# GOP candidates are campaigning on non-existent litter boxes in schools **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 14, 2022, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256 "2022-10-14T15:08:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256/1 "2022-10-14T15:08:32Z")
Why are GOP candidates upset about non-existent litter boxes in schools? Because of the wave of non-existent students identifying as cats, of course. I worry that The Onion might go out of business. Parody may be dying, when compared to “real” news stories. > **[Cat litter box myths are suddenly a culture war flashpoint. Here's how that...](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/misinformation/urban-myth-litter-boxes-schools-became-gop-talking-point-rcna51439)** > > At least 20 Republican politicians have claimed that schools are making accommodations for students who identify as cats. The school districts say these claims are untrue. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256/2 "2022-10-14T15:18:22Z")
I can tell you the custodians are not going to agree to lugging bags of litter in all the time or cleaning the damned things. And they’re one of the people who know everything. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256/3 "2022-10-14T15:25:22Z")
Cats can be trained to use the toilet. Problem solved. I want to know if the school is providing scratching posts. Will they ban catnip? How do they protect students who identify as mice? Or as dogs? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256/4 "2022-10-14T15:58:20Z")
You realize how this all started - some brain-dead Republican mother heard her 13 year old call another student a pussy, and the ping pong ball that is her cognitive process took it from there. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256/5 "2022-10-14T16:13:06Z")
False though this may be, it’s going to latch on in the minds of a substantial number of voters for real. And it will influence their vote. Bank on it. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256/6 "2022-10-14T16:17:34Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > And it will influence their vote. I feel like, if something like this could influence their vote, their vote was probably already locked in. I figure the number of voters who have just heard this nonsense, but haven’t heard any of the the other, earlier nonsense surrounding these “culture wars” issues, is probably pretty small. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256/7 "2022-10-14T16:58:44Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > I feel like, if something like this could influence their vote, their vote was probably already locked in. They may vote twice. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256/8 "2022-10-14T17:04:00Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Or as dogs? Is this why I saw a line at a fire hydrant in front of the school across the street from my house? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256/9 "2022-10-14T17:05:40Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > I want to know if the school is providing scratching posts. No, but any teacher who likes to use a laser pointer is going to have a problem. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256/10 "2022-10-14T17:07:15Z")
Every Friday is Gooshy Fud Day in the cafeteria. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256/11 "2022-10-14T17:07:42Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Cats can be trained to use the toilet. Sure, but can Republicans be trained to do that? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256/12 "2022-10-14T17:08:53Z")
They’re more like hippos. (Sorry @iiandyiiii ) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256/13 "2022-10-14T22:54:30Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > I feel like, if something like this could influence their vote, their vote was probably already locked in. I figure the number of voters who have just heard this nonsense, but haven’t heard any of the the other, earlier nonsense surrounding these “culture wars” issues, is probably pretty small. All true. But the point is the more rageful the true believers are kept, the more money they send in and the more certain it is that they’ll brave whatever obstacles there may be to actually voting. And doing so in every race where a R-flavored candidate can be found. In a country where local dog catchers are elected and in many states are partisan offices, getting all the frothing Rs to vote all the races while the more laid-back D-leaning folks barely remember to show up, much less vote for anyone other than US president, is a sure path to total victory for the Evil Ones. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2022, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256/14 "2022-10-14T23:07:21Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > You realize how this all started - some brain-dead Republican mother heard her 13 year old call another student a pussy, and the ping pong ball that is her cognitive process took it from there. Funny joke, but it’s a documented fact that some teachers keep boxes of cat litter for children to urinate and defecate in. The real reason is infuriating and depressing, and it’s not at all what people think: > [@](#): > > Teachers in one Colorado public school district were recently given buckets and kitty litter so students are able to use the bathroom in the event of a lockdown, the district confirmed to TIME. > > Some teachers were given the “go buckets” at a back-to-school training within the Jefferson County Public School District. This is the same district where the [Columbine High School mass shooting](https://time.com/5572586/columbine-shooting-20th-anniversary-teacher/) left 12 student and one teacher dead in 1999. [Time Magazine, 8/2019](https://time.com/5658266/colorado-district-kitty-litter-buckets-lockdowns/) ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2022, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256/15 "2022-10-15T15:23:13Z")
If that were true, how could there be any undecided voters today? I’m always gobsmacked by people who can’t seem to decide between evil and progress. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2022, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256/16 "2022-10-16T12:03:23Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > In a country where local dog catchers are elected and in many states are partisan offices Dog catchers (or animal control officers) are not elected anywhere in the US. People have looked and can’t find anywhere that they are elected. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2022, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256/17 "2022-10-16T12:07:29Z")
Cool. Another shibboleth put to death. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2022, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256/18 "2022-10-16T13:27:01Z")
Well, not _exactly_… [Can’t Get Elected Dogcatcher? Try Running In Duxbury, Vt. : NPR](https://www.npr.org/2018/03/24/595755604/cant-get-elected-dogcatcher-try-running-in-duxbury-vt) He held the job, through election, for fifteen years before someone found out that it wasn’t supposed to be an elected position in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2022, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256/19 "2022-10-16T15:18:29Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > You realize how this all started - some brain-dead Republican mother heard her 13 year old call another student a pussy, and the ping pong ball that is her cognitive process took it from there. That’s harsh dude! Mind your proverbs. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2022, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256/20 "2022-10-16T15:31:42Z")
> [@chela](#): > > That’s harsh dude! Mind your proverbs. Oh man, all that worrying about pronouns, now the liberals are going after _verbs?_ 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gop-candidates-are-campaigning-on-non-existent-litter-boxes-in-schools/973256.md?page=2)