A South Dakota man publicly shamed his state's Republican governor after his father died from the coronavirus.
Robert Sliper was an 84-year-old supporter of Gov. Kristi Noem, who insisted the pandemic was under control as she flew around the U.S. to campaign for President Donald Trump, and her administration assured the public on Nov. 10 that plenty of hospital beds and ICU beds remained available, reported The Daily Beast.
Sliper contracted the coronavirus early last month, but the hospitals in South Dakota were so overwhelmed by the pandemic that he was loaded onto a specially equipped plane for a one-hour flight to Colorado.
He died three days later, Nov. 13, with his family two states away -- and his son Mike Sliper posted an open letter to Noem, who reportedly harbors presidential aspirations for 2024, on his Facebook page.
“I am sorry if this is wordy, confusing, or disjointed," the younger Sliper wrote. "I have been up all night waiting for a phone call from Colorado that finally came. I regret to inform you that you have lost yet another vote for President in 2024. Although Dad was a big fan of yours, he will not be able to purchase one of your t-shirts nor be able to follow you on the 'Me before We' (or however you say it) app that you have been touting.”
Mike Sliper described himself as a political independent and a Christian who has voted for both parties, but he's furious at his state's GOP governor and her lackadaisical response to the virus ravaging South Dakota.
“While I admire your tenacity in recruiting businesses and constituents to come to SD, I think it is abhorrent that you are doing it on the backs of South Dakotans dying from Covid," Sliper wrote. "Selling t-shirts? Really?"
Noem's gubernatorial campaign website is selling “Less COVID More Hunting” t-shirts for $35, and Sliper said he was ashamed to live in a state where she was governor.
“I have many friends all over the state that are healthcare workers and I know how hard they are working and how much many of them are hurting," Sliper told The Daily Beast. "I believe in my heart they are doing their best and I know they wish they could have taken care of dad."
