Dog and I were sitting at the dinner table with the kids last night (OK, I was sitting AT the table and Dog was UNDER the table, begging for roast beef scraps) and we decided to have a conversation about something more culturally significant than 3rd grade math test races or middle school friendship dramas.
“Let’s talk about the election!” I said and Dog wagged his tail furiously in agreement (or maybe just his optimistic, “cute-dog” begging strategy…)
“So, children,” I said in my best pseudo-intellectual, self-satisfied, politically-conscious, good-mom voice, “What do you think is the most important quality in selecting a president?”
“Getting the most votes!” said Savannah, my literal-minded, analytical child.
“Yes, of course. That’s obvious,” I responded, thinking to myself that this obvious strategy didn’t work out so well for Gore in 2000.
“Let me phrase it differently. What quality is most important to YOU in a candidate who YOU would vote for?”
“Honesty,” was Savannah’s immediate answer. “And being frank with the voters. But I guess that’s kind of the same thing.” I think Savannah may have perhaps been influenced a teeny, tiny bit by plucking “Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them” by Al Franken off of my bookshelf.
“How about you, Carson?”
“Honesty,” says my second-born who adores and emulates his sister. And then his wise-cracking evil twin added, “And puppy-pink nail polish for the girls!”
“What if Obama wore puppy-pink nail polish?” asked Savannah in her hard-hitting, Mike Wallace-in-training style. “Would you vote for him?”
“Yes!” And then Carson added, “Just kidding!”
But sometimes I wonder if the election might come down to such frivolous issues. I wonder if some candidates might just be desperate enough to don puppy-pink nail polish or some other similarly ridiculous issue position or media ploy in the hopes to gain a few votes that would tip them over the top.
I tried to explain the concept of state primaries and delegates and conventions and the parts that they play in who we, as a country, decide who will run for president.
I was surprised that my children had not learned any of this in their very fine public schools, and then, I was even more surprised that I, the political junkie that I am, could not answer many of the questions about how we nominate presidential candidates, especially when it came to numbers.
Then I did something that is a definite No-No in terms in family dinner etiquette—I brought out my laptop for some dinner-time Googling.
And here, with the requisite disclaimers about the unreliability of info found on the Internet, are some interesting things we learned about how we nominate Democrats and Republicans for president:
• Democrats and Republicans both determine their nominees by who wins the majority of delegates from the various state primaries and caucuses.
• The rough numbers are about 2,000 for the Democrats and about 1,000 for the Republicans.
• About 40% of the Democratic delegates are “super-delegates” who are not bound by voters. These super-delegates include Democratic governors and members of Congress, and former democratic elected officials, like Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, and Al Gore. Which essentially means that, for the Democrats, winning the popular vote is important, but, in the case of a fractured party, as may very well be the case this year, the old Boys network is even more important.
This could be the most interesting primary election season in memory. The Republicans are all over the place. They could go into the convention with no real winner. They would have to fight it out at the convention. That would be fun for Dog to watch.
With the Democrats, the question is, who is more of an Old Boy? Hillary Clinton or Barrack Obama?
Unlike me, Dog is a one issue voter. Dog’s vote is with whoever is offering roast beef.
Showing posts with label Dog on Politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dog on Politics. Show all posts
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
A Miracle in New Hampshire
America, did we just experience a miracle? I don’t know about you, but Dog and I think so.
And it has nothing to do with who won last night.
It’s not about Hillary Clinton or John McCain or any of the other individuals running for president. It’s not about winning or exit polls or ego or how much money you spent or how good you looked or how you crafted a magical message that could both appeal to your base while not alienating anyone else.
The miracle is the message. The miracle is that after this long, exhaustive, surprising, humbling, amazing process that we call democracy, a genuine message is finally starting to emerge from the candidates. And, despite all the posturing and competition that this wonderful, imperfect process engenders, we are beginning to see a Chink in the Armor of The Expected and the Predictable--a tiny crack in which a little light may shine through.
The miracle is about letting go of the illusions that we think we need to win.
The victors in New Hampshire have found their true voices.
It’s no secret that Dog and I have not been too fond of Clinton recently. She seemed too polished, too rehearsed, too calculating. Rather than the strong, brilliant woman that she so obviously is, she seemed to be more about ambition and winning and her own achievement and less so about the greater good for which we imagine Political Service should be all about.
