September 24, 2016

"I used to enjoy occasionally pointing out that Mitt Romney had once driven his family to Canada with Seamus the Irish setter strapped to the roof of the car."

"A campaign consultant told me that the Seamus story elicited stronger reactions from focus groups than any other aspect of the 2012 campaign. Donald Trump doesn’t have any pets.... If Trump has ever in his life had a pet, his campaign doesn’t know about it. There’s some question, in fact, about whether he’s ever even had an animal friend.... Bloggers have pointed out that Trump tweets a lot of unflattering dog references. ('… cheated on him like a dog …') It is true that he does seem to specialize in insult via canine analogy. I once got a letter from him suggesting I resembled a dog. He did not seem to be thinking about my large, friendly eyes. If he wins the election, we could have the first president in history to refuse to pardon the Thanksgiving turkey."

That's NYT columnist Gail Collins, scraping the very bottom of the Get-Trump barrel.

The second-highest rated comment there is: "It's not surprising Trump doesn't have a pet. Animals can discern a person's character." As if the received wisdom that Trump is despicable is so powerful that people can think that if he had a dog, his own dog wouldn't like him. And that's the ultimate in Trump Derangement Syndrome. To think that it could jog loose the longtime received wisdom about dogs — it's in my modern Dictionary of Received Wisdom under "dogs" — Dogs always love their owners, even Hitler's dog.

95 comments:

Original Mike said...

The dog didn't know he was Hitler.

David Begley said...

Gail Collins is no intellectual match for Ann Althouse. Kind of like the typical Creighton v. Nebraska basketball game. Total beat down by the Jays over the hapless - but vastly overrated - Cornhuskers.

Gahrie said...

That's NYT columnist Gail Collins, scraping the very bottom of the Get-Trump barrel.

Oh..we haven't seen the bottom of the barrel yet...it will get much worse in October.

CStanley said...

Ha ha, not pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey would actually be hilarious. If he is elected I hope he does that.

bleh said...

Trump Derangement Syndrome is reason enough to hope for a Trump presidency. I love to see assholes squirm.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

He could have the White House turkey delivered in secret to Bob Crachit.

William said...

I think Trump's various wives and girl friends serve the function of pets in his life. How did Gail Collins miss such an obvious cheap shot?

MayBee said...

The fact that the Seamus story got so much traction should have been a warning sign to all of us.

Also, it should remind all GOP leaners who think Trump is Hitler that all Republicans running for president are turned into monsters by the press.

dbp said...

If a Republican has a pet, surely he abuses it. If a Republican does not have a pet: what kind of monster does not have a pet?

Gahrie said...

Ha ha, not pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey would actually be hilarious. If he is elected I hope he does that.

He should name the turkey Obamacare, and have it killed on the steps of Congress.

FleetUSA said...

Do you realize how difficult it is to have a dog in NYC? Pitty the pets.

traditionalguy said...

A dog is a family member that needs attention everyday or it will become lonely. Cats are too, but they hide it well.

But Trump being the ultimate travelling man, probably cannot find time to spend with a dog. He has to be a Lead Dog himself, and spends the time with family members and close friends like dog pack that he leads.

Curious George said...

"I once got a letter from him suggesting I resembled a dog. He did not seem to be thinking about my large, friendly eyes."

Of course not. It's your pug nose dog face. Now sit.

Wince said...

Look at a close up of the photo accompanying Gail Collin's op-ed.

Call it extreme irony that she appears to have the mother of all comb-overs herself.

robother said...

Romney as Hitler--strike that, worse than Hitler--even Hitler didn't put his dog in a roof-top carrier!

MadisonMan said...

Like others above, I noticed the end line:

If he wins the election, we could have the first president in history to refuse to pardon the Thanksgiving turkey.

I would be happy if this silly tradition ended. Why is the President wasting time like this?

How about simply wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and reminding them there is plenty to be thankful for in this great country?

jacksonjay said...

The Jane Goodall quote is a hoot! Male chimpanzee dominance issues? Trump as primate. These folks are bat guano unstable.

dreams said...

Gail Collins is just another ugly liberal.

RMc said...

Trump Derangement Syndrome is reason enough to hope for a Trump presidency. I love to see assholes squirm.

This.

tcrosse said...

They used to say that LBJ was such a liar that he had to get his wife to call the dog.
I suppose one could say of Hillary that when she was a kid her folks had to hang a pork chop around her neck to get the dog to play with her.

