Jacob Ogles
Brevard County Republicans are sticking by a choice to bring South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to keynote its annual dinner. That’s after Noem shared that she once shot a puppy for misbehaving, angering commentators on the Left and Right.
The party announced this week that Noem would headline the county party’s Lincoln/Reagan Dinner on May 25.
Brevard Republican Party Chair Rick Lacey said the party has already sold 200 tickets in the days since the announcement, and he doubts that the recent controversy around Noem will change that. “Everybody is excited about hearing her and meeting her,” he said.
Noem inspired broad outrage after The Guardian reported on an excerpt of her new book, “No Going Back.” In it, the South Dakota Governor detailed shooting her 14-month-old dog, Cricket, because of an “aggressive personality” and being “untrainable.”
“I hated that dog,” Noem wrote.
The former Congresswoman wrote that she decided to execute the puppy after she killed chickens belonging to a neighbor. “I realized I had to put her down,” she wrote. She described shooting the dog in a gravel pit, then deciding to also shoot a family goat that previously chased her children.
The story rapidly sparked criticism of Noem from across the political spectrum. Since the story broke, Gov. Ron DeSantis and members of his political team have shared stories about adopting dogs or helping rescue dog shelters.
“It’s cruel. You only kill an animal if it’s dying, and you do it humanely with euthanasia,” Laura Loomer, a former Florida GOP congressional candidate, posted on X. “A perfectly healthy dog should never be killed because it annoys you.”
But Lacey defended Noem.
“I saw the movie ‘Old Yeller.’ When you had a dog that was vicious, the poor guy took care of it,” he said. “You have to do what’s right. You have to protect your family from animals, whether from a wolf or a rabid dog. The (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) puts down vicious animals every day.”
Lacey said he still expected party supporters to want to hear Noem, especially as she’s under consideration to be presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s running mate.
But sources close to Trump have signaled to national media that the dog-killing story on its own has eliminated her from consideration.
19 comments
Dont Say FLA
May 2, 2024 at 10:55 am
It used to be said that puppy killers would grow up to be serial killers of humans. Ahh the good old days. Now they grow up to be G0P stars, ~governing G0P Run States without ever realizing that “G0P Run” means, nowadays, as old timey comedian Chris Rock used to say about finding yourself on MLK Blvd: “G0P??? Run!!!!!!!!”
Thomas
May 2, 2024 at 11:02 am
The mainstream media never reported the dog’s killing of chickens and misbehavior. The only thing mentioned was “untrainable”. I love dogs. But a dog is still a dog, and neutralizing a threat is not unjustified.
Ocean Joe
May 2, 2024 at 11:16 am
I understand farming and hunting includes a different way of life, but using the killing of the dog to make yourself look tough in your autobiography to lure the vp spot is another new low for the GOP dwarfed only by what you folks did on Jan 6.
Keep waiting for ‘you people’ to find a floor.
LT
May 2, 2024 at 11:52 am
How about you train your dog? Just like I train him to not pee and poop in my house. Now, mistakes will happen. But I’m not shooting the dog because of a mistake.
Dont Say FLA
May 2, 2024 at 12:28 pm
The news I heard reported the dog was super obnoxious in some ways, most importantly including mucking up hunts for Little Kristi.
Dogs are supposed to do certain things for hunters while hunting, but this dog effectively scared all the fish away, or deer, or brownish folk, or whatever/whoever she was out hunting with her grandpa.
So, unable to catch a [prey] by the toe, Little Kristi instead got her blood lust fulfilled for that particular hunting day by shooting her own puppy.
Reports say Little Kristi enjoyed murdering her puppy so much that she did it to a goat, too.
And that was when Little Kristi’s adults realized they had a rising G0P star on their hands.
rick whitaker
May 2, 2024 at 4:14 pm
THOMAS, i watch mainstream media and i heard many references to the “things they didn’t say”. they DID say all the things you said they didn’t say. i saw and heard it many times. so, you must not call nbc, cbs, abc, cnn, and npr mainstream. i f fox mentioned those things or not, i don’t know. i don’t ever watch fox, so that must be where you failed to hear what i clearly heard on many stations. anyway, your post is a mis-statement. noem, just lost her future as a respectable person. you can’t justify the unjustifiable. trump does that. if noem announced she had a uncontrollable dog to give away, her phone would have ringed off the wall.
PeterH
May 2, 2024 at 11:05 am
Noem is just another Sarah Palin or Michelle Bachman! She will never go anywhere on the national stage.
Hung Wiil
May 2, 2024 at 11:30 am
Cutting edge insights, Peter. Your really going out on a limb. Total genius move. Wow.
Dont Say FLA
May 2, 2024 at 1:59 pm
Hung you’re sounding, well, quite defensive about the G0P’s history of attempting to promote MFLs beyond well their level of competence.
The truth hurts, don’t it ‘Lil. The truth. It hurts.
rick whitaker
May 2, 2024 at 2:17 pm
DSF, i don’t think hung is too concerned with the truth. i have read more than one lie posted by him.
rick whitaker
May 2, 2024 at 4:32 pm
HUNG, what a smartassed comment. did it make you smile? PETERH, of whom i don’t know personally, but going by post content, is way more erudite than your are. you need to ask for his pardon if you were an honorable person.
Ron Forrest Ron
May 2, 2024 at 11:10 am
My pair of Bully XLs want a chance to meet and eat Republican Governor Kristi Noem. Are they welcome?
Ron Forrest Ron
May 2, 2024 at 11:16 am
Oh, whoops! I meant “meet and GREET.” Not “meat and eat,” of course, Although they do love jerky.
Larry Gillis, Libertarian (Cape Coral)
May 2, 2024 at 11:34 am
The theological implications of her actions are lost on me. But then, I was unimpressed by the story about Jimmy Carter being attacked by a Killer Rabbit.
(You’re too young to remember that one).
rick whitaker
May 2, 2024 at 4:44 pm
LARRY, i’m not too young to remember that. i will be 72 soon. i love carter and i still hate how he was unfairly treated by the gop bullies. bulling is one way minorities win elections. the three main complaints the gop stated against carter was all things i admire him for. returning a wore out, mostly un- useable, panama canal to the panamanians, pardoning the draft dodgers that went to canada, and the gas prices by opec being blamed on him, are all things that i disagreed with the gop hawks about.
rick whitaker
May 2, 2024 at 4:56 pm
LARRY, i forgot to mention that the bullying of carter, resulted in my worst nightmare, the election of the 3rd rate actor, RAYGUN.
The Chicken or the Fish
May 2, 2024 at 12:31 pm
Unless attendees want to eat puppy meat, I recommend they tick the “fish” box for their protein choice at this G0P fundraiser.
Michael roberts
May 2, 2024 at 2:15 pm
but why ?
My Take
May 3, 2024 at 2:22 pm
Woe to all the obnoxious individuals she would meet in DC!
Comments are closed.