Presses, polls, presidents, and pets
I can appreciate how difficult it must be for a news outlet like the Associated Press to find new and interesting things to write about when it comes to the presidential campaign. For that matter, I can even appreciate that, once in a while, a story with a human-interest angle might help break things up a bit.
But as part of my ongoing fascination with the AP’s awful coverage of the campaign, I’m afraid this item is just silly.
If the presidential election goes to the dogs, John McCain is looking like best in show.
From George Washington’s foxhound “Drunkard” to George W. Bush’s terriers “Barney” and “Miss Beazley,” pets are a longtime presidential tradition for which the presumed Republican nominee seems well prepared, with more than a dozen.
The apparent Democratic nominee Barack Obama, on the other hand, doesn’t have a pet at home. The pet-owning public seems to have noticed the difference. An AP-Yahoo! News poll found that pet owners favor McCain over Obama 42 percent to 37 percent, with dog owners particularly in McCain’s corner.
The AP quoted one person saying, “I think a person who owns a pet is a more compassionate person — caring, giving, trustworthy. I like pet owners,” and found another willing to argue on the record that if a person owns a pet that “tells you that they’re responsible at least for something, for the care of something.”
This poll and related story are even worse than the usual palaver. Mark Blumenthal has the definitive take-down.
And if he had a pet the right wingers would swear he was using it in dog fighting arenas.
By the way King George got rid of those two dogs real quick and got Barney
McCain has more than a dozen pets?
Guppies maybe?
Or hunting dogs in apen on one of his properties, cared for by a full time gamekeeper?
Sounds to me like we are "all going to the dogs."
Owning a pet makes one healthier, brings down blood pressure and really has nothing to do with the issues, electablity, or how the mainstream media will treat a candidate, except this maybe another excuse for the media's kid gloves approach to McCain's coverage.
Many animal rights activists feel that pet ownership is akin to slavery.
I like dogs, they like us, I think it works for both of us.
OMFG... can someone please just push the button now and put an end to all of this misery?!
Where's your lapel pet?
er...I mean your pet pin.
Oh forget it. No ones going to vote for Obama anyway. Even Jesse wants to cut his n**s off.
The corporate fascist MSM is going to have to keep coming up with asinine B.S. like this to keep the people distracted until November. "You may be homeless and starving, but John McCain owns a dog!"
With the state this country is in, this is absolutely insulting to the point of being vulgar! This is what happens when a small group of people make more money in a month, than most people make in their lifetimes. Total cluelessness, and a complete lack of empathy!
Someone brought this up on another blog. My answer there and here is Obama should get a rescue dog. And if the original owners see Obama with that dog it would be great if he gave the dog to the family. Especially if he could give the dog back in October when Karl will have a surprise ready to unveil anyways!
BobD @ 8:
I used to a have a Catahoula Leopard Dog that was a Katrina a rescue.
Someone stole her.
Maybe it was McCain?
I'll bet McCain's dog eats better than many Americans these days...
I'll also bet that if the vet bills become too great, that dog is headed out the door to god knows where...maybe one of the ADEPT protesters will take it in. They seem to have a heart.
McCain and Gramm? not so much.
And at least 40% of the electorate will actually care about this "issue". Meanwhile, Israel says they can't hold it in their pants for much longer and may need to attack Iran.
why no post about obama not filibustering the FISA cave in?
Say what you will, "pet ownership" is not more than one species (human) lording it over another (the pet). It's simply a power grab by "pet" owners who personally perceive themselves otherwise as powerless.
Wow this is truly awful coverage of a Presidential Race especially when there is so much else to talk about.
OMFG - The nonsense that comes out of the MSM is just truly amazing. They'll do anything they can to get grandpa Munster elected. Bend over and grab your ankles America the powers that be want to sock it to ya for another 4 years.
Yes, owning a pet makes you a more compassionate person like Mitt Romney. I'm not so sure Mitt's dog would agree.
I once heard a saying that dog owners need a lot of love while cat owners have a lot of love to give. Makes sense if you think of the requirements of each...
"Old Jerk-Off with his Dog".
This article is utterly ludicrous. It is like the 2000 election when people thought that GW seemed "more like the type of guy you could have a beer with." Compassion has nothing to do with pet ownership; numerous pet owners are violent, hateful people who mistreat the animals either through negligence or direct abuse. Some of the most heinous individuals in our history have owned pets (Adolf Hilter had a dog, GW has dogs).