Virgil Hilts said...

To see which loves you more unconditionally, lock both your dog and your spouse in the trunk of your car for two hours. When you open the trunk one will be happy to see you and want to lick your face. That is the one that loves you the most.

David said...

I thought women were Trump's pets. To each his own.

(Hitler's dog looks worried. Smart dog.)

Dust Bunny Queen said...

If you are a powerful, busy person who doesn't have the ability or time to properly take care of a dog (or any pet) you have no right to have a dog. If you are a person who doesn't have the space, time, or ability to care for a pet, you should not have one.

Dogs, in particular, require constant companionship and need to be a part of the pack, part of the family. They need to spend time with you, have a constant companionship, be exercised, walked, loved, cuddle. If you are too busy, too mobile, unable to to this owning a dog is cruel.

Look at the Obama's. They have a dog. A very expensive, showy dog named Bo. They got a lot of oohs and aaahs from the press. How cute. What about the dog. Do they, as the owners walk the dog, pet the dog, let it sleep in the bedroom with them? Does Bo get to go on vacations with them to Hawaii and other places all over the world? I doubt it. The kids "may" have played with Bo a few times, but now that they are getting grown and out on the world.

Does Bo, miss Malia? Probably doesn't even know who she is. Does Bo pine for those cuddly moments with Obama and Michelle? (yech). Probably not. BECAUSE, someone else has been taking care of, feeding, walking, brushing, training the dog. Bo is owned by the White House Staff, not by Obama himself or any of the Obamas.

So piling on Trump for (maybe) not owning a dog is ridiculous, when he should be praised for being a responsible NON-pet owner.

rhhardin said...

Hitler's goose is unmentioned.

Yancey Ward said...

I think, since about 1984 or so, I have been wishing at least one president would order the turkey to the dinner table. Just one!

Rae said...

So people who are mauled by dogs must deserve it? What about Muslims, who generally despise dogs as unclean?

Received wisdom is for stupid people.

Jim Sweeney said...

Collins is fixated on dogs because, in men's parlance, she's a dog. And a rather fat one at that. Check her images and see. Too, she began the ad hominems; let's see if she can handle them as applied here.

Bob Boyd said...

Trump's hair fills the role.

Anonymous said...

Play dead, Gail.

MPH said...

What is the syndrome that describes knee jerk Trump apologia?

Is it a induced by a chronic addiction to page views?

dreams said...

We always had a dog when I grew up on the farm but as an adult I've never had a need to have a dog or any other pets and neither have my siblings.

Bruce Hayden said...

I think in LBJ's defense, there was something about picking up the dog by his ears. I somehow remember a hound of some sort with long droopy ears.

That reminds me a bit about a story I heard from my partner. Guy apparently liked to set fires, and did so to the neighbor's cat, which then went running and screaming down the street. Luckily for all involved, it was in the pre-video days, and so didn't become a standard by which pet videos are compared. The cat did live, but steered very clear of the guy henceforth. The connection, of course, is that it would be quite understandable for the First Dog to be skittish around LBJ if he indeed had used the dog's ears that way. Except that the cat on fire running down the street is a funnier image for me.

tim in vermont said...

I guess that explains why Gail Collins has a gig at the New York Times with so little discernible talent. When the publisher says "Shit!", she asks what color, then shits out a whole column tailor made.

tim in vermont said...

What is the syndrome that describes knee jerk Trump apologia?

What is she apologizing for? You seem to be apologizing for the NYT running with the thinnest anti-Trump gruel, as long as it is anti-Trump, it's fine, right? Doesn't even matter if it makes sense!

Bruce Hayden said...

@DBQ - which may mean that Trump may end up getting a dog if elected, if there are staff already there. But I expect not. Still, it is fun to guess at what type of dog he would get. Doberman as a threat to his enemies? Golden Retriever to match his hair and personality? Definitely not one of the "ugly" breeds. My guess would be female. But maybe not. Can see arguments both ways.

southcentralpa said...

The incumbent President ate dog as a boy, according to "Dreams From My Father".

So, either he did something far worse, or he was lying in a memoir. Either way, I don't see him getting the James Frey treatment from Oprah Winfrey.

(Probably not the smartest thing I've ever seen a pet owner do, but the happiest dog I ever saw was riding in the open bed of a pickup truck. Discuss)

Curious George said...

