Last night, I watched MSNBC’s Brian Williams talk with Washington Post Reporter Philip Rucker who had written a piece called, Like a dog: Trump has a long history of using canine insults to dehumanize enemies. Rucker said, “In President Trump’s singular lexicon, there is no more vicious putdown than likening an adversary to a dog.”
“Choked like a dog.”
“Fired like a dog.”
“Sweat like a dog.”
And, by now, most of us know that the Germophobe-in-Chief, who is so very frightened of his mentee Omarosa Marigault Newman, called her a dog.
“When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn’t work out,” Trump said. “Good work by General Kelly for quickly firing that dog!”
“Calling an African-American woman an animal is, as CNN's Veronica Stracqualursi aptly put it, ‘at best a sharp departure from the language typically employed by presidents and at worst a reference that traffics in sexual and racial imagery.’"
Philip Rucker writes: “Animal slurs come easily to Trump, who over the past few years has likened a long list of perceived enemies to dogs—including former FBI director James B. Comey, former acting attorney general Sally Q. Yates, former chief White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon, 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, Senator Mark Rubio (R-Fla.), journalist David Gregory, and conservative commentator Erick Erickson.”
“But in Trump’s telling, Manigault Newman did not simply get fired “like a dog.” She was a “dog” herself.”
“The president’s calling a woman a dog—and not just any woman, but the highest-ranking African American who has served on his White House Staff—drew stern condemnations.”
I’ll let others write more about the responses to Trump’s tweet! The purpose of this diary is to announce a new political group, DLAT, Dog Lovers Against Trump! Just think about it. More than 43 million Americans own dogs. And, Millenials own more pets than any other age group!
And, here’s where it gets interesting. Haven’t we all wanted to find an issue which would attract voters to our side from traditionally red states? And, aren’t we looking for a way to get Millenials to vote? Well, ladies and gents, the answer is dogs. The U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographic Sourcebook by the American Veterinary Medical Association (but I can’t link to it), provides all the data we need. The following states have the most dog owners:
1. Arkansas: 47.9%
2. New Mexico: 46%
3. Kentucky: 45.9%
4. Missouri: 45.9%
5. West Virginia: 45.8%
6. Mississippi: 45.2%
7. Alabama: 44.1%
8. Tennessee: 44.1%
9. Texas: 44%
10. Oklahoma: 43.2%
But, we know that dog lovers live in every single state from sea to shinning sea. And, who among us is going to let Donald Trump continue to use the word “dog” as a vicious slur? What manner of president hates dogs? Who joins me in thinking that Trump’s delight in calling people names is neither dignified nor presidential, and is an embarrassment on an international scale?
I believe all dog lovers will agree that for Donald Trump to malign people by calling them dogs is unAmerican and untoward behavior for the President of the United States of America. And it’s time We The People from red and blue states—young and old—work together to create a massive blue wave in November!
My fantasy is for Democratic organizations to organize a million person and dog march on Washington where we verbally express our opposition to anti-dog Donald Trump and his presidency of hate, while our best friends leave ample samples (enclosed in DLAT doggy bags) of their disdain!
And, today, I will design a DLAT T-shirt featuring my best friend Jack, which I’ll wear on our walks every day. FYI...The only qualifications for membership in DLAT is a love of dogs, a fervent belief in democracy, and a promise to vote for democratic candidates in November!
*Last night I found the photo of the Vizla puppy in the Daily Kos image library. But I didn’t think to credit it. And, this morning I can’t find it. So, if it’s yours, let me know so I can add your credit! It’s a great photo!