All that changed with one question in New Hampshire. Clinton was down in the polls, projected to lose to Obama by a margin of 10 points or more. It looked like her bright star was fading. She was pronounced a has-been by the media pundits who trounce upon any perceived weakness as an excuse for a news story.
Then Marianne Pernold Young, 64, asked Clinton what she had thought at the time would be a light, personal question…
“How do you do it?” she had asked Mrs. Clinton. “Who does your hair?”
Well, we all know that issue of “hair” can be incite all kinds of emotional trauma, but in this case it incited a little something more unexpected.
For the first time in a long time, or maybe ever, we got to glimpse an image of Hillary Clinton as a real person. And we got a glimmer of understanding of why, after she had already experienced the benefits and the grandeur of the office of president and made millions of dollars in writing and business, why she would persist amid rabid criticism, personal, venomous attacks and physical and emotional exhaustion. In her moment of weakness and vulnerability her ambition was raw—she wanted to make to make the country a better place.
And that moment, that truth gave her the victory in New Hampshire. As she said in her speech last night,
“Over the last week, I listened to you, and in the process I found my own voice.”
The other winner in New Hampshire last night also found his own voice.
In the summer of 2007, it looked like it was all over for McCain. His campaign contributions dwindled and his support among conservatives waned.
In a Feb 2007 Vanity Fair article, Todd S. Purdum sums up McCain’s problems…
“John McCain has spent this whole day, this whole year, these whole last six years, trying to "fix it," trying to square the circle: that is, trying to make the maverick, freethinking impulses that first made him into a political star somehow compatible with the suck-it-up adherence to the orthodoxies required of a Republican presidential front-runner.”
That didn’t work so well. When McCain was down, when there was no money coming in, when he had to fire the advisors and was forced to go it alone, guess what happened? He, too, found his own, genuine voice. And that resonated with America.
Although Dog and I do not in any way endorse Mike Huckabee, we must admit that, when he was trailing far behind in Iowa, he said one very wise thing in the Republican debates may have been what propelled him to the front of the pack in that state…
“I'll be true to my convictions, and I think that's what Americans look for -- not someone they're going to agree with on everything, but somebody who at least has some convictions, sticks with them, can explain them, and can at least have respect for people who have different ones.”
Dog says, “Amen!”
Let’s pray for more truth in the long months to come. Let’s hope for a future less focused on fear and more focused on love—Love of our country, love of all of the people in the country and love for all of the people in the world.
Dog bless you all.
And it has nothing to do with who won last night.
It’s not about Hillary Clinton or John McCain or any of the other individuals running for president. It’s not about winning or exit polls or ego or how much money you spent or how good you looked or how you crafted a magical message that could both appeal to your base while not alienating anyone else.
The miracle is the message. The miracle is that after this long, exhaustive, surprising, humbling, amazing process that we call democracy, a genuine message is finally starting to emerge from the candidates. And, despite all the posturing and competition that this wonderful, imperfect process engenders, we are beginning to see a Chink in the Armor of The Expected and the Predictable--a tiny crack in which a little light may shine through.
The miracle is about letting go of the illusions that we think we need to win.
The victors in New Hampshire have found their true voices.
It’s no secret that Dog and I have not been too fond of Clinton recently. She seemed too polished, too rehearsed, too calculating. Rather than the strong, brilliant woman that she so obviously is, she seemed to be more about ambition and winning and her own achievement and less so about the greater good for which we imagine Political Service should be all about.
All that changed with one question in New Hampshire. Clinton was down in the polls, projected to lose to Obama by a margin of 10 points or more. It looked like her bright star was fading. She was pronounced a has-been by the media pundits who trounce upon any perceived weakness as an excuse for a news story.
Then Marianne Pernold Young, 64, asked Clinton what she had thought at the time would be a light, personal question…
“How do you do it?” she had asked Mrs. Clinton. “Who does your hair?”
Well, we all know that issue of “hair” can be incite all kinds of emotional trauma, but in this case it incited a little something more unexpected.
For the first time in a long time, or maybe ever, we got to glimpse an image of Hillary Clinton as a real person. And we got a glimmer of understanding of why, after she had already experienced the benefits and the grandeur of the office of president and made millions of dollars in writing and business, why she would persist amid rabid criticism, personal, venomous attacks and physical and emotional exhaustion. In her moment of weakness and vulnerability her ambition was raw—she wanted to make to make the country a better place.
