Friday, May 03, 2024

ANNALS OF DeSANTISTAN: Brevard Republicans announce puppy killer Kristi Noem will keynote annual dinner (Jacob Ogles, Florida Politics, May 2, 2024)

When I ponder the dog-killing South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, I am reminded of the villainous character Cruella DeVille in the movie, 101 Dalmatians. Thus, I find the infantile local GQP reference to the movie, Old Yeller, to be facetious.  Feculent fetid Florida Republicans have a tradition of inviting and electing loons to public office.

From Florida Politics:  


Brevard Republicans announce puppy killer Kristi Noem will keynote annual dinner


Rick Lacey defended the South Dakota Governor: 'I saw the movie Old Yeller.'

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.

Jacob Ogles

Jacob Ogles has covered politics in Florida since 2000 for regional outlets including SRQ Magazine in Sarasota, The News-Press in Fort Myers and The Daily Commercial in Leesburg. His work has appeared nationally in The Advocate, Wired and other publications. Events like SRQ’s Where The Votes Are workshops made Ogles one of Southwest Florida’s most respected political analysts, and outlets like WWSB ABC 7 and WSRQ Sarasota have featured his insights. He can be reached at jacobogles@hotmail.com.

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