Terrier: Election lessons, digested

By: Daisy

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?

Terrier: Pawprints on Election Day

By: Daisy

This morning, as I watched my human friend Laura walk across Massachusetts Avenue in North Cambridge to vote on Election Day, I began wailing from the back seat of our Toyota Corolla. And while my other human friend, Rich, patiently waited behind the wheel for Laura to return, I couldn't stop crying.
You see, I wanted to be in that polling place, too, casting my vote in the elections I've blogged about for almost 10 months. Yet until some forward-thinking human introduces a Constitutional amendment that would extend the franchise to dogs, the only way to make my Westie voice heard is by blogging. So here are my thoughts on the final day of Campaign 2012.

Mitt: Eye on Storm, Foot in Mouth

Sandy-Squirrels Cartoon, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

There goes Mitt Romney, doing something inappropriate again. This time his campaign wants to tour areas damaged by Hurricane Sandy for political capital. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (who refused him), President Obama and a Westie set a better, bipartisan example in the latest episode of "Capitol Hill Canine."

Loosey-Goosey Foreign Policy

Canada-Mexico Toon, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

If you look at the transcript of Monday's presidential debate on foreign policy, two countries were noticeably absent from the discussion: Canada and Mexico, which happen to be the US' only next-door neighbors. Where's the love? That's what a Canada goose and a Chihuahua ask Barack and Mitt in the latest episode of "Capitol Hill Canine."

Terrier: Romney squirrels away support

By: Daisy

Normally, when I see a photo of a squirrel, I start thinking of dinner. But one particular squirrel has made me wonder if he is out to lunch.
The squirrel in question is named Gnocchi. He is a South Carolina gray squirrel who lives in the city of Summerville. And about one week ago, he made a prediction that made me lose my lunch: That Mitt Romney would win the presidential campaign over Barack Obama.
"His owner Serena Ash set up two bowls of walnuts, each with a picture of the presidential contender," the Summerville Patch reported. "Whichever bowl he ate the most nuts out of was the winner."
This left me thinking about two things. First, how come my human companions Rich and Laura never leave me two bowls side-by-side? And second, I suspect this test was far from impartial ... that certain squirrel-like qualities of Mitt made him Gnocchi's pick from the beginning.

Cats & Dogs: Did Obama do well in debate?

(Welcome to the first installment of Cats & Dogs, an ongoing political debate between Daisy the dog and Pancho the cat.)

By: Daisy and Pancho

DAISY: Good afternoon, everyone! Today my good friend Pancho and I are discussing the performance of Democratic President Obama in his first debate with GOP challenger Mitt Romney in Denver last Wednesday. Pancho, am I the only one who thinks the president did a good job?

PANCHO: Yes, you are! Mitt came out swinging his sword like Puss in Boots, and Obama had no counterstroke. My fellow felines know that to win a catfight, you need to get your swipes in. I don't understand why Obama didn't dig out the claws about Mitt's many weak points: his dismissal of the "47 percent" who don't pay taxes, his own reluctance to pay taxes ...

DAISY: And what I consider the cardinal sin: His driving with his dog atop the family station wagon on a cross-country trip back in the early 1980s. But where you see this as too much Mr. Nice Guy, I see it as taking the high road. And isn't this a good thing? Haven't we had enough of negative campaigning?

Conservatives Get Catty

Republicats Cartoon, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

Two Republican candidates -- presidential hopeful Mitt Romney and incumbent Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown -- have shown a bit of a cat-like side in their recent, respective debate performances. It's up to a Westie to analyze in the latest episode of "Capitol Hill Canine"!

Class Warfare and Squirrel Hunting

Mitt-47 Percent Toon, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

A new statistic has joined the political lexicon: the "47 percent" who pay no income taxes, according to Mitt Romney, who apparently belongs to the other 53 percent. Well, a Westie is ready to tackle his logic, as well as a juicy squirrel, in the latest episode of "Capitol Hill Canine"!

Ryan Uses His Noodle

Paul Ryan-Catfish Toon, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

Rep. Paul Ryan, whom Mitt Romney has picked as his GOP running mate, has an unusual hobby: He likes to catch catfish by noodling. What is noodling, you ask? Well, let the Congressman demonstrate -- and make a few political parallels -- in the latest episode of "Capitol Hill Canine"!

Terrier: It's no stretch to compare politics, Olympics

 By: Daisy

My profile picture suggests that I am a sedentary dog, and in some ways this is true. I do enjoy a nice lounge on my doggy bed, on the sofa, or on a patch of grass or clover. And yet I have my active side too. Not only do I like to get in my daily exercise, but I can't help feeling the imprint of the frenetic physical activity humans have been putting themselves through in two arenas: athletic and political.
Athletic, in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London ... and political, on the campaign trail for president and also for senator in my home state of Massachusetts. And I ask my human readers: Which Olympic activities line up best with which candidates? Here are my answers:

Koch is Mitt's 'Iron Chef'

Mitt-David Koch Toon, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney traveled to billionaire David Koch's home in the Hamptons for a fundraiser on Sunday. Romney reportedly stuck around for dinner -- corn fritters, chicken and arugula salad, and dessert (cupcakes and ice cream). A source told the New York Post that this was “a simple meal to make sure the most money raised goes to the campaign.” Um, with the admission price fifty grand a head, simplicity doesn't seem to have been on the menu. Read a terrier's take in the latest episode of "Capitol Hill Canine"!

Mitt's Lake Winnipesaukee Strategy

Mitt-Winni Cartoon, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is taking a little vacation time up on Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire ... and using that time to consider which bait the voters will swallow. Read more in the latest episode of "Capitol Hill Canine."