These ridiculous articles and facts simply distract the voting populace from the real issues. "John McCain doesn't have a clue, but look he's got pets! Vote for him!"
Tomorrow's headline: "My cat endorses Barack Obama"
mook @ 12:
LOL. Just scroll down and check the comments. It's been adressed, to put it mildly. What else can be said?
Jim @ 13:
That's why I have chickens. I feel an immense sense of power and invulnerability when I steal their eggs.
brando @ 16:
I've heard that all generalizations are completely accurate.
Jim @ 13:
You've obviously never lived with a cat.
Hopefully McCain will choose Mitt Romney as his running mate-- that should neutralize the "pet factor."
brando @ 16:
I have both. Clearly I'm conflicted.
Misanthropic Anthropoid @ 15:
Oh, snap!
I just checked with my dogs; I have 3 Humane Society mutts. The Walker Coonhound mix says something just doesn't smell right about McCain. The Miniature Pinscher mix says he makes her nervous and jumpy. The American Eskimo mix says, "Don't let him ruin ANWR!"
Looks like Cabela's threw up all over McWalleye and his dog.
I take the Peter Blunt approach to political family pets. Roast it and then eat it.
Russell @ 22:
LMAO!
Weaseldog @ 24:
People who cohabitate with cats and dogs are bipetisan...
Non neutered Pitbulls for McCain '08
Widespread @ 25:
My old tabby Blinkie, says the she doesn't want him in her room.
My old black tom Merlin, says that if he visits, he'll hide in the thicket out back.
Thor my Catahoula says, "Can I jump on him? Does he like it when dogs put their tongues in his mouth? Does he appreciate it when 60 lb puppies play in the pond, then jump in his lap? I'm not sure he would."
Ginger my Shar Pei / Lab mix asks, "Will he bring food? He doesn't look like he would."
Well, there's the difference. People who support McCain think of themselves as "owners" and not guardians or companions. I don't own my 4 dogs, I love them and I take care of them and my life is immensely enriched because I was able to rescue them from horrible situations and have them with me. I don't own an animal and I damn sure don't support McCain. When are people going to see what a phony this guy is?
I would suggest that the number of wives a candidate has had is a better yardstick by which to measure a persons sense of commitment.
They forgot to mention Bush's pet poodle, Tony.
Yup.
What a sad picture. That poor animal is clearly suffering from hip dysplasia. I hope they don't have to put him down . On the plus side, the dog looks fine.
A lovley springer spaniel lived in my house for 14 years. Even after seeing this picture, I still coudn't conceive of voting for McCain.
I've heard that having large outdoor pets like dogs is way easier in areas like Arizona than in highly urban, frozen-half-the-year, skyscraper-filled areas like, oh, I dunno, Chicago.
My dog never misses an opportunity to pee on a bush.
I think this represents pet owners quite accurately:
Cartoon: Cats are Democrats - Dogs are Republicans
http://kirktoons.com/october_2004/images/Catsanddogs.jpg
mook @ 12:
Another free passer ignoring the fact that McDirty teeth didn't even bother to vote. We have to protect the Country from dopes like you who will gladly place this war loving psycho in office to replace Pres. Blood Drinker.
reading the piss poor AP journalism, and the msm's continuing reliance on meaningless polls, i feel as if my IQ just dropped a couple of points...
hey, frank putz, what is your take on this? gahd...
*bangs head on keyboard*
"another willing to argue on the record that if a person owns a pet "tells you that they’re responsible at least for something, for the care of something.” "
I guess McCain's dog trumps Obama's two children as a responsibility.
John W @ 43:
You can pay someone to care for your dog. A maid or butler can manage that. Now a wife that's been in a terrible car accident.... Well that's different.
"The AP quoted one person saying, “I think a person who owns a pet is a more compassionate person — caring, giving, trustworthy. I like pet owners,”
Yeah, Hitler was very nice to his german sheppard
No one running for President has time to take care of a pet at home! McCain isn't opening up cans of dog food every day. Some servant is doing that.
With the busy schedule Presidential candidates have that takes them all over the country, it's actually more compassionate NOT to have a pet.
This is a classic statistical analysis error! The results are interpreted as if you own a pet you like McSame, when in all reality it ought to be interpreted as, if your old and conservative you own a pet. Obama's demographic is exactly the people who do not own pets, younger professionals! How can you responsibly own a pet when your working 60+ hours a week trying to get a leg up on the disgraceful policies of monkey boy?
