Democratic Viewpoint
Alan:
The howlingly long race to the White House is now in the home stretch, and it looks like Democratic presidential candidate Barack
Obama's the one sitting as comfortable as a cat in a sunny window. John McCain thought Obama would be as weak as a kitten, but
Obama's been more like a tiger, especially with woofs of endorsements from both conservative and liberal kennels, as well as the
fur-raising $150 million he made in donations in September. Weak kitten, indeed!
The candidates have also chosen their vice presidents. For Obama, Senator Joseph Biden from Delaware is the purr-fect choice,
with decades of Congressional experience and plenty of times when he's gone paw-to-paw with Republicans on vital issues. For
McCain, who growled about Obama's lack of experience, his choice of Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, still a puppy in the political
arena, is leaving many presidential race watchers scratching their heads. Palin may think of herself as a "pitbull with lipstick"
alongside a maverick nominee: But the McCain-Palin campaign seems to be barking up the wrong tree in trying to deliver a knock-out
punch to the Obama-Biden ticket.
Biden and Palin also bring other newcomers that make answering that other question just as important: Who is going to be the Top
Dog (or Cat) in the White House? With Biden, a new cat's on the scene to meow it out with Oreo McCain; and Palin's sled dogs are
now running against a mighty Poodle - the current pack leader for Obama's dog should he be elected to become president. The Poodle
is handily - or is that pawed-ly? - beating all other choices for First Pet. But can this favorite succeed against the likes of
Oreo and those sled dogs?
There are plenty of reasons why the Poodle's still at the top of the dog pile. Poodles are friendly and look like puffballs on the
outside; but have marrows made of pure steel when it comes to facing challenges. Such challenges include resolving the current
economic crisis that's leaving many cats and dogs around the country worried about the number of biscuits still remaining in their
retirement plans. Poodles aren't ones to run from a dogfight: But they'd rather share a bone than pick an unnecessary battle.
Poodle Obama would be able to work with all breeds involved to come up with a way to help everyone affected by this severe economic
downturn.
That's more than one can say about Oreo McCain, who's trotting out the same "trickle-down" economic solution that's as fresh as
three-day-old fish. Conservative have been trickling down for years, but not cleaning up afterwards. McCain's not singing a
different tuna; and "Pitbull" Palin seems to be wearing a muzzle when it comes to talking about how to help more Americans survive
this financial rollercoaster. People want a fresh perspective on ways to fix what's wrong on Wall Street and Main Street: And Poodle
Obama's the kind of leader with which one would be happy to walk down those streets.
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Republican Viewpoint
Monica: For the kind of September Barack Obama's had - raising $150 million in funds and receiving endorsements from people like
Colin Powell - he's still running nose-to-nose with John McCain in the pawls. Obama's not fooling anyone: He's more hairball than fireball
when it comes to convincing people he'll make the better President.
Speaking of hairballs, Oreo McCain should let everyone in her menagerie - er, Party - know that there's nothing to worry about just yet.
An unknown poodle running with a kitty that's never had to manage the kind of household Oreo has, with 21 other pets? Please. Oreo's got
more important things to worry about, like coming up with plans to get every cat a fresh bowl of milk again, and every dog the right to
keep their doghouse intact. This cat hasn't just been stretching out and napping while everyone else is moving around: Oreo's been plenty
busy tackling her campaign activities, as well as coming up with her solutions for the financial crisis and the bursting of the housing
market bubble.
And Oreo's not doing this on her own: She's got additional support with the Palin dogs as her vice-presidential pick, who are more than
ready to woof it out with any pampered pooch coming from the Obama camp. Oreo's had plenty of experience herself dealing with dogs, since
she's already living with three. Plus, Palin's Huskies are not show dogs, spending more time fluffing up their fur to look good for the
cameras instead of actually doing anything. These are working-class dogs that'll be ready to get down to the business of supporting Oreo
and she runs the country on Day One.
That doesn't mean, however, that Oreo hasn't had to listen to the many "neigh"-sayers who feel her new dogs aren't suited for the job of
being Second-in-Command. The Palin Huskies might be working breed dogs used to the harsh weather conditions of Alaska: But that'll be
nothing compared to the harsh conditions they'll face if elected, with a bulldog-feisty Democratic House of Representatives and a
bickering Senate.
Things could fly fast and furry-ously around for these new kids. But if nothing else, Huskies are resilient dogs that can stay focused
on the job right to the end. A Poodle wouldn't stand a chance in the kind of bitter winters Huskies endure: So it's hard to imagine a
Poodle could handle the same kind of temperature coming from Congress. The Poodle would be more likely to run off, looking for a warm
blanket to hide under. But the Huskies will be more than happy to go right out the door and jump into such frigid conditions!
Huskies are friendly, family-oriented dogs that love people as much as they love being with other dogs and even cats. So bringing Huskies
on board means Oreo gets all the good qualities in a Poodle, but also the strength and willingness to pitch in that a Husky is known for.
And if I was Oreo McCain, I couldn't have chosen a more sturdy, reliable, and helpful running mate than the Husky: They not only
understand, but value and appreciate hard work and family.
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