Terrier: Ruling keeps health care rolling

By: Daisy

If there is one thing that a Westie like me is good at doing, it is rolling on the ground. As soon as I see a nice, cool clover patch, like the ones on the North Cambridge bike path, I put my front shoulders on the green stuff, twist my body left and right, and get a nice, satisfying backrub. Ahhhhh!
Well, there was a lot of rolling done at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, today, after its justices upheld President Obama's health-care law and its "individual mandate" that Americans either purchase health insurance, or pay Uncle Sam a fine. And there are three "twists and turns" that would get a 10.0 score from yours truly.

Barry, Mitt Debate Tick Tactics

Tick Toon, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has unveiled a new ad showing how decisively he'd act on "Day One." Yet is decisiveness always the best move over, say, the deliberateness of President Obama? The candidates debate which is better vis-a-vis a hitherto unexplored campaign issue -- just in time for tick season -- in the latest episode of "Capitol Hill Canine"!

Terrier: Warren must put problems in rear-view mirror

By: Daisy

Several weeks ago, my human friends Rich and Laura went food-shopping at the Trader Joe's near Fresh Pond in Cambridge, Mass. While returning to the car in the parking lot, they were surprised to see, in a neighboring car, another Westie, a 6-year-old named Ziggy, lying comfortably in an unusual position -- in the space above the back-seat area, screened by the rear window.

At least Ziggy wasn't strapped atop the car like Mitt Romney once did to the family Irish setter Seamus in 1983. And yet Romney, by finally being forthright on the issue, seems to have placed it in the rear-view mirror of his presidential campaign. This is an important lesson for another candidate with some background problems -- Massachusetts Democratic Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren.

Will Brown "Pick Up" Doggie Vote?

Brown-Pickup, a photo by rbtenorio on Flickr.

Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) spoke at Bunker Hill Community College earlier this week, touting his ties with President Barack Obama, a Democrat. Does Brown have another trick up his sleeve in his reelection bid? Read more in the latest edition of "Capitol Hill Canine"!

Newt's lasting imprint! Plus, a charity appeal

By: Daisy

It looks like former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich will end his presidential campaign on Tuesday, according to media reports.
Some of my human readers will ask whether Gingrich achieved anything by staying in the race so long. He wasn't even Mitt Romney's biggest challenger -- that was former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who dropped out two weeks ago. All Newt got out of overstaying his welcome was a second-place finish in Delaware yesterday -- one of five primaries in play, all of which Mitt swept.
Well, I would point out (not literally -- my paws aren't made for pointing) that Gingrich's campaign was significant for two reasons, both of which could be used by President Obama as promising venues to battle Romney in the general election.

Campaigns going to the dogs

By: Daisy
We dogs have dominated the news headlines this week, from the presidential campaign to the Massachusetts Senate race. Time to pick up my pen (metaphorically speaking -- I can't pick up a pen with a paw) and start addressing all the doggy details!
Romney camp dishes out sneak attack
First, I wasn't happy that Mitt Romney's henchmen launched an unfair dog-related attack on President Obama. Admittedly the details made me wince (as much as a dog can wince, anyway). It turns out, from Obama's autobiography "Dreams From My Father," that when he was six years old, his stepfather served him dog meat while they were in Indonesia.
The Romney camp is making much ado over this. And I must say, it makes me feel rather queasy. Yet I should also point out that this happened when Obama was SIX YEARS OLD ... just a kid who hardly could have been expected to politely turn down the, ahem, meal. Today, our now 50-year-old president is a thoughtful pet owner who takes his Portuguese water dog Bo in limo rides and on Christmas shopping trips.
Romney, on the other paw (oops, I mean hand), was in his mid-thirties when he strapped Seamus atop the family station wagon on a cross-country drive in 1983. So I don't think his supporters are right when they say Obama's doggy no-no was as bad as Romney's.

We don't need Mitt's "outside-the-car" policies

By: Daisy

This week, the human world was abuzz with the news that Mitt Romney has all but clinched the Republican nomination for President of the United States after the departure of former Sen. Rick Santorum. So I thought I'd touch on the differences between Mitt and the Democratic incumbent, President Obama, in a key aspect: The way they drive with their dogs.
Mitt, as we are likely aware, drove with his Irish setter Seamus in a crate atop the family station wagon during a 12-hour trip from Boston to Ontario in 1983. President Obama, meanwhile, sits with his Portuguese water dog Bo safely inside his armored limousine, as shown in a photo tweeted by adviser David Axelrod this year.
These examples have profound implications for America.

GOP alpha dog Mitt will lead us astray

By: Daisy

If there's one canine concept you humans love to use, it's the idea of an "Alpha Dog."
This means a mover and shaker who can take charge, seize the initiative and lead the pack. Am I an Alpha Dog? Do you even need to ask? My human friend Rich once admitted to a passer-by on the bike path after I had gently indicated which way I wanted to go: "She sets the pace."
Well, you humans might not know that there are two kinds of alpha dogs ... good ones, and bad ones. I got to know both types through my experiences with the kindly folks at Westie Rescue. I met benevolent "Earth Mother" Westies who tried to make sure each member of the pack got treated fairly ... and Machiavellian Westies who got into barking battles with me and wolfed down my food before I could get to it.
This week, one of the Republicans who wants to be president, Mitt Romney, has been trying very hard to act like an alpha dog. My question is, does he want to be a good alpha or a bad one? Alas, I think I know the answer.