Politicians Tout Pets To Win Votes
We know who rules our house: pets. But who should rule the White House — and the Free World?
“Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies,” Freud said, “quite unlike people, who are incapable of pure love and always have to mix love with hate in their object relations.”
Was he talking about politicians?
It seems that presidential candidates can’t outdo each other when it comes to showcasing their rabid love of pets. Presidential-pooch wannabes and first-kitty hopefuls are featured on the candidates’ Web sites, showcased in photo-ops and woven into interviews at every opportunity.
So instinctive is our bond to animals that we reach out to anyone on the other end of the leash.
“All of us assign positive attributes to someone with an animal,” says human-animal bond expert Allen Beck. “That’s why politicians want to be seen with a pet.”
Harry Truman preached, “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.”
But today’s campaign managers are practicing: “If you want votes, showcase your dog, cat, fish, reptiles, and yes, even chickens.”
Savvy politicians know that voters attach positive social attributes to pet ownership and know the wisdom of being seen as pet friendly.
Although the desire to be seen as pet friendly has reached new heights, using pets as a political tool is nothing new.
Remember FDR and his beloved Scottie, Fala? Nixon and his cocker spaniel, Checkers? George and Barbara Bush and their springer spaniel, Millie? How about the Clinton’s cat, Socks, and dog, Buddy?
Vice President Al Gore counts his Labrador retriever, Shiloh, among his most loyal supporters. Pat Buchanan, the Reform Party candidate, dotes on Gipper, his 14-year-old orange tabby. Former presidential wannabe Steve Forbes calls his 50 chickens pets.
George W. Bush shares good political breeding in more than one way. He’s not only the son of an ex-president; his dog, Spot Fletcher, is the son of superstar Millie, the famous White House dog and best-selling author. In a Newsweek article, homesick George even laments about how much he misses his pets when he’s on the road campaigning, and how he counts on their hero’s welcome when he comes home. There’s nary a pet owner in America that doesn’t understand and appreciate those feelings.
If numbers and variety help tally votes, John McCain should have been the next president of the United States. The McCain menagerie includes dogs, cats, fish and an iguana.
Trump went into the Dumpster, pet-litically, along with Bill Bradley, because they’re petless. Jesse Ventura could possibly resurrect his political career by being seen with a tea-cup poodle with a foo-foo hairdo.
I remember when my sister Cheryl had gone beyond the puppy-love stage with her boyfriend and thought she wanted to marry him. When asked for her advice, Grandma said, “It’s easy to wear disguises when you’re a human, but pets are great judges of character. He pets the dog in front of us, Cheryl, but watch how he treats our pets when he doesn’t think we’re looking.”
Cheryl watched, and her boyfriend failed the test miserably. The dog had sniffed out the real person for us all to see and reject.
Wouldn’t you like to be able to have your pets size up the candidates and then decide whom to vote for?
Beats any method we have now.