GOP Uses Dr. Seuss Issue to Raise Funds

Republicans aren't happy about the "cancellation" of certain Dr. Seuss books over racist imagery—and they're using the issue to raise money. "'Cancel Culture is TOXIC!' / Patriots proudly declare," reads a rhyme on the National Republican Congressional Committee's fundraising page. "'Free Speech must be defended.' / Dems retort: 'Too bad! Don’t care!' / If you’re tired of nonsense: / Join us. Take a stand. / Condemn the Far Left for / Their radical plan. / We won’t be able to speak or think freely, / By the time the Dems are through. / Chip in $25 now and / We’ll send 'Cat in the Hat' right to you." As Axios points out, The Cat in the Hat is not actually one of the six books that Dr. Seuss Enterprises will no longer be publishing. This is just the latest example of the right using "cancel culture" as a rallying cry, Axios notes.

Other examples of fundraising calls issued by the NRCC recently include, "The Liberal mob wants to cancel the Fourth of July" and "The Radical Left wants to cancel Christmas for good." Meanwhile, as the books' cancellation drove demand for them way up, eBay announced Thursday it was sweeping its marketplace to delist all copies for sale, the Wall Street Journal reports. Other major retailers, including Barnes & Noble, had also pulled the books, though third-party sellers were still offering them on Amazon (for extravagant prices). One seller whose listing was pulled tells the Journal she was told by eBay that the book violated its "offensive material policy." Libraries oppose censorship, and the director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom tells CNN it will be up to individual libraries to decide whether to pull the books. Two big ones have so far announced the books will stay on shelves, CBS News reports: New York and Denver. (More Dr. Seuss stories.)