Political Cat Attack

Texas politician Dan Patrick launches Buzzfeed ripoff to attack opponent

Love them or hate them, Buzzfeed's lists of GIFs are everywhere. And now we can thank State Sen. Dan Patrick for introducing them into our political campaign process.

Patrick, an ultra-conservative Republican senator from Houston, officially announced his campaign to challenge incumbent David Dewhurst in the race for Texas lieutenant governor back in June. Since then, Patrick has been relentless in his criticism of Dewhurst and his role in the SB5 debate and filibuster by State Sen. Wendy Davis (a potential statewide office candidate herself, who is profiled in the September issue of Vogue).

"I don't know if you've been on the Internet lately, but cats are hot," said Alan Blakemore, senior strategist for the Texans for Patrick campaign.

But, in his latest attack ad against Dewhurst, Patrick unleashed the ultimate secret weapon: cat GIFs.

Today, the Texans for Patrick campaign team launched Dewfeed, a website that rips off Buzzfeed and chronicles the Davis SB5 filibuster by calling it "the night that will live in Texas political infamy, as told by cats."

At first, it seems completely ridiculous and possibly fake. But look closer and you'll notice that it links to Patrick's official website and gives viewers an opportunity to donate to his campaign. Also, Patrick's official Twitter account woke up the #txlege Twitter feed, which tends to get slow on Fridays, with this little announcement: @DanPatrick "Just launched DewFeed.com for the latest #omg #fail #lols from Lt Governor David Dewhurst. RT! #txlege"

"I don't know if you've been on the Internet lately, but cats are hot," said Alan Blakemore, senior strategist for the Texans for Patrick campaign. The website was developed by Harris Media, but future plans are vague. "We have a lot of great ideas," Blakemore said. "The lieutenant governor has given us a wealth of things to work with."

Buzzfeed didn't have much to say about Dewfeed. "This isn't something we'd comment on, but thank you for checking," the site's senior press director, Ashley McCollum, told CultureMap.

This lieutenant governor race will undoubtedly get more interesting as it continues, but Dewfeed certainly is a head-scratcher. In our world of short attention spans and fleeting communications — Twitter, Instagram, hashtags, memes, etc. — it's totally plausible that an undecided voter would remember (and vote for) Patrick merely for his cat GIFs rather than his values or policy goals.

But maybe that is the goal? For the sake of Texas, and humanity, let's hope that's not the case.

Welcome to political campaigns 2013, friends, where animated cat GIFs can tell you all you need to know about candidates for public office. OMG. FAIL. LOLS.

The Dewfeed homepage.

Dewfeed.com

The Dewfeed homepage.

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Nick and Nora news

Dallas takes steps to protect White Rock Lake eaglets as they learn to fly

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Visitors to White Rock Lake may notice new restrictions and barricades near a bald eagle nesting area, as three eaglets begin learning to fly.

According to a release from the City of Dallas, Dallas Park and Recreation is monitoring the eagle couple, affectionately nicknamed "Nick and Nora" by local residents, closely because they now have three young eaglets ready to take flight. (While their exact location is widely known, down to the very tree, this CultureMap story is not going to disclose it out of an abundance of caution for the fragile family.)

The city is asking area visitors to keep noise levels low and dogs on leashes near the nest.

The release says water-filled barricades are in place along East Lawther Drive between the playground and the Dreyfuss split, temporarily affecting vehicle access in the area. Drivers should expect short delays, and cyclists are being asked to slow down nearby. The playground near the nesting zone is also temporarily closed.

Officials say the Dreyfuss area, White Rock Trail, and Lake Highlands Drive will remain open for walking and biking.

The three eaglets are in a developmental phase known as “branching,” when young bald eagles begin leaving the nest and learning to fly. During this period, the eaglets may be seen on the ground or perched in lower tree branches.

Texas Parks and Wildlife officials say this is a particularly sensitive stage because the young birds can appear injured or distressed as they develop their flying skills. Adult eagles may also become more protective during this time.

"Keeping a safe distance helps prevent problems for both the eagle family and park visitors," park officials say.

Dallas Park and Recreation is coordinating with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the eagle family, the release says.

Bald eagles have been spotted near the lake since at least 2019, and have returned in subsequent years to make a nest in the area.

After nearly disappearing decades ago from most of the United States, the bald eagle population is now flourishing across the nation.

Bald eagles are protected under federal law. Disruption of their natural activities is prohibited and a violation of the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. A violation can result in a fine of $100,000, imprisonment for one year, or both.

parks conservation white rock lake animals