Gov. Kristi Noem’s (R-SD) new book launch has not gone well. The autobiography titled No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward has received harsh criticism for a few excerpts. Since then, Noem has been on the defensive, appearing on various television shows in an effort to smooth things over. Instead, the South Dakota governor has made things worse for herself.
Until recently, Noem’s name was bandied about as a potential running mate for former President Donald Trump. His pick is unknown at present, but she seemed to be on the short list. That was until this latest book, her second autobiography, detailed her killing of her hunting dog, Cricket.
Now, the Trump team is reportedly uninterested in considering her for the ticket, at least according to a nameless insider. And the condemnation is coming from all sides. That shouldn’t be surprising. Killing a dog is generally frowned upon.
According to the book, Noem shot the dog, which had attacked another family’s chickens, because it was “untrainable” and “less than worthless as a hunting dog,” among other things. She also writes about hating the animal. In interviews, Noem mentioned the dog was “extremely dangerous,” especially toward small children. If the dog was truly a terrible hunting animal with too much energy, rehoming the 14-month-old would be a better choice. But instead of leaving the story out of the book entirely, Noem included it as proof that she can do hard things. That bet didn’t turn out well.
On the heels of trying to explain away killing the dog is Noem’s attempt to walk back the mention of a meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. In her book, she states, “I remember when I met with the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. I’m sure he underestimated me, having no clue about my experience staring down little tyrants (I’d been a children’s pastor after all).”
The anecdote is meant to be amusing and prove, once again, that Noem is tough. But from every indication, the meeting never happened. In fact, when pressed about whether or not she actually met the dictator during her appearances on CBS, Fox News, and Newsmax, Noem refused to answer the question.
Instead, she says, “I don’t have conversations about my conversations with world leaders” or something similar. Her nonanswer always includes the remark that when she discovered the description in her book, she had it removed. She has also blamed her ghostwriter.
People might say indelicate flubs and outright lies are nonconcerns. In the grand scheme of things, this is certainly true. But politicians should not get a pass when they act poorly and try to dress it up as bravery or repeatedly lie to voters. Noem has done both in close fashion. What’s more, she refuses to own up to her willfully wrong behavior all while promoting a book that is about problems in the political landscape and doing what’s right regardless of the pressure.
Noem is eager to present herself as some politically incorrect fighter à la Trump. But even the former president’s team is passing on her. For behavior to cross that line, it must really not play well.
This recent behavior shows Noem isn’t a firebrand and rebel. If anything, she’s a regular politician. Like others, she created a persona she thought might ingratiate herself to constituents and higher-ups alike. But her attempts are failing miserably right in front of our eyes. And all the interviews she’s done trying to save face have only made her seem like a glutton for punishment. Someone in the Noem camp believes she can talk her way through this self-inflicted drama. That person is wrong.
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There is no shortage of arrogance among the political class. Often, politicians believe if many people oppose them or their attitude, then they must be doing something right. But resistance isn’t automatically a sign that you’re a hero who is a thorn in the enemy’s side. Often, it means you’re actually the bad guy in the situation.
While defending herself to Stuart Varney on Fox News, Noem said, “I know that a lot of people are using attacks to try to take me down because they’re scared of me.” If only that were true. But voters aren’t scared — they just don’t want ambitious politicians such as Noem to treat them like idiots.
Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog and a columnist at Arc Digital.