Dog or no dog Allan Lichtman says Trumps gonna win.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3805067/Trump-win-White-House-says-history-professor-correctly-predicted-eight-presidential-elections.html?ito=social-facebook

Original Mike said...

"I think in LBJ's defense, there was something about picking up the dog by his ears. I somehow remember a hound of some sort with long droopy ears."

Beagles.

Wince said...

Trump should declare he'll appoint Spuds MacKenzie as Secretary of State.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

(Probably not the smartest thing I've ever seen a pet owner do, but the happiest dog I ever saw was riding in the open bed of a pickup truck. Discuss)

Then you've never seen a couple of cattle herding dogs riding, balancing on the top of a stack of hay bales on the back of a flat bed pickup truck? They are like agile high wire doggy acrobats, smiling and wagging their tails the whole time. Actually, it does scare me because I worry that they might fall off onto the highway. On the dirt roads going to feed the cows, though, you see them jump off and then back onto the truck bed like gymnasts.

The happy that those dogs get riding on the hay is nothing like the happy they have "working" the cows or sheep. You can just feel their joy. Dogs need a purpose in life too, you know. Instead of being locked up in a New York apartment, they are fulfilling their doggy destiny by making cows go where they are supposed to go, getting exercised, praised and riding on the hay! Woof!!!!

Trump looks like a Golden Retriever kind of guy or perhaps a mixed breed rescued from the pound.

damikesc said...

Ha ha, not pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey would actually be hilarious. If he is elected I hope he does that.

It would, wouldn't it?

"Dumb fat bird just wants to sit around and do nothing? You deserve to be eaten".

If only he could find the living members of WKRP to re-do their infamous Thanksgiving episode.

"I thought turkeys could fly"

Also, it should remind all GOP leaners who think Trump is Hitler that all Republicans running for president are turned into monsters by the press.

That was my final straw. Mitt was and is an incredibly generous man. He gave his time and money with few qualms. He had really impressive executive experience, even dealing with the notoriously corrupt IOC. He was the most qualified person we ever had run for office.

And he was treated like a Nazi.

Anybody who says "Anybody would be ahead big on Hillary" is delusional. Anybody running would be a boorish loudmouth who is racist, sexist, xenophobic, etc.

Big Mike said...

@Bruce Hayden, first of all I do not find the notion of setting a cat -- or any other animal -- on fire to be funny. There was a cat in the old neighborhood I would have been happy to dispose of, but not by burning to death.

You are also wrong to contemplate Trump buying his own female White House dag. Some of us are working and sending Trump's campaign money to keep a bitch out of the White House.

tim in vermont said...

Trump should declare he'll appoint Spuds MacKenzie as Secretary of State

And Triumph the Insult Dog to the Supreme Court.

jimbino said...

Animal lovers do not own animals, any more than women lovers own women. Owning a pet is a means of inflicting yourself on one of nature's free beings and through it inflicting misery on other people through noise, disease, and other misery.

Mary Beth said...

tanley said...

Ha ha, not pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey would actually be hilarious. If he is elected I hope he does that.

9/24/16, 8:00 AM


It would be funny but I doubt he would do it. I think not pardoning the turkey would be bad for the poultry industry. The presidential turkey is a reverse scapegoat. It's pardon allows us to eat our turkeys with a clear conscience. (Not that everyone cares, but those that could be swayed to "think of the poor turkey" and give it up are just as swayed by the pardon.)

Big Mike said...

@Curious George, I read the same article. Lichtman's twelve criteria are:

1) Party Mandate: After the midterm elections, the incumbent party holds more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives than after the previous midterm elections.

2) Contest: There is no serious contest for the incumbent party nomination.

3) Incumbency: The incumbent party candidate is the sitting president.

4) Third party: There is no significant third party or independent campaign.

5) Short-term economy: The economy is not in recession during the election campaign.

6) Long-term economy: Real per capita economic growth during the term equals or exceeds mean growth during the previous two terms.

7) Policy change: The incumbent administration effects major changes in national policy.

8) Social unrest: There is no sustained social unrest during the term.

9) Scandal: The incumbent administration is untainted by major scandal.

10) Foreign/military failure: The incumbent administration suffers no major failure in foreign or military affairs.

11) Foreign/military success: The incumbent administration achieves a major success in foreign or military affairs.

12) Incumbent charisma: The incumbent party candidate is charismatic or a national hero.

13) Challenger charisma: The challenging party candidate is not charismatic or a national hero.

