Inside D.C.

Trump’s victory — the activists’ worst nightmare

If you’re HSUS’ Wayne Pacelle or PETA’s Ingrid Newkirk, or any of their animal rights minions, what’s your take on the Trump White House win and a Republican-controlled Congress?

Newkirk, likely doesn’t care much who sits in the White House or in Congress. Several years ago when PETA first hired a Washington, DC lobbyist, those of us who dogged the group thought it was going mainstream.  We were wrong.  Never having had much faith in the “system,” PETA remains the outlaw of the animal rights movement, playing by its own rules, continuing its in-your-face activism, always looking to one up itself when it comes to outrageous, generally tasteless, but publicity generating stunts.

Pacelle, on the other hand, fashions himself the epitome of the enlightened, mainstream activist, leading the ignorant into the light, exploiting his congregation of those who believe HSUS is a dog-and-cat rescue group.  A Trump victory must be his worst nightmare because it’s clear President Donald Trump and those near and dear to him both personally and politically, simply don’t care about Pacelle or his issue.

HSUS and the Humane Society Legislative Fund (HSLF) are using the Trump victory and the fact his sons are hunters, tying these perceived transgressions to various Trump nominees for cabinet jobs, and are making lemonade out of Trump lemons by cranking out fundraising emails.  Here’s a snippet from one I just received from the HSUS political wing: “Steve, we need your support right now. Can you chip in $35, $45, or more to not only help us speak out against dangerous nominees like X, but to ensure we are prepared for the many challenges that lie ahead? It’s up to us to stand together to protect animals from cruelty and abuse.”

Former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue as secretary of agriculture or legal adversary Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as EPA administrator can’t be a comfort to Wayne and the HSUS boys.  Another nemesis, former Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman or oil millionaire Forrest Lucas’ “Protect the Harvest” chief exec Brian Klippenstein, all part of the Trump inner circle, have to keep Pacelle up at night.  While this is entertaining to think about – it does make me laugh – it isn’t where our attention must be focused.  The battles on the federal level will be easily contained.  It’s the governors’ offices and state legislatures where extra effort must be taken now to ensure nonsense is not the rule of the day.

Agriculture has long been a victim of its own successes in the sense that by stopping the animal rights movement cold in Congress and within even the most liberal administrations – the movement has never had a major agriculture victory on Capitol Hill – we force the activists to focus on state legislatures where they know they’ll be greeted more warmly.  The strategy here is simple:  Work to create disarray among state laws so as to interfere with commerce.  Then go to Capitol Hill and offer up a “federal solution” to mitigate the chaos.  Think egg laying hens and cages, gestation crates, California and Massachusetts and their retail restrictions based on production practice, labeling mischief, and don’t forget, the dozen or so “farm advisory councils” HSUS has set up around the country.

State legislators representing big and medium cities need serious attention early on and consistent education as to how farming and ranching work, the benefits and values they manifest, and the error it would be to enact legislation that in any way interferes with a producer’s ability to produce food.  Governors, both blue and red, and state agriculture committees, health committees and judiciary committees must all be educated that pressure is coming.  They must know where to turn to get the truth.