Since governments starting issuing edicts to private businesses and citizens last spring at the onset of the Wuhan Chinese virus surge, most discussions among conservatives as to which state governor handled things best included South Dakota's Kristi Noem.
Noem, Florida's Ron DeSantis, and Texas' Greg Abbott are consistently mentioned as the executives who handed down the fewest orders and dictates, and let people make their own decisions as to how to best protect their health.
Abbott and DeSantis were initially overrated, because they ended up issuing some closure orders and restrictions before relaxing or repealing them, but Noem was consistent in her opposition to a heavy-handed approach. She basically trusted her constituents to do what was in their best interests.
The obvious common denominator for all three is that they're Republicans. Those in this area who were chafing under the mandates issued by Gov. Andy Beshear initially looked with envy to some of our neighbors, but even they ended up caving in to the fear and panic.
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine was a disaster from the start. In fact, Beshear often took his cues from DeWine as to what to close and when. It was commonplace for DeWine to issue some order one day, and Beshear to duplicate it the next day.
Other neighbors, such as West Virginia's Jim Justice and Tennessee's Bill Lee, stood strong at first. Beshear even took to criticizing Lee for not doing unto Tennessee what he was doing to Kentucky. Eventually, Justice and Lee both relented and took steps such as ordering restaurants closed.
And when things began to open back up, Beshear publicly called out Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb of Indiana for his decision to repeal some of the restrictions, prompting Holcomb to retort that Beshear had his cell phone number if he wanted to call him in person to discuss his concerns.
Meanwhile, Abbott and DeSantis saw the error of their ways and took steps to reopen their states and to make sure that future lockdowns would be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. Part of DeSantis' motivation may be that he has presidential aspirations and is frequently mentioned as the GOP frontrunner in 2024 should Donald Trump not run.
All the while, Noem's fans pointed out that unlike DeSantis and Abbott, she had never shut her state down. They had flip-flopped on their stances, while she had never had a need to reverse course. She had come under criticism by some conservatives for her stance on not allowing biological males who identify as females to participate in women's sports, but her position on virus restrictions had been rock solid.
That all changed last week, when Noem made a statement that angered those who are opposed to any forced vaccination requirements.
A number of private employers are making their workers take the shots, as have some government agencies, and the federal government has mandated it for its workers and contractors. One establishment GOP big shot even proposed mandatory shots for public employees in Kentucky. There's growing pushback among people who have valid reasons for being skeptical of the vaccine's long-term safety.
This is something that Republicans, who present themselves as champions of individual rights, should oppose. The great state Rep. Savannah Maddox is pushing legislation in next year's General Assembly session that would restrict the ability of employers to require their workers to get the shot, and U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie is fighting against a military plan to require the Kung Flu vaccine for American service members.
But what did Noem do? She told people whose employers mandate the shot to find another job.
That's not always possible, for a variety of reasons. One is that there's incredible pressure being brought to bear on businesses to require their employees to take the shot. The federal government's edict extends to contractors as well as federal employees. What if it becomes required for any company who does business with the federal government? That would extend to all vendors, such as car manufacturers, office supply stores, and any other type of business you can think of. In addition to health care settings such as hospitals, there have already been reports in Kentucky of private employers requiring the vaccination. Churchill Downs is one.
But beyond that, not everyone can easily change jobs. It might be a job-seeker's market right now, but not in every field. It's difficult for some people to find jobs requiring similar skill sets to what they have, at a similar rate of pay, without being terribly inconvenienced by either having to move or by enduring a long commute.
Noem had an opportunity to establish herself as a true champion of individual freedom. The proper response would have been for her to say she'd be pushing for legislation to prohibit vaccine passports or required immunizations in her state. But she failed that simple test.
DeSantis may have fumbled early, but he's recovered nicely. He's worked against vaccine passports, even opposing the federal government's attempts to institute vaccine requirements for cruise ship passengers. With Noem taking a giant step backwards, DeSantis has established himself as the country's foremost champion of individual freedoms among the nation's governors.
So, while Noem may have once looked good, her recent gaffe leads me to say, "Noem more." No longer can she be looked at as a leader in the fight against overreaction. She's certainly taken herself out of consideration for any higher office. When Trump or DeSantis go looking for running mates should either of them get the presidential nomination in 2024, Noem's name shouldn't even come up in discussions.
Conservatives expect their elected officials to be freedom fighters. Time and time again, they let us down. Why is it so hard for Republicans to comprehend that their constituency expects them to act like Republicans and not RINOs or liberals?
Requiring Kung Flu shots is a liberal viewpoint. All we ask of our Republican leaders is that they don't act like liberals. Noem failed bigly in her latest test.
