When someone does the right thing, do you really care about why? Or do you care more about the right thing having been done? Personally, I care more about the results than the motivation. In politics, however, political opponents of anyone will make hay out of anything they can get their hands on. Can't blame them, really, but it's wildly dishonest and smells of desperation when it happens.
Do you believe President Donald Trump did everything he did out of a deep-rooted belief in conservatism? He'd been a Democrats just a few years before running in 2016, having donated a lot of money to left-wing candidates over the previous decades. But as president, Trump did some great things for which conservatives fought and failed for years. He also appointed three solid Supreme Court Justices. Do you care whether he was really on board with those achievements in his heart of hearts, or do you care more that they were done? I care more that they were done.
Which brings us to South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. Earlier this year, Governor Noem caught hell for opposing a piece of legislation that would have banned boys and men from competing against women in school sports. As you might imagine, this caused a lot of outrage on the Right, though mostly with people who'd pretty clearly aligned with other potential 2024 GOP presidential candidates.
That doesn't matter much, people can be outraged by whatever outrages them and support whomever they like. But at the time, I defended Noem in a piece asking, "Have we lost nuance?"
Noem's position wasn't that she supported men competing against women in college sports. She doesn't. It was that the bill the South Dakota legislature had passed was written in such a way that it would have been declared unconstitutional. And, most importantly, would have seen the entire law thrown out, including the parts protecting high school girls.
So what was Noem's offense? She said the two should be separated, that was if her assessment proved true, everything else would remain in place. It seems minor, but for some reason the state legislature didn't do it. Does it matter how something is achieved or just that it is achieved? With the South Dakota legislature, on this issue, it seems the former is what matters.
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Ultimately, I'm in the other camp. I like results that stick. I'd much rather win the last game of the World Series than the last game before the All-Star break. And I don't care if I win that last game in the World Series by my team hitting a two-out, two-run homerun in the bottom of the 9th while we were down by one run, or if we won it because the ball rolled through Bill Buckner's legs (sorry, Boston fans, but that's the easiest example I can think of where an error cost someone a big game).
Since the state legislature didn't act, Noem did.
She introduced the Fairness in Girls' Sports Act, which states, "Only female athletes, based on their biological sex, shall participate in any team, sport, or athletic event designated as being for females, women, or girls." According to Governor Noem's office, "The legislation describes 'biological sex' as 'the sex listed on the student's official birth certificate issued at or near the time of the athlete's birth.'"
Do I care why she's doing it? Not really. Nor do I care much about why the state legislature didn't just do it themselves. As long as it's getting done, who cares?
As for what was the sticking point before, Governor Noem's press release on the bill addresses that. "This legislation does not have the problematic provisions that were included in last year's House Bill 1217," Governor Noem's statement read. "Those flawed provisions would have led to litigation for our state, as well as for the families of young South Dakota athletes – male and female alike."
Whether or not you believe her depends, likely, on what you thought of her going into this. I've always liked her, as I like many of the other potential 2024 candidates. I don't get worked up about any of them, no matter how desperately the media tries to make me. I care about results. And in this case, this is moving toward the result I want.
How we got to this point doesn't matter to me. That we are at this point does. And that we are in the best position possible to not only get it done, but get it done in a way that lasts, matters.
It brings me back to what I asked back in March, "Have we lost nuance?" I really hope not.
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