June 29, 2007
Seamus (That's the Dog) (Karen Hanretty)
Thank goodness there’s no YouTube video of Mitt Romney’s dog strapped to the car, or his candidacy might be over.
Under the title “Things I Shouldn’t Admit Publicly” is the fact that when I first heard the story about the Romney family dog taking a road trip on the roof of the family station wagon, I was amused. It sounds like something that might have happened in the small rural town where I grew up — a town I’m sure Bill Press, who expressed his outrage at Romney’s animal recklessness in an earlier post, would never set foot in.
Adding to the hype, PETA — that obnoxiously self-righteous, militant animal rights group that goes around harassing school children by telling them, “Eat veggies, not your friends” — has weighed in with their response to the Clark Griswold-like story of one Massachusetts family’s vacation in 1983. There is probably no organization more out of the mainstream than PETA.
Even more hysterical are the claims that Romney should have treated his dog the way he treats his children. Thing is, in small communities around the country, pets are pets — they’re not children. You don’t treat your pet the way you would treat your child for reasons so obvious to most Americans they aren't worth explaining.
Did a much younger Mitt Romney, setting out 24 years ago on a family vacation with five young boys, a wife and the family dog mean to do his pet harm? I honestly believe he did not. Nor do I think it suggests Romney is a “cold, cruel, callous human being,” as Mr. Press wrote. Give me a break!
I know the Beltway finds this hard to believe, but most American men — the kind whose closets aren’t full of madras pants and seersucker suits — probably sympathize with what Romney tried to accomplish on that family vacation so many years ago. He tried to make his kids happy by finding a way to take the family dog on a road trip.
About the same year the Romney family was driving 12 hours to Canada, my parents, my cousin and I set about on an 18-hour road trip between Washington state and California. It may have been the greatest test of father’s character. How he kept from pulling the car over to the side of the road and strapping my cousin and me to the rooftop, I’ll never know. God bless any man who can make it through a 12-hour road trip with a car full of children.
Fathers go to great lengths to make their kids happy. Say what you will about Romney the presidential candidate, but there is no denying he has managed to foster a happy home with his wife of nearly 40 years, their five children and twice as many grandchildren. And at least Romney is the kind of man who works creatively at keeping a happy home, even if sometimes, as with the case of Seamus speeding down the freeway on top of the car, it’s with mixed results.
Political pundits who are more outraged over a dog than they are about other domestic issues — like the litany of problems in both the Clinton and Giuliani families — show how misplaced their priorities are. I find that weird.
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Nice perspective Karen. Would it have been different if the dog was in the back of his pickup truck? Up until recently, that was as common as grits on a southern grill. Not very Washington DC but very American!
Comment by Rich — June 29, 2007 @ 4:18 pm
If you thought so much of your bucolic little town in the first place, whatever possessed you to "step foot" out of it? Terminal boredom? Or the realization that everyone in the hayseed hamlet thought just the way (and only as much or as often) as you did? Apparently, it does take a village idiot — whatever one might mean by "it."
Comment by Michael Murry — June 29, 2007 @ 4:34 pm
The people that bought this up are scum. Too bad they are along for the ride.
Comment by Robert Rosencrans — June 29, 2007 @ 5:05 pm
Dan Rather has just located the video.
Comment by Igor R. — June 29, 2007 @ 5:14 pm
Romney ain't the only one.
Did you the story of how Huckabee's 18 year old son tortured, hanged, and slit the throat of a homeless dog when he was working as a camp councelor for the boyscouts?
What's up with these freaks?
Comment by JoeCHI — June 29, 2007 @ 6:25 pm
Karen:
You make some valid points. Certainly, today we have better information with regards to what it takes to be a responsible parent or pet-owner.
That said, there are also those who feel that the private life of consenting adults is solely the dominion of those consenting parties.
That same level of privacy cannot be demanded when it comes to questionable actions by someone charged with the care and safety of a dependent.
Comment by JoeCHI — June 29, 2007 @ 7:01 pm
Romney regrets doing that.Give him a friggin break.There's more important things to worry about!
Comment by bjennings — June 30, 2007 @ 8:44 am
Michael,
Do you still live in the town where you grew up? If not, shall we assume it was a place not worthy of human habitation? Somehow I suspect it smelled better after you left.
Comment by Henny — June 30, 2007 @ 12:46 pm
Karen,
Good for you pointing out Rommney's success as a husband and father. A gift to the world with more impact than being President or King.
Comment by Henny — June 30, 2007 @ 12:50 pm
It occurred to me which is worse? Having a dog ride outside where he likes to be or having a female intern crammed under your desk performing oral sex?
Comment by Robert Rosencrans — June 30, 2007 @ 4:24 pm
If you think sex between consenting adults is worse than torturing a dog for 12 hours, you've got some serious personal issues to address.
Comment by JoeCHI — July 1, 2007 @ 12:21 pm
Hey JoeCHI — here's some info for you, Clinton was impeached for having sex with Lewinsky. The Republicans would not have cared if he went out and had sex with every disease ridden prostitute in DC. He was impeached because he lied under oath. Try to get the facts right.
Comment by John Simmons — July 1, 2007 @ 5:49 pm
Correction — Should read Clinton wasn't impeached for having sex with Lewinsky.
Comment by John Simmons — July 1, 2007 @ 5:50 pm
The dog wasn't wearing a blue dress. Consenting? Hardly. One was married unless you're implying of course that Hillary consented. Maybe she has the personal issues to address.
Comment by Robert Rosencrans — July 1, 2007 @ 6:32 pm
**BONG HITS 4 SEAMUS**
Comment by Don Bacon — July 1, 2007 @ 7:55 pm
"Suspending" the small talk and Don's "bong hits"
I think we should talk about how security in this country is not good enough.
We need to ramp up on the border fencing and patrol
We need to do background checks on any "professional" imported for any skill. As we see importing professionals comes with a price and risk. As such, we can no longer afford to gloss over the doctors since they take a hypocratic oath. Medical professionals are in a good position to hurt a lot of people. I wonder how many Moslem engineers we have?
We need to have the big, big, DOE report on student Visa status and make it a jail offense if they do not.
We need to stop wasting our time checking Chinese imports and simply take away the opportunity to poison our food chain, or provide any more goods. Do we need to make China the next hegemony? No, no we don't.
Just like the illegal amnesty issue, citizens in favor of security against terrorism are going to have to start forcing the subject. Clearly all Congress wants to do is talk about Scooter Libby and talk radio and other annoying and insignificant chatter.
Karen, can you build a foundation?
Comment by Cheryl O — July 6, 2007 @ 7:34 pm