Attack ads. Opposition research dumps. A criminally underpaid intern dressed up in a giant milk carton costume. The Indiana Republican Senate primary had all the campaign gimmicks. But Todd Rokita just changed the game forever. He has released partisan children’s literature.
Rokita published Oh, The Places You’ll Forget!, a biting fable about how rival Rep. Luke Messer lives in McLean, Va., instead of Indiana. Think of it like a trollish Dr. Seuss.
So this is new. @ToddRokitaIN just released a children’s book. It’s called “Oh, The Places You’ll Forget!” and mocks Luke Messer for living in Virginia. #InSen https://t.co/aDTwoJlf0P pic.twitter.com/vjwmI7GYps
— Philip Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) April 25, 2018
The illustrations are modest but with vivid colors and the simple ABAB rhyme scheme is unpretentious but savagely sarcastic. Though billed as “a fun and enjoyable read for Hoosiers of all ages,” the book has a rather niche audience: conservative voters unoffended by personal broadsides. It’s on brand for Rokita. Since the beginning, the candidate has been willing to throw punches (even somewhat literally).
Rokita isn’t the only author in this race. Messer also wrote a children’s book with his wife, Jennifer, in 2006. It’s called Hoosier Heart. According to one customer who wrote a review on Amazon, it’s “a must read to make our history come alive for the young ‘Hoosiers’ ;and all the family of those Hoosiers that have moved away!”
Less than two weeks ahead of the May 8 primary, Rokita might be trying to get inside Messer’s head. But while those literary minds might think similarly, the electorate could think differently. The easiest thing to do is stop reading and this negativity could backfire.
Read a digital copy of the book here.
