This is a real thing that is really happening. As the Washington Post reported today: “Limberbutt, a stern-faced tabby, professes belief in a fair tax code, a strong middle class, affordable health care and gay-cat marriage rights.”
His campaign managers, the paper wrote, are Kentucky teenagers Isaac Weiss and Emilee McCubbins, who initially built the website as a joke — but “were surprised when, after setting up a social-media campaign and website, Limberbutt started getting national and international attention.” A few months and several thousand Facebook fans later, he’s officially registered with the FTC.
Technically — technically — there’s no law that prevents a feline presidential candidate, the Post writes: ‘After all, the U.S. Constitution states that the ‘no person, except a natural born citizen … shall be eligible to the office of President.’ Note that the Constitution doesn’t explicitly require said “person” to be human — because the founders surely didn’t think any clarification would be necessary.” It’s a stretch, but at least the 7-year old Limberbutt meets the age requirement of 35, if you count in cat years.
It’s happened before, apparently, though on a smaller political scale: At least one town in the U.S. has elected a cat as mayor; two others have elected dogs, and one a goat. But, per the Post:
Limberbutt’s humans said they aren’t actually suggesting people vote for the cat in November; even they don’t plan to do so. But the kitty campaign seems to have tapped into voter discontent, Weiss said.
“I would argue that people today have become fed up with the two-party system,” said Weiss, who, despite his earnestness, could not help himself from turning to the kind of pun that typifies animal campaigns. “Limberbutt, for them, is an outlet to voice their frustrations and have a political discussion with a true outsider and hopeful Washington fat cat.”
Okay, but why try to resist that urge in the first place? Really, think of the pun potential: standing up for demeowcracy. I’m the purr-son for the job. Let’s keep this campaign paws-itive. Let’s build a big, beautiful scratching post and make Mexico pay for it. Campaign issues: Litter-acy, the economeow, campaign finance refurm. Security detail (de-tail!): Secret Service pawdyguards. I have a four-hour bus trip ahead of me later tonight, and I’ll be damned if I won’t spend it brainstorming more cat puns.
Anyway, there’s a cat running for president, and its name is Limberbutt McCubbins, and that’s pretty much all you need to know about that. Happy Friday, and God bless Amowrica.