Note the wording. Lichtman's formulations are designed to elicit either a "yes" answer (good for the candidate of the incumbent party) or "no" answer (good for the challenger).

I would give a "no" answer to criteria #1 (the GOP is tied for its historic high in the House of Representatives), criteria #2, #6, #8, #9, #10, and #11. I'd give only a qualified "yes" to #4 and to #12 (apparently a goodly number of people really do view Trump as charismatic -- though not all of us by any means). The solid "yes" answers are #3, #5, and #7.

According to Lichtman, this means Trump is going to win. But university professors are not infallible.

Michael K said...

"we haven't seen the bottom of the barrel yet...it will get much worse in October."

Agree. Plus, of course the riots will increase.

You would think the rioters and the Muslims would realize this helps Trump but you can't fix stupid.


Hagar said...

Hitler had a large all black Alsatian. This looks to be a stranger and not that sure about Mr. Hitler.

Dr Weevil said...

I'm old enough to remember the 'scandal' of LBJ lifting a beagle by its ears. As I recall, that's how mother beagles carry their puppies, and they use teeth, not fingers. I hate to defend LBJ, but he seems not to have been mistreating the beagle, in which case the 'scandal' was entirely a matter of non-presidential ignorance

Gk1 said...

And the press is wondering why none of this is having an effect over the voting public? They have become unhinged, even when they try to write jokey columns like this. The venom is practically dripping off of it. Maybe it would help them to re-read Grimm's Fairy Tale abou the boy who cried wolf.

Anonymous said...

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FullMoon said...

Obama avoided the question of having a White House dog. Ted Kennedy foisted the dog upon him, no doubt as a poke in the eye.

Bob Ellison said...

Can a dog have a dog?

Just_Mike_S said...

One of Hitler's final acts was to poison his dog. He had good intentions, I'm sure.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Bruce Hayden said...
@DBQ - which may mean that Trump may end up getting a dog if elected...

Isn't that what the Obamas did? I don't recall them having a dog prior to Barack being elected.

Bruce Hayden said...

@Big Mike - the cat survived. But stayed off their property thereof. Story was told by my partner who claims to have witnessed it. She is actually a cat lover, but still found the whole thing hilarious, though she knew that she shouldn't. And, she is really a kind person. But then, she is the one who insists on feeding the pre-venisons from the front porch. Somehow, and I don't understand it, but she claims that they are scared of me. Mostly, I think that it is because I don't stand out there making silly sounds to them.

mikee said...

South Central Pa, the happiest dog I ever saw was atop a huge stack of hay bales in the back of a pickup going down the highway, placing him about 15 feet above the roadway, like a figurehead on some weird sailing vessel.

New Yorkers don't need pets. They have enough busy humans around them all the time to keep the lonely existentialist nihilism of modern life at bay.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

NOTE TO DOG LOVERS: Just got my first wooden pin brush.

It lives up to the hype, 100%.

I highly recommend it to anyone with a touch-sensitive, long-coated breed.

P.S. The one I got is a Chris Christensen. Other brands might be just as good and I suspect that they are.

Bruce Hayden said...

This is definitely dog country, here in NW MT. Just the opposite of NYC. But almost all full sized dogs, not the micro-mutts you see on airplanes. And mostly multiples - single dogs do not do nearly as well against the cougars, coyotes, bears, and, moving into the area, wolves. Cats though have to either be barn cats, or be kept indoors. Partner had one a couple decades ago around here, it got out, was snatched by an owl, escaped somehow, and only survived because they wrapped it tightly in towels, and rushed 20 miles down the road to the vet, who sewed it up. It then ran away after it healed up. Lucky, it wasn't snatched by one of the eagles instead, because it likely wouldn't have survived.

As pointed out above, you see a lot of dogs in the beds of pickups. Or, in the back seats of Suburus. More than pickups though, because most everyone has one. Asked by a woman why guys like pickups, my response was to ask why women need purses. Do I really need one? Of course not. We live within the city limits. But I have one to haul all my manly tools around, for doing manly things, etc. At least I only have one - so far.

Bruce Hayden said...

Oh, I forgot the coyotes, when I was talking cats. They have a way of faking out cats. The cats get away from one, maybe going up a tree. Then, the cat sees it leave, and comes down, not realizing that coyotes work together. That is what appears to have happened to the cat my parents had when they first moved up into the mountains.

Gahrie said...

What is the syndrome that describes knee jerk Trump apologia?