For a good analysis as to why the story sucked balls, here you go!
http://www.pollster.com/blogs/a_dog_of_a_poll_story.php
I'd say Senator Obama doesn't have the time to give a pet the attention it deserves.
So in his case, and that of any road weary politician, not owning a pet is actually the responsible thing to do.
Sure Grampa has a dog, but does he remember which of his many homes he's left it at? Probably not.
Did the AP get their list from McGranpa donor list? The AP has no credibility any more after their blatant McBush cheerleading.
I am a dog owner and I DO NOT SUPPORT McCain, as a matter of fact, if my dog was easy to train, I would teach her to bite McCain (or at least bark alot when he was on TV).
And as for Obama's lack of pets...Would it really matter if he has a pet or not, wouldn't the Right Wing Media in America stand against Obama simply because he is not a Republican?
My old tortoiseshell cat Eloise says," If we had thumbs, all you monkeys would be toast." My old magpie cat Booker says," zzzzzz"
..From George Washington’s foxhound “Drunkard” to George W. Bush’s terriers “Barney” and “Miss Beazley,” pets are a longtime presidential tradition for which the presumed Republican nominee seems well prepared, with more than a dozen...
Don't forget Bill Clinton's pet , "Mr. Kidney Cracker".
Sorry Dog Owner #43501 I missed your post.
Great minds...
.
Off topic questions:
(sorry, not satisfied with the lack of coverage)
~ Does the vote and signing today mean that Richard M. Nixon was correct?
~ Does it mean it’s not illegal when the president does it?
~ Was Watergate a sham?
~ How will Obama work to override his vote as a Senator IF he becomes president? Why won't he NOW?
~ Who can guarantee that ANY Congress will pass a legislation that undoes this unconstitutional violation of the Republic’s Right, Freedom and Liberty?
~ Who can guarantee that the Supreme Court will ever take up a case challenging this law?
~ Who can guarantee that a Supreme Court will find this law, unconstitutional, thus undoing it.
.
As an aside, I find it ironic that George Washington, who spent 10% of his presidential salary on alcohol, had a dog named "Drunkard".
I do feel kinship with pet owners, but I have also met quite a few pet owners who I thought shouldn't have chosen to own a pet, so simply owning an animal says nothing about your compassion and sense of responsibility. This has to be the stupidest story I have read in a long time.
Pierre @ 45:
And eventually used the poor dog as a guinea pig by giving it cyanide before he took it.
I wonder if the writer of this article bother asking the reason Obama doesn't have a pet. Maybe one of his children is allergic to pet hair.
Jim @ 13:
Love that sort baseless pop psychology. All opinion but entirely fact free.
Yet another line of crapola from our MSM...I'm betting McShame has as much responsibility for the "pets" as he does for paying the taxes on Cindy's mega-empire! Wanna bet they pay someone to do that too? Of course they do...ever seen them with a pet? Are they ever home...he hasn't been able to vote since April...thinking the doggies would have starved or peed themselves to death by now...but, given the overall intelligence and sophistication of the "merican" public this is the type of thing that would swing it for some...no thinking involved...PERFECT!!!
Cruella DeVille had a lot of dogs, too.
Leona Helmsley had a dog.
[Deleted. Comment spamming-Sitemonitor]
Russell @ 22:
My husband and I are the servants of 2 cats... Max is a purebred red tabby Maine Coon Yankee Doodle Dandy, born July 4 2006 and weighing in at 15 pounds (so far) and can reach doorknobs and Jake is a dark grey tabby sumthin or 'nother, born a month after Max. Max is aloof but gentle, Jake LOVES to lie at my feet, or be cuddled. Cats are cool...
This actually made me laugh, really lol.
And I was having a bad day at work too. This is the dumbest thing I've read from the AP in a long time... and that's saying something.
taller ghost walt @ 5:
Boy, you said it. Geeez, can this country become any more shallow.
Adolf Hitler was an animal lover. I wonder why no reporter ever rebuts with that when they hear such nonsense.
Of the twelve dogs he owns, I wonder how many of their names he knows?
Hope the AP doesn't sue John for using this. Oh, and fuck the AP and fuck you NSA guys too.
Most fugitive slave chasers owned loving dogs. Also many a southern black person during the Civil Rights Movement got up close and personal with many police dogs.
neverbeenfooled @ 68:
Or actually feeds himself. It seems rather impractical to have so many pets if you're going to be away from home for so long. At least Obama is a bit more practical and sensible for not having pets while he's campaigning.
