Cats are smart, independent and savvy, so should it be any surprise to find that Stubbs, who is part Manx with a short tail, was just re-elected to his 15th year as may or Talkeetna, Alaska.
The story has taken the press by storm, and a Google search found more than 15 pages with links to news articles about the rarity. Of course, the press loves animal stories. And in today’s acrid political scene, this story brings a smile to one’s face.
Cats’ involvement in politics as spoofs isn’t something new. But Stubbs is real. He actually is the honorary mayor of Talkeetna, a post he’s held for the past 15 years. He seems to make muster and the people keep re-electing him to office.
Back then, it appears the 900 residents didn’t like any of the candidates running for mayor, so they encouraged everyone to vote for Stubbs, who was just a little fella as a write-in candidate.
The rest is history. He’s been a terrific boost to tourism because people want to visit the town with the cat mayor. Stubbs spends much of his time at Nagley’s General Store, where reportedly he draws in quite a crowd, up to 30 to 40 people a day, hoping to meet the honorary mayor. Stubbs doesn’t give interviews so I’m relying on interest postings. But he does make a daily showing at Nagley’s general store in the afternoon, where he’s served a glass of catnip and water. He even has his own Facebook page.
Talkeetna is located near Mount McKinley and is about 180 km northwest of Anchorage.
There’s no doubt cats often create a spoof and a bit of attention when it comes to politics.
Presidential Candidate 1988 & 1992
In the 1988, Morris the Cat became the first cat to run for President. He was contesting Republican George H. W. Bush and Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis In 1992, he repeated his candidacy for president, loosing out to Bill Clinton. George H. Bush Sr., and Henry Perot, of the Reform Party, went down in defeat with the cat. I don’t believe Morris was at any conventions give catspirational speeches, and I’m not sure what his party affiliation was, but his buttons and ensuring conversation were lots of fun and provided a bit of humor. Come to think of it, I believe I still have his campaign button.
A cat’s bid for the highest office in the United States are being repeated again this year, as we find the candidacy of Keyboard Cat for President 2012 creating quite a splash.
In the Senate race, Hank the Cat has thrown in his hat to run for a senate seat in Virginia. According to Hank’s website (he was too busy for a phone interview) he says, “To make our homes and our future a better and brighter place, we don’t need to start at the top – we need to start right here with ourselves. If you improve the living condition of a single home, it has a ripple effect throughout the street. Improve the street, it ripples to the neighborhood. Improve the neighborhood, it ripples to the county. Improve the county, it ripples through the state. Improve the state, it ripples to the entire nation. In each of us we have the power to improve our own lives, to improve the lives of our neighbors, our state, and our country.”
That seems like a logical argument to this blogger. Perhaps we humans should take some advice from our felines friends, stop the cat fights, be a little more conciliatory, listen, be independent in our thinking, and negotiate for what’s best for us overall, not just in behest of one or two special Fat Cats.
Political cats are not an abnormality to just the United States. On Google, Ann Dziemianowicz, author of Careers for Cats, talks about Bublik, a three-month-old kitten who recently declared he wants to enter the dog-eat-dog world of Russian politics. His campaign slogan is “For a Fun Future”. The website says the competitive kitty is ready to start kissing babies and shaking hands.
Think it’s time for us all to get down to some real serious cat talk, and ask ourselves, if he dissatisfaction with our candidates and our future lead us to query whether the mysterious feline world might have some better answers for us all. That indeed, gives us, Pause for Reflection.
What’s your opinion about these cat related political spoofs? Are they folly or fun? Or perhaps, do they make a point? Your thoughts…..
They’re planning for world domination! Starting with getting into the highest seats of politics!
Tuxedo Stan is preparing to lead an entire council of felines as the new mayor of Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada – “Because neglect isn’t working.” Cats are not included in the local animal control bylaws – as a result, they are left to suffer and die horribly when they are lost or abandoned. This campaign was started to focus public attention on the problem and force local politicians to discuss the issue. We have plenty of ideas for keping Stan in the limelight until the election in October. Stay tuned!