And that moment, that truth gave her the victory in New Hampshire. As she said in her speech last night,
“Over the last week, I listened to you, and in the process I found my own voice.”
The other winner in New Hampshire last night also found his own voice.
In the summer of 2007, it looked like it was all over for McCain. His campaign contributions dwindled and his support among conservatives waned.
In a Feb 2007 Vanity Fair article, Todd S. Purdum sums up McCain’s problems…
“John McCain has spent this whole day, this whole year, these whole last six years, trying to "fix it," trying to square the circle: that is, trying to make the maverick, freethinking impulses that first made him into a political star somehow compatible with the suck-it-up adherence to the orthodoxies required of a Republican presidential front-runner.”
That didn’t work so well. When McCain was down, when there was no money coming in, when he had to fire the advisors and was forced to go it alone, guess what happened? He, too, found his own, genuine voice. And that resonated with America.
Although Dog and I do not in any way endorse Mike Huckabee, we must admit that, when he was trailing far behind in Iowa, he said one very wise thing in the Republican debates may have been what propelled him to the front of the pack in that state…
“I'll be true to my convictions, and I think that's what Americans look for -- not someone they're going to agree with on everything, but somebody who at least has some convictions, sticks with them, can explain them, and can at least have respect for people who have different ones.”
Dog says, “Amen!”
Let’s pray for more truth in the long months to come. Let’s hope for a future less focused on fear and more focused on love—Love of our country, love of all of the people in the country and love for all of the people in the world.
Dog bless you all.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Dog on Politics
After the last couple of days of exhaustive, investigative journalism, Dog was ready to take a good, long nap.
But Dog cannot rest when the future of the free world hangs in the balance!
Unfortunately Dog insisted that we Tivo the Debates in New Hampshire.
Snooze! More of the same old rhetoric! The whole thing makes Dog wonder if anyone has anything new/genuine to say that hasn’t been vetted by the pollsters/campaign spinners.
Dog only wishes that Brad Pitt would have thrown his hat in the ring to make things a little more visually interesting. (OK, Dog insists that this is me talking again. Sorry!) Fortunately for us, the Tivo stopped recording the debates when the new episode of Desperate Housewives came on.
We missed the Republican debate, which we are only very minorly, marginally sad about.
Cut to Live TV…
Oh, Wait! CNN is running a tape of Hillary in which she seems to break down. According to Wolf Blitzer, “Her Eyes Welled Up and Her Voice Broke.”
“I have so many opportunities from this country,” she says. “I just don’t want to see us fall backwards. This is very personal for me. It’s not just political. It's not just public. I see what’s happening. We have to reverse it. “ (voice wavering)
And, in a soft voice, “Some people think elections are a game. It’s like who’s up or who’s down. It’s about our country. It’s about our kids’ futures. It’s about all of us together.”
If this is real, Dog has a new opinion of Hillary. Either she has had some really good acting coaching, or Hillary has hit a breaking point in which she realizes what is really important. For the first time, Dog resonates with Hillary's message.
Dog’s dream is that all the candidates who are listening to their spinning consultants and who are attacking each other will decide that their Ego and their own victory is not the most important thing.
Dog asks, What if all the candidates had, as their top concern, the absolute best for our country and the World?
No Ego, No Competition, No Ideas of Winning or Losing. What could be more Un-American?
Or, maybe, what could be more uniquely American?
What if there were a major shift in perception in this election? What if America asked for a miracle?
But Dog cannot rest when the future of the free world hangs in the balance!
Unfortunately Dog insisted that we Tivo the Debates in New Hampshire.
Snooze! More of the same old rhetoric! The whole thing makes Dog wonder if anyone has anything new/genuine to say that hasn’t been vetted by the pollsters/campaign spinners.
Dog only wishes that Brad Pitt would have thrown his hat in the ring to make things a little more visually interesting. (OK, Dog insists that this is me talking again. Sorry!) Fortunately for us, the Tivo stopped recording the debates when the new episode of Desperate Housewives came on.
We missed the Republican debate, which we are only very minorly, marginally sad about.
