Political polarization in the U.S. feels like it is at an all-time high, and it’s hard to find a single politician that both sides of the aisle can agree is absolutely purr-fect. And that designation may become even harder to come by, as sad news just broke that Stubbs, the (honorary) cat mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska, has passed away.

Stubbs had been mayor of Talkeetna, population 876, since he was a kitten, and garnered quite the following on the internet. A few years ago, news that the beloved mayor was attacked by a dog made it into the local media, and Stubbs regularly was featured on high-brow political lists like “Five of the nation’s most accomplished animal mayors.”

Sad news from Talkeetna, Stubbs the Cat, unofficial mayor has passed away. https://t.co/jbg03v7p7a pic.twitter.com/Ww2e8ZNsi2

— KTUU.com (@Ch2KTUU) July 23, 2017

Stubbs’ human family released a statement about his passing, explaining that the publicity at the end of his life was overwhelming:

In 2017, Stubbs did a couple TV shows and more than a handful of interviews, but was not fond of the camera and all the people; it had gotten to be too much for him. He made it to the store a handful of times this summer and was completely bombarded by people passing him back and forth to take selfies.

However, there is some good news. Stubbs’ family believes one of their new kittens, Denali, may be able to make a mayoral run as well.

And of course, Stubbs isn’t the only political pet in the spotlight these days. In Washington D.C., an intense contest is underway to determine the cutest dogs on the hill. At the federal level, Vice President Mike Pence recently welcomed a new puppy named Harley into his family. And of course, there are other animals looking to take on Stubbs’ mantle as actual political leaders in their hometowns. For example, two towns in Kentucky recently “elected” pit bull mayors. And a dog has recently launched a mayoral bid in Durham, North Carolina. He uses Twitter to connect with his followers:

Howdy! My name is Obie! What’s your name? I am a dog! Are you a dog? I’m running for Mayor of Durham NC! Vote for me or just pet me.

— Obie For Mayor (@ObieForMayor) June 30, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post RIP Stubbs: Cat Mayor Dies at 20 appeared first on Law Street.

I, for one, find parody accounts on Twitter hilarious; however, it is obvious that Jim Ardis, the mayor of Peoria, Illinois, disagrees. After discovering that someone had created a parody Twitter account in his name, rather than laugh it off, Ardis took extreme measures that ultimately led to a police raid of the creator’s home.

The account used the handle @peoriamayor and portrayed the mayor as a foul-mouthed, frequent drug user who loved going to strip clubs. The creator of the account is 29-year-old Jon Daniel, a writer, line cook, and father of two. Daniel shared with the Associated Press that he started the Twitter account as a joke. He told them, “I thought my friends would find it funny.”

While Daniel’s friends did indeed find the account funny, Ardis did not. Shortly after the account’s creation, the mayor discovered it and immediately started the process of getting it taken down. Just two days after the account’s creation, the city manager contacted the city’s chief information officer, Sam Rivera, and asked for help getting the account taken down. The email, which was sent on March 11, read, “Someone is using the Mayor’s likeness in a twitter account, it’s not him. @Peoriamayor. Can you work to get it shut down today?”

Just an hour later, emails were sent by city manager Patrick Urich to the city’s police chief demanding a police investigation into the account’s creator. While the police were skeptical if a crime had even been committed, Ardis was persistent and demanded that it be looked into further. Eventually, Detective James Feehan dug deep enough and found an obscure Illinois statute that makes it illegal to falsely portray a government official. The police were then able to subpoena Twitter for the IP address behind @Peoriamayor, and then subpoenaed Comcast to trace that IP information back to Daniel’s house.

On April 15, three weeks after the account was suspended, police raided Daniel’s home. Because one of the tweets involved a photo of a “white powdery substance” and a razor blade, the police entered the home armed with a warrant allowing them to search for drugs, paraphernalia, and electronics that could post to Twitter. The police confiscated several electronic devices, but ultimately did not arrest Daniel.

They did, however, arrest his roommate. Police seized a “large gold gift bag with five sandwich bags containing a green leafy substance” and arrested Jacob Elliot, Daniel’s roommate, for possession of marijuana.

Daniel is now fighting back, and suing Ardis and six other city employees for violating his First and Fourth Amendment rights. The account was clearly labeled as a parody account, and therefore should not have been taken down. Typically, spoofs and parodies like this Twitter account are protected by the First Amendment because they are considered a form of political speech and are not intended to deceive anyone.

The 55-year-old mayor is threatening a countersuit for defamation. In an attempt to demonstrate that the tweets were not clearly parody, Ardis “gave a straight-faced reading of Daniel’s most off-color tweets, including messages that voiced enthusiastic support for strippers, tequila and crack pipes.”

