Pet-lover McCain finds the scent of their votes; petless Obama lags
Americans like their pets. Two out of three of our homes have pets, a whopping 163 million dogs and cats living as full family members.
And Americans like their presidents to have pets too, mainly dogs. Apparently voters think it says something about the chief executive's character or something. Try to think of a president who didn't have a dog run out to greet him at the helicopter. Even the jerk in "Dave" had a prop dog.
So while he's out jogging toward the middle of the political spectrum, the petless Sen. Barack Obama may want to stop off at Pets 'R Us well before November.
He's promised to get some kind of dog after the November election. But everyone knows about politicians' promises.
Meanwhile, Sen. John McCain, who has a full menagerie in his Arizona home, is building a lead among pet-owning voters, according to a new poll by the Associated Press-Yahoo News. McCain leads Obama 42-37 among pet owners and is especially strong among dog owners, perhaps because he's got about three of his own, including Ginger, above.
McCain also has a cat, two turtles, three parakeets and a ferret (good thing he doesn't live in California). Talk about a unity ticket.
It's amusing to picture the urban-dwelling, Ivy League lawyer Obama, surrounded by sunglassed Secret Service members, out walking his Maltese on Chicago's South Side and bending over by the curb for the pick-up with a plastic bag on his hand.
Obama does lead McCain 48-34 among non-pet owners. But alas for him there are many fewer of them in these 57 states.
Our blogging colleagues over at L.A. Unleashed have the full political pet story. And the Swamp has its own version too here.
--Andrew Malcolm
Photo credit: Stephan Savoia / Associated Press
Andrew Malcolm's immigrant parents repeatedly stressed the importance of active participation in a democracy. Early lessons included learning the alphabetical list of states by watching televised roll calls of national political conventions. That childhood exposure led to a lifelong fascination with politics, including 40-plus years of covering them and a brief stint practicing them as press secretary to Laura Bush in 1999-2000. A veteran foreign and national correspondent, Malcolm served on the Times Editorial Board and was a Pulitzer finalist in 2004. He is the author of 10 nonfiction books and father of four.
Johanna Neuman is a veteran Washington correspondent for both The Los Angeles Times and USA Today, having covered presidents and politics as far back as Ronald Reagan. A former president of the White House Correspondents Assn., she authored a book on media and foreign policy, “Lights, Camera, Wars.” Most recently she was co-author of the 
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Well his is the dumbest poll that ever existed. What about gold fish lovers, did McCain win that very powerful and influential group?
Posted by: lxg | July 08, 2008 at 04:18 PM
Hey! a poll McCain actually leads in!
The McCain Camp must be thrilled.
(... Now if there was only some list of superdelegates for the general election they could argue this makes him most qualified to be president.)
Posted by: ron | July 08, 2008 at 04:52 PM
It is very amusing to think of B. Hussein Obama walking a dog in Chicago. He isn't like regular people like us. He's one of those secret Muslim guys with a funny name who grew up in a foreign country. Or is he the effete country club elitist? Which Republican frame are we using this week?
I'm for McCain. Salt of the earth, son of a navy admiral, John. I wonder which of his seven houses he keeps all those pets in! Do they get to fly in Cindy's jet? That would be a hoot!
Posted by: Patrick Hennessey | July 08, 2008 at 06:06 PM
Maybe Dogs don't like Barack Obama the reason he can't have one...
My Dog always barks and goes nuts when Obama is speaking, and ol Sparky only barks at burglars and people that are sneaking around, and up to no good.
Barack Obama would be better off with a Cat, they're not like Dogs they have a more defined personality, think for themselves, and they'll claw you up if you cross them wrong.
I suppose if Obama had a Dog though, he might like it better because it wouldn't disagree with him… If he flip flopped on an issue the dog would just forget and come back to lick him in the face to give him kissies after it licks it's butt.
Hmm, Maybe Mr. Obama should just go with a fish...
I do find it odd that he doesn't have any pets, I kinda feel sorry for his daughters if they are not getting to grow up around animals, he should defiantly get a family pet even just for their sake.
Posted by: J | July 08, 2008 at 06:45 PM
Democrat’s will not concede Pet owners to the Republicans. No Seriously!
All Cat lovers (Google Video)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4412027748204910365&hl=en
Talking Dogs and thier fans (Youtube Video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCYaw5tGYAs
All these Cats and dogs are supporting Barack Obama in ‘08!
Join Us!
Posted by: Cooday | July 08, 2008 at 07:33 PM
Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who's the biggest pet lover of them all.
IT IS McCAIN
VJ Machiavelli
http://www.vjmachiavelli.blogspot.com
ps Obama = Chamberlian = victory for terrorists = Keeping our shoes on forever.
Posted by: VJ Machiavelli | July 08, 2008 at 08:46 PM
what is it - pet abuse? - to surreptitiously try to use a dog or other inconspicuous animal to indefinitely prop a corrupt treasonous puppet government, its members themselves behaving like pets that never got a chance to really grow up, nor display any desire to do so; don't seem to miss their freedom and their balls, but wish to push their limited views and neurotic habits, on the rest of their 'family', while jealously defending the food bowl?
and don't they just adore to sniff and nibble the droppings of their equals, and humbly crouch on command and attack others regardless of person, race or creed, reasoning or merit of their deed?
Posted by: dave | July 09, 2008 at 10:57 AM
Are Americans really so stupid as to care about whether a presidential candidate has pets? I don't think having or not having them makes a difference to whether one is best qualified to run the country. Anyhow, Obama mentioned in an interview that one of his daughters has allergies, so if he gets a pet, he has to be careful to make sure it won't harm her health. I know people in similar situations, and while animals are nice, your children need to come first.
Posted by: Rachel | July 09, 2008 at 10:58 AM
In Chicago, the 'pets' of choice are peregrine falcons that live in nest boxes in the highrises. (It's also Chicago's official city bird.) Not quite as good symbolically as a bald eagle, and I wouldn't recommend sending it out to meet the helicopter, but still....
http://chicagowildernessmag.org/issues/summer2000/peregrine.html
Posted by: Tom J | July 09, 2008 at 08:01 PM
CoCo is voting for John McCain
Posted by: CoCo | July 10, 2008 at 10:26 PM
If someone is voting for president because he has or hasn't an animal is intellectually flawed. My wife and I are former breeders, dog show people and are now in the grooming business but it doesn't mean we're voting for someone because they have an animal. I guess some of you voted that way the last couple of times and look what it got you.
Posted by: Monte | July 15, 2008 at 05:21 PM
while you could wonder, but understand, how a people would choose to feature as their national symbol, a bird of prey, the alleged plans to replace the eagle with the spittlebug, might indicate a plotted change of paradigm.
Posted by: dave | July 19, 2008 at 03:54 AM