Kristi Noem: ‘We are best served by leaders that know their place’

OPINION:

Washington Times columnist Cheryl K. Chumley is biking the battleground states as part of an ongoing series, visiting 14 states in 14 days to hear what real Americans think of the 2020 election. All of her interviews may be found HERE.

PIERRE, South Dakota — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, in a sit-down interview in her official offices, said the flare-up of violence around the nation is “astounding” and comes from “poor leadership” — and “overwhelmingly, these are Democrat-led communities.”

Precisely.

That’s the nugget of political truth the mainstream media wants voters to avoid seeing.

“The violence you’re seeing in some of our cities is astounding to me and overwhelmingly these are Democrat led communities,” she said. “There is no consequence for breaking the law there today and that’s not what America is about.”

Here’s another truth the media and left wants ignored.

“There is no mother that wants to raise her child on the streets of Portland today,” Noem said, “and that’s because of the violence and the chaos and the rioting that they’re seeing.”

Law? Order? Schmaw. Schmorder.

Seattle just saw another evening of chaos and mayhem — “and that’s going to have long-lasting effects on that city and on those people that live there and I think that eventually they’re going to recognize that it comes from poor leadership,” Noem said.

And here’s the money quote — one of them, anyway.

“For us,” Noem said, “doing things that are founded by our values, abiding by the oaths that I took to the state Constitution and the U.S. Constitution and recognizing what authorities I do have as governor but also recognizing what I don’t have — and not overstepping that in a time of crisis I think is incredibly important and people will see in the long run we are best served by freedom we are best served by leaders that know their place know what their role is and don’t overstep their authority.”

Imagine that.

Humble public service to the people that actually puts the people before the political self-interest. The bedrock of a limited government. Gov. Noem’s one of the few who get it.

More to follow …

• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter by clicking HERE.