03/05/2024
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem may have forgotten that Americans love dogs more than they love politicians, John Hendrickson writes.
In Noem’s forthcoming book, “No Going Back,” she recalls the day she realized that her puppy, Cricket, was so aggressive that she needed to be put down. According to The Guardian, which reported on the anecdote, Noem led Cricket to a gravel pit and pulled the trigger. “It was not a pleasant job,” she writes in her book. “But it had to be done.” https://theatln.tc/FFAikG4a
The backlash has been swift from both Democrats and some of Noem’s fellow Republicans. Noem, responding to the online fervor, responded to her attacks: “We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm.” According to The Guardian, the dog had attacked other animals, and Noem stands by her assertion that the dog showed “aggressive behavior toward people by biting them.”
Noem likely thought that by sharing her story about shooting her dog, she would show off “her courage and her rural bona fides, endearing her to millions of potential voters,” Hendrickson writes. “Instead, Noem publishing these sentences may one day be remembered as the gravest mistake of her career.” Noem is considered to be a top prospect for former President Donald Trump’s 2024 running mate. But now, Hendrickson argues, “she’ll have to fight to escape being branded the woman who once killed her own puppy.”
“With some scandals, members of the American public have notoriously short memories, or at least they may be more inclined to forgive,” Hendrickson writes. “But certain images never leave the collective psyche—especially when they involve dogs. This fundamental truth transcends politics.” Noem, now midway through her second term as governor, is ineligible for a third. “No Going Back,” which was praised by Trump, was supposed to usher in her next chapter. But if Trump doesn’t pick Noem as his running mate, Hendrickson continues at the link in our bio, “her new book’s title may have prophesied the end of her political story.”
📸: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / Getty
