Sen. Ted Cruz is trolling for money by offering campaign donors copies of Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham that have been autographed by the Texas Republican, HuffPost reports.
In a Facebook ad featuring odd punctuation, Cruz’s campaign wrote, “Right now, the far left is trying to ‘CANCEL’ Dr. Seuss. As someone who has always been a big fan of Green Eggs and Ham, I won’t let that stand. So please rush an urgent Contribution of $60 and I’ll sign a copy of Green, Eggs, and Ham just for you!”
Cruz’s ad is an attempt to capitalize on conservative outrage over Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ decision to stop publishing six books by the children’s author that contain racist illustrations. The company’s move caused several Seuss titles to shoot to the top of the bestseller lists.
Cruz’s mass purchase of Dr. Seuss’ book would seem to benefit, not harm, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, financially rewarding them for their decision.
HuffPost reports that Cruz, in an email to supporters, said the response to his campaign “has been HUGE.”
This isn’t the first time Cruz has used Seuss’ classic book as a political prop. In 2013, he read the book aloud as part of a filibuster against Obamacare.
As of Friday afternoon, Green Eggs and Ham was ranked No. 18 on Amazon’s bestselling books list. Cruz’s own book, A Time for Truth, was ranked No. 603,518.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