Cut to Live TV…
Oh, Wait! CNN is running a tape of Hillary in which she seems to break down. According to Wolf Blitzer, “Her Eyes Welled Up and Her Voice Broke.”
“I have so many opportunities from this country,” she says. “I just don’t want to see us fall backwards. This is very personal for me. It’s not just political. It's not just public. I see what’s happening. We have to reverse it. “ (voice wavering)
And, in a soft voice, “Some people think elections are a game. It’s like who’s up or who’s down. It’s about our country. It’s about our kids’ futures. It’s about all of us together.”
If this is real, Dog has a new opinion of Hillary. Either she has had some really good acting coaching, or Hillary has hit a breaking point in which she realizes what is really important. For the first time, Dog resonates with Hillary's message.
Dog’s dream is that all the candidates who are listening to their spinning consultants and who are attacking each other will decide that their Ego and their own victory is not the most important thing.
Dog asks, What if all the candidates had, as their top concern, the absolute best for our country and the World?
No Ego, No Competition, No Ideas of Winning or Losing. What could be more Un-American?
Or, maybe, what could be more uniquely American?
What if there were a major shift in perception in this election? What if America asked for a miracle?
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Dog Endorses ????? for President! (Part 2)
Thank Dog, our investigation did not uncover any horrifying acts of cruelty or murder against dogs among any of the leading Democratic contenders or their immediate families!
Dennnis Kucinich
In fact, one of the Democrats, Dennis Kucinich just may be the most dog-friendly, pro-animal person to ever run for president:
• He is the only candidate with an official Animal Rights issue statement.
• He has taken a stand against tainted pet food and demanded answers from the FDA.
• He is the only vegan in Congress.
Whoa! Dog is impressed! A life without chicken treats or even cheese—all so that his actions match his beliefs! All that deprivation so that he can live a life free of hypocrisy! If you want change in the way American politics work, Dog can think of no greater role model!
Dog loves what Kucinich says in his Animal Rights platform:
Every one of us knows a story of animal cruelty (editor’s note: especially the Republicans, except for McCain); every one of us knows how in one way or another official policies have sanctioned cruelty to animals. I am working to put compassion into action in our policies with respect to animals in this country and to have America set a higher standard, not only for this country, but for the world; to make sure that all of God's creatures, that all animals are given a chance to have dignity in our society and are given a chance to experience the appreciation they should have as living beings.
Kucinich’s motto is “Strength through Peace.”
Dog says, "Dennis Kucinich, You rock!”
Hillary Clinton
Dog feels bad about it, but he just can’t endorse Clinton. He totally thinks she’s smart and hard-working and all. And Dog would love to see America elect a woman president. And, like many of us, he does miss the Clinton years, and although he wasn’t yet born, he can appreciate the nostalgia of a time of relative peace and stability and economic prosperity.
But Dog has some instinctual resistance to Hillary. Although Dog normally loves women and children, he tends to growl at most men in his fiercest guard dog manner. Dog thinks that if he were to meet Hillary and Bill on a walk, he would greet Bill with a wagging tail… and growl at Hillary. Enough said.
Or maybe not quite enough…
Hillary doesn’t seem to be much of a “dog person,” even though the Clinton’s have a “family dog,” a chocolate lab named Seamus. But Seamus is widely known as “Bill’s dog.”
Hillary strikes Dog as more of a “cat person”—not that there’s anything wrong with that, as Seinfeld would say.
But Dog is worried that Hillary may have been using her White House cat, Socks, as a means of manipulation, of softening her cold public image. Even though she wrote a book featuring Socks and White House dog, Buddy (who was hit by a car after leaving the White House) and wrote that only with the arrival of Socks did the White House become a home, once her time in Washington was done, so was the cat. She abandoned Socks to Bill’s personal secretary, Betty Currie. At least she didn’t hang the cat.
John Edwards
Dog has nothing bad to say about John Edwards. Dog likes the fact that he is a “Son of a Mill Worker” and that he worked hard to make his own way in the world and that any money or material positions he has now, he totally earned on his own. That’s the American Way in action! (Of course, Dog is purebred and sired from a World Champion Havanese, and has ancestrial papers that would stretch out longer than our driveway, but he is not a snob! He has been adopted into a family of Commoners of mixed origins and he is quite content with his simple life among simple people.)