Just three days after the raid, Ardis received some detrimental news for his defamation “case” –there may be an internet exception to the impersonating statute. If this is the case, everyone missed it, from the investigators to the State Attorney’s Office to the judges, and it is likely that they will toss his case. In addition, the mayor has received major public criticism for his drastic actions against Daniel. The incident has been labeled “Twittergate” in Illinois, and several other Ardis parody accounts have popped up on social media. It will be interesting to see what, if any, action Ardis takes against these new impersonators. Hopefully he won’t be raiding any more homes.

Ardis has also received many emails from people all over the world mocking him for his actions. One message read: “Just to give you heads up, sir: I will be mocking you at the dinner table this evening, I will await your stormtroopers with some fresh coffee and rolls. Please phone ahead.” While this situation is yet to be resolved, it’s unlikely that things will turn out in Ardis’ favor.

And for your daily laugh, here is a video of Ardis reading some of @peoriamayor’s tweets:

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Brittany Alzfan (@BrittanyAlzfan) is a student at the George Washington University majoring in Criminal Justice. She was a member of Law Street’s founding Law School Rankings team during the summer of 2014. Contact Brittany at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Glenn Halog via Flickr]

Brittany Alzfan

Brittany Alzfan is a student at the George Washington University majoring in Criminal Justice. She was a member of Law Street’s founding Law School Rankings team during the summer of 2014. Contact Brittany at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Peoria Mayor Sends Police to Raid Home of Twitter Parody Account Creator appeared first on Law Street.

I have made known how I feel about Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.  The cliff notes version is that I think he is a joke.  My colleague Annaliese wrote a pretty funny sendup of him as well.  He has been discussed ad nauseum in the media as of late, mainly for being a mess of a politician and human being.

A few hundred miles away, a different city has been talking about a different politician. Rep. Radel is a freshman congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives and represents Florida’s 19th Congressional District.  In October, he was arrested for purchasing three-and-a-half grams of cocaine from an undercover police officer. This activity, of course, is frowned upon.

Rep. Trey Radel, courtesy of U.S. Government (Office of Congressman Trey Radel) via Flickr.

Ok, I have to be honest.  I did not bat an eye when I read about Radel and his nose candy purchase.  Person in a position of power decides that, in their free time, they want to play Tony Montana; also, today ends in “Y.”  Next controversy?

I got to thinking why I was so incensed about Mayor Ford, and so indifferent regarding Rep. Radel.  Here are my findings:

Their positions

Trey Radel is in his first term as a U.S. Representative. He was sworn in ten months ago, and is at the bottom of the Congressional totem pole.  In addition, there are literally 434 other people who do  the exact same job as Rep. Radel. There is enough of a buffer that a coke binge would not stop the wheels of legislation.  However Radel’s arrest has drawn the ire of many because he recently voted to drug test recipients of public monies like food stamps and welfare (the gall!). His reasoning: if you receive government money as a public benefit, you cannot do drugs. If you receive government money as a result of a job that you are doing, drugs are okay.

Rob Ford, on the other hand, is the executive of Toronto. You know, Toronto, the largest city in Canada.  Imagine the uproar if the mayor of a city like New York said that he was really drunk when he smoked crack?  Bloomberg would never. New York would also have de Blasio’s head.  It would not fly in any major American city: not Los Angeles, not Boston, not Washington, D.C.—oh wait.  Nevermind. Additionally, a mayorship inherently has more immediate power than a member of Congress could have from their job, and the duties of a mayor’s job has a more direct effect on constituents.

Their Images

Trey Radel is a 37-year old Floridian and former news anchor. The guys is good looking. Unfortunately, that helps.  Look, this is not the first time looks have been advantageous to a politician.  He is a favorite of the tea party, hip enough to tweet, and has a young family. Finally, cocaine has a different social connotation than crack. This dates back to the Reagan Administration and the war on drugs.  Drugs are still drugs, of course, but cocaine is more widely accepted as recreational or social.

Rob Ford, on the other hand, looks like a cartoon character.  He has been a public figure long enough to have many televised gaffes that have since been turned into .gifs many times over.  Additionally, crack is embarrassing. When Whitney Houston was accused of crack cocaine use, she explicitly stated that she made too much money to ever smoke crack cocaine.  The Chapelle Show’s Tyrone Biggums character was a hilariously accurate rendering of how most people imagine users of crack cocaine. To imagine the mayor of Toronto smoking crack, then, is particularly jarring.

Rob Ford, courtesy of Shaun Merritt via Flickr.

Their Reactions

Almost a month after his arrest, Radel’s office released statements that seemed to follow the tried and true “politician in trouble” response.  He acknowledged that he had a problem and wanted to take a leave of absence from the House of Representatives.  He mentioned that he’d let himself, his family, and his constituents down. His actions immediately after the arrest made it seem like he thought that the incident would remain under the radar.  This hypothesis is bolstered by the fact that, according to reports, he did not tell senior Congressional officials until recently. In the days since the widespread dissemination of his arrest details, Radel has vowed to seek treatment for his addictions.

