Today is Saturday, July 27, 2024. If an election could be won on one stupid remark made by someone representing what is now an anti-American, antidemocratic party, the Republican Party, just ask J.D. Vance, the choice selected by the Orange Turd to be his running mate, whose 2021 reference to “cat ladies” resurfaced, along with his interview on Fox “News” with now-departed Tucker Carlson. This asinine comment about politicians who don’t have children has fired up the Internet and even Taylor Swift fans known as “Swifties” in screaming bloody murder against Vance for even suggesting the metaphor. In an interesting online CNN article on this pop culture image by Scottie Andrew entitled “How ‘cat lady’ became an insult for women of a certain age,” the history of the “cat lady” and what it really represents is provided.

The personification of the “cat lady,” according to Andrew, is “one of pop culture’s most bizarre characters – and easiest punching bags.”

One of these characters populates the ever-popular The Simpsons series in the character of Eleanor Abernathy, a reclusive resident of Springfield who speaks in gibberish and hurls her cats at passersby. This cat lady can be found in Edie Beale, tucked inside Grey Gardens, cuddling kittens while raccoons, rats, and nature eat away at her decrepit mansion.

Now this strange icon of pop culture supposedly resides in the person of Kamala Harris, who’s running against Vance and Donald Duck. Vance was using the insult to describe Harris and other politicians who don’t have biological children.

In his rambling screed against Democrats and “corporate oligarchs” ( fancy him referring to these titans of industry when he’s definitely in the pocket of a tech billionaire himself), he called them “miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made.” He added, “And so they wanna make the rest of the country miserable, too.”

Then he singled out Harris, Pete Buttigieg, the Transportation Secretary, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and “the entire future of the Democrats [that] is controlled by people without children.” It’s just plain ridiculous, come to think of it. And Buttigieg and his husband announced that they adopted twins the month following Vance’s interview.

Harris, too, doesn’t even fit the stereotypical “cat lady” part since she’s married, for one, and has two stepchildren. She’s not a shut-in like some Dickensian character, Miss Havisham, and, as far as we know, doesn’t even own cats.

Instead of the insult having any real effect, it’s even inspired self-identified “childless cat ladies” and allies to rally around Harris and embracing the moniker. Women who have both children and cats are expressing their support for the presidential candidate and cat lovers everywhere.

The numbers of cat and cat lady supporters is strong: Cats are second only to dogs as America’s most popular pet – over 37 million U.S. households have a cat, according to 2022 statistics from the American Veterinary Medical Association. And one can never underestimate the power of loyal Swfties who align to defend their idol (who does have three cats) and her furry loves.

Criticizing Vance for his insensitive and ignorant comment, Fiona Robyn-Rapsey, a professor at the University of Wollongong in Australia, says that the use of the term cat lady “expresses hostility for women in public office by implying they should be at home” with children.” She herself authored a chapter about “crazy cat ladies” in the nonfiction book Animaladies. She said this about Vance’s dig: “Lots of people like cats and won’t stomach their affection being made a target for misogyny, so Vance will have to reckon with that!”

With this inappropriate dig at childless women who have cats, Vance has seen the fur fly with millions of enraged women across the country. He has proved his unfitness for the office with this disgusting rebuke of unmarried women. Who will now won’t vote for the ticket! He’s probably angered many men with his comments about the topic too.

Well, I did drive to Southport, Connecticut, for the Pequot Library’s huge summer book sale under the sky and I almost regretted it. The traffic was unbearable. For an hour or so drive from Larchmont, New York, where I stopped to have some breakfast, the commute dragged on for an hour or so more because of the stop-and-go traffic. I could have exited from I 95 at any time and turned around, but I was determined to get to my destination at any cost.

I started out about 10:40 and finally arrived around 1:40 or so. One good thing: I found the last parking spot by the side of the library. I immediately made my way to the first tent where there were books of all sorts. There were also records, music CDs, and DVDs as well. I tried to resist picking up any book and buying it. I did select some nice CDs.

The six books I did buy include stories by Jay McInerney entitled How It Ended; a book on classic Hollywood called Movieland, by Jerome Charyn; Finding George Orwell in Burma by Emma Larkin, where she retraces the steps of the author of 1984 in Burma (now known as Myanmar); Evicted by Matthew Desmond, in which the author follows eight families living in financial straits in Milwaukee; Let Me Finish by Roger Angell, an autobiography of a man who had a mother, Katharine White, a founding editor of The New Yorker, and a famous stepfather, E.B. White; and Perfect Pitch by Tim Bouverie, a book examining 100 pieces of classical music for those who know practically nothing about classical music, for which I include myself. To me, these books all seem fascinating for their subject matter. Will I read them? is the $64,000 question.

I also got some CDs: the Broadway cast recording of Parade; a Rodney Dangerfield comedy CD called No Respect; Class of ’62: The Golden Days of Rock n’ Roll (a two-disc set); a Julie Andrews CD where she sings classic Broadway tunes; and, of course, a Barbra Streisand CD, a “Live in Concert” recording, called Timeless.

The time was a little after 4 when I headed back to the car and began my slog back to Forest Hills. Even though there were some slow pockets of traffic on my way back, it was actually less troublesome going back. I was not stuck in so many traffic snarls as I was going up to Southport. I think I got home a little before 6.

Anyway, I’m glad I’m home and not driving anymore.

Tomorrow is my son’s birthday and I will be celebrating it with him since he’s been here for his grandmother’s burial this past Wednesday. Elliot and I will be taking him to a nice steakhouse in Roslyn, Long Island. So I will probably not be writing my blog tomorrow, given these circumstances.

So have a great Sunday.

Stay safe and be well.