Unlike others, Dog doesn’t have a problem with $400 haircuts. Dog, himself, refuses to go to the regular dog groomers. Instead, I have to cajole him and pet him and hand-feed him chicken treats and trim a little bit here and there over several hours when he needs a cut, prompting my husband to say that Dog has a $400 haircut himself. And, if you can get away with it, why not? is Dog's way of thinking!
Also, Edwards posed on the cover of Men’s Vogue with his pet dog. And he has three dogs, including two new puppies, Rufus and Lilly.
From his Website…
Our family includes three dogs – Bella, Rufus and Lilly – because my wife Elizabeth and I believe that taking care of a pet is a great joy that helps teach our children responsibility and compassion for others. Take note, Mike Huckabee!
Also, Edwards is against puppy mills! Again from his Website:
I support legislation to address the chronic animal welfare problems associated with puppy mills. Effective legislation would include better enforcement and higher penalties for violators, with a goal of removing the bad actors while not overly burdening reputable breeders.
Plus, Grandma likes Edwards and Dog likes Grandma.
Barrack Obama
Not much information about Obama regarding dog-friendliness. We know that he doesn’t have a dog now, but that his kids made a deal with him that if he ran for president they would get a dog.
Also, there is a Webiste Puppies4Obama which is pretty darn cute and speaks to his appeal to dog lovers!
Some people have doubts about Obama because of his “lack of experience.” This doesn’t bother Dog. After all, I had a complete lack of experience before Dog came to live with us and it’s worked out pretty Dog-gone well for everyone.
Dog believes that experience is not nearly as important as intelligence and a good heart, and Obama seems to have plenty of both.
Plus, Oprah likes him and Dog idolizes Oprah!
Dog’s Conclusion:
If you must vote Republican, vote McCain.
If you are a dreamer with uncompromising high standards, vote Kucinich.
Otherwise, let’s pray for an Edwards/Obama or Obama/Edwards ticket.
Dennnis Kucinich
In fact, one of the Democrats, Dennis Kucinich just may be the most dog-friendly, pro-animal person to ever run for president:
• He is the only candidate with an official Animal Rights issue statement.
• He has taken a stand against tainted pet food and demanded answers from the FDA.
• He is the only vegan in Congress.
Whoa! Dog is impressed! A life without chicken treats or even cheese—all so that his actions match his beliefs! All that deprivation so that he can live a life free of hypocrisy! If you want change in the way American politics work, Dog can think of no greater role model!
Dog loves what Kucinich says in his Animal Rights platform:
Every one of us knows a story of animal cruelty (editor’s note: especially the Republicans, except for McCain); every one of us knows how in one way or another official policies have sanctioned cruelty to animals. I am working to put compassion into action in our policies with respect to animals in this country and to have America set a higher standard, not only for this country, but for the world; to make sure that all of God's creatures, that all animals are given a chance to have dignity in our society and are given a chance to experience the appreciation they should have as living beings.
Kucinich’s motto is “Strength through Peace.”
Dog says, "Dennis Kucinich, You rock!”
Hillary Clinton
Dog feels bad about it, but he just can’t endorse Clinton. He totally thinks she’s smart and hard-working and all. And Dog would love to see America elect a woman president. And, like many of us, he does miss the Clinton years, and although he wasn’t yet born, he can appreciate the nostalgia of a time of relative peace and stability and economic prosperity.
But Dog has some instinctual resistance to Hillary. Although Dog normally loves women and children, he tends to growl at most men in his fiercest guard dog manner. Dog thinks that if he were to meet Hillary and Bill on a walk, he would greet Bill with a wagging tail… and growl at Hillary. Enough said.
Or maybe not quite enough…
Hillary doesn’t seem to be much of a “dog person,” even though the Clinton’s have a “family dog,” a chocolate lab named Seamus. But Seamus is widely known as “Bill’s dog.”
Hillary strikes Dog as more of a “cat person”—not that there’s anything wrong with that, as Seinfeld would say.
But Dog is worried that Hillary may have been using her White House cat, Socks, as a means of manipulation, of softening her cold public image. Even though she wrote a book featuring Socks and White House dog, Buddy (who was hit by a car after leaving the White House) and wrote that only with the arrival of Socks did the White House become a home, once her time in Washington was done, so was the cat. She abandoned Socks to Bill’s personal secretary, Betty Currie. At least she didn’t hang the cat.
