So my mom's employer, Columbia University, hosted a non-debate for both the presidential candidates to get their views on public service, and I convinced my mom to go because I wanted to hear what the candidates had to say about benefits for military and police dogs, starting programs for pet therapy and service animals, and also the role of community organizers in getting better off leash rights. They had a big screen outside on the lawn in front of the building where the actual interviews were taking place (only 200 or so lucky students got to go into the building, and my mom is fairly lucky but not a student), so we grabbed a nice patch of lawn and settled in. If you've read my previous posts, you know I'm pretty strongly in the Obama camp, but I approached this with an open mind (and an empty stomach, which was tortured by groups of pizza-scarfing undergraduates). Here's my thoughts:
1) NO mention of any of the above animal public service issues by either candidates. Typical, media-driven neglect of the issues that really affect most Americans.
2) America's college youth are REALLY into this election and overwhelmingly into Obama. I think the entire university was out there, clearly more people than they were expecting--the entire lawn was jam-packed (I had to rest my chin on the lap of total strangers!) and the crowds spilled out the gates, up all the building steps on the quad, plus you could see throngs in the windows of all the surrounding buildings. They claimed that McCain went first based on a coin toss but I'm pretty sure it was fixed to avoid a mass exodus at the halfway point.
3) As much as America's college youth are into Obama, America's college youth are even more into dogs. I inspired WAY more attention, interest, enthusiasm, praise, and affection than either of the candidates, by a long shot. If the election had been right then, I am sure I would have won by a landslide.
Which got me thinking...is that constitutional age requirement in human or dog years?
