The Springfield Ohio story about Hatian immigrants eating pets continues. VP candidate JD Vance first elevated this rumor before the debate and Trump amplified it during the debate. Then on CNN yesterday, Vance repeated the lie, and correspondant Dana Bash said there were no verifiable claims that the incidents happened. He then admitted that he and former President Donald J. Trump have been spreading these lies, because he was willing “to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention.” He is CREATING STORIES. (He also was very condescening to Dana Bash)
It is appalling to me that they willingly spread falsehoods to further their cause—and that they stand by these falsehoods even in the face of clear facts that debunk them. It’s as if they could care less that they are caught in a lie, as long as they scare people.
There are now bomb threats in Springfield, children in elementary schools have been evacuated three days in a row, missing school because of these lies and hateful rhetoric. People are scared.
And the Proud Boys are in the town, parading around distributing hate fliers.
What is this?!
Yesterday, a man was arrested and has been accused of potentially attempting to shoot Trump in Florida. I can’t even bring myself to say “attempted assasination.” Trump is saying the man did this because of Biden/Harris rhetoric against him. More disinformation, lies and hate to inflame division.
Elon Musk, a Trump supporter and owner of X (formerly Twitter) posted today, and then removed, a tweet in response to a user who asked why someone would want to kill Trump, “And no one is even trying to assassinate Biden/Kamala.” His post included a thinking-face emoji.
When will this stop?
Welcome to new subscribers, many of you have come via my friend Heather Cox Richardson who kindly mentioned me this morning! Thank you for joining this great community of people! Glad to have you here, and I hope you will comment and join the conversations. I have been unusually busy with filming my documetary, Women Laughing, yesterday and today, but will be back to normal posts tomorrow.
Here is a drawing from the shoot today. it is a sketch of the table and chairs where I talked and drew with New Yorker women cartoonists in the last two days.
Cartoonists are the ones who should be making up stories, not men running for President and Vice President.
Thanks for being here, see you tomorrow!
Cartoonists, like you, give a visual representation of important and timely events in the world. Yes you have the right to make up stories, but often the words of characters are not made up. They are created, I think, to enlighten, inform and entertain. Cartoons are quick snapshots of events or people going about living their lives or reacting to events. The fact that Vance feels it is OK to make up stories, promote lies just like Trump, is so unbelievable but it is fact. I wonder what Vance's children are learning from their dad? Maybe that it is OK to tell lies. I follow both you and Heather. Thank you. and all of the cartoonists, and historians. Cartoons, especially political cartoons, have always been a vehicle to record history. I look forward to your drawings and to Heather's posts that give historical perspecitve as well. Thank you .
Absolutely wonderful drawings and comments. Liza, you deserve a much wider audience and I'm proud to be a subscriber.