John Edwards
Dog has nothing bad to say about John Edwards. Dog likes the fact that he is a “Son of a Mill Worker” and that he worked hard to make his own way in the world and that any money or material positions he has now, he totally earned on his own. That’s the American Way in action! (Of course, Dog is purebred and sired from a World Champion Havanese, and has ancestrial papers that would stretch out longer than our driveway, but he is not a snob! He has been adopted into a family of Commoners of mixed origins and he is quite content with his simple life among simple people.)
Unlike others, Dog doesn’t have a problem with $400 haircuts. Dog, himself, refuses to go to the regular dog groomers. Instead, I have to cajole him and pet him and hand-feed him chicken treats and trim a little bit here and there over several hours when he needs a cut, prompting my husband to say that Dog has a $400 haircut himself. And, if you can get away with it, why not? is Dog's way of thinking!
Also, Edwards posed on the cover of Men’s Vogue with his pet dog. And he has three dogs, including two new puppies, Rufus and Lilly.
From his Website…
Our family includes three dogs – Bella, Rufus and Lilly – because my wife Elizabeth and I believe that taking care of a pet is a great joy that helps teach our children responsibility and compassion for others. Take note, Mike Huckabee!
Also, Edwards is against puppy mills! Again from his Website:
I support legislation to address the chronic animal welfare problems associated with puppy mills. Effective legislation would include better enforcement and higher penalties for violators, with a goal of removing the bad actors while not overly burdening reputable breeders.
Plus, Grandma likes Edwards and Dog likes Grandma.
Barrack Obama
Not much information about Obama regarding dog-friendliness. We know that he doesn’t have a dog now, but that his kids made a deal with him that if he ran for president they would get a dog.
Also, there is a Webiste Puppies4Obama which is pretty darn cute and speaks to his appeal to dog lovers!
Some people have doubts about Obama because of his “lack of experience.” This doesn’t bother Dog. After all, I had a complete lack of experience before Dog came to live with us and it’s worked out pretty Dog-gone well for everyone.
Dog believes that experience is not nearly as important as intelligence and a good heart, and Obama seems to have plenty of both.
Plus, Oprah likes him and Dog idolizes Oprah!
Dog’s Conclusion:
If you must vote Republican, vote McCain.
If you are a dreamer with uncompromising high standards, vote Kucinich.
Otherwise, let’s pray for an Edwards/Obama or Obama/Edwards ticket.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Dog Endorses ????? for President!
The time has come. Iowa has caucused and New Hampshire is debating and the situation is so crazy and undecided that even California (in its Feb 5 primary) may finally have a say in who runs for president in 2008.
The race is as turbulent as Dog’s tummy after too much salami. Onetime frontrunners Guiliani and Clinton don’t look quite so invincible anymore. The special interest groups are circling the wagons around their favorite candidates: The Evangelicals are pushing Huckabee to the front of the pack; Feminists and Liberals and Friends of Bill are barking up Hillary’s tree; Mafiaos, serial adulterers, swarmy big businesses and crooked New York City civil servants have made Guiliani their Alpha Dog.
• (Dog apologizes and wants you to know that that last bit was totally my own. In fact, he absolves all responsibility for what is obviously my interpretation of his positions, and will not be held legally or morally culpable for anything that follows.)
So, where are the Dogs in this process? Since things turned out so spectacularly bad for us in the last two elections using our human brains (or to be more accurate, using the Supreme Court’s brain in 2000 and about 51% of the population’s brain in 2004), isn’t it time we tried something different?
The time has come for Americans to listen to their Dogs! Early primary voters, take your dogs out to the presidential pep rallies! Watch their reactions. Do they growl? Bark? Hump the candidate’s leg? Wag their tail? There is a message there, America! Pay Attention!
Dog thinks we should follow our nose in choosing our next president. Since Dog has not had the opportunity to personally sniff any of the candidates (with the exception of the time aboard the UFO with Kucinich, but Dog is saving that experience for his memoir) he must base his opinions from watching the debates with me (oh, he wanted to switch the channel to Animal Planet, but I insisted that we be informed citizens!) and the investigative info we have dug up, and Oh My! What we have found would curl your tail!
Today, we will address the Republicans. In all fairness, I must admit that Dog normally leans left, but he is willing to have an open mind (and an open mouth if there are treats involved.)
