We’re getting close to the party conventions, and within just the past week we’ve seen three flagrant examples of the exact opposite of what Republicans hoping to be Donald Trump’s running mate should be doing.
I’m not sure what Republicans anticipate, but if it’s that the next six months will be “challenging” or “grueling,” they haven’t been paying attention. This election is going to be bloodshed. The tumult of 2020 was just a precursor. The havoc that’s to come will meet Trump’s pick for vice president just the same. With that in mind…
1. Don’t let your mouth write a check you can’t cash
As of this writing, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, once highly recommended as a V.P. contender, is on a tour of self-humiliation, answering questions about inexplicable claims she made in a book that are either demonstrably false or bizarre to the point of psychopathy.
In her autobiography, which she almost certainly didn’t write, Noem said she blasted a 14-month-old family dog with a shotgun after allowing it to run wild. Even more egregious, she claimed to have “met with” North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, who “underestimated me.” Even starving North Koreans heard that tale and mustered the strength to say, “Girl, you sound really, really dumb!”
Noem’s defense of both claims, embarrassing in themselves, has been excruciating to witness. She said working on a farm means she has to kill animals all the time – a perfectly healthy, though poorly trained house dog is just
