Books written by politicians aspiring to high office rarely contain interesting content. Kristi Noem Credit: She drew everyone’s attention to this soon-to-be-released work in the sleep-inducing genre. And all that was needed was to shoot the dog in the head.
The Guardian first obtained Ms Noem’s account of the dog’s death. An unlucky wire-haired pointer named Cricket was difficult to control, poorly trained as a hunting dog, and even killed several of the neighbor’s chickens. “I hated that dog,” Noem wrote, concluding that the dog had to be put down. So she took him to a gravel pit and shot him. “It was not a fun job,” she says. “But it had to be done.”
“If I were a better politician, I wouldn’t be here talking about this,” she added. It turned out to be true, but probably not at all what she meant. Noem’s anecdote was only a partial success if it was designed to generate a reaction from her political opponents, which in turn would enable a counterattack from her side of the aisle. Her opponents certainly responded with some anger and a lot of anger. ridicule. But only a few of her conservatives came to her defense, and some even attacked her.
Maybe it’s because people from all political walks of life love dogs. Almost half of American households have them. This article is akin to a Republican sending out a Christmas card with the whole family holding guns, and the governor’s intention seems to have been to “trigger” liberals, but even some liberals are liberal. Power was limited by the fact that it agreed with a faction. The policy question is a bit spooky.
There may be no publishing genre more lame than the autobiography of a politician, written to convince readers that the politician on the cover is worthy of high office. Every story in these books has a purpose, and it’s not difficult to understand the purpose of Cricket’s story. Nomu is portrayed as tough, determined, and someone who does what needs to be done. It also highlights the fact that she is a gun owner from a rural state, at a time when Donald Trump, a son of Queens, is looking for a running mate with rural credentials. There is.
As Noem explained, follow up tweet“People want leaders who have integrity, are willing to learn from the past, and are not afraid to take on difficult challenges,” he added, adding, “I have never shifted my responsibilities to others, whether it be in ranching or politics. ” to treat. Even if it’s hard and painful. ”
Like many politicians in the region, Noem has always promoted herself as a plains woman with a gun. Just two years ago, she published a book titled “Not Her First Rodeo: Lessons from the Heartland.” As the political divide between rural and urban areas widens, Republicans have tried to portray themselves as strong and connected to the land, while their opponents have been trying to portray themselves as helpless urbanites who can’t drive a tractor or put down a dog without risking their lives. considered to be a person.
Republicans everywhere eagerly tout their rural connections, although there is little explanation of how this relates to actual political activity. Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate David McCormick has long said he “started from nothing” and “grew up on a family farm,” but his father was a college president and his family owned a farm. It turned out that he owned it. , it was like a country mansion where his mother raised Arabian horses. Another Republican Senate candidate, Tim Sheehy, told voters in Montana, “I grew up in rural Minnesota.” That means growing up in a multi-million dollar lakefront house in the suburbs of St. Paul.
Unlike them, Noem’s rural roots are legitimate. She actually grew up on her family’s ranch and farm, where her father died after suffocating in a grain bin. If Noem wanted to take a more well-worn path, she could have simply attacked cities, as many Republicans have done. She could have gone to San Francisco for a day and made the claim. Like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis did. After a brief incursion there, I witnessed public defecation and heroin and crack use. That would fit well with conservative media’s regular message that cities are hellholes of crime and depravity. Or, as Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) did a decade ago, Noem could have bragged about castrating pigs, a farm animal to which most Americans are less emotional. .
Crafting a political identity from the story of a candidate’s personal life is a subtle art. They want to seem connected to the public, even if they’re supposed to be just a little bit better than us. That’s why they show us their ordinary side. Here I am shooting hoops with the kids, cooking dinner, and filling up the car. But even if the candidates show us something unusual, it would be better not to sacrifice the creatures for which so many of us feel such deep feelings of love and protection. More than half of dog owners say their pets are as much a part of the family as humans, so you need to tread carefully. Even less sentimental readers may wonder why Noem didn’t hand over cricket to someone better trained.
The lesson is clear. If you’re going to vandalize, don’t mess with animals that are beloved by tens of millions of American families. Perhaps Noem will tell a heartwarming anecdote about it in her next book.
This article originally appeared on MSNBC.com