I've seen people who own dogs do some pretty horrible stuff to them. Just because you own a dog doesn't mean you're a compassionate human being.
As Pierre wrote previously; "even Hitler had a dog" In fact he had a few as I remember
Now I could be wrong but I thought the AP would have such some vague memory memory of such a distant and mythically unimportant fact to this story that they might actually do-the-google (sarcasm at its apex)
Oh...and those shepherd that bite off the testicles at Gitmo? Yep...PETS!
My cat hacked up a hairball on a image of McSame... I think i know who he wants for president...
Why not run an article about the injustice of NOT allowing Dogs to vote -- surely all dogs go to heaven and would vote for McSame :-S
This is the best thing the AP can come up with? Whats next? Are they going to make an appeal to women voters in saying that McCain is the better candidate because he lifts the seat on the toilet before he takes a leak? How pathetic.
Repubs and pets, Bill Frist, any questions?
has any of these momos ever considered that maybe Obama or someone in his family are allergic to pets?
25% of Americans are allergic to cats.
15% of Americans are allergic to dogs.
but since these momos do not care about healthcare issues, I believe these allergy stats would slip under the AP's radar
AP is very busy sucking up to the other Corporate media outfits trying to prove that they can be one of the "big boys" too.
"Me too! Me too! We hate America too!"
*
I thought Cheney's pet was called "Drunkard" ...?
Pets?
Now, if they only gave the least tiniest shit about ...PEOPLE.
Shock and Awe the profits are a commin in so fast, it's got to be made into a national secret.
Wake me up when there is ANY party, at ALL, that gives ANY kind of shit whatsoever about the REAL PEOPLE, of what used to be a proud nation,... the United States of America.
Loving their pets is point #4099 on my ARE THEY WORTH IT scale. Anyone with money, can buy a pet,...or a politician,...a vote,..., immunity,...or a pardon for anything.
Doing what's right doesn't seem to be very profitable or worth even a small attempt anymore.
BTW, is that pet chipped yet? Are you?
the lap dog msm are mccain's pets.
I think the AP didn't get everyone in that picture. The real owner is George W. Bush and McCain is his pet. McCain's best tricks are rollover (as in flip flop) and play stupid.
StirFry @ 53:
Speaking of Bill Clinton and his dog, as I recall he and Hill left poor Buddy at home in Chappaqua with some construction guys and Buddy ran down the road and got hit by a car and killed.
Just sayin'.
earl @ 78:
No, that's his hunting buddy.
Joe O. @ 74:
I'm a horrible person... my first thought was: Can he lift his arms high enough to raise the seat?
Embittered & Anti-Republicrat - Max-Hussein-1 @ 55:
Does a wet bird fly at night??
And the compassionate, pet-owning McCain wants to kill everybody in Iran.
Sorry, AP, that dog just don't hunt.
I hope McCain is more serious about his responsibility to his dog than he is about his responsibility as a senator. He has not voted since April 8. I certainly hope he has been feeding his dog at least daily.
Oops, should have read more carefully. It's not a dog but many dogs. That explains why he's so seldom in the Senate.
Yeah, and Shrub holds his canine like a loaf of bread and used to blow up frogs when he was a kid.
Conservatives have no compassion -- for any living thing, human or nonhuman. That's obvious.
What a crock.
Russell @ 18:
My pet boa is itching to give mc blame a big hug
Zenrage @ 27:
Isn't that ROY BLUNT?
As a throw away thought...
Does / did someone give Miss Beazley birth control or was she just fixed?
Does Barney get Viagara or is he like Rush, suffering with low libido as we speak?
I think AP missed an entire facet to this article that the 'public' needs (if not demands) to know.
If we are going to examine pets for the sign of a better President, perhaps we need to examine good pet ownership too.
i.e. Does McCain have a Miss Beazley for his dog? Does he walk the dog or does he hire a walker? Does he feed it steak or IAMs (as in the IAMS was contaminated by the Chinese) What did he name his dog? Is it something that might give the dog a complex like Miss Beazley (presumably the same offspring of Mrs. Beasley; a doll from the 1966 Sitcom Family Affair who was not married). AND, finally (I could go on) if Miss Beasley and Barney live together....isn't that a SIN? Are we absolutely sure they are sleeping in separate rooms?...separate beds????
OMG!