Mike Huckabee
Let’s begin with the newly coronated king of the Republican party—the darling of the right wing—Mike Huckabee. Dog was all ready to give him a tail wag—the homesy charisma (he’s funny!) and, of course, Dog is a big believer in God, although Dog is a little wary about how the Republicans tend to interpret her will. Still, Huckabee seemed like the kind of a guy who would be willing to play slipper tug-of-war in the Oval Office.
You can imagine Dog’s shock and horror when he learned that Huckabee’s son, David, tortured and hung a stray dog at a Boy Scout Camp! He confessed! And was fired from the camp! (for violating the Scout credo to be "kind” which seems to Dog a little more than an understatement.)
And then, Governor Huckabee intervened to prevent the state police from investigating further!
This is wrong, wrong, wrong in so many ways. Dog knows that parents are not to blame for all of their children’s mistakes, but come on—His Son Hung a Stray Dog! This is a way higher on the evil quotient than skipping school or smoking pot, which would probably freak out the Huckabee supporters. Dog asks you, “Can you imagine your child torturing and killing an innocent dog?”
We hope not. And, if you can, we hope that you are investing your time and money in intensive family counseling, not running for president of our great country.
Please do not vote for anyone who would raise a child who would kill an innocent dog.
Rudy Giuliani
As far as Dog is concerned, Rudy Giuliani is about on par with Huckabee, although he didn’t spawn evil, he just married it.
His third wife, Judy, worked for a surgical company that demonstrated their products on live dogs that either died in the demonstration or were killed later. Let’s be clear—this wasn’t research, which would be bad enough. This murdering of innocent dogs was done entirely as a sales pitch! Confetti, fireworks, free drinks, killing dogs! Whatever it takes to close that sale!
Please do not vote for someone who would marry someone who would kill dogs for profit!
Mitt Romney
It’s hard to believe that there could be yet another Republican who would incite Dog’s fury, but, yes, it is true.
Mitt Romney, the movie-star handsome, Mormon, ultra-family-oriented guy first aroused Dog’s suspicion when he began to waffle about really important issues. He heard a rumor that when Romney was running for governor of the liberal, dog-loving state of Massachusetts Romney was all for long walks and chicken treats.
But when Romney had to kowtow to the right wing of the Republican party, he did a 180 on treats and dog walks. Dog doesn’t buy this change of heart. Walks and chicken treats are core values! You don’t change your core values because of poll numbers!
Plus, once, Mitt Romney strapped his family’s Irish Setter into a crate onto the top of their station wagon for a 12-hour driver from Boston to Ontario, Canada.
Please think long and hard before you vote for someone who seems to change his mind about key issues involving ethics, morals and beliefs depending on what he believes people want to hear instead of what he truly believes. Also, someone who would make their family dog travel in a crate ontop of a car for 12 hours!
For all the Republican frontrunners-- Huckabee, Guiliani, Romney, Dog growls!
The only Republican that Dog could possibly endorse is John McCain. Dog doesn’t agree with his stance on the war, but Dog respects his opinion as the only major candidate to have served in a war, and the only candidate at all who could possibly understand “suffering.” Dog respects McCain’s heroism under suffering, even though the concept is completely foreign to Dog, who was freed from his crate at the tender age of 10 weeks when we adopted him. Also, McCain has 27 pets (more or less, counting the 13 fish), including two dogs.
Tomorrow, Dog sniffs the Democrats.
The race is as turbulent as Dog’s tummy after too much salami. Onetime frontrunners Guiliani and Clinton don’t look quite so invincible anymore. The special interest groups are circling the wagons around their favorite candidates: The Evangelicals are pushing Huckabee to the front of the pack; Feminists and Liberals and Friends of Bill are barking up Hillary’s tree; Mafiaos, serial adulterers, swarmy big businesses and crooked New York City civil servants have made Guiliani their Alpha Dog.
• (Dog apologizes and wants you to know that that last bit was totally my own. In fact, he absolves all responsibility for what is obviously my interpretation of his positions, and will not be held legally or morally culpable for anything that follows.)
So, where are the Dogs in this process? Since things turned out so spectacularly bad for us in the last two elections using our human brains (or to be more accurate, using the Supreme Court’s brain in 2000 and about 51% of the population’s brain in 2004), isn’t it time we tried something different?
