Pets and Politics
A Clinton pet fable… foible… whatever
Socks, says Flangan, helped to humanize the Clintons, especially Hillary who took the cat with her on personal appearances. The cat’s ultimate fate was to be off-loaded and adopted by one of Bill Clinton’s secretaries.
Buddy, was killed 2002. Left unattended, he ran into the path of a car near the Clintons’ home in Chappaqua.
A similar fate befell Zeke, a Clinton pet that paid the ultimate price when it ran, unattended, near the Arkansas state capital and was struck by a car.
While I wouldn’t vote against someone just because they didn’t like pets, it might consider how they treated animals as part of my judgment on them as a human being. I’d give as much weight to how they treat animals as I’d give to how they treat people.
There is nothing wrong with avoiding contact with animals if you don’t like them, in fact I’d consider that a mark in your favor. Knowing yourself and your limitations is a good thing. It would be a big mark against you however, if you put yourself in contact with animals for some sort of personal gain, despite disliking them.
This story is sad really. Pets can bring so much enjoyment to a household if they’re treated properly. It’s a shame to instead see them treated like necessary household accessories.
Update: Here is a perfect example of the humanity to animals that I’d see as a positive attribute in a leader.
[...] HDW wrote an interesting post today on Pets and PoliticsHere’s a quick excerptA Clinton pet fable… foible… whatever. Socks, says Flangan, helped to humanize the Clintons, especially Hillary who took the cat with her on personal appearances. The cat’s ultimate fate was to be off-loaded and adopted by one of Bill … [...]
Pingback by Pet Cat » Pets and Politics — October 16, 2007 @ 6:17 am
As any cat-owner will tell you, you cannot own a cat.
That said, I would think that most cats are unattended most of the time. That is just how they like it.
I, for one, would be more worried about a potential future president, if she would have the time to watch her cat all the time.
Comment by modifoo — October 16, 2007 @ 7:28 am
I’d agree on cats. I consider them released on their own recognizance for the most part, I wouldn’t say they were trustworthy, but they’ll take care of themselves. A Labrador Retriever is now exactly trustworthy in that way. They’ll seek out trouble and excitement if not just companionship. Zeke was a Cocker Spaniel, and while I’m not familiar with that breed, I assume from their hunting nature that they’d roam too.
Comment by HDW — October 16, 2007 @ 8:28 am