In a little town called White Settlement in Texas, a man named Elzie Clements went up against a library cat named Browser—and lost.
According to a local CBS affiliate, Browser was adopted to the local library as a kitten, as a means of controlling the rodent population and delighting book lovers. Then in July, over at City Hall, a worker wished to bring his puppy into the office and was denied. The unnamed man transferred his anger onto the innocent cat living amongst the stacks. If his puppy couldn’t come to work, Browser should be put out on his fluffy ass!
The White Settlement City Council put the matter to a vote. Only one person stood against Browser, City Councilman Clements. The support for Browser from the city council was in part a response to a huge backlash against his proposed eviction, when viral media caught wind of Browser’s tale. The mayor, Ron White, told ABC News at the time that he’d received more than 1,500 emails from all over the world demanding justice for Browser. In early July it was confirmed that the kitty had triumphed.
So what of Elzie Clements? CBS DFW reports that he lost in a landslide to his opponent this November, defeated by his cat vendetta. According to Death and Taxes, Mayor White firmly connected Clements loss to his anti-Browser stance when he told local radio station KRLD, “I don’t know why he was after Browser, ‘cause it’s my understanding he has cats at home. For some reason he had it in his head that there should not be a cat in a public building.”
We have until 2020 to find the cat who is willing to run against Donald Trump.