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Cats always get short shrift. In the White House, Lincoln had a cat. He was famously gentle with animals, and he would feed it with a silver spoon in the White House. Mary once got mad at him and said, what are you doing, Mr. President? And he said, well, if this spoon was good enough for Buchanan, it's good enough for Tabby.
-Rich Lowry |
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Like all pet owners, U.S. presidents love their pets. In an election year like this one, famous pets can be an asset. Candidate Barack Obama has been featuring dog Bo in campaign ads and to raise campaign money. Why? To target the coveted pet-owner vote. Pet owners are now considered a micro-constituency, like military families and stay-at-home moms. Specially designed gear for cats and dogs have been created for the Obama campaign in order to raise money. Pet owners can buy Obama cat collars and Obama dog sweaters. According to Republican strategist Brian Donahue, quoted in the Washington Examiner: Pet owners would likely fall into the moderate-to-high-income suburbanite voting group that is on the target list for both campaigns this cycle. Targeting what matters the most to these people truly makes a difference. Unquote. Obama now showcases Bo. And Republican candidate Mitt Romney had to answer to a report that his family back in the 1980s put their dog into a carrier and strapped it to the roof of their car on a family vacation. |
