An anonymous online scold has begun a virtual game of cat and mouse with elected officials, awarding leaders willing to reach across party lines for the greater good with quirky honors while ripping those who just plain cross lines a new one.  

Although a relative newcomer to the social mediasphere, “PolitiCat ,” the nom de plume of the political science grad hoping to groom fellow would-be pundits, has set its sights on getting pols and voters to more carefully consider their actions.  

“I aim to break into the consciousness of the general public, particularly younger people with regard to voter responsibility. I want to highlight the behavior of lawmakers and public figures, especially to ‘catch them being good’ vis a vis advancing bipartisanship,” PC asserted via email.  

That outreach has, so far, not always resonated with intended allies (a la the Wichita, Kan., radio host who just didn’t “get” one muddled missive).  

@AtPolitiCat I’ll be honest, I have no idea what this tweet means. — Joseph Ashby (@JosephAshbyShow) July 11, 2014

We, too, were a bit stumped by what seemed to be a nonsensical exchange with Rep. Patrick Murphy — until PC explained the open letter was actually a response to an earlier fundraising pitch from the Florida Democrat.    

The plea includes nebulous references to “people willing to spread lies to score political points,” something PC very much took to heart.  

“As you can see, Rep. Murphy does not specify the liars or the lies they told, so my letter is a tongue-in-cheek poke at two things: A) Political naiveté’ [sic] in general, and B) The use of such in general campaign blather without facts,” PC told HOH. “I might like to know what lies he is talking about but the goal of my note is not to console him over being lied about, but rather to urge him to stop whining about being lied about, and to get his truth out. A constructive kick in the rear.”  

Instituting the “Spanky Awards” (a nod to the “Little Rascals” brand of humor) is another one of PC’s teaching tools.  

According to PC, to qualify for the spontaneous honor, politicos need only: part company (i.e., “spank”) with their own party by advancing bipartisanship, champion a socially important issue or totally step in it.  

Early recipients include:  

Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio:  

He first landed on PC’s radar after badgering fellow Republicans about immigration reform and later for railing against the abduction of the missing Nigerian schoolgirls.  

Former First Lady/Sen./Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton:  

PC appreciates her pivot on the whole war-in-Iraq thing.  

Media personality Glenn Beck:  

Same as Clinton (just in the opposite direction).  

Which is not to say PC is afraid to go negative.  

The budding Viner had some fun with a provocative pic Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Mike Lee, R-Utah, posed for earlier this spring, when they posed with a faux(?) tiger rug.