I'm listening to today's episode of the NYT "Daily" podcast, "A Plan for Two Dans: How Democrats Manipulated Alaska’s Ballot/An investigation by The New York Times looked at how two people named Dan Sullivan ended up on the ballot for the Senate."
I mean, have you ever heard of insect politics? They're very... brutal. No compassion, no compromise. We can't trust the insect....
A word to the wise politician: After you've demeaned someone by forcing them to scuttle about capturing crickets, don't fire them, not before the election. Better yet: Don't keep your pets in the office, especially not if they — or their food — creeps people out or smells like hell. That is, if you must keep a pet in your office and you are a politician, make it a dog. There are lots of dogs kept in the offices of congresspersons. Dogs are the official pet of politics. They signal that you are human and normal. You might need that. Trump haters love to tell us he's lacking a dog. And Nixon saved his skin by mentioning his dog named Checkers, Bill Clinton procured a dog (Buddy) to offset his cat (Socks), and Obama ostentatiously acquired the dog Bo. The dog is the animal if you want to be a politician.
Have you ever heard of dog politics? They're very friendly. No brutality, no live crickets.
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The Clintons' press release of regret, after Buddy the dog was hit and killed by a car, was the same as for Vince Foster.
Don't forget Biden's attack dogs.
What an ogre. She made her staff feed her pet. And I think "Meatball" could've taken care of the escaped crickets, if given a chance.
". . . one of the employees Mary Peltola fired in August was her campaign manager, a woman named Elisa Rios."
Who became The Woman Scorned.
"Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, / Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned."
Or "sconed" if you live in the South.
Obama ate Dog, Clinton & JFK always had Pussy nearby, and if you are a leftist reptilian politician, hiding your true intentions, Chameleon is a telling choice.
heh
Have you ever heard of dog politics? They're very friendly. No brutality, no live crickets.
I suspect if you sent in a dog to take out the crickets, there would be a bloodbath.
I don't know if that whole "chameleon" thing works with dogs. "I smell you, bitch! Vision is like my fourth sense at best."
Chameleon = lying liars who lie
Dog = I roll in the shit and you love me anyway
"Vote for me, I'll take a bath! And my tongue is cleaned by God."
What's amazing about this case is that a Dem operative broke omerta. A real first.
She'll never work in Dem politics again. Needs to go into witness protection.
Having a staff member feed your pet seems like a pretty petty thing to complain about.
one of your readers just petted a cat and smiled quietly.
Democrats never own up to the malevolent, underhanded actions and other horseshit they employ.
You ask ‘em to explain their rationale, and you get crickets.
“Have you ever heard of dog politics? They're very friendly. No brutality, no live crickets.”
@Althouse, apparently you’ve already forgotten about Joe Biden’s dog Commander, who was every bit as mean as Senile Joe himself. The dog was involved in at least 24 biting incidents during the time he lived in the White House.
insect politics is one of my favorite tags on this blog.
Wonder if she recanted this story, too. Reads like a scene scripted by Hollywood. (Not that it's not believable.)
I want to get my
"on the positive side, so far nobody is blaming the Jews."
comment in early
before somebody starts blaming the Jews
Have you ever heard of dog politics? They're very friendly. No brutality......
Aggie, German dog politics has to be a separate tag.
Norm Macdonald on the German dog.
It would be a pretty good movie if Commander was on to the auto-pen coup plot against senile Joe Biden. And ol' Commander was like, "Fuck you! You're not the president!" And he's biting the shit out of all the aides. I would buy that ticket.
What would cat politics be like? This is what grok had to say:
If **Dog Politics** is about eager loyalty, group cohesion, and performative warmth, and **Insect Politics** is about cold, transactional survival and treating people like disposable resources, **Cat Politics** would be something entirely distinct.
Applying that same Althouse-style lens, "Cat Politics" would look like this:
### 1. Aloof Superiority & Transactional Domesticity
A cat expects to be served, fed, and pampered, but feels zero obligation to show gratitude or loyalty in return. In a campaign context, **Cat Politics is the politics of entitlement and sovereign distance.**
* The politician acts as if the voters, staff, and donor class exist purely to maintain their lifestyle and stature.
* They don't beg for approval (like a dog); they demand it as their birthright, radiating an aura of *"You are lucky to have me in your presence."*
### 2. The Illusion of Control (Managing the Unmanageable)
There’s a reason people talk about "herding cats." A political operation governed by Cat Politics would be completely decentralized, chaotic, and unaligned.
