I got a press release last week announcing that an AKC poll says Barack Obama‘s family should get a poodle, mostly because of allergy concerns with his daughters. AKC let people vote on the selection, after hearing he promised his kids a dog after the election is over. Being a media girl myself, I got a chuckle out of this publicity driven stunt by the dog world. It really is quite clever, but later in the same announcement, I found some stats about dog people and their political choices that surprised me.
According to a recent Associated Press poll, “Pet owners favor McCain over Obama 42% to 37%, with dog owners in particular in McCain’s corner.”
Here in Colorado, which for the first time in my adult life is considered an important state in this year’s presidential election, it feels to me like those stats don’t hold true. How about where you are? Do you think dog people will vote for Obama or McCain?
I promise I’ll try not to get increasingly political as these weeks wear on, even though I’m dying to beg you to vote for the person I support because I think this is a VERY important election. :o)
I’ll really try to hold back, partly because I don’t want to offend anyone, partly because I don’t want snotty comments being posted, partly because, like religion, I believe politics is very personal.
However, I’m a complete voting NERD. I love to vote. I’ve voted in every election since I turned 18, which apparently makes me quite rare.
BUT, I will say this:
If you are not registered to vote, get signed up soon. The cutoff so that you can vote in the general election on Nov 4 is likely coming up in your state. Here’s a handy link with important voter registration dates.
Depending on how it’s calculated, the year, and all manner of variables, somewhere around 40-50% of eligible voters do NOT vote. That drives me nuts. This study looked at why people don’t vote. Sometimes Apathy gets more votes (or non-votes) than any candidate.
One of the things researchers found is that those with friends and families who talk politics can really encourage people to vote. SO … if you are the kind of person who doesn’t vote, for whatever reason, let me be your voting cheerleader.
Voting is fun. Voting is easy. Voting is important.
That’s funny. I’m not sure what party Lilly would align herself with. I do know that she doesn’t like debates when candidates go on the attack. We learned that during the primaries.
Here in the California Bay Area, I would guess people frequenting the dog parks would be more likely to have Obama then McCain bumper stickers. However, a very witty SF Chronicle columnist wrote a column a year ago in which he stated:
“Cats are Republicans; everyone knows that. They’re not neocons; they disapprove of both deficit spending and the Iraq war…
“On the other hand, cats are adamantly opposed to social programs. They wonder why the money is not being spent on better things like, say, cats. They point out that they can find food and housing, even raise children, without a subsidy from the federal government. I point out that they are using a subsidy from me instead. They yell, “Private sector! Private sector! Gotcha!” So annoying. “
I absolutely agree with you on the importance of voting. I find it hard to make a choice in local elections, when I have no idea who the person running for the local county treasurer is, but something as big as a presidential election? We are so lucky to have elections that are free and fair.
The best to you and Lilly. Hope her recovery is coming along. And a scratch behind the ears to Gizmo.