Questions questions questions...Even when the AP reports they leave out the good stuff.
Kind of like that caring, giving, trustworthy owner of a small white dog that I remember yelling, "It puts the lotion on its skin!" What was his name again???
i run a dog rescue & take in mostly german shepherds who have bitten people. i'd love to see Mcsame & the Shrub come strolling up the driveway when i'm exercising all 16 of my indoor dogs. i'd have to have the dogs stomachs pumped afterward, but it would be worth it!
Obama has two daughters.
How many daughters does McCain have? Only one?
AP poll shows that voters with multiple daughters favor Obama by 52% to 31%
See how ridiculous this can be?
What a crock
Am I the only one who realizes that Truman didn't have so much as a Goldfish when he was elected President?
I bet most republicans own attack or guard dogs like Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Dobermen while Democrats are more likely to own a companion dog.
He feeds me and he shelters me . He must be a god, says the dog.
He feeds me and he shelters me . I must be a god, says the cat.
Of course pet owners are more compassionate. And of course that makes them Presidential.
Hey, is it too late to get Michael Vick's name on the ballot?
'if a person owns a pet that “tells you that they’re responsible at least for something, for the care of something.” '
what about the fact that Obama has two daughters? doesn't that say something about the fact that he's "responsible at least for something, for the care of something.”
wow.... this stuff is just getting silly.
I read somewhere that the Obama children have animal allergies. Not that it matters. This whole thing is one more ridiculous non-issue that doesn't merit discussion.
I presently have a dog and two cats and wouldn't vote for McCain no matter how many dogs he claimed to have.
Thank god someone shat on this ridiculous poll in public, and I'm cracking up over the comments. My adopted rescue rats feel that McCain just doesn't have a nuanced enough understanding of the problems in Iraq and of the complex issues surrounding climate change. My four sheep think he is pretty nee-hee-hee-heet, but they aren't all that smart.
Cal @ 97:
Probably
Owning a pet does not make someone "compassionate." Shit, Hitler owned a bunch of dogs he loved dearly, and no one calls him compassionate.
What the fuck!!! You don't suppose raising children might also tell you that, you idiot?
Well, Obama wants a measured pullout from Iraq, a realistic plan to reduce pollution (and a $300M contest doesnt count as realistic), a middle-class friendly plan for the economy....
problem is that he doesnt own a dog...
screw him
Again, we get more shiny quarters tossed in our general direction by the MSM. That said, I have a large greyhound that would love to take a pee on McCain. The cats - mostly Siamese - say "meh".
murdicKKK is on the board at AP.
this is what should be expected.
I hate the idea of having a pet. This makes me like Obama even more.
Pet owners are all neurotics in my humble opinion.
Animals belong in the wild, not in your home or yard.
Obama should get himself a pet goat and name it George or alternately Rudi.
Of course having and caring for children doesn't count. And didn't Bush have a pet frog once? Wonder what happened to it?
Pets are an irrational emotional attachment to meat.
If you're going to take a living creature into your home, let it get food everywhere, give it noisy toys, and have to clean up after it -- it had darned well better have learned to talk, read, and get a job by the time it's a teenager.
sparafucilli @ 112:
As I recall, it didn't last long after he and Beavis played... Frog Baseball!
Oh, yeah, all Presidents who have pets are more compassionate. Suuuuure they are.
President Lyndon Johnson escalated the Viet Nam War, resulting in quite a few of the names on the Black Wall on the Mall to be inscribed there, not to mention obliterating scores of thousands of Viet Namese lives. He also liked to grab his dog by the ears and hold it up, a la 'rabbit in a hat'.
Lyndon Johnson pulling his beagle's ears.
Of course, he said the dog liked it.
Compassionate? Because a President, or someone aspiring to that position, has a pet? You tell me...
For the record, Adolph Hitler had dogs as his pets too and gosh, wasn't he a swell guy? It does not make someone a better person solely because he owns dogs! Come on, wake up!
Your dog looks at you and thinks, She loves me, plays with me, feeds me and gives me a good home - She must be God.
Your cat looks at you and thinks, She loves me, plays with me, feeds me and give me a good home - I must be God.
We are all better people for having pets in our lives. You will never have a better friend or more unconditional love than from a dog that loves you and your cat will keep you humble.
It sure is easy to own all those pets when you have a staff to take care of them.
The pets live at the Arizona Ranch...where McCain goes for photo ops.
Wake up America...we are so freakin' gullible
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