South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem addresses the Republican National Convention on Aug. 26, 2020. (Photo: Screen capture)
(CNSNews.com) – South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem began her speech to the Republican National Convention Wednesday night with a warning that our “founding principles are under attack.”
She jabbed Democrat Joe Biden as a man “who isn’t guided by these ideals” and who, unlike President Trump, “has built nothing.”
Noem said America is “unique in the world” because government’s power is limited: “We are not and will not be the subjects of an elite class of so-called experts. We, the people, are the government,” Noem said.
Democrat Joe Biden, in his Plan to Combat Coronavirus, makes it clear that he will lead by listening to the experts:
“Public health emergencies require disciplined, trustworthy leadership grounded in science,” the Biden plan says.
“In a moment of crisis, leadership requires listening to experts and communicating credible information to the American public. We must move boldly, smartly, and swiftly. Biden knows how to mount an effective crisis response and elevate the voices of scientists, public health experts, and first responders.”
Biden, in the few podcasts he’s given from his basement studio, has said the same thing–that when it comes to COVID-19, he will be guided by the “experts.”
Noem, on the other hand, reminded Americans, “The Republican Party’s commitment to individual rights and self-government is as necessary today as it was in 1860 when we won our first presidential election.”
Here is a partial transcript of her remarks:
I’m here tonight because I believe America is an exceptional nation, founded on three principles — equality, freedom, and opportunity. But today, our founding principles are under attack.
This year the choice for Americans is between a man who values these ideals and all that can be built because of them; and a man who isn’t guided by these ideals and, coincidentally, has built nothing.
Remember, America’s battle for independence and fight for self-governance was something that never been done before. Men of great intellect and wisdom like James Madison, the father of our Constitution, hoped our constitutional republic would last for ages; mitigate the problems that would naturally arise from political factions; and prevent tyranny.
Madison also authored much of the Bill of Rights, because he understood the natural tendency of government to increasingly encroach on the people’s consent and thus, our freedom. He urged his colleagues to adopt these amendments to enshrine in our Constitution the ideals laid out in the Declaration of Independence, that all power comes from the people — that the government is created and ought to be exercised for the benefit of the people.
Our Constitution guarantees the right to speak, to assemble, and to worship. The right to arm ourselves as a counter-balance to a standing army. And the right to a fair and equitable criminal justice system. We must fight to protect these foundational rights from government interference and indifference.
America is unique in the world. Government’s power at all levels is limited to the confines of our Constitution, which protects our God-given liberties and civil rights. We are not and will not be the subjects of an elite class of so-called experts. We, the people, are the government…
