Have you heard of Kristi Noem? She's the governor or some Dakota or other and she desperately wants to be Trump's VP. So she's publishing a book to show what a true believer MAGA fan she is. The book sounds like standard right wing fare until shit gets weird.
According to the NY Times, Noem had a family dog named Cricket that she didn't cotton to. So…
It was after Cricket ruined a hunting trip, killed another family's chickens and bit the governor that Ms. Noem recalled deciding to kill the dog; she shot Cricket in a gravel pit.
What in the name of Republican Jesus is going on here? This isn't a leak, this is her intentionally telling us that she shot her family pet because it was annoying. Why on earth would a politician tell such a story? In what universe is that helping her career prospects?
Well, Steve Schmidt has the simple analysis:
Seriously, why would Kristi Noem include that story in a book that exists for the singular purpose of elevating her profile for Trump's VP consideration? The psychology is simultaneously fascinating, terrifying and perfectly reflective of the MAGA movement.
The answer is: CRUELTY.
Governor Kristi Noem is auditioning for a spot on the national ticket, by trying to tickle Trump's erogenous zone for meanness, depravity and brutality.
Of course he's right. The cruelty is the point. But I think it goes one step further, darker.
If you're going to have a fascist takeover, people are going to have to do some terrible, violent, cruel things. And they will have to do it without pity or remorse. And THAT is why Kristi Noem is the perfect VP for Trump. She literally says it at the end of her tale:
She includes her story about the ill-fated Cricket, she says, to illustrate her willingness, in politics as well as in South Dakota life, to do anything "difficult, messy and ugly" if it simply needs to be done.
Of all the infinite parallel universes that exist, ours might be the only one where this ploy actually works but I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Trump is adding her to the ticket.
