Views & Opinions — Has Kristi Noem fallen into the Sarah Palin trap?

View Online  Views & Opinions Views & Opinions One Key Op-ed  Animal blights Kristi Noem and Sarah Palin have a lot in common, writes opinion contributor Doug MacKinnon. Both women rose to prominence as gun-toting, rural Republican governors.   And both were harshly criticized for purported acts of animal cruelty.    (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File) Sixteen years ago, Palin, then the GOP nominee for vice president, caught a lot of flack for her fondness for killing wolves by shooting them from helicopters.   Now Noem, vying to become Donald Trump's running mate, has attracted even more criticism for writing in a book that she executed her family's dog, Cricket.   MacKinnon believes "Noem's transgression is by far the more disturbing and damaging." In fact, many believe the act of killing the dog – and her lack of judgment for bragging about it – will cost her a chance to be selected as Trump's running mate.   "If I were Trump, it would be Noem's total lack of judgment or political instincts for including the pet hit job in the book in the first place that I would find disqualifying," MacKinnon writes. "If she can't ace that 'Politics and Human Nature 101' lesson, how can she claim to be ready to be one heartbeat away from the presidency?"   The question is whether Noem's bizarre admission will banish her to the political wilderness, where Palin has resided for a decade and a half.   If it does, MacKinnon says, "it will be easy for many to believe she brought most of this upon herself."   Read the op-ed at TheHill.com. Welcome to The Hill's Views & Opinions newsletter, it's Tuesday, May 14. I'm Daniel Allott, bringing together a collection of key opinion pieces published from a wide range of voices. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Other Points of View  Op-eds exploring key issues affecting the U.S. and world: Antisemitism, Islamophobia and 'feeling unsafe' By Mark Pinsky, author and journalist The creative bookkeeping that conflates feeling unsafe and being unsafe has cynically fueled and weaponized the hysteria about the "wave" of antisemitism sweeping North America.   Read Here Why and how Biden should walk back his suspension of weapons delivery to Israel By Robert Satloff, Segal Executive Director of the Washington Institute While President Biden has proven since Oct. 7 to be the most committed friend of Israel ever to serve in the White House, he may also be the president on whose watch the "unshakable" relationship between Washington and Jerusalem comes apart at the seams.  Read Here Trump's 'Sore Loser Syndrome' is spreading throughout the Republican Party By Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell Professor Jurisprudence & Political Science at Amherst College Today, refusing to say whether they will accept the 2024 election results has become a staple among Republican leaders seeking favor with Trump and his MAGA followers.   Read Here Get ready to see Trump go to jail By Juan Williams, Fox News political analyst What we have never seen is a former president of the United States in jail. But now that is a real possibility, because Donald Trump can't shut up and abide by a simple gag order.  Read Here Quick Takes  Opinions related to pivotal issues and figures in the news: How Trump will stop the invasion at the southern border 'I see dead people' — Alvin Bragg's case against Trump goes paranormal America's biggest energy scam is happening now Would Lindsey Graham nuke Gaza?   You're all caught up. See you next time!  Views expressed by contributors are theirs and not the opinion of The Hill. Interested in submitting an op-ed? Click here.  Check out The Hill's Opinion section online for the latest and take a moment to view our other topical products 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  1625 K Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20006 Copyright © 1998 - 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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