Posted on 04/18/2012 8:06:35 AM PDT by Only Sane Man
There's no other way to put it, Mitt and Ann Romney stepped in it in their first joint network TV interview.
They fielded lots of questions during the interview which aired last night, but none more pointed then the one animal lovers were waiting for from ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer:
So why did you strap your dog to the roof of the car?
Ann Romney defended her husbands decision to put their dog, Seamus, in a crate and lash it to the roof for a 12-hour drive to Canada in 1983, saying he "loved it" and knew it meant he was going on vacation with the family.
"It was, to me, a kinder thing to bring him along than to leave him in the kennel for, in a kennel for two weeks," she told Sawyer.
[We pause to ask ourselves two things, a) Why didn't they put some luggage on the roof and let Seamus ride inside? b) Do any of Ann Romney's $100k dressage horses ride in rusty and rickety livestock trailers exposed to elements? Ah, no.]
Asked if he do the same thing again, Mitt Romney said, Certainly not with the attention its received.
Wow. Clearly 30 years later, the Romneys still think it's ok for an animal to ride atop a car, at highway speeds no less....
(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...
It’s a phony issue to attack a guy that they don’t like.
There are many substantive reasons to criticize Romney. This isn’t one of them. It’s completely stupid, which is why it originally came from liberals.
For Sure. Gawd, thirty years ago, kids rode in the back of trucks. I put the kennel in the back of the truck sometimes in good weather because kitty screams all the way to the vet, and I end up more upset than kitty if I have to listen. I am sure the kennel was secure.
[Clark has just been pulled over by a Colorado motorcycle cop]
Clark: Hi officer, what’s the problem?
Motorcycle Cop: Get out of the car!
[Clark exits from the car]
Clark: I don’t think I was speeding. Was I weaving or something?
Motorcycle Cop: Shut your mouth, sir! You know, if I weren’t in uniform, I’d split your skull with the butt of this revolver faster than you can say, “police brutality!”
Clark: Well whatever I did, I’m sure I can explain...
[the motorcycle cop forcibily takes Clark by the arm and leads him to the rear of the car, which has a dog leash still tied to it]
Motorcycle Cop: Explain this, you ...
Clark: Oh my God...
Yes! Obama knowingly ATE DOGS and brags about it. I just heard an audio. Not sure if he was reading from “his” (Ayers’) book or what.
No it wasn't. If dogs wanted to be inside the car, why do you see them every day, hanging out of the windows?
LOL, OSM.
Boo! Hiss! Boo! Hiss! (Stamping feet) Bad on Romney for being ahead of Obama in the latest polls. Shame on Republicans for considering him to be our nominee. Boo! Hiss! (Making a gagging noise) Bad on Romney for strapping his doggie to the top of the car! Boo! Hiss!
OK, now that I have that out of my system, let me tell you that when I was growing up in the 1970s, it was not unusual at all for kids and dogs to be rattling around in the back of pickups...on the highway I might add!
I still have memories of jumping into the back of my uncle's moving pickup during summers in Alabama when he would head to the store in the next county. And then when he reached the dirt road, one or two of the dogs jumped in as well. There were always plenty of dogs and kids around my grandmother's farm who were willing to take a voluntary joyride in the back of pickups.
Always those trips were fun. It was about 15 miles each way down Highways 168, 75 and 431 with speeds up to 70mph and we'd be sitting in the back drinking/spilling cans of Dr. Pepper all over ourselves.
I see you’ve supported Romney in previous posts, so I wonder:
What do you think of his support for a “Republican DREAM Act” (presumably that proposed by Rubio)?
I put my hunting dog in a crate and strap it in the bed of my pickup truck and drive to south Dakota to pheasant hunt. How is this any differnt???
“Dog on Roof”?
No comparison to Obama’s “children in poverty” or “man in unemployment line” scandals.
My dad used to let us ride home on top of the hay he had strapped of his 64 Dodge 3/4 ton 4wd flatbed truck. My brother and sisters and I all absolutely loved it! We always stacked the hay so high we could touch stop lights on the way home. We felt like we were flying.
Sadly this all came to an end after several bales of loosly bailed grass hay fell off the truck after we hit a big dip on a downhill curve that caused the truck to start swaying back and forth. Fortunately, dad was worried about the stableness load that day and wouldn’t let any of us ride on top despite ample begging.
The problem with letting dogs ride in the back of pickups... they sometimes jump out. If you have them tied up and the rope is a little too long... it can make an awful mess. It is very sad and I have seen it happen.
I Have NEVER, EVER supported Mittens. Cannot stand the lying, 2-faced smiling phony. But this dog "controversy" is ridiculous.
What do you think of his support for a Republican DREAM Act (presumably that proposed by Rubio)?
I think the GOP has bought the media-DNC propaganda that they have to "reach out to Latinos". By legalizing illegality? Most LEGAL Hispanics I know can't stand illegals. McCain was the most pro-amnesty candidate in GOP history, and he got the lowest Hispanic vote in history (31%). So much for the Ed Gillespie theory.
“I dont get it.”
It’s a city-folk thing. They don’t understand that dogs are animals, not furry children. I’ve had people get huffy with me because I told them to keep their illegally unleashed chihuahua away from my leashed chow. (He was attacked by a loose chihuahua as a young pup and has wanted to return the favor ever since.)
Seamus; Im coming to save you. Mitt is on the West Coast.
I think there’s a big difference between riding in the back of a pick up and riding on the roof. The cab breaks down the wind current. I see nothing wrong with a dog tucked in safely in back of a pick up. I think it’s an American tradition, along with the gun rack in the back window.
If one were to put a dog on the roof of a car, why not put it on the hood also? Either place is just as safe when dealing with the wind current.
When a dog is inside, only its head and neck are out the window. The entire body is not subjected to wind which can dry out the skin/fur. Also, dogs are not 100% of the time hanging out the window. They come inside for mini breaks.
I didn’t say it was an important issue, but I do believe it was callous and stupid. Twelve hours in a cage on the roof isn’t the same as letting your dog stick his head out the window on short rides.
Anyway, the most important post on this thread, in my opinion, is #16 by Only Sane Man.
I so agree with dogs and kids in pickups. Kids can’t go there anymore but dogs do all the time in Texas. I can think of a lot better things to discuss then the handling of a dog.
I’d have to see a picture of the dog carrier to know if it is a problem. I’ve seen people with dog carriers in their truck beds all the time — heck, I’ve seen people with their dogs loose in truck beds. If the crate was covered, so he wasn’t getting blasted with 70-mph air, I don’t see the issue, and can’t imagine it would be one if not for the person we are discussing.
On the other hand, I don’t own a dog, and would find a lot of what people do to their dogs would feel like cruelty to me, even though I know that is not how they feel about it. Not knowing dogs and all, who am I to say?
I know people who go to work and put their dogs in small kennels all day. I can’t imagine a dog likes sitting in a 2x3 foot metal cage for hours on end, but I’m told they do.
Someone mentioned horses — a lot of horse trailers have open windows and I’ve seen horses sticking their noses out, and clearly a lot of air is running through them. the trailers are not fully enclosed, are not air conditioned or heated, and are little different from sticking a carrier on the roof of a car. But they do have a solid roof.
I’ve never heard anybody say it was raining or bad weather on this trip they talk about, but who knows? What I do know is that if we were all judged by the stupidest thing we did in our lifetimes, we’d all be in trouble.
Correction:
I didnt say it was an important issue, but I do believe it was callous and stupid. Twelve hours in a cage on the roof isnt the same as letting your dog stick his head out the window on short rides.
Anyway, the most important post on this thread, in my opinion, is #16 by apillar.
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