* Unlike a dog pack that follows a clear alpha, a cat-centric campaign consists of autonomous actors who only cooperate when it immediately benefits them.
* The candidate doesn't lead so much as they selectively purr at people who bring them gifts, while ignoring the strategic advice of everyone around them.
### 3. Sudden, Unpredictable Aggression
Dogs give clear warning signs (barking, growling), and insects operate on cold instinct. Cats, however, will purr while sitting on your lap and then suddenly scratch you for touching their stomach one time too many.
* In politics, this translates to **unpredictable backstabbing and sudden shifts in tone.** A staffer or ally could be in total favor one morning, only to be tossed out the window by afternoon because the candidate's mood subtly shifted.
### 4. Calculated Cleanliness (The Aesthetic of Immunity)
Cats spend hours grooming themselves to look immaculate, pretending they never knocked over the vase on the counter.
* A politician practicing Cat Politics is obsessed with personal detachment and plausible deniability. When disaster strikes, they simply step over the mess, groom their public image, and look at the electorate as if to say, *"Why would you think I had anything to do with that?"*
---
> **The Contrast:**
> * **Dog Politics:** *"Look how warm, approachable, and team-oriented I am!"*
> * **Insect Politics:** *"Perform your assigned task quietly, consume the crickets, and do not expect empathy."*
> * **Cat Politics:** *"Serve me, don't touch me, and if the campaign fails, it's because you failed to amuse me."*
>
>
If Peltola's live-cricket chameleon was Insect Politics, a candidate running on pure Cat Politics would be someone like Charles de Gaulle or a notoriously aloof backbencher—someone who treats the entire political process as a minor inconvenience beneath their dignity, while expecting everyone else to work overtime to keep their bowl full.
How do you think a politician practicing "Cat Politics" would hold up on a grueling campaign trail compared to the traditional "Dog Politics" style?
I asked grok what politicians would most fall under the cat politics banner and some answers were pretty unexpected, but seemed to be true.
The Brad Pitt dog movie is pretty good. That's a German shepherd. And Rin Tin Tin, that's another hero. German dogs are fine as long as they're on our side.
The funniest thing about the Clintons "statement of regret" for the loss of Buddy, was that they got rid of the cat.
Yeah yeah, you're in the book, but we don't want to keep you.
Ruff
"Cats spend hours grooming themselves to look immaculate, pretending they never knocked over the vase on the counter."
Or looking your right in the eye as they knock it off the counter.
I would prefer that people do not have accessory pets. I'm thinking about people like the Clintons and the Obamas who get a dog because it's a good look to have a dog. (Or the people who get a pet because they are lonely during the few hours they are at home and don't consider the pet will be lonely while they are at work or out with friends on the weekends.) I have a very negative opinion of people who get pets, knowing they don't have the time for a pet.
"What would cat politics be like? This is what grok had to say: If **Dog Politics** is about eager loyalty, group cohesion, and performative warmth, and..."
Ha ha. Thanks. Excellent.
You know I have a tag for "performative (the word!).
I do not like cat politics.
On the other hand, cats smacking the snakes is always fun.
I asked AI about snake politics and it gave me the Gadsden flag and all this shit. And Libertarians wonder why people don't vote for them. Because you're a pothead and there's a snake on your flag!
"Having a staff member feed your pet seems like a pretty petty thing to complain about."
Well, that and having the staff member commit election fraud (and then firing her after she successfully pulled it off).
Staff should only be used for important work like picking up dry cleaning and scoring you a 'date' for the evening.
@Saint Croix, German Shepherds won’t obey you unless you have a little Schnurrbart under your nose.
But I do have a question. Why would an Alaskan politician have a cold-blooded animal for a pet?
Don't forget St Teddy of Chappaquiddick's most aptly eclept dog "Splash" a water collie.
Best pet and name EVER for a Senatorial dog.
John Henry
Mary Jo Kopechne, had she lived, surely would have approved.
Mary Jo would be 86 now if Ted hadn't left her to drown.
Although the company she kept, she would have been lucky to make it to 30.
John Henry
John Henry
The first NYT article on Peltola is not flattering at all. Big difference between her public persona and how she acts in private, apparently. Kind of a monster boss. Katie Porter stuff.
