you cannot prove your innocence piece of legislation. You can suspect anyone if you’re paranoid or racist enough. If you suspect one person, what’s stopping you from having suspicion of their entire family?
So. You can’t use the AEA when we aren’t at war. You can only use it on people who are from the country we have declared war on. To use the AEA to deport, say, undocumented Mexicans, Congress would have to declare war on Mexico. That’s not going to happen. We’re not going to declare war on any South American country. There is no interest among the American people to go to war with anyone at the moment. The countries conservative warhawks want to go to war with are in the Middle East. How many Iranian migrants are there, realistically, in this country, undocumented or elsewise? Certainly not enough for mass deportations.
So when Kristi Noem is before the senate, she must be asked: If the president asks you to use the Alien Enemies Act to carry out mass deportations when we are not at war and he therefore does not have the authority to do so, will you violate federal law to obey the president? If so, under what authority? How will you go about confirming the deportees are from where the president says they’re from? Will you use this to deport legal migrants as well? Are you going to treat the rule of law of this nation like a dog on your farm and shoot it in the face when it doesn’t go your way?
Uh-oh. There’s one other issue. The Alien Enemies Act, which would be illegal to use in the first place, only applies to males over 14. You can’t use it to deport younger male children or women. That would require other justifications, a SCOTUS case about sex discrimination, an update to the law via Congress, so on and so forth. Noem must be asked, “If the President invokes the AEA and orders you to round up and deport migrants of whatever country he pretends to believe we’re at war with, will you follow the letter of the law and not use it as justification to hold and deport women and boys under 14 years of age?”
It’s also important to ask Noem specifically if she has any respect for the separation of powers and the rule of law in this country. She and Governor Greg Abbott sent a middle finger to the Supreme Court because they wanted to maim and harm people attempting to cross the border, something they are well aware will harm children. She said she would bring Abbott more razor wire herself because Noem likes to label living creatures dangerous and then inflict bloody harm upon them. It’s what she does to dogs and goats. She pretends to be willfully ignorant about how anti-LGBT laws and attitudes directly lead to increases in suicidality.
Can our nation possibly be secure when there is an administration coming in that has promised to rip up the constitution and the rule of law? When Nominee Noem has used the tools of the government to give her child special benefits? She’s proven herself to be beneath ethical standards. She’s shown a spineless dedication to Trump’s ego even when he is harming her state and her constituents.
Regardless of whether or not she is confirmed – and she shouldn’t be confirmed, even if you’re a MAGA supporting rightwing populist. She is the elite government agent willing to bend the rules for her own gain – regardless of Noem, Democratic congresspeople, governors, judges, and lawyers must be prepared to fight the coming assault on the very foundations of this country.
Sources:
“Trump Department Of Homeland Security Pick Kristi Noem Owns Ranch, Invests In Energy, Gets Book Royalties” - Chris Katje | Yahoo! Finance
“Anti-trans Kristi Noem challenged on why 90% of LGBT+ teens in South Dakota suffer anxiety or depression” - Shweta Sharma | The Independent
“South Dakotans on gay marriage ruling: Joy, disappointment” | Argus Leader
“Hear Gov. Noem's answer to whether SCOTUS should reverse same-sex marriage decision” | CNN
“As daughter sought state license, Noem summoned agency head” - Stephen Groves | Associated Press
“South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s daughter was given an extra chance to obtain real estate license, former state employee testifies” - Maeve Reston | CNN
“South Dakota report: Noem’s daughter got special treatment” - Stephen Groves | Associated Press
“South Dakota governor says Trump trade wars have ‘devastated’ the state” - Caitlin Oprysko | Politico
“Trump promised the 'largest deportation' in U.S. history. Here's how he might start” - Steve Inskeep & Christopher Thomas | NPR
“Why Noem got the Homeland Security job” - Betsy Woodruff Swan & Myah Ward | Politico
“Trump signals use of military for deportations” - Rafael Bernal | The Hill
2024 GOP National Platform
“What Should Courts do if a Future President Invokes the Alien Enemies Act to Deport Immigrants?” - Katherine Yon Ebright | Just Security
“Who Is Kristi Noem? What To Know About Trump’s Likely DHS Secretary—And Her Immigration Stances” - Sara Dorn | Forbes
Comentários