POLITICAL CATNIP

There is a funny side and there is a serious side to the fake news about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield, OH, promulgated by J. D. Vance (is that short for juvenile delinquent?), a current Republican Senator from OH and the Republican nominee for Vice President of the United States. 

First the funny side.  To keep current with the political memes, we’re thinking of re-naming our three cats.  Introducing…

Breakfast 😻

😻

Lunch 😻

and Dinner 😻.

We might need to get a fourth cat though, because as my cousin V. pointed out, there’s always room for dessert!

On the serious side, we should understand that it is no accident that this cat-astrophic BS is being shoveled around in Ohio.  The choice of venue is deliberate.  Why?  Because there is a fierce U.S. Senate race going on in Ohio between the Democrat incumbent Sherrod Brown (left) and the Republican challenger Bernie Moreno (right).   

The “Haitians are eating the dogs; they’re eating the geese; they’re eating the pets” crap we heard the former president spew out into his presidential litter box of a debate with Kamala Harris is a meme meant to drive votes away from Brown and toward Moreno, using immigrants as political catnip. 

This meme has already provoked strident calls for strong borders and mass deportations of the Haitians, most of whom are in Springfield legally at the invitation of its city fathers and to the delight of its local business leaders, as they have revitalized the town's flagging economy.  The meme has also resulted in threats of bodily harm against the Haitians, public building closures because of bomb scares, and the arrival on the scene of the Proud Boys, who are always standing by and ready to lend a clenched fist. 

I personally am in favor of strong borders and the enforcement of immigration laws.  I am, however, strongly opposed to political manipulation of any and every kind, and the pet-eating Haitians meme is a prime example.  Stirring up anti-immigration fervor is central to this political cat fight for the Senate, because without the Senate, a President Harris will face obstruction of her legislative agenda and frustration of her judicial and other appointments. 

 

As reported in Politico:

The Ohio Senate race is one of the biggest in the country, but Republican nominee Bernie Moreno has been very quiet on the airwaves since winning the March primary. Until now.

Five months later, he’s finally going on air with a massive ad blitz — a $25 million buy that will include TV, radio, digital, mail and streaming platforms.

His first message: immigration. The 30-second spot, shared first with POLITICO, accuses Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of “voting with radicals like Kamala Harris” to give undocumented immigrants taxpayer-funded stimulus checks, health care and social security. It touts Moreno’s endorsement from former President Donald Trump and promises he will deport “illegals” and build the southern border wall.

“His first message:  immigration.”  So, there is a very clear political method to this feline farce.  The more the former president looks to be in danger of losing the election, the more important holding the Senate becomes for his party.  And if holding the Senate requires maligning 20,000 Haitian immigrants, so be it.  Everything’s fair in love and political wars.   

Friends, the cats in Springfield are on a hot tin capitol roof.  The dog whistles are loud and clear.  The geese are begging you to honk if you won’t eat them.   

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner say, “Get meow-ta here!” Unfortunately, still 49 days to go until November 5th.  Plenty of time to get even uglier, stupider, and more dangerous.  I hope Taylor Swift has a kick-ass security detail.

Keep it real!

Marilyn