Connect with us on Facebook!
Subscribe.
Make us your home page!
Authors, sign in!A few weeks ago, I wondered when the media was going to cover the important things in life. I wondered when they were going to start the Presidential Candidate human interest stories that help voters make decisions. 
You know what I’m referring to – the need to know information about the candidates and their personal lives, such as clothing choices, hairstyles and pets. I decided that since this imperative information was lacking, I would fill the vacuum.
All was well and good in my world: I had a topic (candidates’ pets), cell phone and lunch breaks at work.
Then I was scooped by the Associated Press. It snowballed from there. The story was picked up by other news outlets, including Entertainment Tonight. I was ticked. What would they scoop me on next? The candidates’ breakfast choices? How dare they!
After I calmed down (it took a while), I decided to proceed. So let’s discuss what really matters. Let’s review the Presidential Candidates’ pets. Here’s the rundown of both the Republican and Democratic presumptive nominees, along with some Third Party Candidates.
John McCain – Republican
John McCain is either an animal lover or wants to open a petting zoo. McCain and his family have lots of pets, which include the following: fourteen dogs, thirteen fish, six cats, three birds, two turtles, and a ferret.
I want to know who scoops all that poop.
Barack Obama – Democrat
While Obama and his family do not currently own any pets, his children have been promised a dog if he wins the election. Do you want to have a say in the potential pet of the potential First Family? Log on to the American Kennel Club’s website and vote: www.akc.org/poll/special/presidential.cfm. Voting ends August 19th.
Gene Amondson – Prohibition
Not only is he the Prohibition Party’s candidate for President, Gene is a pastor who also does impersonations of Billy Sunday and is available for speaking engagements at churches. Plus, Amondson poses as the Grim Reaper in front of wineries, courthouses and Anheuser Busch. Since www.geneamondson.com does not mention any pets, I called Amondsen at the number on his website, and left a message. To my surprise, he called me back. Amondson stated that he has fruit flies as pets and would like to designate May 22 as a National Holiday since that is the day that they return to Vashon Island (off the coast of Washington State), which is where he lives. Amondson then advocated for 17 seconds for the Prohibition Party platform, and maybe it was because my morning caffeine had not kicked in yet, but I was intrigued.
Bob Barr – Libertarian
I Googled “bob barr pets” and also checked his campaign website under “Meet Bob” and did not find any mentions of pet ownership. I also clicked on “Meet Jeri Barr” on www.bobbarr2008.com and found out that the Barrs have four children and six grandchildren. I could not find any information on Barr’s pet ownership, and the website makes him seem surprisingly accessible, so I called Barr’s campaign headquarters. After some quick research, Andrew Davis of the Barr campaign promptly emailed me that Barr has a cockatiel named Stormy. Davis also attached an Atlanta Constitution Op-Ed Barr wrote about his now deceased Labrador Retriever with regards to the Michael Vick scandal. The piece was moving. Barr’s campaign staff was well spoken, polite and respectful. Thanks Andrew!
Cynthia McKinney – Green
I looked through McKinney’s website for contact information, and from the tone of the site, it appears that questions about pet ownership would not be welcome. I was intimidated, and did not have the cojones to call. I recovered my moxie in time to call the Nader campaign headquarters, and thank goodness, because I needed it.
Ralph Nader
My phone call with Nader’s campaign headquarters bordered on combative.
I contacted the Nader campaign after reading on the Internet that Nader does not like cats because he feels they cause leukemia, nor does he like dogs, due to bacteria. I felt this needed confirmation, so I called Nader’s campaign headquarters in Washington, DC. I spoke with Chris, who advised that while he has known Nader for years, he has never spoken with him about pets – Chris does not delve into Nader’s personal life.
I asked him why not? Do they not make small talk at the Nader campaign headquarters? Chris stated he did not appreciate my question. When I mentioned what I found regarding Nader’s beliefs about cats and dogs on the Internet, Chris replied that it “must be from one of those pesky Democrats”. I replied that no, I found it on a website based in Portland, www.realchange.org. Chris then stated that he would prefer to not talk about pets, that instead, he believes it’s more important to discuss Nader’s platform “why it is better for all Americans and their pets” and that Nader’s campaign “would love to see a safer, better and more prosperous American for all Americans and their pets”. I thanked Chris for his time.
After every sparring session, the boxing trainer likes to ask me, “So what did you learn?” While I only sparred with the Nader campaign, I re-learned something from my experience researching the Presidential Candidates’ pets. I was reminded that this is a great country, where if your are 35 or over and a native citizen, etc, you too can reach for the brass ring and the responsibility of President, no matter your pet ownership status.
Next Up: Presidential Candidates’ hair styles!
Published August 1, 2008 by Jennifer Schwaller |
Permalink
| Tags:
Barack Obama
Bob Barr
Campaigns
Candidates
Dogs
John McCain
Presidential Elections
Ralph Nader
Comments (3)
MAGNIFICENT! What a delightful reprieve! THANKS! :-]
I wanted to add something so here's my historical rundown of presidents and their pets:
Posted by Nora Thomason
|
August 1, 2008 6:13 PM
Posted on August 1, 2008 18:13
This is the best dang thing I've read all week any where! Just exactly perfect.
Posted by Jerry Jacobs
|
August 1, 2008 6:28 PM
Posted on August 1, 2008 18:28
Jennifer -
This is actually newsworthy. As a pet lover, I DO want to know where the candidates stand on the issue of pets. It tells me a lot about them, while not conclusive, it's still necessary information.
I loved your way of telling this story, especially your initiative in making those phone calls and in sharing with us how you responded to the reps and the websites.
Plus, you reminded us that there are more than two candidates in the race.
I liked your blog post. I look forward to your future pieces.
Lola
Posted by Lola Wheeler
|
August 1, 2008 9:24 PM
Posted on August 1, 2008 21:24