Rob Ford’s reaction was atypical, to say the least.  He took Bill Clinton’s “definition of ‘is’ is” and ran it sixty yards to a touchdown in the game of “most ridiculous political excuses”.  You’ll recall that the Mayor said that he never lied, but instead was asked the incorrect question, which subsequently elicited an improper response.  Had the obviously inept reporter simply asked if he’d ever smoked crack, well then the answer would have been a resounding yes.  Duh.  Why? Because it’s the truth.  THE TRUTH.  Not habitually, and not voluntarily- he was just blackout drunk.  This nonsensical response is what one would expect from a crackhead.  With Ford, the jokes right themselves.

The Aftermath

What it comes down to is the potential for redemption. In America, we love a good comeback.  This is Radel’s first public slip up, and if he is smart it will be the last.  In addition, he is not the first member of Congress to be in this position. He can make a successful political comeback, and if he plays his cards right could even run for higher office.  Oh America, you truly are the land of dreams!

Ford, on the other hand, is in uncharted territory.  His behavior since the admission of smoking crack has gotten worse, believe it or not.  I mean, the man tried to tackle someone during a vote of no confidence of the Toronto legislature. He has taken the ultimate step towards irreverence and signed on for a reality television show. There is really nowhere for him to go but down- let’s just hope he puts the pipe down.

[Washington Post] [Post] [CNN]

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Featured image courtesy of [F l a n k e r via Wikipedia]

Peter Davidson II

Peter Davidson is a recent law school graduate who rants about news & politics and raves over the ups & downs of FUNemployment in the current legal economy. Contact Peter at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post A Tale of Two Politicians appeared first on Law Street.

This is Rob Ford.  He is the current mayor of Toronto, the largest city in Canada.

Courtesy of West Annex News via Flickr.

He has been in the news for the past few days following an admission on November 5 that he had smoked crack cocaine while in office.

There’s more: the crack smoking is allegedly on tape.

There’s even more: Mayor Ford says that he has no plans to resign from his mayorship.

Mayor Ford doesn’t plan on stepping down because he “loves his job.”  He plans on finishing his current term, and next year he will run for reelection.

Backstory

On May 16, 2013, Gawker published an article which describes in great detail its investigation into the claims of Mayor Ford’s drug use.  Their research includes travel to Toronto, secret meetings in cars, and a cell phone video of Ford with a crack pipe in his mouth.  In fact, Gawker was so invested in securing this video as proof of their claims that they set up an Indiegogo for $200,000, the amount of money that the owners of the video said it would cost for them to sell.

Keep in mind these claims were made six months ago.  At the time, Ford vehemently denied that he had ever smoked crack.

He’s now changing his tune.

In reference to Canadian crackgate, Ford now says that reporters did not ask him the correct questions initially.  His exact words were, “you didn’t ask the correct questions…No, I’m not an addict.  And no, I do not do drugs.  I made mistakes in the past and all I can do is apologize.”

It’s all a technicality, you see.  During an impromptu press conference, he said he does not smoke crack cocaine, just that he has smoked crack cocaine.  Get it?  Semantics.

That’s not all, though.  Ford now says that he did smoke crack cocaine, but that it occurred at a time when he was in a drunken stupor.  He goes further, and implores the various members of the press to provide him with a copy of the video.  Due to the severity of this particular drunken stupor, he has no idea as to what this video contains.   He wants to watch the video with all of Toronto so that everyone can be on the same page.

Unsurprisingly, the Toronto City Council wants Mayor Ford gone sooner rather than later.  There has been a motion made for Ford to take a leave of absence, and other Canadian political figures have also voiced their lack of confidence in the Mayor’s ability to effectively lead the city.

Regardless of how other politicians feel, Ford feels like 1,000 pounds is off his back now that the secret’s out in the open. Phew! The admission of a little recreational crack will surely do wonders for Ford’s reelection campaign (which could probably use some donations right about now).

Why this matters

I don’t know much, if anything, about Canadian politics.  What I do know is that most municipalities prefer to have confidence in the leadership qualities that their Executive branches of government possess.

I also know that I’m a part of a generation that is routinely warned of the dangers of having a picture tagged on Facebook with a beer in my hand, lest that one beer lead someone somewhere to surmise that I’m a raging alcoholic with dangerous propensities and a terrible work ethic.

I know that though I am a recent law school graduate with a job, there are thousands of similar people out there with no job prospects despite high grades, bar passage, and the common sense to not get drunk enough to smoke crack.  So if you’re unemployed, you can always consider a career in politics.

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Featured image courtesy of [sari dennise via Flickr]

Peter Davidson II

Peter Davidson is a recent law school graduate who rants about news & politics and raves over the ups & downs of FUNemployment in the current legal economy. Contact Peter at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Admits to Smoking Crack Cocaine While in Office appeared first on Law Street.