Like my lunch of microwaved chicken and rice, I feel that I have digested the historic results of Election Day sufficiently enough to share my canine perspective.
One month ago, the drama of the past year reached its climax, with voters lining up at the polls and viewers staying up long into the night, tracking the election results as intently as I track squirrels on the bike path. What lessons can we take from how Americans voted?
- By about 100 electoral votes, Americans sided with Democratic President Barack Obama over his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, the former governor of my home state of Massachusetts. I see this as an overwhelming repudiation of Romney's decision to drive cross-country with his dog Seamus strapped atop the family station wagon in the early 1980s. To quote the "Dogs Against Romney" bumper sticker I saw in Cambridge, Mass., recently, "I Ride Inside" will take its place among the great American political slogans.
- President Obama won, in part, with a message of moderation given the tough economy. He reinforced this message in his victory speech, when he told his daughters, Sasha and Malia, "I will say, for now, one dog’s probably enough." This is a good example to set. Enough of the SUVs, McMansions and hedge funds that got us into the economic mess in the first place. That goes for the Bush tax cuts, too ... part of the fiscal cliff we face. Part of me empathizes with all the Fifi's out there who -- if their owners lose their tax cuts -- will have fewer sessions at the doggie daycare, less trips to the grooming salon and not so much filet mignon in a silver dish. But only part of me feels their pain. The other part says, "well, you can always come chase squirrels with me on the bike path!"
- Barry and Bo have acted graciously in victory. We saw this when the president welcomed Romney to the White House after the election for a meal of chicken chili (yum) and in the gingerbread house constructed for the benefit of military families right in time for the holiday season. You can see Bo inspect the decorations here.
- A few words about the highly publicized Massachusetts Senate race between Democrat winner Elizabeth Warren and the Republican incumbent, Scott Brown. This was truly an historic campaign for pets and their human companions. One candidate (Brown) created a "Dog Blog" featuring his dogs Koda and Snuggles, another (Warren) tweeted a photo of her dog Otis enjoying a trip to Fresh Pond, Cambridge. A few days before Election Day, Brown told the media that when the politicking was over, he would enjoy "Getting to reconnect and spend a few days with the family, the dogs, the cat, everybody together." Even though he lost the election, maybe he's planning to return. After all, if President Obama picks the other Bay State senator, Democrat John Kerry, as Secretary of State, this could set off a brand-new Senate race in Massachusetts.
- Finally, condolences to Sen.-elect Warren for the loss of her faithful dog Otis, who passed away just five days before the election. Warren seemed very kind to Otis, even brushing his teeth. If she shows similar concern for the public, Massachusetts will be lucky.
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