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Everyone knows Springfield, Ohio by now. You go down the road, and take a right turn at 1965. Or maybe 1924.

It’s a place where people are less concerned about any of us than about the dog and cat population.

Of course, the dogs and cats there are a lot safer than you think.

This week, the conservative-leaning Wall Street Journal definitively debunked the dog and cat slurs as outright lies.

WSJ verified that the Trump campaign knew the dog and cat rumors were lies on debate night and Trump still spread the slurs to the 67 million who watched the debate.

Even J.D. Vance knew the truth before and after the debate, but still continues to lie about cats and dogs to this day.

When the Trump-Vance campaign is fueled on lies, the facts are irrelevant.

Said J.D. Vance on Sunday: “If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

Sounds like the Hitler playbook rule written by Joseph Goebbels: “Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth.”

But the truth is this: No dogs and cats were harmed in this story ever. Only the credibility of politicians. That is, if you believe credibility is important. (I hope you do.)

ASIANS IN SPRINGFIELD

As I write, Vivek Ramaswamy is preparing a town hall in Springfield, so he is literally an Asian in Springfield. One of the few.

What’s not really reported is that Springfield is what America would look like without any of us.

By “us,” I mean Asian Americans specifically.

But let’s include all of us. Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans.

Springfield is the America before the 1965 Immigration Act did away with racist quotas and allowed Asians to America.

Springfield is the America of 1924 and the immigration law that first established those racist quotas on Asians.

But here is Springfield today, population 58, 082, according to the latest U.S. Census data:

American Indian: 0.1 percent

Asian: 0.7 percent

Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander: 0.1 percent

African American: 17.4 percent

Hispanic: 4.9 percent

White alone: 72.18

Can you imagine 0.7 percent Asian in 2024?

Add our 0.1 percent NHPIs and even at 0.8 percent, Asian Americans are barely visible in Springfield.

There are barely any Asians there, but if there’s no dog and cat eaten in Springfield, guess what? Springfield loves Asian food.

WHITE EGG ROLL

On my internet search for the best Asian food in Springfield, there were at least ten eateries on the list.

Unfortunately, when I called to ask what the restaurant owners thought of the “Springfield story,” they all hung up on me.Typical Asian? When you’re 0.8 percent, you’d think they’d want to rock the boat a little bit.

The internet served up Charlo’s Provisions and Eatery as an “Asian” place, maybe because it has a popular egg roll.

Chad Druckenbroad, 42, picked up the phone and said because it’s an egg roll, it’s kind of Asian. But it’s filled with brisket and roasted poblano pimento cheese.

“They’re kind of Southern egg rolls,” he said.

But not Southern China. Just southern white.

Druckenbroad’s eatery is right in the city’s downtown. He lamented how this weekend was supposed to be a cultural food fair for the city, with restaurants representing different parts of the world coming together.

But it was cancelled because of the fear of violence generated by the political lies. Instead, as he talked to me, the downtown was prepping for that town hall by Ramaswamy ready to capitalize on all the fear.

Druckenbroad said his restaurant has been affected by the bomb threats, “but nothing dramatic.” He said he still gets calls if they “serve dog and cat and stuff like that.”

“You know it’s illegal to serve that stuff in America,” he told me over the phone. “I serve pork chops and steaks. I got catfish on the menu.”

He said the town is better than people think. He added he was disappointed the culture festival was cancelled. “Springfield’s a very welcoming community,” he said. “They’re just interviewing the wrong people.”

Sure, the town has a Neo-Nazi problem. But there’s plenty of normal folk like Druckenbroad who just want to live their lives and get along with everyone.

He said most people in town aren’t affected by the Haitians. “They’re more worried about the price of groceries than they are about immigrants,” he said. He believes the Haitians have helped the community more than hurt it. He said he mostly sees Haitians when they come to his restaurant as DoorDash drivers to pick up takeout food.

He just wishes Trump and Vance never started the lies. But he doesn’t think it’s going to impact Springfield.

“If you drive around, there’s nothing but Trump signs everywhere,” he said.

I ask if Trump and Vance should just drop the lies.

“I mean, if they don’t have their facts straight, then yeah,” said the man with the best white egg rolls in town. “You don’t want to be out there spreading lies.”

But will it change people’s votes? Or his?

He had a hard time answering.

Call it good people stuck with bad leaders.

Meanwhile, all of us in places like California and New York will have to live with all their bad choices.

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NOTE: I will talk about this column and other matters on “Emil Amok’s Takeout,” my AAPI micro-talk show. Live @2p Pacific. Livestream on Facebook; my YouTube channel; and Twitter. Catch the recordings on www.amok.com.