This interview was totally unnecessary—this whole circus was avoidable. Yet, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem decided to detail how she killed her family dog, Cricket, who reportedly was an abysmal hunting dog, killed a bunch of chickens belonging to a family friend, and was overall unruly. Who knows, the South Dakota Republican wrote how she shot the dog, which has drawn some very strong reactions.
Have we forgotten about how Obama ate a dog? I couldn’t care less, but Noem is trying to keep her bid alive in the veepstakes, and she must know it’s over. It may be overblown. There may be double standards, but that’s how it is. Her latest spin is that Cricket wasn’t a puppy; she’s a victim of the fake news media, and she chose the safety of her family in the end.
Don’t believe the #fakenews media’s twisted spin. I had a choice between the safety of my children and an animal who had a history of attacking people & killing livestock.
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) May 2, 2024
I chose my kids. pic.twitter.com/ZTtN7MpQvf
So, Cricket was Cujo? Noem’s memoir isn’t anything new. Since the days of James Fenimore Cooper, politicians, and national figures have written about the tough decisions they had to make. Noem’s book isn’t the problem, but I’m sure there were numerous votes she had to take in Congress and her record as governor, which could demonstrate her point. Her decision to run for South Dakota’s at-large district in 2010 was a major one for her and her family alone. She could have left out shooting Cricket. We might have learned about it in the end, but this funeral pyre is hers alone. She brought the wood and oil; I think the damage is already done.
Again, I’m not a big animal guy, but many others are, and they’re not pleased with this tale.