Democrats are the party of manipulation and fraud.
and they get away with it. It's sickening.
An extremely rare word - used derogatorily mostly in the 19th century - for poor farmers (rednecks) was "honyocker". Some of its etymological roots, or at some point in the future, meaning "Chicken Chaser"...as a poor farmer would be doing that often.
I like the idea of calling campaign workers "Poliockers". Point at the political bug-chasing stooges. Point at them and laugh.
In 1982, I was vying for a coveted spot as apprentice editor with a documentary film outfit in NYC. I think the pay was $100 a week. Part of my job description was to change the kitty litter for girlboss’ Persian, pick up the phone receiver and place it back in the wall cradle after girlboss had finished her call with Amore— she would throw it on the floor because getting up from the editing table was too much trouble— AND if given the coveted slot, I pledged to learn to cook Salvadoran food, the crew’s favorite. Things they never taught us at film school.
Pepperidge Farms remembers Joe Biden's vicious dogs. The clueless crone could control nothing in his life or in this world, least of all those hounds of his. They had the personality of Dr. Jill. Dogs do not respond to the autopen.
Maybe, the lizard has an Instagram account.
In Europe, some politicians have gotten some flack for suggesting that people eat insects because it's better for the environment. Well, I guess that it's better than eating the dogs and eating the cats.
It's funny how the statement "crickets" now means that there is very little noise in the audience. Crickets are actually really loud and annoying. (My old roommates had a lizard that ate crickets.)
I hope the Democrats win in Alaska more than ever now. I can’t wait for the Republican cries of “cheating” and the inevitable Atlantic and NYT op-eds solemnly lecturing Democrats that unless they condemn every deceptive electoral tactic, they’re no better than Trump. The pearl-clutching and false equivalencies will be sweet music to my ears.
@loudogblog, There are cohorts that believe insects matter more than people. True story.
From the NYT article, one tiny paragraph in the middle of the very extensive reporting:
"𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘔𝘴. 𝘗𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦-𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘢 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵 — 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 — 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘵."
Seems like a rather relevant tidbit.
“Meatball” was the name of the bull terrier who was the mascot of the Black Sheep Squadron tv series with Robert Conrad as fake Boyington in the mid 1970s. The meatball was the red circle emblem of the Japanese, painted on Jap aircraft.
So perhaps the Alaska Senator candidate is interested in the Pacific war and named the dog accordingly. The Aleutian Islands were the only US territory occupied by enemy ground forces in w2.
I guarantee that Peltota didn't "force" her staff to capture the crickets. That's one of those clickbait embellishments that make people pay attention, like Klobuchar and the comb. Nobody cared about it until somebody got really pissed off by something else.
I wonder what really happened here. Ms. Rios seems to be pissed off.
C-span has former DNC chair and RNC chair talking about the Alaska scam.
Donna Brazille has thrown you under the bus! A very short bus, you dummy.
Caroline, great story.
I feel so bad for film school people who intern for no money, in the hopes that one day maybe they will be able to make some art. It's such a horrible scam.
If you want a friend in politics - get a dog. Attributed to Harry Truman.
@st croix, indeed it is. I went back home to New Orleans with my tail between my legs after one project ended and I couldn’t find work for months… used my writing skills as a narrative appraisal writer for daddy’s firm and then married a normie.
If elected, she would be a worthy replacement for the salad tosser Amy Klobuchar.
Stop trying to put dog on the political menu. That stopped with Obama. Tasted a little like chicken.
What’s with these n-word screaming harridans who throw things at their staff? Are all D candidates insane? Did you know that of the 4 people running for Senate in AK every single one except the incumbent R candidate was recruited by the DSCC and Peltola’s campaign. Yes, democrats and slimy snail-like lawyer Marc Elias are behind them all.
Pass the popcorn!
Speaking of insect politics, Mike Vecchione has a bug in the bathroom.
Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ said...
I hope the Democrats win in Alaska more than ever now. I can’t wait for the Republican cries of “cheating” and the inevitable Atlantic and NYT op-eds solemnly lecturing Democrats that unless they condemn every deceptive electoral tactic, they’re no better than Trump. The pearl-clutching and false equivalencies will be sweet music to my ears.
I really appreciate this sock puppet. I think he might be a money trying to make democrats look bad.
They are evil people who just do not believe in anything except their own power.
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