#neverHillary?

Is it a induced by a chronic addiction to page views?

Perhaps.

Or perhaps the realization that Hillary is the most corrupt, evil, incompetent person to ever run for president?

Or perhaps the realization that he MSM's obsession with defending Democrats and attacking Republicans has become dangerous to the republic.



9/24/16, 9:15 AM

Thuglawlibrarian said...

Careful Gail. Remember what happened to Buddy (Bill and Hillary's dog).

Fabi said...

I hope Trump signs an executive order for turkeys to have more dark meat.

Danno said...

Blogger BDNYC said..."Trump Derangement Syndrome is reason enough to hope for a Trump presidency. I love to see assholes squirm."

I'd prefer to see their heads explode, myself!

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...


"You are also wrong to contemplate Trump buying his own female White House dag. Some of us are working and sending Trump's campaign money to keep a bitch out of the White House"

Very well done. Relevant to the post and transgressively snarky at the same time. This is why a Cracker keeps coming around Althouse.

Sydney said...

Do these people not realize that not only did Hitler's dog love him, but a vast majority of his fellow citizens loved him, too. (Is it wrong to say "these people?")

mockturtle said...

Hitler loved animals, in general, and was a vegetarian. Some of the worst criminals in history loved animals. It means nothing. While I can't imagine life without my dog, if I lived in NYC--or any city--I probably wouldn't have one. A cat, maybe, if I weren't allergic.

Michael K said...

"Remember what happened to Buddy (Bill and Hillary's dog)."

What ? Did they cut the nuts off the wrong hound dog?

robinintn said...

Eric the Fruit Bat: Nothing matches those CC brushes! I am the cheapest person in the world, and it practically killed me to order one of them for my young sheltie, but she would wince and flinch with every other type brush I tried, and I didn't want to hurt her, or to scare her away from grooming. That was 4ish years ago. I line brush her for 10 minutes every morning, so her whole body is covered about once a week. She's never been to a groomer or had a mat, ($$ saved, happy dog, less shedding!), she's easily handled, we have this bonding thing, and I have my hands on her enough to recognize any possible problems. It was the best money I've ever spent.

Matt Sablan said...

Desperation Levels: Dog.

Matt Sablan said...

I have it on good authority that Trump is always late with turn signals. Also, he once forgot a thank you card.

Anonymous said...

No pets here. Because I travel a lot. It's animal abuse to leave them alone like that. I'll get a dog when I retire.

khesanh0802 said...

@ Matthew Sablan 1:50 pm Matthew, I think those are the subjects of Charles Blow's next column.

Anonymous said...

Come on think big. Trumps white house pet will be Cerberus.

Quaestor said...

Hitler loved animals, in general, and was a vegetarian.

And a non-smoker! Hates meat. Loves critters. Doesn't smoke. I give the perfect proglodyte prez of Mericah, Adolf Hitler.

Quaestor said...

I'd prefer to see their heads explode, myself!

Too bad they're able to grow another one

Quaestor said...

They can only talk about the absence of animal's in the Trump household, but they don't talk about mysterious disappearance of Socks the Cat. Probably sleeps with the fishes.

Jon Ericson said...

Trifecta!

YoungHegelian said...

Why do Trump's followers love him? Stuff like this is why.

You know that McCain or Romney would have stood there & just taken shit like what HRC's trying to pull on Trump, putting on the stiff upper lip like the Officer & a Gentleman they were. Not Trump. You fuck with him, he fucks back.

CWJ said...

"Trump Derangement Syndrome."

No, it's Republican Derangement Syndrome. It's the Same old same old. It's different this time only because a) repetition and b) Trump has been a popular culture figure for so long that the characterizations can't be sold because out side the Tent no one will believe them.

For every Brando Who says someone else would be comfortably ahead, I'd say the Dems could smear them simply because they're not as well known as Trump.

narciso said...

whereas young obama actually ate dog in indonesia, proof that those that tout his memoir actually treat it like a coffee table book

buwaya said...

I ate dog.
Its no big deal in those places.
I agree that Obamas books are rarely read.
His actual readers for the most part seem to have been conservatives.

mockturtle said...

Why do Trump's followers love him? Stuff like this is why.

I hope he does it, YH! Let's get the entire bimbo brigade in the front row!

narciso said...

I was pointing out the irony, in truth his greatest fans know the least about him,

SukieTawdry said...