The time has come for Americans to listen to their Dogs! Early primary voters, take your dogs out to the presidential pep rallies! Watch their reactions. Do they growl? Bark? Hump the candidate’s leg? Wag their tail? There is a message there, America! Pay Attention!
Dog thinks we should follow our nose in choosing our next president. Since Dog has not had the opportunity to personally sniff any of the candidates (with the exception of the time aboard the UFO with Kucinich, but Dog is saving that experience for his memoir) he must base his opinions from watching the debates with me (oh, he wanted to switch the channel to Animal Planet, but I insisted that we be informed citizens!) and the investigative info we have dug up, and Oh My! What we have found would curl your tail!
Today, we will address the Republicans. In all fairness, I must admit that Dog normally leans left, but he is willing to have an open mind (and an open mouth if there are treats involved.)
Mike Huckabee
Let’s begin with the newly coronated king of the Republican party—the darling of the right wing—Mike Huckabee. Dog was all ready to give him a tail wag—the homesy charisma (he’s funny!) and, of course, Dog is a big believer in God, although Dog is a little wary about how the Republicans tend to interpret her will. Still, Huckabee seemed like the kind of a guy who would be willing to play slipper tug-of-war in the Oval Office.
You can imagine Dog’s shock and horror when he learned that Huckabee’s son, David, tortured and hung a stray dog at a Boy Scout Camp! He confessed! And was fired from the camp! (for violating the Scout credo to be "kind” which seems to Dog a little more than an understatement.)
And then, Governor Huckabee intervened to prevent the state police from investigating further!
This is wrong, wrong, wrong in so many ways. Dog knows that parents are not to blame for all of their children’s mistakes, but come on—His Son Hung a Stray Dog! This is a way higher on the evil quotient than skipping school or smoking pot, which would probably freak out the Huckabee supporters. Dog asks you, “Can you imagine your child torturing and killing an innocent dog?”
We hope not. And, if you can, we hope that you are investing your time and money in intensive family counseling, not running for president of our great country.
Please do not vote for anyone who would raise a child who would kill an innocent dog.
Rudy Giuliani
As far as Dog is concerned, Rudy Giuliani is about on par with Huckabee, although he didn’t spawn evil, he just married it.
His third wife, Judy, worked for a surgical company that demonstrated their products on live dogs that either died in the demonstration or were killed later. Let’s be clear—this wasn’t research, which would be bad enough. This murdering of innocent dogs was done entirely as a sales pitch! Confetti, fireworks, free drinks, killing dogs! Whatever it takes to close that sale!
Please do not vote for someone who would marry someone who would kill dogs for profit!
Mitt Romney
It’s hard to believe that there could be yet another Republican who would incite Dog’s fury, but, yes, it is true.
Mitt Romney, the movie-star handsome, Mormon, ultra-family-oriented guy first aroused Dog’s suspicion when he began to waffle about really important issues. He heard a rumor that when Romney was running for governor of the liberal, dog-loving state of Massachusetts Romney was all for long walks and chicken treats.
But when Romney had to kowtow to the right wing of the Republican party, he did a 180 on treats and dog walks. Dog doesn’t buy this change of heart. Walks and chicken treats are core values! You don’t change your core values because of poll numbers!
Plus, once, Mitt Romney strapped his family’s Irish Setter into a crate onto the top of their station wagon for a 12-hour driver from Boston to Ontario, Canada.
Please think long and hard before you vote for someone who seems to change his mind about key issues involving ethics, morals and beliefs depending on what he believes people want to hear instead of what he truly believes. Also, someone who would make their family dog travel in a crate ontop of a car for 12 hours!
For all the Republican frontrunners-- Huckabee, Guiliani, Romney, Dog growls!
The only Republican that Dog could possibly endorse is John McCain. Dog doesn’t agree with his stance on the war, but Dog respects his opinion as the only major candidate to have served in a war, and the only candidate at all who could possibly understand “suffering.” Dog respects McCain’s heroism under suffering, even though the concept is completely foreign to Dog, who was freed from his crate at the tender age of 10 weeks when we adopted him. Also, McCain has 27 pets (more or less, counting the 13 fish), including two dogs.
Tomorrow, Dog sniffs the Democrats.
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