The Ugly Historical Echoes in JD Vance's Pet Stories

What’s with JD Vance and pets? The world was still reeling and leering over his attack on “childless cat ladies” as agents of civilizational collapse and the core of the Democratic Party. Now he has gone even weirder, spreading a baseless, debunked claim that Haitian immigrants were sweeping up and barbecuing pets in Springfield, Ohio.

Called out on this lunacy, he did what any good Trump bro would do. He simultaneously weaseled and doubled down, first saying he was just asking questions and foregrounding his constituents’ concerns—conspiracy theory redefined as constituent service. Then he admitted that he and Trump “created” the story based on supposed “firsthand accounts from my constituents.” And he defended it as a noble lie: “If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do,” he told CNN’s Dana Bash, “because you guys are completely letting Kamala Harris coast.” Never repent, never apologize, never make sense.

We’ve seen this movie before. During the 2016 presidential campaign, such dedicated truth seekers as 4chan, Alex Jones, and QAnon spread allegations that a Democratic death cult, including Hillary Clinton, abused and murdered young children in a DC pizzeria. One stooge went in and shot off an AR15, trying to break into the storage room where the child sacrifices were supposedly conducted. Others made death threats. Things quieted down until young TikTokkers revived Pizzagate mania in 2020.

Luckily, no one got killed. But Vance’s Petgate-mongering may have more serious consequences. Hospitals, schools, college, even Springfield City Hall have vacated, shut down, or gone virtual as the threats pour in.

https://www.postalley.org/2024/09/19/the-ugly-historical-echoes-of-jd-vances-pet-stories/