How often did we see GWB heading for Marine One with his arms full of dogs? He obviously loved his dogs and his dogs obviously loved him. BHO got a dog (who he named for himself) because they told him presidents are supposed to have dogs. If they've ever had "a moment" together, we haven't seen it. Over to you, Gail.

sinz52 said...

Gail Collins didn't let go of that story about Romney and the dog, even after the election was over and Obama had won re-election. She continued to harp on it and harp on it w3ll into 2013. (And maybe later; I don't know because I stopped reading her columns.)

Anonymous said...

If elected president, Trump should buy a female dog and call her Hillary. He'd be correct to call Hillary a bit*h and Hillary could brag she made it back to the White House. It's a Win-Win.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, but unprompted by Ms. Collins, I had noticed long ago that Trump had no pets and I did indeed think that reflected poorly on him. Yes, I am an animal lover and involved with my local humane society, working hard to find homes for homeless animals and all that jazz. I remember being frustrated by Obama promising his girls a dog if he got elected, feeling that was a manipulative ploy--- vote for me so the girls can have a dog--- and thought he should have gone ahead and gotten them a dog before the election rather than make that a condition.

Trump apparently has a thing about germs and contagion--- eats at chain restaurants "because you know what you'll get there" and hates to shake hands. So it wouldn't surprise me if he's one of those people who find living with pets to be an 'icky' idea--- all that fur and dander and such. I can see him running around like Lucy Van Pelt after Snoopy kissed her: "I've got dog germs! Get hot water! Get disinfectant!"

I can't imagine voting for a candidate for any office who has never known the love of a dog or a cat. Really. And yes, even with the story of the dog on the car, I voted proudly for Romney. I know he was not trying to be cruel to the dog and that he loves his pets. I was particularly fond of stories about Millie and the senior Bushes and about Barney in the White House as well. And while I was not a Clinton fan, I did love Buddy and Socks. I can't imagine a White House with a pet in it, and I hope I don't see that happen after this election.

Anonymous said...

BTW, I've always wondered--- who gets to decide when being vocal in your opposition to a politician is "good old-fashioned hate" and when it's a "derangement syndrome"? I know we've had BDS and ODS. But why is bashing Hilary Clinton and making cracks about naming a female dog after her (for example) okay but bashing Trump and calling him Cheeto Jesus (for example) is a sign of suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome?

Jon Ericson said...

Yeah, put a check in the deranged check box.
I have a female dog named Hillary.
She's always been a naughty dog.

mockturtle said...

I have a female dog named Hillary.
She's always been a naughty dog.


Does she crap on the floor?

Jon Ericson said...

Never!

But she does tend to wake me up in the morning and bark at deliverypersons.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

ellamentary said,
"I can't imagine voting for a candidate for any office who has never known the love of a dog or a cat"

I love dogs and cats. But it has never occurred to me to make pet ownership a prerequisite for the Presidency. Some people are not big on owning pets. That does not make them bad people.

I agree with what Dust Bunny Queen wrote: "If you are a powerful, busy person who doesn't have the ability or time to properly take care of a dog (or any pet) you have no right to have a dog. If you are a person who doesn't have the space, time, or ability to care for a pet, you should not have one."

And, as mockturtle pointed out, some very bad people - like Hitler, for instance - were animal lovers. The dogs and cats I've owned and loved certainly have added to my enjoyment of life, but I recognize that treating animals well is far from being a sure-fire sign of general good character, although being vicious to them is a pretty good indicator of a psychopath.

Bill and Hillary gave Socks to Ann Curry as soon as they left the WH. I can't imagine Dubya giving away Barney. I don't know the circumstances so I can't say for sure, but the Clinton and Obama pets struck me as political props more than anything. I haven't seen Bo or that second dog the Obamas got in years. (Remember that Obama grew up in a Muslim country and dogs are seen as unclean by Muslims, so he might in fact have grown up with a distaste for them as strong as the dislike you are accusing Trump as having. Not because he is Muslim himself, but because of the culture at large.)

But again, my chief objections to the Obamas and Clintons have nothing to do with pets.

Gary Rosen said...

The Dems were going to spend millions on a campaign to blast Romney for having his dog on the car roof but then someone from Romney's team tweeted about Obama's claim to have eaten dog when he lived in Indonesia so they dropped it. That was at least one thing Romney did right in his campaign. Very Trumpian.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

I loved Barney too, especially after he bit a WH reporter. I'll bet he got extra dog treats that day.